Healthcare Insurance

[dawg80]

This needs its own thread.

I am focusing on HC insurance, not healthcare, because I think we have the best HC possible already with the best doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical research, etc...

The ACB hearing has begun and already Feinstein has played the sympathy card citing the case of one person, a woman, who she claims would be dead if not for obummercare. Of course that is a ridiculous contention to make, but during her opening statement Feinstein said 130 million Americans WILL LOSE their healthcare if ACA is over-turned by the SC. Poppycock! First, as I just mentioned, there is a difference between HC and HC insurance. Clearly, doctors/nurses, all the free/low cost clinics won't magically disappear with the elimination of ACA.

But, as Feinstein was blabbing, I had a thought. How about those 130 million people create a fund, if each person chipped in just $100 that would create a pot of $13 billion, if my math is right. Then from that pool of money, they can ask for assistance in helping pay for HC insurance premiums. Heck, Buffet and Gates and Soros and other billionaires could also chip in many $milllions enlarging the pool. All those leftist pro athletes, Hollywood types, Pelosi, Feinstein et al, millionaire politicians, could also chip in many $thousands each. Make it an annual contribution to replenish the fund. In other words, it's the old saying: PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS!

In a TRUE market-driven system, competition will keep pricing down. As I have posted before, if anything, the ONLY government involvement could be taking the combined funds of medicaid and medicare and create a fund from which low-income families can get assistance to help pay for HC insurance premiums, deductibles. But they will have to buy in the open market like everyone else.

Okay...fire away.

[BullPupN'46]

Spent 30 years in the insurance industry. I laugh every time that the members of congress talk about health insurance. The firm I was associated with originally purchased "health" insurance" and at renewal faced an increase in premium. We finally reached the criteria when we could become self insured. The plan worked very successfully until Oboma (ACA) care. D80 you make good sence

[TYLERTECHSAS]

PawDawg is the insurance guru to ask.

[dawg80]

Had a meeting this week with our HC insurance provider. I'm sure many of you are aware of the MANDATED membership in Medicare's Part A and B. I am just learning of it since I still have a few years before I have to deal with it. My insurance guy told me my net monthly HC insurance premium WILL GO UP, by about $40/month, when I am forced to get on Medicare. Yeah, like any other average American I have been paying Medicare taxes my whole adult life. Anything guvmint touches it effs up!

[dawg80]

I am on several political blogs and enjoy reading all the comments/opinions. It's amazing how polar opposite many of us have become with others. (myself included). Let me bring up a couple of points being made by women on one of the blogs, on a thread entitled "Healthcare is a Right, not a Privilege." I say women because as it turns out the leftist point of view is mostly being expressed by women(one I personally know, and the others who have handles of women like "Lady in Green" and who says she is a woman), and the conservative side mostly by men.

Healthcare is a right. Note, they don't say HC insurance, but HC itself. So, I have to ask, how is it someone has a right to someone else's labor, study, talent, skills? Doctors and nurses choose to enter the medical field and then devote much in the way of time, effort and treasure earning degrees and licenses. A doctor spends years becoming an MD and then continues to get education thru "continuing ed" and reading journals, etc... they devote their life to this profession. And...somehow YOU have a RIGHT to demand they provide YOU services? How is that so?

A few mix in...since HC and HC insurance (coverage) is often locked in together for many people...the RIGHT to have AFFORDABLE coverage, and a RIGHT to have pre-existing conditions covered. Again, where does this RIGHT come from? Not the US Constitution! If anything...I read an article by a Libertarian covering this...BTW, what happened to the Libertarians we used to have on this forum?...in that article the author makes the case, if anything, the Constitution would FORBID the Federal government from creating a HC system. There would be a Constitutional law against it. Just as the Federal government cannot create a national religion to which every citizen must join. Now, the states could create HC systems, provided their individual constitutions allowed it, but not the Federal government.

Of course, those of us with IQs higher than our shoe size (which is all the intelligence one needs to figure this scheme out) know this is just an attempt by the globalist commie bastards to usurp power and gain control of the populace. For decades they pound the stupid notion that HC is a "right." They know if they just pound it long enough, loud enough eventually it becomes part of the national lexicon and dumb people think they actually have some "right" to it.

Goosey will simply say, "Well, it IS a right," and expect that to suffice for his argument. But, does anyone have something informative and intelligent to add?

[inudesu]

I don't know that it's a right.

But it's probably best for our country if we have a healthier population. And affordable healthcare (or healthcare at any rate that is covered by affordable health care insurance) would likely be a positive step towards a healthier populace.

It's really interesting/frustrating to learn the history of how we got to the place we're in. Some strange bedfellows in the story.

You might enjoy this.

[dawg80]

Oh, while not directly related to HC it is also interesting to read the comments of lefty women who rant they have RIGHT to do what they want with their bodies...i.e. murder babies...and no men should ever legislate what women can do. Okay...

ya mean like laws against prostitution? Exotic dancing? Wearing a seatbelt? Driving 130mph on a Louisiana highway!? These are ALL laws that regulate what women can do/can't do (men in some cases too). Many of these laws are made by male-dominated legislative bodies. How dare they! There should be no laws against prostitution...wow! If a woman wants to rent her body for 30 minutes, it is her RIGHT! and nobody's business.

[dawg80]

I don't know that it's a right.

But it's probably best for our country if we have a healthier population. And affordable healthcare (or healthcare at any rate that is covered by affordable health care insurance) would likely be a positive step towards a healthier populace.

It's really interesting/frustrating to learn the history of how we got to the place we're in. Some strange bedfellows in the story.

You might enjoy this.

Requires signing up....

[inudesu]

Requires signing up....

I think you can listen from here.

[dawg80]

I understand that there are always specific cases that seem to "fall thru the cracks" and are not a reflection of the overall bigger picture. But! this will always happen when government is involved.

Have close friends who are screwed in the current, obummercare HC insurance system. Their situation is unique insomuch it is a result of choices they have made over the past 20+ years with their HC insurance. I'll try to spare you the details but it is because he worked for a private business and she worked for the state ( a teacher) and they switched back and forth between his company-provided HC insurance (family plan) and her Blue Cross/Blue Shield state employee HC insurance...and! for about a 10-year period when his company required spouses to get their own HC insurance, if available, and he carried himself and their kids and she had her own insurance policy from the state. Then that rule went away, and it was easier, and cheaper for her to go back under his plan with his company. He is now retired from that company and all their kids are grown and on their own, and over 26, and she is still teaching so he went under her Blue Cross plan.

Now, she is looking at retiring next year...she has 34 years of teaching. She is working with HR at her school and with OGB (Office of Group Benefits - State of Louisiana) and because of her years of actually being in the state HC insurance system is less than 20 years...it's actually 12...their monthly premiums for the two of them will be $2,500, with substantial deductibles and high totals out-of-pocket. If she works another 8 years and stays in the state's HC insurance system then when she retires their premiums will be much more reasonable...like $500/month. But she tells me her health is not good and she can't last another 8 years.

This is what happens when government is involved. Just like in our case (my wife and I) I have to apply for Medicare and accept I will pay $40 more per month for that privilege. Sure, $40 is nothing, but that is not the point. My SS benefit will be slashed because I draw retirement from TRSL, and the "government" says it is not right or fair to draw retirement benefits from two programs. Never mind that I have paid into SS for 35+ years...there was a brief period of 7 years when I had only a state job and paid no FICA. But, I have 35+ in the private sector and have paid into FICA. Actually, still am, not that's it much based on my modest income from a private business. When I planned our retirement I used $0 from SS in my retirement planner Excel spreadsheet. So, whatever it turns out to be will be lagniappe, probably just enough to cover that $40 premium increase!

I realize it's never going to happen, not in our lifetimes and probably never, but only a true, free-market HC insurance will fix the problems. My friends are an example of folks caught in the trap of ever-changing rules. They did nothing wrong and made decisions over the past 20+ years based on the best available information at the time and the options they had at the time.

[FriscoDawg]

Can't take our eye off the ball. Dimmwits still want to blow up our existing health care system along with all of their other loony policies.

Dems push to extend Obamacare subsidies; may imperil employer-sponsored health plans, employers warn | Just The News

[dawg80]

When lame-brain John Bell Edwards forced Louisiana into the obummercare enhanced Medicaid program, it effectively killed small, rural hospitals and has placed mid-size hospitals on the edge of the cliff. The larger, conglomerate hospitals have the capital resources to weather tough times, and because they are located in large population centers, actually get more Federal subsidies than the mid-size hospitals. The very small, rural hospitals are currently being supported by taxpayer-paid bail out programs, many $millions for each facility.

In most cases, the enhanced Medicaid patients cost hospitals to lose money. And the guvmint program, combined with crushing private insurance providers, has forced more people into Medicaid. The answer is not to see more Medicaid patients...would be like a hot dog stand having costs of $4/order and forced to sell it for $3 to Medicaid customers. The more such customers you get, the more money you lose. The rest of us are being charged $10 for that same hot dog. We pay $2, our insurance company pays $5 and the hot dog stands writes off the remaining $3 as a loss.

[DawgyNWindow]

Can't take our eye off the ball. Dimmwits still want to blow up our existing health care system along with all of their other loony policies.

Dems push to extend Obamacare subsidies; may imperil employer-sponsored health plans, employers warn | Just The News

If you think you want this to happen, just look at how the government has handled the Covid issue. It will be healthcare by narrative, and mandates of whatever they want to mandate to participate.

Look how rapidly healthcare decisions became political rather than medical.

[FriscoDog]

The other thing that MSM doesn't tell you when citing those numbers of people who will "lose" healthcare insurance if Obamacare goes away are a lot of young people who don't want HC Insurance in the first place. I have many friends in Canada and they have universal insurance.. they have had to wait for long periods of time to see a doctor in past. It's not like here where you call up your doctor and schedule an appointment. You call, and they will call you and tell you when you have an appointment. Too bad if you have a conflict, if you need to reschedule, you could wait weeks or months for a rescheduled appointment. No thank you.. I do not want that type of healthcare here. Also a couple of friends had serious medical issues and they came to U.S. for treatment.