Obamacare

[Happy Monkey]

Apologies again; I did misread that web page.

[Clodfobble]

Is it working?

[classicman]

Not for me. I'm this close >< to paying the fine. Seriously - I just don't have the money in my budget.

[Clodfobble]

But I mean, is it working to put you in favor of single payer? Would you vote for the politician who promised to enact a single payer system?

[Griff]

I'd prefer it without the deceit but I could vote for that. As a country we'd have to not let every coverage and $ discussion derail it, which means grown-ups in the House of Representatives which seems unlikely. I remember the death panels nonsense and know we have to be better.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

But I mean, is it working to put you in favor of single payer? Would you vote for the politician who promised to enact a single payer system?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I see where other peoples situations have gotten better, but for the most part many are paying far more - I am certainly one of them. It seems as though they could have addressed the few that needed better/expanded/any coverage without screwing so many more that were happy.
I couldn't keep my doctor, I'm not saving $2500 yr and I now don't have dental nor vision because I cannot afford it. Just to name a few.

[glatt]

We're all paying more. The rates just keep going up and up and up.

But I think Beest is right. While I haven't crunched my own numbers, my recollection is that Beest's 20% increases per year before Obamacare was pretty close to my own situation.

Obamacare slowed the rate of the increases.

[captainhook455]

I have no insurance to pay 187k in hospital bills and the left artery is still to be done. I have applied to emergency medicaid. If not approved I will pay $50 month forever. Still cheaper than insurance. I don't file taxes, have no visible income and don't have to pay a fine. By the way the 2nd stroke was lighter than the first and all is back to normal.

tarheel

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by classicman

It seems as though they could have addressed the few that needed better/expanded/any coverage without screwing so many more that were happy. I couldn't keep my doctor, I'm not saving $2500 yr and I now don't have dental nor vision because I cannot afford it. Just to name a few.

Sure, many of the promises of ACA were unrealistic. But never mind the past; single-payer could improve your personal situation now, yes?

[classicman]

Perhaps Clod, depends on the outcome.

glatt - my increases were nowhere near that prior to the ACA. This is what amazes me - my experiences seem to be polar opposites of others here. strange world indeed.

[Happy Monkey]

If you've got pre-existing conditions, get insurance before January. They'll repeal Obamacare before they have anything to replace it with.

And since the pre-existing condition support is a major cost factor, don't expect it to be in any eventual replacement.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

If you've got pre-existing conditions, get insurance before January. They'll repeal Obamacare before they have anything to replace it with.
And since the pre-existing condition support is a major cost factor, don't expect it to be in any eventual replacement.

I'm not worried. I find that about as likely as them rounding up 12,000,000 illegals, shipping them to Mexico and sending all the muslims back to the middle east. Not gonna happen.

[footfootfoot]

As I see the insurance industry there are a number of parallels between it and casino gambling. Essentially, insurance companies are betting you will be healthy and you are betting you will get sick. With actuarial tables insurance companies can predict with exceptional accuracy the likelihood of anyone making a claim and what that claim will cost them. That is one of the reasons that they want to be able to cherry pick their policy holders. Just as a casino will bar card counters and people with "photographic memories" an other people who win too often, insurance companies prefer healthy people over sick or sickness prone people. The house doesn't like to pay out.

The only way it works is when there is a preponderance of losers gambling against the house. Healthy people unlikely to get sick, betting that they will get sick, and unskilled gamblers betting that they will win.

Obamacare is essentially compelling the casinos to allow big winners, card counters, and other drains against the house to continue to gamble, while also compelling non gamblers to also bet against the house.

So the insurance companies have to take the sick people, but they are promised healthy, non-claim making people to offset their costs.

Frankly, I don't see where the government gets off compelling you to have health insurance. Auto insurance is optional in that if you don't want to have auto insurance you don't have to own a car.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Frankly, I don't see where the government gets off compelling you to have health insurance.

They don't compel you; they incentivize you, with subsidies and penalties; much more lenient than the auto insurance requirement. Classicman has been considering opting out.

Auto insurance is optional in that if you don't want to have auto insurance you don't have to own a car.

The reasoning for mandatory auto insurance and health insurance is identical, but there's no way to opt out of potentially needing medical care. How would that work? Some sort of "do not treat" tattoo if you're brought into the ER? Like a DNR but for everything?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

They don't compel you; they incentivize you, with subsidies and penalties; much more lenient than the auto insurance requirement. Classicman has been considering opting out.The reasoning for mandatory auto insurance and health insurance is identical, but there's no way to opt out of potentially needing medical care. How would that work? Some sort of "do not treat" tattoo if you're brought into the ER? Like a DNR but for everything?

Some states don't have mandatory auto insurance. You don't opt out of potentially needing medical care, you are self insured.