Impeding changes to our Health Care system

[Happy Monkey]

I misspoke; raising rates won't lose them their grandfathered status. It is raising the percent of costs that employees still have to pay even after paying those rates.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

I misspoke; raising rates won't lose them their grandfathered status. It is raising the percent of costs that employees still have to pay even after paying those rates.

Sounds like co-pay.

[Happy Monkey]

And deductibles. And probably more, for people who actually have to use it.

[classicman]

none of us do Sam - that really wasn't the point that at least I was trying to make.
I guess I am not being clear and I'll end up getting frustrated with this.
The claims that were made when this was being sold to the public may not necessarily be true. In some cases it may be BETTER for the consumer and in others not so. We do not know for sure and will not for years.

[classicman]

“Any health care funding plan that is just equitable civilized and humane must, must redistribute wealth from the richer among us to the poorer and the less fortunate. Excellent health care is by definition redistributional.”Donald Berwick

"Senate confirmation of presidential appointees is an essential process prescribed by the Constitution that serves as a check on executive power and protects Montanans and all Americans by ensuring that crucial questions are asked of the nominee — and answered," Max Baucus

On the other hand...

Max Baucus proves, yet again, that he's a major obstacle to any improvement in our nation's health care system. Now he's throwing a hissy fit over Obama's recess appointment of Donald Berwick. Dailykos

Bwahahahah

[Happy Monkey]

What's the "Bwahahahah" about?

[classicman]

The whole thing. The wording, the attitude adn dismay of the comments ... After the Kagan hearings this guy wants to ask "the tough questions" AND have them answered?? That and the ridiculousness of dailykos as a whole. After reading all the comments I couldn't help but laugh.

[classicman]

As the Obama administration begins to enact the new national health care law, the country's biggest insurers are promoting affordable plans with reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors or hospitals.

The plans, being tested in places like San Diego, New York and Chicago, are likely to appeal especially to small businesses that already provide insurance to their employees, but are concerned about the ever-spiraling cost of coverage.

But large employers, as well, are starting to show some interest, and insurers and consultants expect that, over time, businesses of all sizes will gravitate toward these plans in an effort to cut costs.

The tradeoff, they say, is that more Americans will be asked to pay higher prices for the privilege of choosing or keeping their own doctors if they are outside the new networks. That could come as a surprise to many who remember the repeated assurances from President Obama and other officials that consumers would retain a variety of health-care choices.

But companies may be able to reduce their premiums by as much as 15 percent, the insurers say, by offering the more limited plans.

Bold mine.

[Clodfobble]

On the positive side, the first "uninsurable children" provisions kicked in July 1st, and this directly affects dozens of families I personally know whose children with pre-existing conditions were not only uninsurable, but made the entire family uninsurable, even if the family wanted a plan that didn't include the diagnosed kid.

There's still a lot of "bad things may happen" predictions out there, and some of them may come true, but right now I see actual working families who have been financially devastated by medical bills for years (or simply unable to afford treatment at all,) who are now getting medical coverage as a direct result of this bill.

[TheMercenary]

Imagine that. Everyone who had insurance is going to pay more and more for the same or less service.

[classicman]

What are the costs clod? Have they shared any of that with you?

[Clodfobble]

No, I haven't seen any real numbers yet. Part of the deal is you have to provide recent rejection letters from three insurance companies before you can get on the new plan, so all the families I know are still in the process of re-applying so they can get re-denied, and go forward from there.

[classicman]

I did a little preliminary checking just in case... the rates I was getting were 300-400% more than what my total premiums are now.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Imagine that. Everyone who had insurance is going to pay more and more for the same or less service.

Up until the moment one of their family members gets severely ill... then they'll be paying "more and more" for a series of services that are still worth far, far more than they'll ever pay in for. That's the whole point of insurance, Merc. You pay more than your actual usage costs, in order to protect yourself from the chance of ever having to pay catastrophic usage costs. If you really didn't like the rules of the game, you wouldn't be carrying medical insurance on your family right now--and yet I bet you are.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Up until the moment one of their family members gets severely ill... then they'll be paying "more and more" for a series of services that are still worth far, far more than they'll ever pay in for. That's the whole point of insurance, Merc. You pay more than your actual usage costs, in order to protect yourself from the chance of ever having to pay catastrophic usage costs. If you really didn't like the rules of the game, you wouldn't be carrying medical insurance on your family right now--and yet I bet you are.

Yea, we carry it, but I am no different than anyone else in that case.