Obamacare in review

[umair127]

Since the Nixon presidency each American president has attempted to create a path to insure all Americans. Until the Obama administration, all failed at this goal. In 2010 President Obama, with the support of a democratic congress, passed The Affordable Care Act (Initially known by its opponents as Obamacare) into law.

Although the passage was a historic accomplishment that would affect millions of Americans the ACA has never reached popularity with a majority of Americans, in large part due to misinformation about the ACA advanced by republicans who opposed the president and any action he would take throughout his presidency.

In early 2014, while the abysmal failure of the ACA new website was still fresh news, Republicans openly drooled at the prospect of their 2014 election campaigns being about their desire to repeal Obamacare.

But by late summer the failures of Obamacare were largely out of public discussion and republicans had moved their target to other issues. Why? Perhaps because of the outcome of the ACA, a record that now has democrats and the president embracing “Obamacare” on the basis of its merits.

Since the passage of Obamacare in 2010 the inflationary cost curve of health care cost has been bent downward. Healthcare costs have averaged 1.3% over the most recent three years, less than a third of the average since 1965.  Price inflation in the healthcare industry is currently at 1%, the lowest since 1962, according to a recent White House report.

Further, the percentage of the uninsured in America has fallen from a high in 18% in 2013 to 13.4% as of June, 2014 according to Gallup polling. Over 50% of those now newly insured argue that without the policies of the ACA they would not have been able to find healthcare insurance.

And, according the Congressional Budget Office this week, Obamacare is reducing the budget deficit. The deficit for fiscal 2013 was $608 billion, while the deficit for fiscal 2014 will be $506 billion or 2.9% of GDP. The deficit has averaged 3.1% over the past 40 years and the $506 billion represents a decrease in the deficit of over 70% since the first year of the Obama presidency in the early stages of the Bush Great Recession.

The New York Times reports that the effect of these lower costs has changed the Medicare cost projections for 2019 by a whopping reduction of $95 billion. That savings is greater than the projected costs of unemployment insurance, Amtrak, and welfare combined.

While Medicare will still require congressional attention for the long term, its near term prospects have been significantly improved by, you guessed it, Obamacare.

But none of these advances would matter if those insured by Obamacare did not like their coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation survey of June 2014 addresses exactly that question. Kaiser reports that 6 in 10 enrollees have a highly favorable view of their ACA coverage. 7 in 10 report that they were uninsurable before the Affordable Care Act. 40% of enrollees complain that meeting the premium cost is difficult for the newly insured. Since a family policy purchased in the open market can cost as much at $17,000 annually, this is an understandable concern.

Obamacare remains unpopular with every Republican, remains disliked in Southern States (many states in the South have failed to raise their Medicaid coverage to 138% of poverty as offered by Obamacare at no cost to the states) and fails to top 50% popularity in polling.

But perhaps what really matters is something other than polling opponents; those insured like their new insurance; the cost curve has been bend for the first time in 40 years; the percentage of the uninsured have fallen significantly; the life of Medicare has been extended by the savings; and the budget deficit has been reduced by Obamacare.

This is all good news for Americans, even those who cling to their false and dire predictions about the ACA.

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[zolace]

 I can review OCrapCare for you.

OCrapCare took away the insurance I had, I liked, that had coverage I needed at a reasonable price with a very reasonable deductible and co-pays, and replaced it with a policy that includes maternity coverage (I'll be 63 in a few days), costs me almost three times as much per month, skyrocketed my deductible to $5000, so that a procedure I have to have sometime soon that cost me $200 eight years ago will this time around cost me $3000.

So you can shove your propaganda where the sun don't shine, because people who are actually paying for their own insurance know that's what it is.

[umair127]

I can review OCrapCare for you.

OCrapCare took away the insurance I had, I liked, that had coverage I needed at a reasonable price with a very reasonable deductible and co-pays, and replaced it with a policy that includes maternity coverage (I'll be 63 in a few days), costs me almost three times as much per month, skyrocketed my deductible to $5000, so that a procedure I have to have sometime soon that cost me $200 eight years ago will this time around cost me $3000.

So you can shove your propaganda where the sun don't shine, because people who are actually paying for their own insurance know that's what it is.

If that is your experience you took a Bronze package, the lowest cost and did not meet any qualifying incentives based upon income. Additionally, your region (ACA is offered by regions within states) may not have a competitive structure. That is, you may only have a single provider. The only good news is that more insurers have indicated they will participate in the next sign up period and you may be able to purchase a better product.

Keep in mind that your past policy is a comparison of apples and oranges as your coverage now is broader. While you have maternity coverage you do not need, you have wellness visits and free preventative care that younger people will not need or utilize, for that is how group coverage always works.

[umair127]

As for your complaints, they are not widely shared:

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey of June 2014 addresses exactly that question. Kaiser reports that 6 in 10 enrollees have a highly favorable view of their ACA coverage. 7 in 10 report that they were uninsurable before the Affordable Care Act. 40% of enrollees complain that meeting the premium cost is difficult for the newly insured. Since a family policy purchased in the open market can cost as much at $17,000 annually, this is an understandable concern.

 

Finally, I must say, as one who seems to hate all things Obama, may I just suggest that your claims may be like all your comments here, not quite actual but always anti-Obama.

[wassupman]

obamacare is anything but affordable... or there would be no subsidies....

and more:

"No government intrusion in our lives is more direct, personal and threatening than Obamacare’s intrusion in the care of our own health.

But Obamacare will harm us on a broader scale, as the underlying nature of the health law’s provisions, and the tactics used to implement them, affect all areas of public and business policy.

The suppression of liberty in health care choices will take all privacy down with it. Tight government control of electronic medical records–which used to be private–seems a minor contribution to the destruction of the Fourth Amendment compared to the seizure of everyone’s communications with everybody, without individual court orders based on probable cause.

How can we protest loss of privacy in any communications when we must surrender it for ourmedical records?" --Richard E. Ralston

[umair127]

obamacare is anything but affordable... or there would be no subsidies....

and more:

"No government intrusion in our lives is more direct, personal and threatening than Obamacare’s intrusion in the care of our own health.

But Obamacare will harm us on a broader scale, as the underlying nature of the health law’s provisions, and the tactics used to implement them, affect all areas of public and business policy.

The suppression of liberty in health care choices will take all privacy down with it. Tight government control of electronic medical records–which used to be private–seems a minor contribution to the destruction of the Fourth Amendment compared to the seizure of everyone’s communications with everybody, without individual court orders based on probable cause.

How can we protest loss of privacy in any communications when we must surrender it for ourmedical records?" --Richard E. Ralston

As i am sure you know, most folks get their insurance through their employers and only pay a portion of the actual costs. For example a typical family policy today costs just slightly less than $17,000 annually and typically an employee contributes about a fourth of that, or about $4,500 annually.

That means if you purchase your insurance individually without an employer, yes, your costs can and will be higher. That is not a change at all, and given the reduction in helathcare inflation, it is better today than 3 years ago. Also, you can opt for one of 4 plans to control initial costs.

[zolace]

As for your complaints, they are not widely shared:

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey of June 2014 addresses exactly that question. Kaiser reports that 6 in 10 enrollees have a highly favorable view of their ACA coverage. 7 in 10 report that they were uninsurable before the Affordable Care Act. 40% of enrollees complain that meeting the premium cost is difficult for the newly insured. Since a family policy purchased in the open market can cost as much at $17,000 annually, this is an understandable concern.

 

Finally, I must say, as one who seems to hate all things Obama, may I just suggest that your claims may be like all your comments here, not quite actual but always anti-Obama.

Can you imagine if the cons would admit the truth and all the red states signed up for The ACA then how fast do you think the costs would go down.  Yes less deductibles and lower premiums.  Because of the stupidity the right they are costing all of us more money.  I guess they really enjoy making everyone pay a hidden tax. Which is what their stupity is really doing.

[umair127]

As for medical records becoming digital, get out of the 18th century. This is a benefit to every single American. No more mistakes based upon unshared critical healthcare information. It will be a cost savigns and a health aid big time. There is no going back to yesterday.
 
If you want to worry about fourth amendment issues fight to end domestic NSA spying, demand no drones over our skies, and cut back parts of the Patriot Act.

[Spendulus]

Since the Nixon presidency each American president has attempted to create a path to insure all Americans. Until the Obama administration, all failed at this goal. In 2010 President Obama, with the support of a democratic congress, passed The Affordable Care Act (Initially known by its opponents as Obamacare) into law.

Although the passage was a historic accomplishment....

You know, I have a relative who is paid to write this exact kind of pro-Obama socialist crap.  He gets pretty good money for it, too.  But it all reads false, like all propaganda.

[DrG]

unmair127, answer me this - why do 87% of physicians on Sermo hate the ACA.  It's not because 87% are Republicans.  They're not tea party.  They're not bigots.  They're not fearful of a Muslim president.  They're not afraid of the illiminati.  It's not any of those silly things certain elements in the media wants people to think that those who oppose Pelosi/Reid believe.

It's because physicians are the one providing the healthcare.  We did the training.  Some of us do the billing.  Some have seen where it was and can see where it is going.

Fundamentally the ACA did nothing to reign in costs - instead it allowed insurers to swell up costs 200-500% in anticipation of painful patients - the one with full blown AIDS, the ones with type II diabetes who have sugars running in the 500s and have never had an A1C, the Hepatitis C patient who is finally tired of being yellow because now he can't stay awake.  When you add these people to the rolls and the lawsuits start pouring in then insurers will need to have massive legal teams to fight back the trial lawyers.

And if you didn't think trial lawyers won with the ACA passing, ask yourself why MICRA is suddenly coming under massive attack in CA.  It's Episode 5 - The John Edwards Strikes Back!

If you want to have an intelligent discussion stop playing pom pom cheerleader for Obama.  The man is clueless when it comes to healthcare - his only experience to healthcare was appointing his wife to that 2 year position in Chicago where she made a nice $450K a year as a hospital admin denying Medicaid patients from the hospital.  She's a beauracratic pig.  He got her the job.  Most private cardiologist don't make $450K and she sure as hell was never on-call.

If you want a frank discussion, point out the single most important element in the ACA that restructures the way healthcare is delivered.  I can't think of one.

If you want a blatant criticism - midlevels are becoming increasingly common as the sole provider in clinics and physicians are giving them the name of Noctors.  The government is pushing for people who are as skilled as physicians but as cheap as a basic RN (not a high RNP or skilled PA that does surgical assist).  Why did Congress not appropriate a single increase in primary care residencies in the last 10 years (yes, under Obama and Bush)?  Why did Congress not increase training options for something between a doc and NP - something with 2 years of training and 1.5 years of clinical training with low debt?

You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

[Spendulus]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

[BTCmoons]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

When you give everyone in america one of everything for free/below the market cost then the value of it will go down substantially (even if it is healthcare).

[Wilikon]

I have to give it to umair127... What a trooper  . You must have an amazing obamacare coverage. Good for you then. Too bad for the others I guess.

By the way more good (not new) news:

More than 300,000 at risk of losing Obamacare policies

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly 94,000 Floridians must prove their citizenship and immigration status by the first week of September or lose the health insurance they bought through the Affordable Care Act.

The Federal Health Insurance Marketplace began sending out notices this week in English and Spanish to policyholders with what it called inconsistencies in their citizenship records. These people, who have been previously unreachable via mail, e-mail or phone, have until Sept. 5 to submit the needed paperwork. If they don’t they will lose coverage Sept. 30.

Florida has the largest number of the nation’s 310,000 questionable policies obtained on the federal insurance exchange — 93,800 as of Sunday, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Texas has 52,700 such cases, and Georgia has 20,900.

By contrast, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming have 300 cases.

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/2014/08/13/more-than-300000-at-risk-of-losing-obamacare-policies/14002253/

[DrG]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

What I mean was you can offer to give out everything for free by printing money left and right.  Obama promised everything under the sun.  Good luck getting it even if you want it.  It would be damn near impossible to get 20 million hand crafted cars with the caliber of a Lamborghini even if the government said "we'll foot the bill".

Just because they say everybody gets free healthcare doesn't mean 50K new primary care physicians pop up on the surface of the Earth.

Had our "Harvard educated" POTUS actually learned even a "smidgeon" of science he would have know about the concept of "rate limiting step".

[Spendulus]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

What I mean was you can offer to give out everything for free by printing money left and right.  Obama promised everything under the sun.  Good luck getting it even if you want it.  It would be damn near impossible to get 20 million hand crafted cars with the caliber of a Lamborghini even if the government said "we'll foot the bill".

Just because they say everybody gets free healthcare doesn't mean 50K new primary care physicians pop up on the surface of the Earth.

Had our "Harvard educated" POTUS actually learned even a "smidgeon" of science he would have know about the concept of "rate limiting step".

What makes you think docs are part of the plan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIktqjfsB_0

[DrG]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

What I mean was you can offer to give out everything for free by printing money left and right.  Obama promised everything under the sun.  Good luck getting it even if you want it.  It would be damn near impossible to get 20 million hand crafted cars with the caliber of a Lamborghini even if the government said "we'll foot the bill".

Just because they say everybody gets free healthcare doesn't mean 50K new primary care physicians pop up on the surface of the Earth.

Had our "Harvard educated" POTUS actually learned even a "smidgeon" of science he would have know about the concept of "rate limiting step".

What makes you think docs are part of the plan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIktqjfsB_0

Oh I know we're not because nobody wants to pay for their healthcare.  So far this year I have been paid 21% of my co-pays by inpatients.  That's right - 79% of people I sent the bill to and they have chosen not to pay despite them signing a contract with their insurance company stating they would pay.  I could take them to court but it's not forth it anymore.  I took a Fukitol and will be quitting medicine... let the noctors have fun 

[confirmation120]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

What I mean was you can offer to give out everything for free by printing money left and right.  Obama promised everything under the sun.  Good luck getting it even if you want it.  It would be damn near impossible to get 20 million hand crafted cars with the caliber of a Lamborghini even if the government said "we'll foot the bill".

Just because they say everybody gets free healthcare doesn't mean 50K new primary care physicians pop up on the surface of the Earth.

Had our "Harvard educated" POTUS actually learned even a "smidgeon" of science he would have know about the concept of "rate limiting step".

What makes you think docs are part of the plan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIktqjfsB_0

Oh I know we're not because nobody wants to pay for their healthcare.  So far this year I have been paid 21% of my co-pays by inpatients.  That's right - 79% of people I sent the bill to and they have chosen not to pay despite them signing a contract with their insurance company stating they would pay.  I could take them to court but it's not forth it anymore.  I took a Fukitol and will be quitting medicine... let the noctors have fun 

Sometimes it helps to make a little bit more of an effort to collect on your accounts receivable then to just send a bill. Sometimes a 2nd bill helps. Sometimes a friendly reminder phone call helps. If neither of these works doctors can sell their owed medical bills to a collection agency.

[Chef Ramsay]

All I know is this will be one more tax I have to pay since I'm younger and don't need health insurance. My health insurance is the supplements I purchase on a monthly basis here: http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/. One aspect of the ACA is to tap the young and healthy to pay into an already broken system. I'm surprised to see a cheerleader for this on a forum dedicated to the disruptive tech known as Bitcoin.

[Spendulus]

...
You can't just give everybody in America $1 million dollars and say "everybody gets a Lamborghini" - it doesn't work that way. 

Yes, you most certainly can give them all $1M dollars.

Whether those dollars will even buy a hamburger at that point is another question.

What I mean was you can offer to give out everything for free by printing money left and right.  Obama promised everything under the sun.  Good luck getting it even if you want it.  It would be damn near impossible to get 20 million hand crafted cars with the caliber of a Lamborghini even if the government said "we'll foot the bill".

Just because they say everybody gets free healthcare doesn't mean 50K new primary care physicians pop up on the surface of the Earth.

Had our "Harvard educated" POTUS actually learned even a "smidgeon" of science he would have know about the concept of "rate limiting step".

What makes you think docs are part of the plan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIktqjfsB_0

Oh I know we're not because nobody wants to pay for their healthcare.  So far this year I have been paid 21% of my co-pays by inpatients.  That's right - 79% of people I sent the bill to and they have chosen not to pay despite them signing a contract with their insurance company stating they would pay.  I could take them to court but it's not forth it anymore.  I took a Fukitol and will be quitting medicine... let the noctors have fun 

Not a bad idea to go concierge medicine,  cash or bitcoin only.  At least for some specialties. 

[Spendulus]

All I know is this will be one more tax I have to pay since I'm younger and don't need health insurance. My health insurance is the supplements I purchase on a monthly basis here: http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/. One aspect of the ACA is to tap the young and healthy to pay into an already broken system. I'm surprised to see a cheerleader for this on a forum dedicated to the disruptive tech known as Bitcoin.

Well, one part of those tax revenues will be to pay for the propaganda efforts and collect lying statistics then advertize them.  Basically tell everyone a pack of lies as they squeeze services down.  Then you have 800 numbers that you can never get through, and runarounds like in the VA system.  And waiting lists.  

But don't worry.  It will create a new, larger dependent class and then they can drum roll scary stuff like the "Republicans are going to take your heath care away".  And that's all this thing has ever been about.  Buying votes.  With printed money.