health care in the USA

[abbott]

I have had and have health insurance for my family. I have always thought I did good on my plan and felt it was a fair deal for all. I am self employed so I just pay for my own. I called my current provider today because my monthly premium is going up over $500 to stay with the same company. The good news is I can sign up with the company I am already with through the new healthcare.gov. I can also keep my monthly cost about the same by enrolling thought the web site. I can not go directly to the company I am already with, but I am in luck they are one of the 4 that is in the government page.

It is strange to me that I cant just call my customer service and keep what I got, but I have to register with the government website or my rates almost triple.

Anyway here is one of my favorite politicians thoughts...


Friends,

The news is hitting today that only 50,000 people have so far enrolled for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. That’s only 1/10th of the number that was predicted for the first month of enrollment. President Obama, of course, is blaming this massive failure on the website mess -- and that probably had something to do with it.

But this isn’t about a website. It’s about the government trying to take over one of our most basic and critical needs: Our health.

We who believe in Liberty and limited government have a great many complaints and battles to fight to keep the government from meddling unnecessarily in our lives, our families and our livelihoods. All those battles are important, and with your help, the Our America Initiative is fighting them every day.

But...what we are witnessing now -- and in many cases, experiencing first-hand -- is a level of government coercion that I would suggest is not just wrong, but immoral. Millions of Americans are finding that, contrary to Obama’s promises, they are losing their health insurance or at best being informed that the cost of their coverage is skyrocketing. The result is that millions are being forced into government-managed and regulated health care, against their true wishes.

That, my friends, is coercion at its worst. And the fake “shock” that so many politicians are expressing now is just that: Fake. When they passed the Affordable Care Act and wrote the regulations to implement it, they knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to force us OUT of making our own health care decisions, and INTO a system where the government is making those decisions. Life and death decisions.

In short, website issues aside, the takeover of healthcare is going precisely according to the big government plan. Even the people in Congress who voted against it are now debating how to “fix” it -- AFTER millions of Americans have had their insurance policies cancelled, changed or priced out of affordability.

When President Obama first proposed health care reform, he talked about making care more affordable and more accessible. There is only one way to do that, and it isn’t government force. As I have said countless times in news interviews, on college campuses and in speeches across the country, the way to “fix” health care is to blow the lid off supply and get the government out of the way. Instead, the politicians have managed to kill supply and put the government entirely in charge.

While those politicians are debating how to make government-run healthcare work, SOMEONE needs to be forcing them to have the REAL debate about how to let free markets provide that which the government simply cannot and should not try to force upon us.

That is the debate we need to have, and that the Our America Initiative will advocate -- with your help. Go to Our America today and make a contribution that will let us put the voice of liberty back into the conversation -- something the politicians won’t allow unless we make ourselves heard.

Right now, as millions of Americans are seeing the consequences of letting the government take over the most basic of their decisions and needs, is the time to stand up for smaller government, less control over our lives…and Liberty. Your support will allow us to do just that.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you and having your support in this most important battle for freedom.


Gov. Gary Johnson
Honorary Chairman

[abbott]

this is the type of response I was looking for..


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-...-another-year/

[ericg]

obama care is bad.
we should make health care a co-op and eliminate insurance companies.
lobbyists vs the people?

[Dorothy Wood]

I'm losing my employer subsidized healthcare because my boss says obamacare is "cheaper" for me. Yep, it is, and it's also way less coverage...if i want the same coverage, I'll pay more. I'm getting a pay increase, but not enough to compensate the loss. I'm pretty upset about the whole thing.

[abbott]

yep, I still have to come up with $500 more a month so far for less than what I have. Except I do get this gym membership with the program and it will only add an hour a day of driving to get to the gym I will be getting as a bonus with my new health insurance.

My wife volunteers for our public school system 4 days a week, so she is considering getting a paying job. I know the school likes here help and she works hard for the teachers.

It is ironic to me that we have to quit helping the school to pay for this especially when I was happy with what I had. But I understand other people need bureaucracy and money to pull out of it.

[YoungRemy]

it's an incredibly private and personal and nuanced subject- someone and their family's healthcare, but I see many young individuals and families saving money across the board.

for those who share anecdotal evidence- are you factoring in the subsidies handed out during tax season? are you going through hc.gov or state run exchanges?

what program under the Affordable Care Act offers a gym membership?

(are you sure you have your info right?)

[ericg]

Originally Posted by ericg

obama care is bad.
we should make health care a co-op and eliminate insurance companies.
lobbyists vs the people?

... ya know.. pay the doctors and hostpitals directly.. like 25 ea kid and 100 for an adult a month, so 250 for a family of 4... and again, eliminate insurance and big pharma companies.. bring some oversight back and better medicines.. too many are dying of cancer when our government knew long ago that thc shrinks tumors... and other healthy products.

with better coms these days, we're rising up to critical mass... bring it back to the heartland!!!

[Lyman Zerga]

he was all about 'change' but that doesnt mean it would be a change for the better...

[YoungRemy]

we got some healthcare and insurance industry experts up in here!

[abbott]

So as it stands I need to come up with an additional $500 a month for much less. I tried to ask if I could cancel the free gym membership I get to reduce my monthly fee but that is not an option. Unfortunately for me I work out at home and ride my bike, so I am paying for a gym I don't want. But I am thankful that the gym is getting paid.

My rich brother in law has 500 employees and he said it cost his company 1.2 million to get compliant and he believes he is getting less for that. Dont worry about is 1.2 million loss and unhappy employees, because he will just pass that expense on to the Texans that purchase cars from one of his dealerships.

I think the real problem is politicians make new laws in baby steps towards their real agenda. So what we have is a law stepping toward the real goal. Mainly because the real goal is so radical it would never take off. I say stop being a pussy and get the full program you want out there, because this half ass approach to fully socialized medical care is making me think our politicians are a bunch of pussies.

I have insurance for my car, and I have to by law. But I dont have to buy it from the government and I dont have to pay for a tow truck company Ill never use. Probably a bad comparison.

[abbott]

See I am a little slow here and I did not realize that we are redefining what insurance is.

I use to pay for this product called insurance. If I needed to go to the Doctor or get a prescription I could at a low cost also referred to as a co-pay. I was ok with my health care.

Today I pay a lot more for something called insurance, but if I go to the Doctor because I am sick, I pay the Doctor bill, about $129 per visit assuming there is no test. Then I also pay 100% of my prescription, you know about $100 for a Z pack.

So I am now paying for what I use to get with my old insurance which I can no longer get, and I am now paying over $500 more per month to get alot of benefits I dont use.

Just so you know my wife is pissed about these political changes and she has never got political.

I say fuck 100% of the incumbents in office. Plus I say if you dont have what it takes to serve your country for free and have the honer to serve in the senate or congress get the fuck out and go pay some taxes with money you earn outside of tax payer funds.

I assumed time would show this plan to be great, but right now I think it completely sucks and is a total piece of shit.

To top it all off, if I had made $200 less in income I could get a $300 a month credit. So making money and earning a living a little to well has cost me a $2400 credit that those just $200 less than me can get. I get it its my fault and my problem. Hope its going better for you.

[abbott]

Who's happy?

[KingPsyz]

ARGH...

[KingPsyz]

ARGH...

So much mis-information out there...

First off, your boy Gary has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. "Obamacare" isn't Govt. run healthcare, it's Govt. subsidised health care.

The government doesn't make determinations on procedures or medication, they just provide a subsidy and a marketplace to purchase insurance through at a savings.

The real rub is THIS IS WHAT THE REPUBLICANS DEMANDED... Everyone seems to have serious short term memory issues lately, and I honestly think the 24 hour news cycle has a lot to do with that. We are constantly fed an avalanche of information and our brains can only cache so much maybe...

But this is what the insurance company lobby and the GOP demanded, they amended so much of the original bill they basically got every concession they wanted, and then cried about how horrible it was the minute it was law.

It is not a perfect system, but considering who framed it, I am not surprised. Fact is, instead of subsidies, they should have eliminated the middle man and gone to single payer system or just use tax revenue to pay doctors directly, you know like most of the civilized world.

Problem is, a lot of doctors and insurance companies have been getting extremely rich and don't want to loose that payout. This has all happened in the last 30 or so years. When I was a kid, you didn't NEED insurance to see a doctor. You could have a family doctor, pay $20 and take care of nearly everything. Sprains, vaccines, school check ups, etc. If it was an emergency you went to the hospital and I'm pretty sure I would have known about my dad spending $15k for a broken finger.

But when the big insurance companies came through them and the docs figured out they could overcharge for services because they'd get paid. They don't want to see that payday end.

Personaly, insurance companies charging more for the same or less coverage is greed. I can't find, and when I have asked couldn't get a straight answer to just what part of "Obamacare" was causing these increases in costs. In fact, because so many people are being added to the rolls, costs should be going down. The good thing is that part of the law states that insurance companies cannot make more than I believe it's a 10% profit, and they have to refund anything over and above that ammount to the clients directly. Our insurance company at work had to refund quite a bit. I expect a huge refund this year as the rates skyrocketed but coverage decreased and co-pays rose.

If you are dispeased with how the ACA is working, direct your frustration to fixing it, not eliminating it. Frankly this mess has proved the insurance industry is not to be trusted and we need single payer. They'll have their niche of affluent customers that want a premium service and the average American can just be allowed to be healthy and not forgo health care because of high co-pays...

[abbott]

yea, I still Like Gary, but I kind of wrote him off after his public response to the Feds arresting people in Toas for smoking weed. I like the guy, but he kinda did himself in multiple ways.

The Insurance thing is unrelated to Gary.

I dont know anybody that likes it myself. I did a pole of 3 top New Mexico CPA's that between the 3 did taxes for thousands of New Mexicans and not one can tell me one person who like the new deal that we use to call insurance. SO, Working, taxpaying New Mexicans who hire a CPA to do their Taxes just dont get it. Cause no one has anything good to say.

I actually say it is great, I just dont know why I say that. The good news is we can/might have Clinton Vs. Bush and finally get a real choice soon for some fresh new ideas.

[YoungRemy]

you did a pole?

my fucking head is going to explode.

2013 taxes had ZERO to do with anything health care or ACA related.

[KingPsyz]

Originally Posted by abbott

yea, I still Like Gary, but I kind of wrote him off after his public response to the Feds arresting people in Toas for smoking weed. I like the guy, but he kinda did himself in multiple ways.

The Insurance thing is unrelated to Gary.

I dont know anybody that likes it myself. I did a pole of 3 top New Mexico CPA's that between the 3 did taxes for thousands of New Mexicans and not one can tell me one person who like the new deal that we use to call insurance. SO, Working, taxpaying New Mexicans who hire a CPA to do their Taxes just dont get it. Cause no one has anything good to say.

I actually say it is great, I just dont know why I say that. The good news is we can/might have Clinton Vs. Bush and finally get a real choice soon for some fresh new ideas.

But the tax incentives do not start until next year's returns for 2014...

[abbott]

Truth in expenses…

Well, I was thinking of truth in lending, for a home AKA The CFPB

You know the government protecting consumers…

Anyway, in the near future if you want to buy a home and close tomorrow the law says you cant close unless you had 3 days to review you cost.

Sounds good to me, real good. Unless you want to move in tomorrow.

I went to the doctor and I said … “I will come see you but I need to know what it will cost…”

No reply

So I showed up and I said what will this cost with my insurance?

They said “it is covered, it cost nothing”

6 weeks later I get a bill for $1200.

I called and explained I asked in advanced and was told it was nothing

They said sucks to be you, pay us our money or get a lien on your home; we don’t have an obligation to tell you your real cost in advance.

[abbott]

luckily I was unable to get any tax break on my health insurance cost on my taxes for 2014. the worst tax break on heath insurance in my life, but I am only 42, so I am sure by the time I am 60 it will get better.

Cant wait for my next paycheck so I can buy some groceries. And I get to travel once a year on the company dime.