An alternative for Obamacare?

[aggiealum]

Just saw this story on 60 Minutes. These two nurse practitioners have been doing this for years, driving around in an old Winnebago providing free basic healthcare for those who can't afford to go to a doctor. They have doctors on-call that provide assistance, can fill out prescriptions, and is paid for with government grants and public donations. The people living in this region are dirt poor, and the majority of jobs available are minimum wage with no type of health benefits. The story said even with the pittance wages they make, they can't qualify for State Medicaid, and can't afford the Obamacare insurance exchanges since they also don't provide a subsidy for the income they make. Approximately 5 million people in that illustrious "donut hole" when it comes to getting low-cost health care. So as an alternative to ACA, do we just drum up more Winnebago's and provide the same services for the other 40 Million or so Americans that fall into this same category, or do we just leave them to their own demise simply because of the environments they happened to be born into?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-road-with-the-health-wagon/

 

[bang guy]

I'm confused. I thought the entire purpose of the ACA was to allow the 50 million people in the gap to be able to afford medical insurance.

 

[2quills]

I'm confused.  I thought the entire purpose of the ACA was to allow the 50 million people in the gap to be able to afford medical insurance. 
No, no the ACA was designed to decimate the insurance companies so that the government could eventually take over health care and implement a single payer system which is what democrats have said they wanted all along.

 

[aggiealum]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/397498/an-alternative-for-obamacare#post_3542982
I'm confused. I thought the entire purpose of the ACA was to allow the 50 million people in the gap to be able to afford medical insurance.
It was. Then the Republican-led states that refused to create state insurance pools, or subsidize those individuals below a certain economic level screwed the entire system up. The law mandates that power to the individual states. Ironic that one of the biggest economically-depressed areas in this country can't obtain affordable insurance, whereas a state holding some of the wealthiest Americans (California) can.

 

[2quills]

It was.  Then the Republican-led states that refused to create state insurance pools, or subsidize those individuals below a certain economic level screwed the entire system up.  The law mandates that power to the individual states.  Ironic that one of the biggest economically-depressed areas in this country can't obtain affordable insurance, whereas a state holding some of the wealthiest Americans (California) can.
So republicans were the ones who lied to America and caused this mess then?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieAlum http:///t/397498/an-alternative-for-obamacare#post_3542966
Just saw this story on 60 Minutes. These two nurse practitioners have been doing this for years, driving around in an old Winnebago providing free basic healthcare for those who can't afford to go to a doctor. They have doctors on-call that provide assistance, can fill out prescriptions, and is paid for with government grants and public donations. The people living in this region are dirt poor, and the majority of jobs available are minimum wage with no type of health benefits. The story said even with the pittance wages they make, they can't qualify for State Medicaid, and can't afford the Obamacare insurance exchanges since they also don't provide a subsidy for the income they make. Approximately 5 million people in that illustrious "donut hole" when it comes to getting low-cost health care. So as an alternative to ACA, do we just drum up more Winnebago's and provide the same services for the other 40 Million or so Americans that fall into this same category, or do we just leave them to their own demise simply because of the environments they happened to be born into?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-road-with-the-health-wagon/


If all the doctors and nurses in America were willing to work for free we could all afford care. I agree, that's a great solution! It's just not something that's going to happen. Charity groups are everywhere, and do their best to help, but it's just a finger in the hole of the dam....

I used to volunteer at a hospital, one job was to go around with a clipboard, and mark the check list for all of the patients with what equipment they used, such as the fancy IV monitor thing. The patient is dinged for the entire cost of the thing, and yet it's reused by many patients after, and they all pay for it like it was new. That includes the little baby plastic crib on a cabinet thing... $600.00 per. I think that if the hospitals would quit trying to gouge the patients, healthcare wouldn't cost anything near what is charged. My insurance was charged $700.00 for an aspirin...I seen the itemized bill, and was shocked at the nerve to charge those prices, and the stupidity of the insurance for allowing it to continue....but if the insurance refused, they would bill the patient. CRAZY!!!

 

[aggiealum]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/397498/an-alternative-for-obamacare#post_3543001
So republicans were the ones who lied to America and caused this mess then?
Do a comparative study on the costs for ACA in Republican-led states vs. Democrat-led states, and you tell me which states provide cheaper rates for similar plans.

 

[2quills]

Do a comparative study on the costs for ACA in Republican-led states vs. Democrat-led states, and you tell me which states provide cheaper rates for similar plans.
If you have any information on that then feel free to present it. The whole goal of the ACA like you said was to get coverage for the 40+ million Americans that were previously uninsured.
Pelosi says obamacare reached its 7 million that it needed for this thing to come close to being affordable for anybody. Working families didn't see their premiums go down, they went up. And the 7 million people who "supposedly" signed up doesn't reflect how many of them were previously uninsured. Reports I'm hearing are that there were many duplicate application from the website that was riddled with false starts and re tries but they're still being counted. Reports from the insurance companies are claiming record numbers of new enrollies that never even payed their first months premium. If any of that is true then this is a huge disaster and the administration needs to be strait with america and come out and admit it.

 

[darthtang aw]

http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketplacePremiums/ib_marketplace_premiums.cfm#_ftn32
According to this aggie isnt exactly correct.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieAlum http:///t/397498/an-alternative-for-obamacare#post_3542991
It was. Then the Republican-led states that refused to create state insurance pools, or subsidize those individuals below a certain economic level screwed the entire system up. The law mandates that power to the individual states. Ironic that one of the biggest economically-depressed areas in this country can't obtain affordable insurance, whereas a state holding some of the wealthiest Americans (California) can.

Most states are republican led. I thought there was a federal provision built into the law for states that chose not to set up their own exchange.

 

[darthtang aw]

Aggie is primarilly talking about the medicaid expansion. Some states, primarily Texas, arent participating. What this does is maintains the current qualifications for acceptance into medicaid. Meaning less people would be covered for free.
If a person looked closely, they would see states with fewer insurance companies in the exchange are typically seeing higher premiums. Gee, i wonder why.
On a sidenote i found a company here with lower deductibles and lower premiums than i saw on the exchange. Their policies are equivalent care and copays or better in most cases. I asked why. They stated they dont have the added administrative costs of dealing with the aca exchange and government to get their payments. So they are able to remain less expensive.
Silver plan for four, one being a smoker and two almost forty is running me 575 a month. Deductible is only 1500.

 

[2quills]

Aggie is primarilly talking about the medicaid expansion. Some states, primarily Texas, arent participating. What this does is maintains the current qualifications for acceptance into medicaid. Meaning less people would be covered for free.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody has to buy it and someone has to cook it. 25 states thus far have not expanded medicaid. That's more than a few. While it may sound great as those federal dollars are rolling in it isn't going to be so great when the state's with the highest amount of low income, uninsured have to pay for themselves. Which is why it was deemed unconstitutional to force states into it.

 

[darthtang aw]

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody has to buy it and someone has to cook it. 25 states thus far have not expanded medicaid. That's more than a few. While it may sound great as those federal dollars are rolling in it isn't going to be so great when the state's with the highest amount of low income, uninsured have to pay for themselves. Which is why it was deemed unconstitutional to force states into it.
I know it isnt free. But it is free to the recipient. He ce making it more affordable for them.

 

[2quills]

I know it isnt free. But it is free to the recipient. He ce making it more affordable for them.
It's always been affordable for them. It's free as long as you qualify.
How many new medicaid recipients have signed up in NM? What are the projected costs after the federal aid stops coming in?

 

[darthtang aw]

It's always been affordable for them. It's free as long as you qualify.
How many new medicaid recipients have signed up in NM? What are the projected costs after the federal aid stops coming in?
This gives a good overview.
http://www.nasbo.org/system/files/private/Earnest.pdf
Cost to New mexico will increase significantly starting in 2017. A significant portion of the residents here will be on Medicaid by then. It should add 130,000 more people to the dole. Which is about 5% of the population. Not counting the hundred of thousands already on the states dime.

 

[2quills]

This gives a good overview.
http://www.nasbo.org/system/files/private/Earnest.pdf
Cost to New mexico will increase significantly starting in 2017. A significant portion of the residents here will be on Medicaid by then. It should add 130,000 more people to the dole. Which is about 5% of the population. Not counting the hundred of thousands already on the states dime.
Down here you'd be talking about throwing 25% of the total population on medicaid. Our projected costs by 2020 would be well into the billions. Roughly 9 billion a year by then that the state tax payers would be expected to cover. Florida is right behind us, I feel sorry for what the tax payers there or in California are going to be facing.
Remember that these people are in the most unhealthy part of the population. I guess we'll have to start trucking in doctors from africa or some other poor country to cover the demand like some of these other socialized healthcare systems have.

 

[darthtang aw]

In 2010, 28% of the population here was on medicaid. Now I believe that number sits around 33-35%...add in the projected enrollees due to aca medicaid expansion and we will be at 40% in the next couple years.

 

[2quills]

Yep, that 25% is ontop of what's already there.
Meanwhile, we're going to get double dipped on both ends, state and federal just for healthcare that's about to take a huge dump in terms of quality.
Working families can't keep covering everyone for everything. Certainly isn't going to lower the income gap.

 

[darthtang aw]

wohoo...Increasing the defecit more.
ADMINISTRATION BACKS OFF MA CUTS — Amid heavy pressure from insurers, lawmaker and advocates, the Obama administration has backed off proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage for the second year in a row. They’ll rise by 0.4 percent in 2015 instead of undergoing the originally proposed 1.9 percent cut. CMS official Jonathan Blum said the decision stemmed from a more dramatic decline in Medicare spending, a slower timeframe for implementing a new risk model and a delay in changing how in-home services are priced.

 

[aggiealum]

Down here you'd be talking about throwing 25% of the total population on medicaid. Our projected costs by 2020 would be well into the billions. Roughly 9 billion a year by then that the state tax payers would be expected to cover. Florida is right behind us, I feel sorry for what the tax payers there or in California are going to be facing.
Remember that these people are in the most unhealthy part of the population. I guess we'll have to start trucking in doctors from africa or some other poor country to cover the demand like some of these other socialized healthcare systems have.
Slick Rick has slashed the Medicaid budget in half, how is the costs going to go up? You do realize that one of the largest groups that utilize Medicaid are those aging Baby Boomers that have no other means to pay their nursing home bills and other treatments that program supplies. I suppose the alternative is Euthanasia, but that may be a hard pill to swallow.