quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
Sucks donkey balls from what I've seen.

Time to start holding Congress accountable.

-Rob

Good luck with that. Why should they worry about us peons' health care?

They have their own platinum plan, for which they pay nothing.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
Last year i had a kidney stone and went to the E.R. to get treatment. I forgot my insurance card and the clerk advised me as she tried to verify my insurance that the MRI would cost $3100. It would only be $700 if I had no insurance and had to pay cash.

Why do we allow hospitals to gouge insurance companies which In turn jack up their rates and gouge us?

This. Insurance makes it seem like we're not playing with actual cash. We are. Somewhere down the line, someone is paying for it.

I can think of no other transaction where the actual costs are so deliberately opaque.

quote:

Originally posted by Cassandra:
It will please the commies as it appears to be Obamacare II.

Yup!

and according to what I saw on TV this morning, the "new" plan does not allow interstate competition, either.

All that lobbyist money continues to determine the course of our national health system.

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:

quote:

Originally posted by FRANKT:
Doomed right out of the gate, IMHO.
Where is state lines?
Where is co-op-type group purchasing?
Drug prices?
Nope, don't confuse motion with action.

Aahhh, the ol' Wimpy approach, "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."
Even Reagan has pulled that stunt, most notably with his amnesty deal/promises, and the American people are finally getting wise. Why not now? Why later? It's no secret that mañana never comes.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
Last year i had a kidney stone and went to the E.R. to get treatment. I forgot my insurance card and the clerk advised me as she tried to verify my insurance that the MRI would cost $3100. It would only be $700 if I had no insurance and had to pay cash.

Why do we allow hospitals to gouge insurance companies which In turn jack up their rates and gouge us?

But the actual costs of medical treatments is hush hush. Someone has to get wealthy off others health issues.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
Last year i had a kidney stone and went to the E.R. to get treatment. I forgot my insurance card and the clerk advised me as she tried to verify my insurance that the MRI would cost $3100. It would only be $700 if I had no insurance and had to pay cash.

Why do we allow hospitals to gouge insurance companies which In turn jack up their rates and gouge us?

Last I heard, some years ago, the insurance companies do not pay that $3100 either. They negotiate it down to a level acceptable to both parties.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:Last I heard, some years ago, the insurance companies do not pay that $3100 either. They negotiate it down to a level acceptable to both parties.

That's true. Look at your next EOB. "Billed amount" vs "Contracted amount"

quote:

Instead we get the free shit crowd and there backers in the GOP saying "Well, we have to have subsidies so people can buy insurance. We also have to make sure that people with preexisting conditions can't be turned down. We also have to make sure people can stay on their parents' insurance until they are eligible for AARP membership" and so forth and so on.

No, we have to have subsidies so the insurance companies can continue to rape those who have to pay for the coverage.

For an example (old) consider a situation from perhaps 15 years ago.

A woman needed daily medication for some problem. She lived on a farm and had some sheep. She had to administer a medication to a sheep. She noted that the medication she took and the one for the sheep was exactly the same, including the batch numbers on the bottles.

She was paying less than $5 for the sheep medication, and $1300 for hers.

Or, can someone explain why meds sold here in the USA cost several times more than the same meds sold off shore???!!!???

My sister and BIL used to drive from Spokane up into Canada to get his medication. Saved several times what the trip cost. It was so ridiculous that they even made a vacation trip to Mexico to buy the meds, spent a week there and still saved money.

OK, what are we bitching about now? Let's get President Hillary Clinton on the case. How's that sound, guys?

Seriously, what are we upset about now?

The reality is this:

Could it be repealed? Sure, it could. Total chaos as companies plans are instantly terminated and 20 million people have their plans cancelled with no alternatives to get insurance, as the co-ops go away with the repeal as well.

Well, you could just immediately pass a replacement. No you couldn't, any replacement after a full repeal is going to require 60 votes in the Senate. The dems will not go along with any free market plan and the media will fully back them and the blame will be in the republicans laps.

By keeping the structure in place, which was passed under budget reconciliation, changes can be made with only a majority - not 60 votes in the Senate.

Like it or not, without 60 votes you have to keep the structure. Get 60 votes then you can talk about scrapping the thing entirely and pass something rational and market based.

<Flame suit on, even though I'm not endorsing this, just stating the reality>

The mandate is gone under this plan and pre-existing conditions are still covered.

Well? Please tell me what is the problem? We don't like ObamaCare and we're apparently not even going to give the Republicans a chance to fix it before we all start bitching again. That's what I see here.

So, really, what seems to be the problem?

Everyone had to know that a full out repeal was never going to happen.

Once entitlements are given they cannot be taken away. Political suicide. The leftists have know this for 80+ years.

It just ain't going to happen.

I can only hope that Trump vetos this and puts the Republicans in the house and senate in a tight spot. No way he can go along with this.

This is not what was promised. Not even close. There was no way to interpret the election promises of "repeal and replace" to "keep it but make it slightly less shitty".

I am upset because why should we pay for illegals to have free health care? That is in the bill.
This is just another brand of Socialism...the GOP brand of it. I am not sure where our "leaders" get off making us do forced "Charity"?
They force you to buy something and part of your payment goes to pay for somebody who does not pay.
Kinda reminds me of some of the drug commercials on tv. They say "If you cannot afford to pay for your prescription, you may qualify to get it free". That simply means we will charge you enough that we can give some to somebody else for nothing. When I give to a charity, I want to do it freely and not have to be taxed or overcharged to do it. If someone does not feel the need to give, so be it.

This morning on Fox, Rand Paul on Obamacare Lite:



Linky

From the sound of it, this bill is baby steps. How about we buy our insurance where and how we like it, the federal government butt out and leave regulation to the states? Since that ship has already sailed, the feds can regulate Medicare and Medicaid.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
We don't like ObamaCare and we're apparently not even going to give the Republicans a chance to fix it before we all start bitching again. That's what I see here.

I was perfectly willing to hold my comments for an actual plan to be produced rather than speculating on what they might do or not do.

Well, they just released the plan that they propose to put on the President's desk. He has expressed his support of the same.

The plan doesn't scratch the surface of repealing or replacing Obamacare. What's worse is that from a policy point of view, this would be something that the GOP would be wholly responsible for. It's kind of hard to rail against over-regulation when you're responsible for one of the largest federal over-reaches on the books.

Bottom line is, it's not what was promised and there are no excuses for not delivering what was promised since the GOP has full control of the Congress.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
Bottom line is, it's not what was promised and there are no excuses for not delivering what was promised since the GOP has full control of the Congress.

-Rob

Which plan is going to get all republicans (including the RINOs) PLUS 8 democrats to vote for it? Please be specific on which 8 democrats would vote for a republican healthcare plan.

Well said, BurtonRW.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Well said, BurtonRW.

Which republican healthcare plan are all republicans PLUS 8 democrat senators going to vote for? Specifically, which 8 democrat senators?