One more very important thing about the ACA:

Back in the 80s, no one had ever heard the phrase "pre-existing conditions". By 2008, that phrase was everywhere, and the baby boomers (virtually all with PECs) were just about to be tossed into high-risk pools, which were charging about 10X the COBRA rate at that time.

FTW, COBRA is made available to insured folks for ~18 months after termination, but because a) it takes all comers, and b) folks who know they'll need it are more likely to opt for it...the price is roughly the same as for a 64 yr old man, i.e., the top rate of the market. But while that was roughly $500-$600/mo in the year before the ACA, the high risk pools were charging roughly $5000-$6000/mo.

"legislation that only helped the insurance companies."

Not true at all. It helped every Trustee of every Health Plan in America.

As I referenced above, the decade before O'Care saw 31% inflation, but 131% medical inflation, more than FOUR TIMES regular inflation. Health Plan Trustees were freaking out. I should know: I was a Health Plan Trustee, and my colleagues and I were freaking out.

Obamacare, combined with the fallout from the Bush Bust & Bailout of 2007-2009, bent the inflation trajectory downward, and gave a lot of breathing room to a lot of health plans. And forced rebates when profits exceeded 25% woke up the industry: any excessive jumps would just trigger excessive paperwork on the back end.

I've been on this blog over 20 years. Regulars know I've been against the ACA from the start, but always said I'd give it props if it addressed runaway medical inflation.

It did.

" and ram through a PoS legislation "

Actually, the legislation wasn't that bad: it was based on a Heritage Foundation model, which (quite sensibly) admitted it doesn't work without a mandate. In the early years, O'Care bent down the medical inflation trajectory (which had been 400% of regular inflation for the prior decade), and even caused rebates to clients (like me!) when expenses didn't hit 80% of revenue.

Then Republicans unilaterally killed the mandate.

Blaming the architects isn't fair if you cut off the one leg both sides admit is VITAL. You can't call it Obamacare if you take away its central tenet.

Since the mandate was repealed, it's been Trumpcare.

Now, it's turning into The Unaffordable Care Act

"If someone else has to provide you the "right", it isnt a right."

Say the most Un-American thing you can possibly say.

FFS, dude, isn't America's entire feel-good history centered around restoring rights some despot has taken away???

"Both parties are..."

Whataboutism is always a middle finger to Independents.

We can govern schittttty, because the other side did.

" go sit in the corner and let the adults talk"

The "adults" seem to be okay with violating international law and our Constitution.

Didn't you take an oath to protect and defend their rights?!?

"Not a shareholder?, then your opinion's meaningless in the scheme of things."

You're right.

I'll just short for no reason at all.

"Now he's throwing down the gauntlet about health care"

What a riot. Trump is doing nothing of the sort. He'll huff, and he'll puff, and claim he'll have a big, beautiful plan in two weeks....But those of us who've served on health committees know better.

And once again, he'll lie: "Nobody knew health care could be so complicated."

I knew. Forty years ago.

" Now he's throwing down the gauntlet about health care and you still think he doesn't have a plan?"

No meetings, no hearings, no proposals?!?

Not even A CONCEPT OF A PLAN.

I know that having any proposals, takes a lot of legwork to begin with.

Not a single leg has begun work.

" My point was simple. The "starving American" narrative doesn't match the data."

Translation: Am i my brother's keeper?!?

" I get the impression Trump is at least trying to address some of these structural issues."

He's not.

Not a single committee has met, not a single public hearing has been held, not a single suggestion has been proffered.

Trump doesn't even have a concept of a plan. He was LYING TO YOU about that as well.

" Why is America's infant mortality rate 33 out of 38?"

In part because profits are put ahead of results.

EXACTLY what I've been posting about.

Why does every major developed country with UHC pay a lower percentage of their GDP for better longevity results?

You're advocating for a profits-based system, which values monetary growth over measurable health results.

"You can't "fix" something when one side treats it as untouchable and uses it as a campaign prop instead of a policy."

You literally believe you're talking about Dems, and in reality, you're talking about Republicans. When amongst themselves at the Heritage Institute, Republicans could never come up with a plan that didn't include a mandate. Once Obama copied the HF Plan, Republicans disowned it.

Then, whenever an error or weakness would be found, no Republican EVER voted to fix it, for fear they'd be primaried for "supporting" Obamacare. (Contrast that to the R's eff-up with the tax code and farmers, which the Dems voted to correct immediately.)

Ultimately, Republicans always failed to repeal Obamacare, especially as more voters realized that WAS the Affordable Care Act. And, of course, because they've never had even the concept of a plan.

But everyone who's ever been to a committee meeting about the numbers knows it doesn't work without a mandate. Republicans effectively repealed Obamacare when they eliminated the mandate. They own this new plan.

What sounds better: TrumpCare, or The Unaffordable Care Act...?

"Since then, every attempt to propose reforms has been blocked or they frame it as a plot to repeal ACA. "

Good God, man, there were OVER 70 attempts to repeal the ACA.

They'd put in on every bill like I'd add mustard to my bratwurst.

Nobody needed to "frame it" as a plot to repeal the ACA; it was in the literal language of the bill.

"If the extensions are continued as is, how many more years will it be before someone else tries to address it."

It'll peak with the baby boomers, and die off with them, too. The upcoming years will have the highest retired-to-worker ratios in our lifetimes.

You know...math. Which, if you want to address it...the answer is universal health insurance.

"So what is your opinion on the working and Middle Class issue with Obamacare we've been hearing about for years?"

What issue is that? Be specific.

"while getting 2 and 3 times more benefits than americans ."

Why does Republican Math demand so many lies from its users???

"There are struggling families, sure."

And Cain's answer is Not My Problem.

"But the narrative of widespread "starvation" in America is political theater, not reality."

Starvation isn't the barometer. Food insecurity is.

According to AI, In 2023, 17.9% of households with children were food insecure

Look up the definition.

And tell us; what % of the days in the year are YOU food insecure? None??? Consider yourself lucky.

Meanwhile, you're spitting on kids who go to bed hungry.

"If you were married and filing joint returns with Middle Class wages, you would most definitely know the answer to your own question."

You get small tax breaks, yes. But because "60% get a reduction in taxes" doesn't mean they get 60% of the money. Workers get 15-20%

Meanwhile, Billionaires get a million dollars a week in tax giveaways originally written to sunset.

"There was open racist rhetoric at her rallies."

Wait until you hear about Young Republican chat rooms!

" Every seat won yesterday was a Democrat before, correct?"

No. Virginia governor was a Republican.

" Show me any kind of evidence the whole thing was staged. I'll wait"

#52
Nice to see you're on the side of starving the hungry.

While I have your attention, what's your reaction to Trump claiming he'll be reducing some Rx prices by 1500%?