Where are the Democrats? Did they lose their ability to speak? Like Douglas Adams' dolphins, did they leave the Earth before the imminent Trumpian Apocalypse and say "So, long, thanks for all the votes"?
You don't have to part of the fervid Democratic base to wonder why the entire party has chosen to do its communicating under the Cone of Silence. Really, Democrats? Can you ask the Republicans, politely, if you can have your testicles back?
You don't have to part of the fervid Democratic base to wonder why the entire party has chosen to do its communicating under the Cone of Silence. Really, Democrats? Can you ask the Republicans, politely, if you can have your testicles back?
32
Voltaire’s observation, “those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities,” is appropriate here. The republican promises were absurd as is this proposal, which, were it enacted, would create atrocities.
42
"Dyin with Ryan"
GOP after griping for 7 years about Obamacare have no plan. Evidence that their opposition was not rooted in concern for the American people but in obstructing Obama. No need to argue this point as they openly stated so within minutes of his inauguration!
GOP after griping for 7 years about Obamacare have no plan. Evidence that their opposition was not rooted in concern for the American people but in obstructing Obama. No need to argue this point as they openly stated so within minutes of his inauguration!
31
".....insurance that is far inferior, shift more medical costs onto families, and cover far fewer people.'
With this said, where is there a public rally like the red-meat rally like the one Trump gave his supporters this past weekend that would serve as a tutorial defining what the Ryan-roll would be? Why are the Democrats so lousy at getting their message out?
With this said, where is there a public rally like the red-meat rally like the one Trump gave his supporters this past weekend that would serve as a tutorial defining what the Ryan-roll would be? Why are the Democrats so lousy at getting their message out?
34
...and if you can't pay, you do without health care. The Ryans of the world have no use for the poor and middle class -- they need a population with purchasing power, not part-timers with one or two jobs, nor people 64 or older who now want their social security and medicaid. The government spent their money long ago. Ryan's plan shows these non-discretionary income folks the door -- "just follow that fellow in the black robe with the sickle".
39
When I was the Managing Director of Administration for a large non-profit in NYC we had to make decisions about how employees would contribute to the cost of health-care. We developed a four tiered structure. Our overall goal was to have employees contribute 15% of the cost of health care premiums. Tier one employees, the lowest earners paid 7.5%; tier two, professional staff paid 15%, tier three, management team, paid 22.5% and the Senor Management team paid 30%. This balanced ensured that everyone contributed at a level that was related to their earnings, and that everyone has adequate coverage. If you needed additional funds for health care we had a flexible spending account program that was used by many. Oh and we were a particularly high risk group to insure; 25% of the staff self identified as having a disability. I wish the CBO would work out the numbers to see if we were all taxed on our earning and provided with a basic, medicaid/medicare plan how this would all shake out. Those who wanted more, could buy more. But I am afraid, because Mr. Ryan's goal isn't to provide health insurance for all, that we will simply go back to the days where, if you are sick and you have no coverage, you simply get sicker and sadly die. This might be harsh, but if Mr. Ryan has has his way it will also be true.
66
Republicans have done very well with their strategy of arguing that Obamacare is so bad that it is worse than nothing. Every time there was a problem with the roll out of Obamacare, they have made the most of it by blaming Democrats for a horrid program. The ran on "repeal and replace" but never offered a viable replacement. They are still saying that and are poised to repeal with crumbs as a replacement.
They refused to expand Medicaid in 20 red states and have paid no price for that. Nobody seems to care that they have denied medical care to millions of people in those states. It's not even talked about anymore in the mainstream press. Republicans also win national and state races in all of those states.
Republicans have not paid a price at the ballot box for offering far less in medical care than Democrats have delivered. They will continue to do that until they pay a price at the ballot box.
They refused to expand Medicaid in 20 red states and have paid no price for that. Nobody seems to care that they have denied medical care to millions of people in those states. It's not even talked about anymore in the mainstream press. Republicans also win national and state races in all of those states.
Republicans have not paid a price at the ballot box for offering far less in medical care than Democrats have delivered. They will continue to do that until they pay a price at the ballot box.
73
I am insured through a plan that has a high deductible and co-pays. My medical costs are eating me alive. It is maddening to know that I pay far more for a prescription than a person who has a much better plan through their employer and that I pay more than I would if I could get my medications in Canada. I worked for 45 years and am still two years from being eligible for Medicare, if I last that long. I am angry that the Republicans under Ryan seem not to care that tax-paying citizens like me are suffering so greatly.
45
We should build on ObamaCare, not destroy it.
28
Trump, Ryan and Mcconnell make Moe, Larry and Curly look like rocket scientists.
25
Let's hope that this is a huge wake up call to those "average Americans" who voted for Trump. A policy like the one proposed by Paul Ryan will hurt the middle class and the poor. Overall, this will dampen the economy because people will be paying more for health care and less on other things. If you believe that decent health care is a right, speak to your local representatives against policies like the one Ryan proposes that will make us pay more for less care.
32
The meaning of "Repeal and replace with something better" is totally dependent on your point of view. "Better for who?" is the question and as far as the Speaker is concerned, better for the average American is not the answer.
22
The ACA is a failure only for those that purchase individual policies and don't qualify for subsidies. They are too expensive..so we can increase subsidies or find some kind of income based plan for those folks.
Not hard to do...a buy in to medicare based on income would do it.
Not hard to do...a buy in to medicare based on income would do it.
26
Republican healthcare for most Americans can be summed up in the phrase, "you sick bad, you just die".
19
Ryancare is just Ryanair.. there's nothing of substance there!
23
this is probably the BEST we are going to get... another version of putting money into a savings (?) account ... the plan exists now, and if you make millions it is a wonderful tax dodge .... since i had 4 kids, I personally NEVER was able to invest... between eating and college, there is NO SPare money..
Congress is rapidly taking apart ALL consumer protection
the food and drug will soon declare illegal, organic foods... we will soon be eating, this new expensive seeded cro(a)ps
go for the gold folks
Congress is rapidly taking apart ALL consumer protection
the food and drug will soon declare illegal, organic foods... we will soon be eating, this new expensive seeded cro(a)ps
go for the gold folks
18
Despicable as Ryan and the Republicans are, Obamacare created an opening. Telling Americans they were required to pay for something was asking for trouble--because liberty is the right to let somebody else pay. I still don't know how we got mandatory car insurance because I'm sure there are plenty of car owners who don't want to pay for that either.
5
Paul Ryan and President Trump are bound and determined to destroy the current Republican majorities in Congress. Go ahead Republicans, destroy ACA (Obamacare) and substitute you Medicare/Medicaid cuts and healthcare savings plan for millions of voters who can't afford to "save" money net alone survive the never-ending middle-class recession.
Go ahead Republicans, I double-dog dare you to implement Ryan's healthcare plan and wait for November 2018 to give you our answers!
Go ahead Republicans, I double-dog dare you to implement Ryan's healthcare plan and wait for November 2018 to give you our answers!
20
The way to lower premiums is simple. Eliminate many of the Obama Care benefits like: no annual or life-time limits, equal coverage for mental health (including addiction) and pass-on the problem to others (AKA citizens, hospital and doctors. There are ways to cut the cost of healthcare and maintain coverage. The rest of the developed world has good to excellent health care at 2-5-50% less than US costs. We should benchmark best practices and insect their replication across our country.
3
Is mandatory means-tested euthanasia part of it? If you can't pay out of pocket … here's your legally exempted end-it-all syringe! Just think of all the savings.
8
Mmm, well OK, but what really counts here is, what does it mean for rich Americans who don't need it and won't use it? I mean, that's all that really matters here, right? Right?
13
NYT: Keep putting out the word on the Republican Health Care Sham. There are more and more outraged readers onto this every day, if you get my drift. You'd be surprised who (whom?).
17
The massive flaw in Republican thinking is that privatization magically makes government cheaper. It does not and it never will.
Private enterprise demands a profit where government can and should operate at cost.
Government is accountable to the law, the people and taxpayers. Private health insurance is accountable to CEOs and stockholders who will demand the highest return on investment even if it means the withholding or denial of care.
When it comes to profits or people, private always chooses profit. This is how it works for healthcare, prisons, security - anything.
Would you rather place your life in the hands of a system based on law operated for your benefit or those of a CEO based on his bottom line?
Private enterprise demands a profit where government can and should operate at cost.
Government is accountable to the law, the people and taxpayers. Private health insurance is accountable to CEOs and stockholders who will demand the highest return on investment even if it means the withholding or denial of care.
When it comes to profits or people, private always chooses profit. This is how it works for healthcare, prisons, security - anything.
Would you rather place your life in the hands of a system based on law operated for your benefit or those of a CEO based on his bottom line?
17
Not sure how everyone keeps missing this, but the plan just released also appears to incorporate a limit on income exclusion for individuals with employer sponsored coverage. In essence if the value of the coverage is more than $7,500 for self-only coverage ($15,000 for a family), the additional value is taxed. This idea has been introduced in numerous other Republican bills and "plans".
Many employers, especially those with older, sicker populations that sponsor self-insured health plans will see their employees taxed as the total cost of their coverage will easily surpass the limit.
If this becomes law, we are looking at one of the largest tax increases for the middle class. Under a Republican led government.
Many employers, especially those with older, sicker populations that sponsor self-insured health plans will see their employees taxed as the total cost of their coverage will easily surpass the limit.
If this becomes law, we are looking at one of the largest tax increases for the middle class. Under a Republican led government.
25
Mr. Ryan and other ACA naysayers-listen up! These are words from a physician: have any of you had a sick low income child who has to wait 6 months to get a subspecialty appointment? Have you ever worked in an inner city hospital and seen the work that goes on in the trenches? Have you ever had to deal with drug addiction and lack of access to quality mental health care? The people who will be hit the hardest by this repeal live from day to day, mouth to mouth- and you are taking away from them what I consider a basic human right in the developed world. Instead of a wall, deportation costs, travel ban legal costs and weapons, let us spend our taxpayer money on giving our people a chance to live a healthier life. It will make all of us richer in the long run.
49
Re: HSA windfalls for banks - Don't forget that banks thrive on fees. Not only do banks get free HSA money to invest, but they charge fees to "administer" the HSA accounts. Mine charged me $2 a month on a ~$500 account - nearly 5% a year! While they were paying me .2% on my savings account. What a deal!
17
Agree that it's all a mess, just as it has been for many years. ACA was not a sustainable fix and any policy wonk, budget expert or consumer advocate who says it was, must have been smoking the lawn. Medicare and Medicaid also are unsustainable. I don't know about Ryan's proposal; not enough deep information yet. I do believe, however, that consumers should be able to choose among plans with different coverage levels, and therefore different premiums. This works in other areas of insurance (vehicle, property, life, etc.). Also, I believe health savings accounts are a great way to incentivize consumers to use medical services wisely. Get ready for a shock because I say this as a conservative -- we as a society should provide the initial HSA deposit for lower-income people.
4
I wonder how many people will die when they lose their insurance. Fortunately, I get my insurance through my retirement plan, or I'd be one of them.
10
Ryancare simply applies the principles of voodoo economics to the healthcare "industry":
(1) competition guarantees balance among all market factors, including prices, wages, rents, job availability, etc.;
(2) nonetheless, private monopolies--too-big-to-fail enterprises--are preferable to government regulation of the market;
(3) corporations must pursue short-term profits, minimize the interests of employees and consumers, and thereby enhance shareholder value; within this scheme of things, the most efficient workers are robots, although human consumers, capable of taking on debt, still play an important role in economic growth.
(4) if it is politically expedient to put a public-private initiative in place--say for healthcare reform or infrastructure repair--make sure the initiative is complex, and assures the socialization of all risks and the privatization of all benefits;
(5) always exaggerate the dangers associated with government debt and minimize the dangers associated with ballooning private sector debt.
(6) privatization, financial and environmental deregulation and massive tax reductions for the "makers" will guarantee maximal trickle-down benefits for the "takers".
The GOP politicians always support further enrichment of the GOP donor class--those who, once the various debt bubbles burst, are best positioned to buy up the better parts of the debris at discounted prices.
Ergo, the wealth & healthcare gushes upward, deathcare will trickle-down.
(1) competition guarantees balance among all market factors, including prices, wages, rents, job availability, etc.;
(2) nonetheless, private monopolies--too-big-to-fail enterprises--are preferable to government regulation of the market;
(3) corporations must pursue short-term profits, minimize the interests of employees and consumers, and thereby enhance shareholder value; within this scheme of things, the most efficient workers are robots, although human consumers, capable of taking on debt, still play an important role in economic growth.
(4) if it is politically expedient to put a public-private initiative in place--say for healthcare reform or infrastructure repair--make sure the initiative is complex, and assures the socialization of all risks and the privatization of all benefits;
(5) always exaggerate the dangers associated with government debt and minimize the dangers associated with ballooning private sector debt.
(6) privatization, financial and environmental deregulation and massive tax reductions for the "makers" will guarantee maximal trickle-down benefits for the "takers".
The GOP politicians always support further enrichment of the GOP donor class--those who, once the various debt bubbles burst, are best positioned to buy up the better parts of the debris at discounted prices.
Ergo, the wealth & healthcare gushes upward, deathcare will trickle-down.
8
How will tax credits or HSA's help a poor person who doesn't have enough to pay for rent or food on the table?
Middle America Trumpsters, PLEASE pay attention to what is being sold as a "replacement". It is not. It is an evisceration of one of the few lifelines you have left.
Hold President Trump and the Republican Party to their promises. Coverage for all, coverage for pre existing conditions, coverage to age 26, better care at a lower cost. And if they don't produce, fire THEM.
High Risk pools have been tried and won't work.
Those who have no subsidy and pay thousands for high deductibles nee help, but the Ryan Plan will only incent the middle class to drop coverage and do without- compounding the problems for everyone else.
Remember "death panels"? This proposal is a death panel for the young, the poor, the chronically ill, those with debilitating diseases. The bottom line is medical care for all is expensive and messy. We need a solution that provides the coverage that has been promised by both parties. It will take a plan, supported by slightly higher taxes on everyone. It will take Congress telling Big Pharma, that US consumers can buy drugs from anytime, anywhere at MUCH lower costs.
Ryan's plan is just selling us shiny promises. Look closely, and be afraid, very afraid.
Middle America Trumpsters, PLEASE pay attention to what is being sold as a "replacement". It is not. It is an evisceration of one of the few lifelines you have left.
Hold President Trump and the Republican Party to their promises. Coverage for all, coverage for pre existing conditions, coverage to age 26, better care at a lower cost. And if they don't produce, fire THEM.
High Risk pools have been tried and won't work.
Those who have no subsidy and pay thousands for high deductibles nee help, but the Ryan Plan will only incent the middle class to drop coverage and do without- compounding the problems for everyone else.
Remember "death panels"? This proposal is a death panel for the young, the poor, the chronically ill, those with debilitating diseases. The bottom line is medical care for all is expensive and messy. We need a solution that provides the coverage that has been promised by both parties. It will take a plan, supported by slightly higher taxes on everyone. It will take Congress telling Big Pharma, that US consumers can buy drugs from anytime, anywhere at MUCH lower costs.
Ryan's plan is just selling us shiny promises. Look closely, and be afraid, very afraid.
13
One of the things about which Trump voters were adamant is that they want to keep their health insurance. They are besieging Republican reps' town halls all across the country to demand that their health care be kept, and the GOP reps are responding by running away and calling their own constituents paid, outside agitators.
Now it appears that the GOP, with the collaboration of the Trump administration, is going to do what it has always done - cut a government service that actually benefits people. Seeing as how the GOP holds both the executive and legislative branches of government, it will be interesting to see how it tries to blame the resulting blowback on the Democrats.
Elections have consequences, and the empty-headed Trump voters are about to find out just what they have wrought.
Now it appears that the GOP, with the collaboration of the Trump administration, is going to do what it has always done - cut a government service that actually benefits people. Seeing as how the GOP holds both the executive and legislative branches of government, it will be interesting to see how it tries to blame the resulting blowback on the Democrats.
Elections have consequences, and the empty-headed Trump voters are about to find out just what they have wrought.
14
Paul Ryan is a financial predator and should not be mistaken for a person who cares about the country it's people. He works for the oligarchs
Not everyone is a CEO, and we should be thankful for that.
As you go through your day, notice the people who are working everyday jobs, more than likely for low pay. These people are consistently demonized by the rich as lazy.
Too many of the rich are addicted to money and will never have enough. These people are also ruining a vibrant stable country.
Not everyone is a CEO, and we should be thankful for that.
As you go through your day, notice the people who are working everyday jobs, more than likely for low pay. These people are consistently demonized by the rich as lazy.
Too many of the rich are addicted to money and will never have enough. These people are also ruining a vibrant stable country.
19
Give the people LESS for MORE! This is the PRICE of FREEDOM, as defined by CAPITALISM. I mean Capitalism in its PUREST, NAKED-EST, UNBRIDLED-EST form. Power begets the right to the powefull do WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO. World-wide America exercises power to break states, kill millions of people , Torture Innocents on whim or suspicion.
The Pigeons are coming home to roost now. We Americans have imposed the Law of the Jungle on others; Own own (Republicans) will now Apply the Law of the Jungle on us.
The Pigeons are coming home to roost now. We Americans have imposed the Law of the Jungle on others; Own own (Republicans) will now Apply the Law of the Jungle on us.
4
Like all upper echelon government employees such as Ryan where he has his pick of gold-plated pension AND government sponsored healthcare plans, does anyone honestly think for even a second that he cares about the rest of you? In 2015, the pharmaceutical industry alone spent over 300 million lobbying. It is only that group that Ryan cares about, no one else.
13
If this travesty of a "healthcare law" passes Congress and Trump signs it I hope its the end of the GOP as we know it. When the voters who are on ACA and voted for Trump throw out some of the bums in 2018 I hope it becomes a flood in 2020 and we really clean out the swamp.
14
like all republican plans for reforming health care the ryan plan is based on the assumption that the health care market is a free market. this is completely false. unfortunately the democrats in opposing the plan argue from the same premise. in actuality the health care market consists of interlocking government sanctioned monopolies for doctors, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and insurance companies. these are horizontally and vertically integrated in to one gigantic trust that ensures every increasing profits for the monopoly stake holders and constantly increasing costs for every one else.
2
The Republicans are all about rewarding the rich because that's who supports them in money and votes. The poeple that need medical assistance money generally don't vote for them, so if they were to care about those poeple they would antagonize their rich friends. They want to cut the taxes paid to support the subsidies. Anything else is just smoke and mirrors, and pacifiers. The bottom line is, do the opposite of Democrats and get the votes to stay in power.
3
It's not about health care, it's about Wealth Care -- so the wealthiest in our nation can pay less in taxes. That's the message Democrats and others need to deliver. Again. And again. And again. And again.
16
The Republican plan does have merit. If you are poor and sickly you probably are and will continue to be a burden on society. Best to let nature take its course early. The problem is the silly law the require ERs to take all comers. Congress need to amend the law so hospitals can turn away indigent people. This lower costs to everyone and make insurance more affordable.
6
It is an error to call whatever plan the Republicans create to replace the ACA Ryancare or Trumpcare or whatever catchy phrase the media chooses. This will be Republicare. The DNA is pure elephant and no single Republican should take the blame or credit for what they create. The entire Republican party trashed "Obamacare" and the entire party needs to take responsibility for whatever replaces it.
12
I''m an immigrant. The only career advice my Scottish mother gave me 40 years ago was to find a job with major medical. My insurance companies have covered millions in neurosurgery, followups, inpatient and outpatient rehab after I survived a ruptured brain aneurysm. Every American should have the opportunity for full-time employment with major medical as I had.
A catastrophic medical event is difficult to manage under the best circumstances.
A catastrophic medical event is difficult to manage under the best circumstances.
14
The only reason that I can see for these actions is bribes to our officials by the insurance companies and the others who will gain. There is no other justification so such actions. Only greed explains it.
11
All the Ryancare plan does is shift most of the cost of healthcare to the consumer. Obviously this hits the middle class and the poor disproportionately. The tricks Ryancare offers to supposedly help people afford insurance-- health savings accounts and a flat subsidy regardless of income-- will not help those who can least afford insurance.
The ACA would have been tweaked and improved under a Clinton administration. But misinformed, propangandized folks who have been trained to believe all things Obama were the work of the devil voted against rational experienced discourse. Instead they voted for lies and cheap promises that cannot be fulfilled.
While these voters may buy into the GOP ideology that contributing via taxpayer dollars to those in need means supporting the "takers", and heck no, they wouldn't want to support any darned takers, millions of these same people have no problem "taking" disability, medicaid, medicare and social security benefits which absolutely depend on taxpayer dollars provided by others.
Ultimately, millions of Trump voters who could have benefitted from ACA improvement are not the "winners" Trump sadistically promised them. They will now be the biggest losers.
The ACA would have been tweaked and improved under a Clinton administration. But misinformed, propangandized folks who have been trained to believe all things Obama were the work of the devil voted against rational experienced discourse. Instead they voted for lies and cheap promises that cannot be fulfilled.
While these voters may buy into the GOP ideology that contributing via taxpayer dollars to those in need means supporting the "takers", and heck no, they wouldn't want to support any darned takers, millions of these same people have no problem "taking" disability, medicaid, medicare and social security benefits which absolutely depend on taxpayer dollars provided by others.
Ultimately, millions of Trump voters who could have benefitted from ACA improvement are not the "winners" Trump sadistically promised them. They will now be the biggest losers.
14
Just now I heard a GOP Congresswoman state how important it is to deal with Obamacare, "which is imploding"
Pray tell, exactly what has the GOP done to keep it from imploding?
Oh, sorry, I forgot. They GOP has done everything Possible to obstruct its success, and to actually cause it "to implode."
You know, we're on to your messaging, which serves only to distract from your deliberate malfeasance.
Pray tell, exactly what has the GOP done to keep it from imploding?
Oh, sorry, I forgot. They GOP has done everything Possible to obstruct its success, and to actually cause it "to implode."
You know, we're on to your messaging, which serves only to distract from your deliberate malfeasance.
12
Do you have insurance? the doctor asked. When I said no, he gave me some medicines from his samples and sent me on my way. Otherwise, he would have ordered many tests and arranged for many recall visits. Pad the invoices is still the way.
5
I am simply at a loss concerning all the dust up over Obamacare or ACA. Obamacare is simply another avenue for getting private health insurance. My son got it 3 years ago and got a small subsidy because his income was low. He made a few thousand more the next year and when we analyzed it and filled out the forms, he received no subsidy. Before Obamacare, he had a policy with some ridiculous deductible (about $2000), and never used it but went to urgent care to get treatment out of pocket. Under the ACA he had a copay of $20 and was able to see primary care doctor. This is all very misleading because the ACA was and is merely just another way to sign up for private insurance. It is not really different from my employer based policies except it now includes pre existing illness and adds annual check ups, etc. Start calling it what it is because your policy is with Blue Cross, Aetna, etc and US Government. Whoever in government promoted it, did it wrong by not merely stating that it is just a private policy not a government run system. You don't pay the government, you don't submit claims to the government, but your to your private insurance company. Doctors dropped out because the private insurance companies didn't agree to reimburse enough, but that is true of employer based policies as well. Just analyze your employer based policy and see how they increased each year and some Doctors refused to accept that private insurer.
9
Paul Ryan has lived on the public teat almost his entire life, beginning when his father passed away when he was young, and his family received Social Security Surivor benefits, which allowed his family to stay in their home, and also paid for his college education.
The only private sector job this Ayn Rand acolyte has ever had was a summer of driving the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, and this is the guy who is deciding the fate of our safety nets that we've all paid into for decades? We're doomed.
The only private sector job this Ayn Rand acolyte has ever had was a summer of driving the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, and this is the guy who is deciding the fate of our safety nets that we've all paid into for decades? We're doomed.
20
Republicans have come a long way. They are at least now talking about some kind of healthcare for all of us. Perhaps they could look at the plans used already by 32 countries on our planet providing universal health care for their citizens. They could sift through what would work for us and what would not. Doesn't sound like rocket science, so should be understandable.
6
It really is amazing that such amendments, made for saving,, do not include facts with figures.it sounds more of a set of wishful thinking than a sound proposal to achieve savings .It should be rejected outright by Congress, if that fails the congress should be taken to court !
6
What kind of person denies the basic human dignity of having affordable health care for family and self ? Paul Ryan and the GOP must have some far and wide mean streak for their fellow Americans to push a plan that will likely put many people with serious illnesses into bankruptcy or worse. I pay my taxes in the hopes that our Government will use them for the purposes of advancing the common good. The GOP has no such intentions as it appears that they would rather give wealthy Americans tax breaks in order to buy another vacation home. Ryan and his GOP guys had six years of harping about the ACA and the best they can do is load of tripe. Give us a break. A group of bright college kids could come up with better plan than these dolts in Congress. Ryan tries to portray himself a mid western Jimmy Stewart and that's rich considering his position on so many issues, including health care, where he exhibits a callous attitude towards middle and lower income families , very sad!
8
The Republicans remind me of a mob of Professor Harold Hill types. As Hill did in the musical "Music Man" , they manufactured crisis out of thin air (Trouble in River City!), then used the uproar to sell a bunch of shiny but empty potential to the needy folks of Iowa.
When it came time to produce a real band, the good Professor wants to skip town with the cash. When I see Trump supporters with those hats, .....I see the River City gullibles on the curb, leaning out over the street with hopeful looks on their faces; " Oh the Wellth Fargo Wagon ith a comin!"
When it came time to produce a real band, the good Professor wants to skip town with the cash. When I see Trump supporters with those hats, .....I see the River City gullibles on the curb, leaning out over the street with hopeful looks on their faces; " Oh the Wellth Fargo Wagon ith a comin!"
The Republican Party won't be happy until everyone in the country is poor, hungry and sick, because LIBERTY. What they have wanted for at least 35 years is to funnel as much money as possible to the rich, and they're perfectly happy to lie about it, as Ryan has done for years. The Founding Fathers said that the nation is supposed to "promote the general welfare." The Republican Party, therefore, has become un-American.
11
To the Trump cult, we told you so. Will this be the reality that wakes them up that they've been conned?
4
Here is the question that everyone should try to answer - what does it say about society, indeed mankind, that we monetize healthcare? Those who 'have' get health care; the 'havenots' only get health care if the 'haves' allow it.
What does it say about society that we profitize health care? To be clear, profits are earned when revenues are increased and/or expenses are decreased with absolutely no regard for outcome.
There is only one answer to achieve affordable health care - universal health care with no limitations, and staffed, managed and paid by the government.
I'm proud to be a liberal who believes in striving for the greater good for everyone - not just those who can afford it. It can be achieved with political will but as most people know and as the facts bare out, most politicians represent the best interests of the rich, their donors and benefactors.
What does it say about society that we profitize health care? To be clear, profits are earned when revenues are increased and/or expenses are decreased with absolutely no regard for outcome.
There is only one answer to achieve affordable health care - universal health care with no limitations, and staffed, managed and paid by the government.
I'm proud to be a liberal who believes in striving for the greater good for everyone - not just those who can afford it. It can be achieved with political will but as most people know and as the facts bare out, most politicians represent the best interests of the rich, their donors and benefactors.
11
Ryan's idea of personal choice is that people get to choose which ailments they can't afford to cover. The pipedreams that a for profit health industry is going to make things cheaper, increase benefits and the quality of care, is just flawed to the core. Like most Republican values! Now we'll all get to pay more for much less.
6
How does it help the republican party when they kill off their own constituents more quickly?
7
IF the new administration finally decides to start doing some work and get a bill through Congress and written into law, and IF healthcare is the first topic they'll address, then it will also be the very first test allowing Trump to demonstrate that he's really able to govern and to achieve his campaign promises.
But that CLEARLY also means totally and unambiguously REJECTING things like "Ryandoesn'tcare" policy, as it's diametrically opposed to what Trump promised to do on HC.
If he doesn't, he will certainly go down as one of the weakest presidents the US ever had, a mere puppet of the majority in Congress.
Stephen Miller seemed to already have a narrative ready in case that this happens, when during his interview with Chris Wallace, he claimed that the reason why Trump accomplished so little during his first four weeks, compared to other president - thereby going directly against his boss, who claimed that he had already achieved MUCH more than his predecessors ... but having spokespersons for the president not believing what their own boss says is nothing new here - is ... that SO many people in the government are against Trump that it's actually not possible to act swiftly. Which is kind of a strange argument, knowing that this president precisely campaigned on the idea that his talent for making deals and being a tough guy was so extraordinary that we'd even become tired of "winning" ...
But that CLEARLY also means totally and unambiguously REJECTING things like "Ryandoesn'tcare" policy, as it's diametrically opposed to what Trump promised to do on HC.
If he doesn't, he will certainly go down as one of the weakest presidents the US ever had, a mere puppet of the majority in Congress.
Stephen Miller seemed to already have a narrative ready in case that this happens, when during his interview with Chris Wallace, he claimed that the reason why Trump accomplished so little during his first four weeks, compared to other president - thereby going directly against his boss, who claimed that he had already achieved MUCH more than his predecessors ... but having spokespersons for the president not believing what their own boss says is nothing new here - is ... that SO many people in the government are against Trump that it's actually not possible to act swiftly. Which is kind of a strange argument, knowing that this president precisely campaigned on the idea that his talent for making deals and being a tough guy was so extraordinary that we'd even become tired of "winning" ...
1
Can the NYT announce in a "government spotlight" page every day when there's an open comment period on regulations? In particular for the ACA and anything out of HHS (since they are going to try to mess with Medicare too); as well as any EPA regs they will be trying to change?
Most people don't know how to do public comment for our gov't. regs. I note on the HHS website, it shows they keep track of the number of comments but say they delete those that are mass robo emails obviously trying to overwhelm the system. So we need to comment individually to try to stop this death by a thousand cuts to the ACA!
Most people don't know how to do public comment for our gov't. regs. I note on the HHS website, it shows they keep track of the number of comments but say they delete those that are mass robo emails obviously trying to overwhelm the system. So we need to comment individually to try to stop this death by a thousand cuts to the ACA!
4
The most expensive health care industry in the world is decreasing services? Only in America where the first woman millionaire was Mary Baker Eddy who started an anti-medical care religion known as Christian Science. If all doctors and hospitals become affiliated with that church, would all medical fees become tax-deductible? A question for Trump's and Ryan's tax attorneys?
3
Let's make sure the Republican plan for an alternative ACA is consistently called TrumpCare. Trump needs to own this.
2
Amazing the the BIG ELEPHANT in the room never gets discussed. If you want to significantly reduce healthcare spending and our revered social programs, you have to go after the core reasons healthcare is so run-away expensive in the first place and why we spend WAY more than the next 5 leading developed countries combined:
- Hospitals and how they charge
- Medical devices, way more than needed and at hugely inflated costs
- Our terrible American diet perpetrated by corporate greed
Each of us can get wise and take personal responsibility for diet although difficult for many given that there is abundant misinformation (alt-truths??) as to what is safe or healthy.
The rest demands leadership, that thing fundamentally missing in our federal system. Tackle these 3 points and we have real reform.
- Hospitals and how they charge
- Medical devices, way more than needed and at hugely inflated costs
- Our terrible American diet perpetrated by corporate greed
Each of us can get wise and take personal responsibility for diet although difficult for many given that there is abundant misinformation (alt-truths??) as to what is safe or healthy.
The rest demands leadership, that thing fundamentally missing in our federal system. Tackle these 3 points and we have real reform.
5
Whatever the motivations are for the GOP's current machinations with healthcare and other social programs, there is always this to consider: it is far, far worse to take away a crucial benefit that people are used to having than for them never to have had it at all.
4
Republicans are as usual operating under a delusion - this one is that there is any way to allow private insurers a prominent role in any health care program that doesn't include the mandate that everyone who doesn't have employer insurance must join. Private insurers would either pull out of the program or go broke. There is simply no other way to keep people insured than to keep Obamacare as it is.
Well, actually there is. It's called Medicare for all. This sorry state of affairs was predicted to occur back when Obama was abandoning the public option, back when his party controlled the White House and Congress and could have mustered the courage and determination to cover everyone under Medicare. Another opportunity wasted under the leadership of Obama, Pelosi and Reid et al. And so look at the result - chaos.
Well, actually there is. It's called Medicare for all. This sorry state of affairs was predicted to occur back when Obama was abandoning the public option, back when his party controlled the White House and Congress and could have mustered the courage and determination to cover everyone under Medicare. Another opportunity wasted under the leadership of Obama, Pelosi and Reid et al. And so look at the result - chaos.
5
The GOP's objective is clear: reduce the government's spending on healthcare, even if that means denying help to poor or sick Americans. If any of these plans are enacted, millions of people will lose whatever support they had from Medicaid or ACA. Many of them will die prematurely and painfully. What kind of cold-blooded, selfish people believe that adequate healthcare is only for those who can afford it?
7
Tax cuts for billionaires are the only thing that matters to Republicans. Which part of that do you not understand?
5
Republicans want to get back to the way they like it: desperate workforce depending on employer health insurance so poor treatment and low wages are put up with. National health coverage needs to be a federally provided system. Whenever it is linked to profit patients will get a bad deal. Corporations and businesses are rightly structured to generate maximum profits; not a good structure for healthcare.
2
The show, the turn, the prestige. Classic carnival.
1
How come nobody is mentioning single-payer? That is the only model that can truly work well in a large, diverse country like America. But nobody wants to talk about it. Even those who believe in it are so cynical that it will ever work in this nation with all those freedom-loving individuals.
I think we first need to educate people (and Republicans) that the word socialism in this context is not a bad word. If they can get their heads around the idea that healthcare is a shared concern in a society, since everyone can get sick and die, then maybe we can have real discussions about expanding Medicare for Everyone, which is the best idea there is.
I think we first need to educate people (and Republicans) that the word socialism in this context is not a bad word. If they can get their heads around the idea that healthcare is a shared concern in a society, since everyone can get sick and die, then maybe we can have real discussions about expanding Medicare for Everyone, which is the best idea there is.
5
To my uncompromising friends who maintained that there is no real difference between Democrats and Republicans, and who railed against Hillary Clinton as a compromised, lesser-of-two-evils candidate...thanks so much. You have helped to give us insight into the nature of true evil.
10
The "economic theories" presented by the right are usually not much more than a few papers written by employees of conservative "think tanks" which in this case is a euphemism for propaganda mills.
Just as the GW Bush administration decided it wanted to invade Iraq and then put in motion a parade of lies to support the action, so too do conservatives decide that they want to lower taxes for the rich and have the poor and middle class pay for them and then bring on a parade of possibly plausible lies to justify it. A long time ago I thought that they were just misguided and would see the error of their ways, but now I am inclined to think that they always knew it was lies they were spreading and just didn't care. Many of the hardcore conservatives do not just not care about the welfare of the non-rich, but, actually wish them ill. This isn't a policy of neglect that they support but rather one of scapegoating and targeting for punishment through their high minded sounding economic "theories".
Just as the GW Bush administration decided it wanted to invade Iraq and then put in motion a parade of lies to support the action, so too do conservatives decide that they want to lower taxes for the rich and have the poor and middle class pay for them and then bring on a parade of possibly plausible lies to justify it. A long time ago I thought that they were just misguided and would see the error of their ways, but now I am inclined to think that they always knew it was lies they were spreading and just didn't care. Many of the hardcore conservatives do not just not care about the welfare of the non-rich, but, actually wish them ill. This isn't a policy of neglect that they support but rather one of scapegoating and targeting for punishment through their high minded sounding economic "theories".
2
Humana has already pulled out of the marketplace for healthcare because of the uncertainty caused by the GOP plans to repeal the ACA without any replacement in place or the provision that everybody must have coverage so that it is not primarily sick people in the group but health ones as well. The simplest and most obvious approach which the rest of the developed world takes is remove the "profit" from providing health care. Under Ryan's plan only the rich and those with government plans like Senators and Congressman will be able to afford healthcare.
4
The cruel Republican ideologues are back; ideology trumps pragmatism and what works every time. All Obamacare needed to be fixed was to really require that young healthy people buy at low rates in so that older and sicker people got taken care.
Then when those younger healthy people got sick and older they would be taken care of. Unfortunately it appears that there's no guidiing ethos - or long term understanding - that propels young people to do that. Young people used to understand that they had a responsibility to help out. They seem to have mostly lost that.
So when they didn't do their part that left an opening for Ryan and Trump to come in. Ryan is actually more dangerous than Trump; he seems like a fresh-faced, polite all American boy but his Ayn Randish policies are as extreme as anything we've ever seen.
How are people with such low incomes that they are hardly paying taxes now going to benefit from tax credits? Even if I get some tax credits will it be enough to help pay for a sufficient plan.
I doubt it.
The cruel Republicans are back.
Then when those younger healthy people got sick and older they would be taken care of. Unfortunately it appears that there's no guidiing ethos - or long term understanding - that propels young people to do that. Young people used to understand that they had a responsibility to help out. They seem to have mostly lost that.
So when they didn't do their part that left an opening for Ryan and Trump to come in. Ryan is actually more dangerous than Trump; he seems like a fresh-faced, polite all American boy but his Ayn Randish policies are as extreme as anything we've ever seen.
How are people with such low incomes that they are hardly paying taxes now going to benefit from tax credits? Even if I get some tax credits will it be enough to help pay for a sufficient plan.
I doubt it.
The cruel Republicans are back.
5
Republicans are ignoring millions of those "forgotten Americans" again. The ones who work hard, take care of their children, pay their bills, and obey the law. The ones who work but don't get rich. The high cost of private health insurance and high cost of medical care is robbing those working people of their hard-earned money as surely as if the government taxed it away. Also, those ever-rising healthcare costs, more so than taxes, are the real "job killers". They stifle business expansion. When fulltime employment with employer-subsidized premiums is the only way most Americans can get and keep good health insurance for their families, entrepreneurs are discouraged from striking out on their own with their "better mousetraps" that could launch a thousand new jobs. Mid-life workers are discouraged from going to technical school or college to acquire the knowledge and updated skills needed by high-tech industry. High-paying jobs go unfilled and workers are trapped in jobs with stagnant wages, if not laid off. Meanwhile, American manufacturers, burdened with the costs of providing health coverage to employees, compete with companies in developed countries where governments have taken on that responsibility to their workers. Affordable healthcare is not just a healthcare issue. It is an economic issue. You would think Republicans would see that.
5
Several years ago NY husband needed to obtain Healthcare coverage for 6 months to bridge him until he would be eligible for Medicare. He was,quoted 4500 USD a month. Paul Ryan representative our district. I contacted him. I saw,a problem
He didn't. He wrote back and copied Priebus and recommended Badger care, Wisconsin's version of Medicaid. We do not qualify due to our income level. I was attempting, unsuccessfully, to highlight abuse and he didn't see it as an issue.
He didn't. He wrote back and copied Priebus and recommended Badger care, Wisconsin's version of Medicaid. We do not qualify due to our income level. I was attempting, unsuccessfully, to highlight abuse and he didn't see it as an issue.
7
As Ryancare is being judged a farce, soon enough we may have to talk about other areas our politicians have chosen to ignore, such as the deeply unequal opportunities in education (an outrage for its lack of minimum standards), where the poor are corralled into, by being obligated to live in 'segregated' communities, just for not being able to afford a home at a reasonable price in a safe community, a basic staple for survival and self-respect. Trouble is, as some of us see it, the huge social distance between our millionaire congressmen/women and their constituents, made invisible as the latter can't contribute to the political hacks' coffers for perpetuation in their puny seats. If the following phrase holds true, "no chain is stronger than its weakest link", then this 'rich' capitalistic country, so unequal by trumping the least among us, is not strong by any measure of fairness. This is a strong denunciation of our indifference to the plight of the poor...and the fact that the republicans are placing party over country, an odiously petty predicament. And Paul Ryan, by his confounding 'candor', is hiding a mean spirit incompatible with justice, let alone empathy for the suffering of so many, and so avoidable given we have the means to help if we only choose to allocate funds where they belong, to the people.
4
"Here is a $5,000 voucher for your open heart surgery/knee replacement/ICU stay for pneumonia. You can pick up the remaining $45,000-$450,000..."
Good luck with that!
Good luck with that!
8
An Easy Way To Lower Health Care Costs For All
When I retired early my company continued to provide health insurance with a personal premium I paid plus an employer subsidy. However I was required to enroll in Medicare at age 65. Interestingly, the premium costs (Medicare + my supplemental & employer subsidy) was essentially unchanged as was the coverage. What changed ? First all the nearby clinics, doctors, and hospitals were now “preferred providers” as well as bigger medical centers far away - all in my network! But, most importantly Medicare established much lower allowed charges by hospitals and doctors. (Perhaps our president has heard that Medicaid allowed fees are 40% to 60% of medical MSRP? Large insurers don’t do quite as well but still pretty good, I’ve heard.) So just incorporate the requirement that Mecicare sets ALL fees into pending health care laws and cut everyone costs in half.
When I retired early my company continued to provide health insurance with a personal premium I paid plus an employer subsidy. However I was required to enroll in Medicare at age 65. Interestingly, the premium costs (Medicare + my supplemental & employer subsidy) was essentially unchanged as was the coverage. What changed ? First all the nearby clinics, doctors, and hospitals were now “preferred providers” as well as bigger medical centers far away - all in my network! But, most importantly Medicare established much lower allowed charges by hospitals and doctors. (Perhaps our president has heard that Medicaid allowed fees are 40% to 60% of medical MSRP? Large insurers don’t do quite as well but still pretty good, I’ve heard.) So just incorporate the requirement that Mecicare sets ALL fees into pending health care laws and cut everyone costs in half.
2
The fact that under the GOP proposal the IRS will no longer require people to answer whether they purchased health insurance will not make any major difference in the number of young people who decide to purchase health insurance.
And that is because even under the Obama plan, in almost all cases the penalty was allot less than the cost of health insurance. The only way to get young people to purchase health insurance is if it can be on any use to them, such as if and when they do need to spend money on their health care.
However given the extremely high deductibles on any plan that was remotely affordable under Obamacare, having health insurance was useless for just about any healthcare expenditures that a young person would typically incur, including repeated visits to a doctor.
The only thing that a high deductible health plan is of any use for is a very serious condition such as cancer or to pay for a very expensive procedure such as open heart surgery. And these are things that young people are correct in their not being concerned about.
As such as long as health insurance is completely useless to young people due to the high deductibles, not only will young people prefer to pay a penalty rather than pay more for something that is of no use to them, young people will see no moral reason to purchase health insurance and it is unethical of the law to require them to pay for something that is completely useless to them.
And that is because even under the Obama plan, in almost all cases the penalty was allot less than the cost of health insurance. The only way to get young people to purchase health insurance is if it can be on any use to them, such as if and when they do need to spend money on their health care.
However given the extremely high deductibles on any plan that was remotely affordable under Obamacare, having health insurance was useless for just about any healthcare expenditures that a young person would typically incur, including repeated visits to a doctor.
The only thing that a high deductible health plan is of any use for is a very serious condition such as cancer or to pay for a very expensive procedure such as open heart surgery. And these are things that young people are correct in their not being concerned about.
As such as long as health insurance is completely useless to young people due to the high deductibles, not only will young people prefer to pay a penalty rather than pay more for something that is of no use to them, young people will see no moral reason to purchase health insurance and it is unethical of the law to require them to pay for something that is completely useless to them.
Any plan that relies on Health Savings Accounts and tax credits will only benefit those with the financial bandwidth to put aside a significant portion of their earnings towards healthcare. For a party who goes around the country claiming to be the voice of the little guy, they are oblivious to his financial realities. Truth be told, a lot times us little guys are too.
You have to have money in the first place to reap any kind of benefit from an HSA or tax break. A lot of people, self-employed like myself or those who receive no employer paid benefits, make too much for Medicaid but to little to afford decent insurance. If I understand Ryan's proposal correctly, people like us would need to find thousands for insurance, thousands for the inevitable medical expenses that families experience and then hope to get some of it back at tax time. Where did those thousands come from in the first place?
You have to have money in the first place to reap any kind of benefit from an HSA or tax break. A lot of people, self-employed like myself or those who receive no employer paid benefits, make too much for Medicaid but to little to afford decent insurance. If I understand Ryan's proposal correctly, people like us would need to find thousands for insurance, thousands for the inevitable medical expenses that families experience and then hope to get some of it back at tax time. Where did those thousands come from in the first place?
6
Replacement for Obamacare which you may call Trumpcare or Ryancare or McConnellcare will be a burning necklace around the neck of Republican Party for which they will repent endlessly. Obama will have the last laugh.
5
Maybe this egregious plan will move us closer to Medicare for all.
4
Now that the IRS has removed the individual mandate, the ACA will fail because insurance companies will drop out. The cost will be too high. We will eventually give up on all these hybrid approaches and go to Medicare for everyone. Then everyone will be required to pay in and the costs and risks can be spread over the entire population.
5
One would hope that Paul Ryan's constitutes would very vocally let him know that they expect him to replace ACA with something that is actually better for them - More for less. Surely they can see how mean spirited he is. They should tell him that they will vote him out!!
2
Credit Trump with this mess and call it TrumpCare, not RyanCare. Trump is alway dodging responsibility for mistakes and we need to label the craziness with his brand--TRUMP. Some day we will equate Trump with Dump.
3
Concerned about losing health insurance? No worries. The new chain of Trump Healthplexes will be available for you!
Simply pay the $200,000 one time enrollment fee and the $14,000 a year dues, and you're nearly covered.
Relax in an exam room/suite and a member of the Trump family will be there to serve as your doctor.
Need a specialist? No problem. The Moscow Trump Medical Center has everything you need for a small extra charge. (Air fare not included) Members of the Putin family will serve as your physicians.
Trump medical facilities also offer the finest treatment for pathological lying, dementia, and delusional behavior.
Simply pay the $200,000 one time enrollment fee and the $14,000 a year dues, and you're nearly covered.
Relax in an exam room/suite and a member of the Trump family will be there to serve as your doctor.
Need a specialist? No problem. The Moscow Trump Medical Center has everything you need for a small extra charge. (Air fare not included) Members of the Putin family will serve as your physicians.
Trump medical facilities also offer the finest treatment for pathological lying, dementia, and delusional behavior.
2
President Trump: Think of the glory that would be heaped upon you if you announced that all Americans are now covered by expanded Medicare! So easy to accomplish, with a stroke of your pen. Your followers would laud you, history would be kind to you. Hillary and Bernie would add their praises. As for the insurance company executives, grant them lifetime membership in the Trump golf course of their choice. Then, announce that your administration will address the threat of global warming, with the promise of jobs galore as new industries are created to design, develop and manufacture systems and products that will bend the arc toward saving our precious planet.
5
Aside from everything else, under RyanDon'tCare we'd all be back to emergency rooms packed with those who should and could be less-expensively and better treated at a normal doctor's visit.
More expensive, worse treatment.
And you and I, if in an accident or acute healthcare situation, will be spending unbelievable amounts of waiting time in the emergency room. And this will affect all of us. Rich, poor, everyone.
More expensive, worse treatment.
And you and I, if in an accident or acute healthcare situation, will be spending unbelievable amounts of waiting time in the emergency room. And this will affect all of us. Rich, poor, everyone.
5
The core of Ryancare goes back to the ideological question which was answered by the Democrats and Republicans during the Obamacare debate. Is healthcare are right, or is it earned? Paul Ryan and the whole of the GOP appear to be steadfast their belief, stated years earlier. The nation now governed by the GOP, will experience a caste, not a class, system of health care coverage.
1
Partisan politics is alive and well in our nation's capitol. The Republicans, the party of no, are attempting to undo every accomplishment of the last administration and remake the country in their own image. Unfortunately, they reflect only a minority of Americans and will create chaos amongst the most needy of us. As a physician, I am a first-hand observer of the havoc that uninsured and unsusidized health care can cause to a less-than-wealthy family. And what about seniors on a fixed income. Paul Ryan doesn't have to worry about his insurance, and his policy is unbeatable. But how about the grocer down the street, and how about the long- haul trucker out on the interstate? Mr. Trump, Mr. Ryan, and their buddies are out of touch with the average Joe and, in fact, are out of touch with reality. My patients are afraid, and their fear is justified. Our government, right now, is like a runaway train that can only be stopped by a very hard immoveable object. Where are the Democrats? Are they so bullied that they can only cringe in fear? Do we have to wait until 2018? And where is the press? Our people need a hero.
1
Paul Ryan's reason for being in government is to make himself rich by taking away from the American people. He is a totally self serving predator who sees the country as "easy pickin's".
The unfortunate truth is that he is right.
He depends on the fact that a very large part of the American public is poorly informed and usually votes from the gut.
Try to think of anything that Ryan, McConnell, or any Republicans have done for average Americans.
Take as much time as you like.
They work for the Oligarchy.
They don't care about you.
The other sad truth is that people will probably keep supporting this wolf in a business suit.
"I love the poorly educated."
- Donald Trump
And apparently they love him, and Paul Ryan
The unfortunate truth is that he is right.
He depends on the fact that a very large part of the American public is poorly informed and usually votes from the gut.
Try to think of anything that Ryan, McConnell, or any Republicans have done for average Americans.
Take as much time as you like.
They work for the Oligarchy.
They don't care about you.
The other sad truth is that people will probably keep supporting this wolf in a business suit.
"I love the poorly educated."
- Donald Trump
And apparently they love him, and Paul Ryan
6
I heard Hugh Hewitt on MTP yesterday call Ryan, "the Boy Scout with the big brain." This plan, once and for all should dispense with that notion.
4
The people who would "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act with this type of slash-and-burn approach are basically the same ones who allowed the insurance industry and their lobbyists to make sure that the ACA was written and enacted in its current form, i.e., to maximize profits for insurance companies. When insurance company CEOs continue to make multi-million-dollar salaries (what does one DO with $22 million per year, anyway?), and they continue to cry that they're not making enough money, due to the fact that they must cover poor people and struggling families, I just don't get it. But then again, if we were to go to a single payer system, those people and their lobbyists would be out of jobs, wouldn't they? They could set up their own health savings accounts and have plenty of money to spend if they were unemployed, though. And members of Congress are sitting pretty with their health care plans for life. Why would it matter to them about people who are on the low level of the totem pole? I receive Medicare, and it's not the best system. Not by a long shot. I paid into it for my entire career and still pay $140 per month for Part B and $134 per month for a Medicare advantage plan, as well as $20 per primary care visit and $35 per specialist visit, and, depending on the "formulary," co-pays for drugs vary. But it's there. And these same folks are trying to eliminate that AND Social Security, to which I also paid for my entire working career. They are bullies.
4
Oh Hum.More wasted space and discussion on nonsense. Single payer is the answer. We all know this. see letusbeawarefolks.blogspot.com-will single pwyer work? for a complete review and the numbers that allow this.
1
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." --Declaration of Independence as originally written by Thomas Jefferson, 1776. ME 1:29, Papers 1:315
The GOP leadership has made no consideration whatsoever for the lives of its citizens, and has done nothing to promote safety and happiness of our physical or personal financial health. Their actions are as inhumane as they are unAmerican.
The GOP leadership has made no consideration whatsoever for the lives of its citizens, and has done nothing to promote safety and happiness of our physical or personal financial health. Their actions are as inhumane as they are unAmerican.
5
The more you tell Paul Ryan that Medicaid provides for poor, disabled & older people, the more ideologically driven he'll be to get rid of it.
Paul Ryan is an Ayn Randian ideologue. The basic premise is the weak don't get support, they get neglected & die, only those who are strong enough to prevail deserve to live.
It's a form of eugenics. Or call it 'Social Darwinism', but the theory holds that helping the weak & poor survive to reproduce pollutes the gene-pool.
Of course Social Darwinism is an utterly disproved theory, poverty is not a genetic condition, so letting the poor just die off through neglect won't improve the human gene pool at all.
Survival of the fittest requires an actual biologically heritable characteristic. Unfortunate circumstances don't translate to a biologically inherited condition or characteristic.
Their other theory is something out of the 'Art of Selfishness', where support ostensibly breeds dependence. This doesn't jive with healthcare, where an uninsured population is far more costly than covering them, & 'boot strapping' isn't possible if you're laid up with preventable disease.
But those are the stark terms required to argue Paul Ryan's plan: He advocates a eugenic purge of the weak & less fortunate. And they still propagate the myth of the 'welfare queen' playing the system.
Saying his plan will punish the poor isn't an argument to Ryan. He certainly wants to let the poor die off.
You have to get at WHY he wants to punish the poor.
Paul Ryan is an Ayn Randian ideologue. The basic premise is the weak don't get support, they get neglected & die, only those who are strong enough to prevail deserve to live.
It's a form of eugenics. Or call it 'Social Darwinism', but the theory holds that helping the weak & poor survive to reproduce pollutes the gene-pool.
Of course Social Darwinism is an utterly disproved theory, poverty is not a genetic condition, so letting the poor just die off through neglect won't improve the human gene pool at all.
Survival of the fittest requires an actual biologically heritable characteristic. Unfortunate circumstances don't translate to a biologically inherited condition or characteristic.
Their other theory is something out of the 'Art of Selfishness', where support ostensibly breeds dependence. This doesn't jive with healthcare, where an uninsured population is far more costly than covering them, & 'boot strapping' isn't possible if you're laid up with preventable disease.
But those are the stark terms required to argue Paul Ryan's plan: He advocates a eugenic purge of the weak & less fortunate. And they still propagate the myth of the 'welfare queen' playing the system.
Saying his plan will punish the poor isn't an argument to Ryan. He certainly wants to let the poor die off.
You have to get at WHY he wants to punish the poor.
5
This is a plan to bankrupt hospitals and patients in rural areas. In other words, even if you have health insurance in "Trumpland", you will not be able to quickly get to a hospital in many areas.
Yes, hospitals must grossly overcharge patients with insurance to cover those without insurance--and go after all assets (car, garnished wages, house, college savings, retirement accounts, etc.) of those without health insurance or with the high deductible, no benefits plans that will soon dominate. So in addition to ensuring that a trip to the hospital is also a trip to bankruptcy court, the hospitals will be much farther away (adding greatly to the ambulance charge). Also remember that insured patients pay a much discounted price for most services than someone without insurance, almost ensuring the bankruptcy outcome.
Families in Tumpland will soon be faced with a choice of putting a child in the hospital, thus bankrupting the family and destroying the chances of a successful life of all the other family members, or trying to save the rest of the family. Yes, the family friendly policies of Republicans.
Yes, hospitals must grossly overcharge patients with insurance to cover those without insurance--and go after all assets (car, garnished wages, house, college savings, retirement accounts, etc.) of those without health insurance or with the high deductible, no benefits plans that will soon dominate. So in addition to ensuring that a trip to the hospital is also a trip to bankruptcy court, the hospitals will be much farther away (adding greatly to the ambulance charge). Also remember that insured patients pay a much discounted price for most services than someone without insurance, almost ensuring the bankruptcy outcome.
Families in Tumpland will soon be faced with a choice of putting a child in the hospital, thus bankrupting the family and destroying the chances of a successful life of all the other family members, or trying to save the rest of the family. Yes, the family friendly policies of Republicans.
4
There is a side of me that would like to see the repubs succeed in repealing the ACA because it might accelerate the move to single payer. It would cause a lot of suffering in the meantime, but it might be the only way to get through to the "base" that Trump, Ryan, McConnell and their ilk only care for the 0.01% who fund their campaigns.
3
Republicans are telling more than 20 million Americans that if you like your ACA insurance policy, you can't keep it.
Republicans are telling more than 10 million Americans that if you like your ACA-expanded Medicaid coverage, you can't keep it.
What constitutes genocide?
Republicans are telling more than 10 million Americans that if you like your ACA-expanded Medicaid coverage, you can't keep it.
What constitutes genocide?
4
Mr. Ryan should propose taxing the wealthy fairly, not favorably, instead of funding the government on the backs of the most vulnerable by taking away much needed benefits.
2
So called christian conservative fundamentalists like to play the "What would Jesus do?" game.
We know what Jesus did; he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, tended the poor, healed the sick, threw the merchants and bankers out of the temple. All exactly opposite of what these modern so called christians are doing.
Much of t rump's support comes from so called middle America, places under the thumb of republican governors and legislators. Places that are not doing as well as those "elite" coastal cities. They are fed up with governments and politicians that they keep electing who do their best to destroy the government they are supposed to serve.
What do these people think makes America so exceptional? It is our Government under the direction of our Constitution.
We know what Jesus did; he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, tended the poor, healed the sick, threw the merchants and bankers out of the temple. All exactly opposite of what these modern so called christians are doing.
Much of t rump's support comes from so called middle America, places under the thumb of republican governors and legislators. Places that are not doing as well as those "elite" coastal cities. They are fed up with governments and politicians that they keep electing who do their best to destroy the government they are supposed to serve.
What do these people think makes America so exceptional? It is our Government under the direction of our Constitution.
2
Profits over people.
So cynical, blatant, obvious.
But will the Trump base figure it out ?
Some might, but then the war starts and the call for deference to safety and complete patriotism begins.
The real terror alert should always be green for the GOP.
So cynical, blatant, obvious.
But will the Trump base figure it out ?
Some might, but then the war starts and the call for deference to safety and complete patriotism begins.
The real terror alert should always be green for the GOP.
The $2.6 Trillion Medical-Pharmaceutical Complex delivers a terrible product with an outrageous price tag. It is dysfunctional.
Yet, all we get from The Editorial Board is more hysterical blather.
The Board just doesn't understand that medical insurance is not the same thing as medical care. There are millions of Americans with expensive medical insurance who cannot and will not afford the crippling deductibles and co-pays that serve as barriers to medical care. Maybe The Times Corp. provides The Board with Mercedes coverage that doesn't burden them with deductibles.
The Board does not understand that Medicaid is not a sustainable line item on the federal deficit. $20 Trillion in debt, a 2016 deficit of $578 Billion and @$620 Billion in 2017. The debt/deficit sink hole will eventually swallow us.
Medicare is a Ponzi scheme that is not sustainable in its current form.
The Affordable Care Act did not provide affordable care. Trumpcare or Ryancare or whatever-care will be no better. Our system is dysfunctional. Playing politics - which is what the Political Establishment does to the exclusion of all other activities - will not change the system.
Yet, all we get from The Editorial Board is more hysterical blather.
The Board just doesn't understand that medical insurance is not the same thing as medical care. There are millions of Americans with expensive medical insurance who cannot and will not afford the crippling deductibles and co-pays that serve as barriers to medical care. Maybe The Times Corp. provides The Board with Mercedes coverage that doesn't burden them with deductibles.
The Board does not understand that Medicaid is not a sustainable line item on the federal deficit. $20 Trillion in debt, a 2016 deficit of $578 Billion and @$620 Billion in 2017. The debt/deficit sink hole will eventually swallow us.
Medicare is a Ponzi scheme that is not sustainable in its current form.
The Affordable Care Act did not provide affordable care. Trumpcare or Ryancare or whatever-care will be no better. Our system is dysfunctional. Playing politics - which is what the Political Establishment does to the exclusion of all other activities - will not change the system.
There is there is not now nor ever has been a Republican plan to lower healthcare costs. And by "costs", I mean in terms of both dollars and lives.
Ryan's plan doesn't claim to reduce costs. It promises to reduce spending by the federal government, thereby shifting costs to states and individuals. Examples: Health savings accounts, Medicaid reimbursements, and premium subsidies.
H.R. 676 is a plan to reduce costs. Not by a little, but by 1/3, or $1 trillion, with a T, annually. It extends Medicare to everyone, eliminates private insurance, sets fee standards, and negotiates drug prices. No copayments, no denials, no paperwork, and no loss of coverage if you're out of work.
Any politician not in favor of Medicare for All (or its moral equivalent) is in the pay of the AMA and private insurance companies. Write to them and let them know you're onto them. Vote them out. Return that money to the people who earned it. Let us rid ourselves of this pointless, fruitless debate and endless, growing nightmare.
Ryan's plan doesn't claim to reduce costs. It promises to reduce spending by the federal government, thereby shifting costs to states and individuals. Examples: Health savings accounts, Medicaid reimbursements, and premium subsidies.
H.R. 676 is a plan to reduce costs. Not by a little, but by 1/3, or $1 trillion, with a T, annually. It extends Medicare to everyone, eliminates private insurance, sets fee standards, and negotiates drug prices. No copayments, no denials, no paperwork, and no loss of coverage if you're out of work.
Any politician not in favor of Medicare for All (or its moral equivalent) is in the pay of the AMA and private insurance companies. Write to them and let them know you're onto them. Vote them out. Return that money to the people who earned it. Let us rid ourselves of this pointless, fruitless debate and endless, growing nightmare.
1
So people who've seen the ACA work are now upset about a repeal?
Where were all these folks over the past half dozen years when GOP lawmakers ranted about the ACA, attempted to mock it with the term "Obamacare" (that backfired), and said it would be a job killer?
Now republican lawmakers don't even want to appear at town hall meetings for fear of conflict with constituents.
But where is the critical thinking among the public when it matters?
Where were all these folks over the past half dozen years when GOP lawmakers ranted about the ACA, attempted to mock it with the term "Obamacare" (that backfired), and said it would be a job killer?
Now republican lawmakers don't even want to appear at town hall meetings for fear of conflict with constituents.
But where is the critical thinking among the public when it matters?
2
EVERYONE needs to be covered. Any system that fails to do this is doomed to failure, including Obamacare.
3
Unfortunately partisanship appears to be the end game here. The Republicans will propose a plan that Democrats will refuse to support. Executive orders will accelerate the implosion of Obamacare. When Obamacare collapses, likely by 2019, the individual health insurance market will return to the state it was in before Obamacare was enacted. The Republicans will blame the Democrats for not supporting their plan and the Democrats will blame the Republicans for proposing a plan that they would never support.
The individual health insurance market can only be addressed on a bi-partisan basis after EMTALA is repealed. EMTALA allows politicians to hide behind mandatory free hospital emergency-room care.
The individual health insurance market can only be addressed on a bi-partisan basis after EMTALA is repealed. EMTALA allows politicians to hide behind mandatory free hospital emergency-room care.
1
The supreme irony: the same crazy people that beseeched their leaders to condemn "that awful healthcare plan " created by " that black guy" are now attacking their reps because they are furious. Why?? Because they are about to see the healthcare that saved the lives of their addicted relatives, their sick aunt , their aged parents, ripped away. A thought: The people who voted for this stupid repeal should selectively have their healthcare taken - leave the rest of us to continue on to enjoy it's obvious benefits.
1
You can't call cancelling Town Hall meetings if you know they would be so disruptive that you can't get a sentence out cowardly, unless you want to display what many moderates are really annoyed about, how the press distorts. This is a rational reason to cancel, instead offer an online meeting where questions can be asked and answered.
As a longtime Dem and NYTimes subscriber, I am disheartened to see "Gray Lady" become a yellow journalism site. Maybe that's one of the reasons why cable news has been so successful. I can no longer fully trust the NYTimes .
As a longtime Dem and NYTimes subscriber, I am disheartened to see "Gray Lady" become a yellow journalism site. Maybe that's one of the reasons why cable news has been so successful. I can no longer fully trust the NYTimes .
Just another Ryan based attack on those who need help. His overt hatred of the poor manifests itself in these moves designed to destroy the very people who need government aid. One must wonder why he feels as he does, and why he so clearly lacks the empathy needed in an effective leader.
1
After six years this is the best the Republicans can come up with. Is it any wonder they stood by and watched as trump took the throne.
"New, improved and cheaper" is just the standard marketing scam.
It's code for "improved and cheaper for insurance companies"--GOP donors.
Forgetting that health care is a public good. No sick person is an island. It takes its toll far and wide--families, neighborhoods, even employers.
Obviously for communicable diseases and mental illness. But even for broken bones. Communities pay.
And BTW Canada's single payer plan is a huge benefit for employers. The GOP plan is cutting off their noses to spite the opposition. Another case of ideological blindness.
It's code for "improved and cheaper for insurance companies"--GOP donors.
Forgetting that health care is a public good. No sick person is an island. It takes its toll far and wide--families, neighborhoods, even employers.
Obviously for communicable diseases and mental illness. But even for broken bones. Communities pay.
And BTW Canada's single payer plan is a huge benefit for employers. The GOP plan is cutting off their noses to spite the opposition. Another case of ideological blindness.
1
I've called and emailed my two Republican senators here in Tennessee, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, in recent weeks. Last Friday I telephoned their respective offices to object to their ongoing participation in the destruction of the ACA. In each case, when I explained the purpose of my call, the employee fell silent. All I heard at the end, from each of them was, "I'll tell the Senator," delivered in a mocking and contemptuous tone. Not even a "Thank you for calling" or even a goodbye, just, "I'll tell the Senator." The message I inferred: "The Senator is not interested in anything you say. Don't waste your time or mine by calling here." We have a Congress that does not represent the citizens.
2
Ryan was supported by Medicaid when he lost his parent as a teenager. That included college tuition. As adult, he has been on the federal payroll forever. This guy hates big government for everyone else but himself and his family. Like our so-called-president-trump he lies out of both side of his mouth. He too is going to get rid of the AFC, and give us a 'great' medical coverage plan- BIGLY., More fake news from the Republicans.
2
It is rarely done but critical to bear in mind that the ACA for the first time capped insurance profiteering with a Medical Loss Ratio, requiring that insurers spend 80% (small insurers) to 85% (large insurers) of premium dollars directly on medical care, taking profit, advertising, and operating expenses out of the remainder.
In consequence, increases in ACA premiums and deductibles are due to two things: increases in underlying medical costs which form the basis of actuarial calculations of the balance between premiums and deductibles, and marginal increases resulting from ACA no-extra-charge required services designed to lower long-term medical costs by encouraging preventative care. The latter has had the most impact on pre-ACA bare-bones catastrophic coverage policies, requiring that customers now pay for insurance worth having and, hopefully, go for at least an annual checkup.
Since premiums and deductibles are now in regulated relation to underlying costs of quality insurance, there is simply no mathematical way that any GOP plan that lowers federal health care subsidies can produce better, broader coverage. Costs are costs. Less is less, not more. The "free market" will not significantly reduce or contain health care costs, because health care is not a free market. It is a highwayman's market: Your money or your life.
The only thing GOP plans can accomplish with fewer federal dollars is to redistribute current costs and benefits to favor fewer and the more wealthy.
In consequence, increases in ACA premiums and deductibles are due to two things: increases in underlying medical costs which form the basis of actuarial calculations of the balance between premiums and deductibles, and marginal increases resulting from ACA no-extra-charge required services designed to lower long-term medical costs by encouraging preventative care. The latter has had the most impact on pre-ACA bare-bones catastrophic coverage policies, requiring that customers now pay for insurance worth having and, hopefully, go for at least an annual checkup.
Since premiums and deductibles are now in regulated relation to underlying costs of quality insurance, there is simply no mathematical way that any GOP plan that lowers federal health care subsidies can produce better, broader coverage. Costs are costs. Less is less, not more. The "free market" will not significantly reduce or contain health care costs, because health care is not a free market. It is a highwayman's market: Your money or your life.
The only thing GOP plans can accomplish with fewer federal dollars is to redistribute current costs and benefits to favor fewer and the more wealthy.
1
Democrats are not listening, one million people in California lost their healthcare plans in 2014 due to Obamacare, 200,000 in my state (Colorado) including my own son, who had his very good Kaiser plan ripped away and replaced with a very inferior Obamacare plan with a massive $6,500 deductible. His insurance was basically rendered useless. There are entire Facebook groups dedicated to the many that have lost their healthcare plans and now have Obamacare plans with premiums that have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled....Wise up Dems or continue losing elections at the local level and the national level...
Republicans on the march can derail to their contributors content if they can skip the detail.
This is the result of thinking government should be run like a business. The reliance on MBA thinking means we have goals of reducing spending, whereas the increase in profits get translated as tax cuts. We are propagandized with the idea that our "hard-earned money" is being given to unworthy moochers who just want a free ride. The free ride is really being given to those recipients of the tax cuts who don't want to take responsibility for their share of maintaining a healthy society, where everyone benefits from prosperity, not just the prosperous. Government is not a business, or if it is, than American citizens are the shareholders, and congress are their employees. The shareholders are not satisfied with this outcome, and are about to restaff.
Democrats need to do two things re ACA: First and foremost, start calling it TrumpCare. When their new plan kick people out of care, and it will, the moniker Trumpcare will drive Trump and R's crazy because now they will now own it. Second, D's need to ask this question, Under Trumpcare, "Can I keep my present doctor?" This was such a big deal for R's when it was discovered that people couldn't keep their doctor.
1
A.C.A. is better than Ryancare. Single Payer, Medicare for All would be more cost effective than A.C.A.
Corporations are practicing medicine without a license. Doctors are no longer professionals because they do not make their own choices for patients. The 20 minute time limit the corporation dictates to my doctor, prevents them from using their best judgement.
This may work for known illnesses and conditions but not for addressing unknown illnesses. Evolving diseases continue to evolve and will not be described as "payable
in corporate accounting systems. Doctors under the yoke of the puny mindset of corporations are discouraged from pursuing a diagnosis for an illness, if that illness is outside of their experience or corporate list of treatable conditions.
The corporate takeover of the former profession of medical care, has turned doctors and other health care professionals into vehicles for extracting income for the corporations from the vulnerable in need of a caring, genuine professional, not beholden to the corporate mantra, "the bottom line". The bottom line is life not money. Doesn't everyone know the story of King Midas and understand its meaning?
Healing people requires caring and intuition as well as knowledge. Caring and intuition require unknown time quantities and work quietly and unobserved. Accountants cannot attach a numerical value to caring and intuition, which is why professionals like doctors should not be taking orders from corporations.
Corporations are practicing medicine without a license. Doctors are no longer professionals because they do not make their own choices for patients. The 20 minute time limit the corporation dictates to my doctor, prevents them from using their best judgement.
This may work for known illnesses and conditions but not for addressing unknown illnesses. Evolving diseases continue to evolve and will not be described as "payable
in corporate accounting systems. Doctors under the yoke of the puny mindset of corporations are discouraged from pursuing a diagnosis for an illness, if that illness is outside of their experience or corporate list of treatable conditions.
The corporate takeover of the former profession of medical care, has turned doctors and other health care professionals into vehicles for extracting income for the corporations from the vulnerable in need of a caring, genuine professional, not beholden to the corporate mantra, "the bottom line". The bottom line is life not money. Doesn't everyone know the story of King Midas and understand its meaning?
Healing people requires caring and intuition as well as knowledge. Caring and intuition require unknown time quantities and work quietly and unobserved. Accountants cannot attach a numerical value to caring and intuition, which is why professionals like doctors should not be taking orders from corporations.
1
Paul Ryan's popularity as the "conscience of the Republican party, [their] intellectual guide, policy wonk," etc, promoted by much of the media is quite disgusting. He may do more harm to America's disadvantaged than any president ever had in the past 84 years!
It's paramount to expose Paul Ryan as a callous man who is as evil as any of the Nazi collaborators ever was. He is a cunning amoral sociopath, a devotee of Ayn Rand!
The journalists who praise him deserve all the wrath unleashed by president Trump. Any SENSIBLE person who praises Paul Ryan ought to be seen as an enemy of humanity; if he or she is naïve, then they could be excused.
It would better to just repeal Obamacare & go back to the way things were than to to replace with anything, Ryancare or any other Republican plans.
It's paramount to expose Paul Ryan as a callous man who is as evil as any of the Nazi collaborators ever was. He is a cunning amoral sociopath, a devotee of Ayn Rand!
The journalists who praise him deserve all the wrath unleashed by president Trump. Any SENSIBLE person who praises Paul Ryan ought to be seen as an enemy of humanity; if he or she is naïve, then they could be excused.
It would better to just repeal Obamacare & go back to the way things were than to to replace with anything, Ryancare or any other Republican plans.
3
To be fair, this pay more for less is not a uniquely Republican phenomenon. Editorials in the Los Angeles Times (a liberal-biased rag if ever there was one, according to many on the right) can get positively giddy in their endorsement of this fee or that tax or such-and-such a rate increase. The common theme is that the added expense is for the Greater Good, so let's just tighten those belts, middle class, while you're being pauperized out of existence.
The health care dilemma specifically seems predicated on the belief that the skyrocketing-out-of-control medical costs are necessary and unavoidable. In which case just about any health care program is almost a literal band-aid against a hemorrhage.
The health care dilemma specifically seems predicated on the belief that the skyrocketing-out-of-control medical costs are necessary and unavoidable. In which case just about any health care program is almost a literal band-aid against a hemorrhage.
I guess I would be ok with any tampering that republicans do to the ACA, as long as they also repeal what they and the President get for health care and have to look for it with everyone else.
1
The Dems are not going to be able to change any of this. The repulsives are in charge and choose to deny health care to all. I'm afraid the Dems had their opportunity to get everyone covered when the ACA came out. Unfortunately they didn't and there are folks out there who believe there is a difference between Obama care and the ACA. An opportunity missed and now we are into this.
just remember all of these 'politicians' have incredible coverage even after they retire for the rest of their lives......... For us it's like having a Martian put together a health plan. They truly live in a different world.
PS: Maybe...... Just maybe... we could contact the Martians and get them to work on it.
PS: Maybe...... Just maybe... we could contact the Martians and get them to work on it.
Just the usual Ryan - benefits for the rich, death panels for the rest.
4
Obamacare is only a few years old. Previously uninsured individuals had a backlog of unattended health issues. It is like not going to the dentist for years. When you finally go there might be a mouthful of cavities. It is logical that health premiums increased. When there are floods, hurricanes, fires and tornadoes throughout our country then our homeowner's premiums increase. The good thing about healthcare is that this spike in health costs should decrease once everyone is on board and we streamline medical care. We should give Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) a chance to work as intended.
2
The Republicans do not for a moment believe that their plan will lower costs, cover more people, and be better than the ACA. That is the smoke screen they are using to sell this merciless attack on the citizenery to satisfy their profitable service to their corporate overlords.
1
Single-payer healthcare is the standard in the civilized world. Obama tried to take us out our of the wilderness of our backward anti-social medical care system. After a horrendous battle with the regressive Republicans he was able to make one step forward with the ACA. Paul Ryan wants to take us back to healthcare Middle Ages - let the poor and sick just die in the streets and let everyone else pay whatever the insurance companies can extort from them. Paul Ryan - the poster boy for 19th Century bare-knuckle capitalism.
3
Ryan has never had the best interests of all Americans at the core of his health care philosophy. His main goal is to gut Medicaid and Medicare, shifting the costs of care to the states and hospitals for the uninsured, poor and elderly. Having the same level of subsidy for all income levels makes no sense. In fact, someone earning $500,000 doesn't need a subsidy. Mr. Trump assured the American people that he wouldn't touch Medicare or Social Security. Trump also said he wanted something better and cheaper (probably impossible unless it is a single payer system). It appears the House under Ryan's leadership is going in the opposite direction. Mr. Price's only goal is to make money by trading in stocks influenced by prior knowledge of legislation and regulations, so don't depend on him for any improvements in our health care system. HCAs are of no use to families struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table. Besides, almost no one could save enough to pay for the outrageous fees charged by hospitals. Remember that if you don't have an insurer who has negotiated what they will pay, providers try to get the uninsured to pay the entire ridiculously high fee. Mr. Ryan and his colleagues continue to operate under the philosophy that if you are not rich enough to purchase or pay for health care, it must be your own fault, due to laziness, lack of initiative and so on. The only hope is constituents will make it clear they will not accept the GOP's plans.
As they say, election has consequences. To the non Trump supporters, that they are going to get screwed is a forgone conclusion and there isn't much anyone can do to help them. To the Trump supporters many on whom, whether they voted or not, depend on Obamacare even if they don't know it and whose hatred for Obamacare comes from Obama is black, I cheer for them on losing the one most important healthcare policy that Obama had for them.
Sorry but yes, I am on a revenge mood. They DID ask for it.
Sorry but yes, I am on a revenge mood. They DID ask for it.
2
I am disappointed at having no mention in this article of the plan for pre existing conditions. I assume that being female would once again become exactly that.
1
But Trump told us his plan was going to be terrific, didn't he?
The ACA was doomed when they allowed insurance companies to set and arbitrarily raise rates pushed by the republicans idea of free markets. Once this program is gone they will set their sights on SS and Medicare to bring them under the privatized free market also. No free lunch unless you are a major donor. What will it take before conservative voters realize they've been had? I'm sure Rush, Jones and Fox will fill their voids with real news and direction.
1
Saying the proposed replacement of ACA is inadequate is not enough. The fundamental question is how will this replacement legislation improve health care while reducing the cost of health care? If the direct answer is it won't and the Republican "plan" so far will not, then the ACA has to be sustained until a demonstrably better alternative is put forward. Republicans are hoping that cheap insurance, also known as junk insurance, will satisfy premium payers frustrated by the still-too-high-cost of health care in the United States. But nobody is asking for cheap insurance or health savings accounts or high risk pools. They are seeking two simple things: access to affordable care, and financial security. We'll know we have it when every American, regardless of family income, has a card, cradle to grave, that opens the door to a doctor's office, a hospital emergency room, a cancer clinic and a pharmacy. The ACA took us a little closer to that day. Ryan, McConnell, the majority in Congress and Trump, are trying to move us further away.
3
Why do they hate us?
2
Do the Republicans ever have any details or numbers for their ideas?
I can't call it policy because it never reaches that point.
It seems they do little to no research on anything, appearing intellectually lazy and generally unprepared.
They seem to just say things without any evidence or apparent forethought to actual results.
After 20 near continuous control of the House and half that the Senate, what have they to show for their efforts?
The only policy we seem to hear about is the ACA, which has already shown itself to have a solution only achievable above their paygrade and ability.
I can't call it policy because it never reaches that point.
It seems they do little to no research on anything, appearing intellectually lazy and generally unprepared.
They seem to just say things without any evidence or apparent forethought to actual results.
After 20 near continuous control of the House and half that the Senate, what have they to show for their efforts?
The only policy we seem to hear about is the ACA, which has already shown itself to have a solution only achievable above their paygrade and ability.
1
This is a plan that increases the divide between rich and poor. The rich get to shelter more of their savings from taxes. The poor and vast middle class have no savings. Now some may eck out say $3000 a year for retirement, hoping they never have a medical emergency. It isn't clear how the health savings account interacts with other sheltered accounts. Why even have multiple buckets? These Medicaid block grants are really scary. For fairness, one thinks they go to states on a per capital basis. But more coastal areas and cities have more expensive nursing homes. Most middle class people and their relatives depend on Medicaid for elderly. There is a good chance that some blue States would have immediate problems with Medicaid not covering their current costs if block grants are per capita. Time and again, studies show that blue states subsidize the benefits of red states. As Republicans reduce personal and corporate taxes, the only solution is for blue states to raise income tax, and replace federal subsidies. At least, this way they can keep the money in the state.
Republicans know that few of their constituents care anything about poor and/or disabled people. Thus, many, if not most of them support Ryan's plan. Additionally, Medicaid seems an abstract concept to people who don't need it. To gain traction against Ryan's proposal, opponents have to make the argument personal, to explain how the laws will make life worse for middle class people.
1
This is all old stuff. Ryan's plan has been presented for years. It has been debunked for years. Ryan's plan has 2 main things in place. Get the government out of any health insurance and put it all back like it was with private insurers.
Ryan is a believer in Ayn Rand's beliefs, which basically says if you can't make it to bad. The government owes you nothing. Tens of Thousands will not get Health care under Ryan's plan. Now with Ryan, Price and Republicans in charge they can just die quietly. Seven years they had to have their Plan ready for this day and they have none. God help the rust belt that elected these uncaring Republicans.
Ryan is a believer in Ayn Rand's beliefs, which basically says if you can't make it to bad. The government owes you nothing. Tens of Thousands will not get Health care under Ryan's plan. Now with Ryan, Price and Republicans in charge they can just die quietly. Seven years they had to have their Plan ready for this day and they have none. God help the rust belt that elected these uncaring Republicans.
2
The only positive thing about these Republican plans is that single-payer will emerge stronger and the most common sense solution. Like in every other industrialized country with an advanced economy, lower health costs and better health.
1
Th Ryan plan eliminates subsidies to those people and allows others to pay little or nothing for a plan that covers nothing
It doesn't address runaway costs, access or employer responsibility for part time and contract workers
I love the bigger HSA deductions
I would take full advantage of that as I lost my dependent care deduction when my youngest tuned 13. I have employer healthcare so this nonsense is just another deduction for me
Republicans are greedy and the people that vote for them deserve what they get
It doesn't address runaway costs, access or employer responsibility for part time and contract workers
I love the bigger HSA deductions
I would take full advantage of that as I lost my dependent care deduction when my youngest tuned 13. I have employer healthcare so this nonsense is just another deduction for me
Republicans are greedy and the people that vote for them deserve what they get
What always seems to be lost in the discussions about health insurance is the glaringly obvious; health insurance costs a lot because it is used a lot. Like extended warranties on appliances and cars, the principle cost is how often we expect claims to be filed. It is a secondary question why the cost of individual claims is high, though that sort of dialog is what dominates the national conversation about health care costs.
We make a lot of health claims because our lifestyle leads to the majority of chronic illnesses that are making us sick and breaking us financially. The major factors are widely known: what we eat, how much of it we eat, smoking, substance and alcohol abuse, and lack of exercise. To truly deal with health care costs, we have to address those underlying causes. Nevertheless, every reasonable attempt to do so is always thwarted. In NY, an attempt to tax high-sugar drinks was killed. People made fun of Michelle Obama's modest attempt to encourage exercise and healthier food choices for our kids. Until we address these issues as public health matters, we will be overwhelmed by rising demands for health care services and will be forced into choosing who will get medical care and who will not, and we know what Republicans will do when presented with that choice.
We need to make people healthier so that they do not have to flock to doctors, hospitals and pharmacies to continue our costly and unhealthy ways.
We make a lot of health claims because our lifestyle leads to the majority of chronic illnesses that are making us sick and breaking us financially. The major factors are widely known: what we eat, how much of it we eat, smoking, substance and alcohol abuse, and lack of exercise. To truly deal with health care costs, we have to address those underlying causes. Nevertheless, every reasonable attempt to do so is always thwarted. In NY, an attempt to tax high-sugar drinks was killed. People made fun of Michelle Obama's modest attempt to encourage exercise and healthier food choices for our kids. Until we address these issues as public health matters, we will be overwhelmed by rising demands for health care services and will be forced into choosing who will get medical care and who will not, and we know what Republicans will do when presented with that choice.
We need to make people healthier so that they do not have to flock to doctors, hospitals and pharmacies to continue our costly and unhealthy ways.
1
Paul Ryan should be crushed under the weight of his hypocrisy. I work in a hospital in Florida and I have seen so many people DIE because of a lack of insurance and money--whether it's because they were unable to see a physician for a hemoccult test that might have led to the diagnosis of a colon polyp versus stage 4 colon cancer or a patient who found a mass in her breast and can't even get a biopsy done for lack of money so she has no choice but to leave it alone until it starts eroding through her skin. Not to mention the people who are working low wage jobs and who forego the recommended cancer treatment for fear of losing their jobs. It happens--I have personally observed this many times. And many of these folks are young people who would otherwise be expected to work and contribute to our economy for many years. It is an outrage that in this country with so much financial wealth there is such a poverty of compassion.
6
I don"t understand it. Forget about politics. On human level why would Republicans do this? What do they have against providing reasonable health care to those who don't have it. What is the philosophy behind it? What do they gain by denying health care to these people. How does that help Republicans?
What gives?
What gives?
1
During the campaign, Trump pledged to "deal with" immigration, health care, and jobs during his first 100 days in office. First, his immigration plan (if you can call it that) is unconstitutional. Now, Ryan's health care plan would cost more, and cover fewer people. So far, they're zero for two. Finally, I don't think Trump will ever create any jobs for those rural Americans out there in the midsection of the country, who voted for him, and got him elected. Now it looks like they will lose hearth care, and medicare too.
In the past, they were merely "forgotten". Now they must feel completely abandoned, or worse. What else can go wrong?
In the past, they were merely "forgotten". Now they must feel completely abandoned, or worse. What else can go wrong?
I have but two points to make:
1. Any lawmaker that has received any campaign funds or speaking funds from big pharma, or any medical related industry or concern, is recused from participation or voting on any health care proposal. Obvious conflict of interest, and,
2. All members and their families of the legislative branch including their staff are required to enroll on the very plan they choose to pass onto the American people.
If its good enough for us, it's good enough for you as well.
1. Any lawmaker that has received any campaign funds or speaking funds from big pharma, or any medical related industry or concern, is recused from participation or voting on any health care proposal. Obvious conflict of interest, and,
2. All members and their families of the legislative branch including their staff are required to enroll on the very plan they choose to pass onto the American people.
If its good enough for us, it's good enough for you as well.
4
The American people should respond to this plan as they would any threat to their lives and well being. It is simply intolerable.
1
Block grants to states? Just how fairly will the highly politicized states distribute block grant funds? By congressional district? By religious affiliation (or lack thereof)? It's conceivable that a state like Mississippi would see fit to allocate percentages of funds by race. Worst of all will be the crony recipients of block grant funds, such as local firms selling medical equipment like wheelchairs, and physician-owned clinics. Sounds like a perfect way to wreck a system that's working pretty well right now.
1
Ryan is singing the same old republican song. I think it was the Dead Kennedy's: "Kill Kill Kill Kill the poor...."
3
The whole health care savings plan as proposed by the republicans is a farce. If you Google the average savings rate for the U.S. in 2016, the amount saved by 50% of the population was less than $1000. The average cost for an MRI scan in this country is $2000. That means the 50% in this savings group would be able to afford half a scan. Suppose they are lucky and find out what there health issue is thru this scan. Now they know what they have, but so what. They can't afford the treatment because they can't pay for it thru this asinine proposal. Unfortunately, the idiots who voted for these clowns are going to applaud this new proposal as a needed fixed, not realizing that they have been screwed by an American hating political party.
1
The defining characteristic of twenty-first century American politics is the confidence game the Republican Party is playing upon the electorate.
The article says nothing about how "Ryancare" would impact Medicare Part D. The Affordable Care Act effectively abolished the Part D Coverage Gap (or "doughnut hole"). It is important that every senior citizen know whether any ACA replacement would cause the coverage gap to come back since the return of the coverage gap would cause a large increase in out-of-pocket prescription costs for the majority of seniors.
2
It is no secret that the Tea Party Republicans and House Freedom Caucus Republicans want the government OUT of health care completely. That includes Medicare, Medicaid and any health insurance mandates or subsidies. It is their belief that the free market should dictate health care and health insurance. This is not rocket science - the Republicans want everyone to be responsible for their own health care / health insurance. What's not to like?
1
Life is a pre-exisiting condition. Wake up, America: Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security are all government programs, funded- unequally- by us tax-payers for the common good, not the greed of insurance companies. What have you or your Senator or Representative done for the common good lately?
We the people have the power. What will your family's and your neighbors' lives look like without these programs? Let everyone pay a fair share and the
millionaires, billionaires, and plutocrats pay more. Power, after all, is about who
has it, how they achieved it, and how they use it after free and fair elections. That's what I used to explain to my students along with close study of the differences between between assumptions, beliefs, facts, good evidence, and
opinion. It used to be called civics; kids were taught what thinking and metacognition are.
We the people have the power. What will your family's and your neighbors' lives look like without these programs? Let everyone pay a fair share and the
millionaires, billionaires, and plutocrats pay more. Power, after all, is about who
has it, how they achieved it, and how they use it after free and fair elections. That's what I used to explain to my students along with close study of the differences between between assumptions, beliefs, facts, good evidence, and
opinion. It used to be called civics; kids were taught what thinking and metacognition are.
2
Hey Paul Ryan! Walk the walk. Prove your good faith by passing a law that Congress members will receive exactly the same coverage that the AVERAGE American receives. It it's so great, you surely wouldn't mind having the same for your family. Oh, and no fair using your vast income to pay for everything that's not covered. After all, we don't have that kind of money. Walk the walk. This so-called plan effectively creates the biggest Death Panel ever.
2
One of the big reason so why the Feds often tackled things from the states is because the states would/could become selective in the language of who got what.
On top of that, states could and would apply monies that were geared to be for one thing to another arena because they needed it for something else,
' that came up unexpectantly'.
Unfortunately, most states just don't handle the monies they received for the public use, that effectively.
On top of that, states could and would apply monies that were geared to be for one thing to another arena because they needed it for something else,
' that came up unexpectantly'.
Unfortunately, most states just don't handle the monies they received for the public use, that effectively.
In short, more all for the rich and none for the rest policy from the extremist Republican Party.
1
Well, SOMEBODY keep re-electing Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell et al. When people who keep voting Republican realize that - duh - they are voting against their best interests they will throw the bums out and put either progressive Republicans in office or social Democrats.
What the country needs is more politicians with a Bernie Sanders mind set when it comes to taxing the wealthy and the corporations. But hey, 2018 is right around the corner. Let's see if these voters have learned their lesson.
What the country needs is more politicians with a Bernie Sanders mind set when it comes to taxing the wealthy and the corporations. But hey, 2018 is right around the corner. Let's see if these voters have learned their lesson.
1
"A healthy America is a productive America".
Mr Trump and Mr. Ryan, as a physician I care for families who want to work and to prosper and contribute to society. When a child is not getting proper preventive care and treatment, a parent loses work days to care for the child. This costs the employer money and often leads to rising unemployment. If the adult is ill, he or she cannot hold down a job. In this case there is definitely no chance of stashing away extra money into a health savings account.
Since I first practiced medicine over twenty years ago, I've seen the percentage of "working poor" increase exponentially when it comes tothosecwho struggle to afford health care . The ACA needs help but was the first step.
Business in 2017 is all about continuous quality improvement. Our businessman President needs to keep that in mind and reconsider scrapping anything.
Mr Trump and Mr. Ryan, as a physician I care for families who want to work and to prosper and contribute to society. When a child is not getting proper preventive care and treatment, a parent loses work days to care for the child. This costs the employer money and often leads to rising unemployment. If the adult is ill, he or she cannot hold down a job. In this case there is definitely no chance of stashing away extra money into a health savings account.
Since I first practiced medicine over twenty years ago, I've seen the percentage of "working poor" increase exponentially when it comes tothosecwho struggle to afford health care . The ACA needs help but was the first step.
Business in 2017 is all about continuous quality improvement. Our businessman President needs to keep that in mind and reconsider scrapping anything.
2
If it repeals the Mandate, I'm for it. Pretty sure I'm not alone - well maybe amongst the illuminati of the NYTimes editorial page readers - and we know they're the true voice of America, right? I mean with HRC being elected and all...
So we go back to Emergency Rooms treating all manner of illness', major and minor, and taxpayers getting stuck with huge bills? Fewer people insured means those that are insured will pay much higher premiums, even those with health insurance subsidized by employers. Look closely at your paycheck, is the deduction for health coverage substantial? Would you like that deduction to even larger? When the employer's share of the premium goes up, so will the prices of whatever they sell.
Congress doesn't dare address the issue of why the same exact medicines cost far more in the U.S. than in other countries. Congress will not even discuss their own health insurance plan which provides excellent care, subsidized by taxpayers. If subsidies for low-income people are being eliminated why are subsidies for high income Representatives and Senators kept?
Congress doesn't dare address the issue of why the same exact medicines cost far more in the U.S. than in other countries. Congress will not even discuss their own health insurance plan which provides excellent care, subsidized by taxpayers. If subsidies for low-income people are being eliminated why are subsidies for high income Representatives and Senators kept?
2
No health "plan" will work without cutting payments to hospitals (including the so-called "non-profits"), pharma and doctors. All are paid much more than anywhere else in the world and the current system is bankrupting our country.
1
This would be worse than the A.C.A.
Single Payer, Medicare for All would be the most cost effective and client effective.
Single Payer, Medicare for All would be the most cost effective and client effective.
1
Mr. Trump in his campaign promised to offer a better healthcare insurance plan than Obamacare. He should be held to keep his promise.
Paul Ryan, together with his party, is in the habit of putting out stupid economic plans with little rationale to justify them but plainly designed to selectively benefit the wealthy segment of the population. Has he bothered to read the preamble of the Constitution which includes a clause to "promote the general Welfare ... [we] do ordain and establish this Constitution."
It is sickening to find members of Congress and even the President who take an oath to uphold the Constitution and then play footsie with it.
Paul Ryan, together with his party, is in the habit of putting out stupid economic plans with little rationale to justify them but plainly designed to selectively benefit the wealthy segment of the population. Has he bothered to read the preamble of the Constitution which includes a clause to "promote the general Welfare ... [we] do ordain and establish this Constitution."
It is sickening to find members of Congress and even the President who take an oath to uphold the Constitution and then play footsie with it.
Everybody should have healthcare but there is a difference between Medicare and Medicaid. 2 examples. Last year I broke one wrist and 3 fingers on the the other hand all in casts yet Medicare denied me a home healthcare worker for 4 hrs a day but had I been on Medicaid no problem. Fortunately I stayed with one of my kids and their family otherwise it would have cost me $4000 for 4 hrs a day. . I have a friend who worked all her life yet and her only income is SS but she isn't poor enough to get Medicaid, She gets n o dental coverage and cannot afford to see a Dentist.. Yet had she been on Medicaid she would have coverage. So, if you are very poor or wealthy no problem.
I could barely bring myself to read this! These are bad ideas for "health care"- families, children, the elderly , the poor will all suffer, and possibly die, under GOP plans for "health care". Name it something else... maybe "death watch"! I am quite serious. Paul Ryan should be ashamed! Yes, ashamed! (sorry to bring this up as I usually don't ... but Ryan calls himself a Christian!)
Just want to add that I am a retired nurse, so I think I know a little bit about health care.
Just want to add that I am a retired nurse, so I think I know a little bit about health care.
1
I like simple minded thought experiments when it comes to public policy.
For instance, with respect to our security from the predations of terrorists, does spending half a trillion dollars per annum, as much as the next ten highest military spenders combined, keep us safe from attacks. No. In fact, not one of the top ten military spenders has suffered the extremes of a 911 in both blood and treasure. Here's another one: If Ryan's and the republican's health care plan is set in motion, will more Americans die needlessly because of it than if we were attacked by ISIS? Yes. We live in POGO Land, and among us walk the worst enemies of the American people. They don't speak arabic. They aren't Muslims.
For instance, with respect to our security from the predations of terrorists, does spending half a trillion dollars per annum, as much as the next ten highest military spenders combined, keep us safe from attacks. No. In fact, not one of the top ten military spenders has suffered the extremes of a 911 in both blood and treasure. Here's another one: If Ryan's and the republican's health care plan is set in motion, will more Americans die needlessly because of it than if we were attacked by ISIS? Yes. We live in POGO Land, and among us walk the worst enemies of the American people. They don't speak arabic. They aren't Muslims.
1
Unless and until the GOP realizes that their short-sightedness in this matter (as well as all matters, in my opinion) will eventually drive UP healthcare costs over all for everyone, we need to be vigilant, vocal, and involved with our congressmen and women. Let them hear us this week while they are in their home districts that unless the alternative offered is a universal healthcare, single payer system, then tweak what needs tweaking in Obamacare to improve it or leave it alone. Media, keep up the good work and blast the information through the news that repealing Obamacare without a solid, more affordable plan for all will cost all of us.
Paul Ryan has achieved the dubious and frankly challenging accomplishment of becoming the biggest fraud in Congress---given the competition, this is not an easy task. Those in his WI district should carefully note that Ryan cares only for the 1%, and vote accordingly.
1
Devout Catholic that he is, I'm surprised Paul Ryan doesn't run his proposal by Pope Francis for an evaluation from a theological perspective. Let's all encourage the Speaker to do so.
3
The GOP has had years to come up with a plan to repeal the ACA and replace it with a better one, which they insisted all along they could do; however, it looks as though their talk has been just hot air all along. Having got what they wanted, GOP control of it all, they are now responsible for the overall wellbeing of the nation. They are falling far, far short and it doesn't look as though it will get any better. The only good thing that has come out of this election is that the American voters are now engaged as they have not been in years. Young voters have learned a bitter lesson in having to show up and be counted, that their votes do matter, and that they can't just stand aside and wait for someone else to do the heavy lifting. 2018 will be the test.
1
"The House proposal is part of a broader attack on the A.C.A".
Not quite.
The House proposal uses the ACA as cover for the real prize, the big cahuna, which is a broader attack on Medicaid. Why stop at whacking just those nasty takers who joined up since 2010 when we can go after all of them at once?
Paulie Wonder was on the pulpit preaching much of the same Dr. John's Magic Elixir for his Medicare in 2012 when a funny thing happened. He got asked to run for vice president. And immediately got his lips sewn shut. Unless anyone remembers anything about replacing Medicare with vouchers in Mitt's campaign platform- I remember nothing but total and conspicuous silence on the issue from the time Ryan got added to his ticket till they crashed on election night.
But, heeee's baaaaack!!! Medicaid's a much easier target than Medicare, and Paulie Wonder ain't runnin' for national office now. All he's gotta do is bat those piercingly sincere blue eyes for the home folks to gobble up like candy and he's in for another four.
Coast clear, let 'er rip!
Not quite.
The House proposal uses the ACA as cover for the real prize, the big cahuna, which is a broader attack on Medicaid. Why stop at whacking just those nasty takers who joined up since 2010 when we can go after all of them at once?
Paulie Wonder was on the pulpit preaching much of the same Dr. John's Magic Elixir for his Medicare in 2012 when a funny thing happened. He got asked to run for vice president. And immediately got his lips sewn shut. Unless anyone remembers anything about replacing Medicare with vouchers in Mitt's campaign platform- I remember nothing but total and conspicuous silence on the issue from the time Ryan got added to his ticket till they crashed on election night.
But, heeee's baaaaack!!! Medicaid's a much easier target than Medicare, and Paulie Wonder ain't runnin' for national office now. All he's gotta do is bat those piercingly sincere blue eyes for the home folks to gobble up like candy and he's in for another four.
Coast clear, let 'er rip!
Ryan and Price need to hold a nationally televised event and lay out in full detail, warts and all, their plan to "improve" the country's health care, including provisions for pre-existing conditions, coverage for people age 26 and younger, impact on those who receive Medicaid and Medicare, how their plan would be subsidized that would replace that mechanism currently in the ACA, and every other detail of the plan. Naturally, Trump is all in on anything that would have him save face after declaring that repeal and replace would occur simultaneously. Once they completely roll out their "improvement" plan it will become apparent to millions (including those who are all-in on Trump) that they are being had.
My company dropped retiree group care Dec. 31, a broken promise. So after 35+ years of my employment my wife and I now have individual plans. Our out-of-pocket is 3X $$$ for premiums, plus higher individual deductibles because of no lower family deductible.
Simple idea: If people get insurance through ANY government sponsored plan, it must be at lowest group rates since we are a group. Families get family plans. Stop victimizing married retirees and other citizens by allowing much higher rates for 'individuals'. Those 'individuals' are part of a group known as Americans.
Simple idea: If people get insurance through ANY government sponsored plan, it must be at lowest group rates since we are a group. Families get family plans. Stop victimizing married retirees and other citizens by allowing much higher rates for 'individuals'. Those 'individuals' are part of a group known as Americans.
1
This plan would not only throw millions off their health insurance, but it would gut community health centers which rely on Medicaid payments. Community health centers take care of the country's uninsured, which in Idaho is still 75,000 people. My community health center also employs 250 people, who may be looking for different jobs soon. Some recipe for economic prosperity - a sicker population with fewer jobs.
1
I find this hard to believe. After all, Ryan has produced a pamphlet that articulates the way forward. Surely we are misreading one of those 4 pages.
Ryan may be the author, but Trump has to sign off on it. It seems unfair to leave him out of the program's name. I suggest RumpCare to give both credit.
Vouchers, healthcare savings accounts, privatization, same old retreads. A strategy that gives to the wealthy and disenfranchises the poor and working class. Remember when Bush wanted to privatize Medicare and then the stock market crashed and destroyed that pipe dream? Older people would have lost everything. Their SS retirement accounts gutted by immoral financial shenanigans. Then what? Does Ryan ever ask himself what will happen after Americans are again without healthcare? How many are going to die? Like Scrooge, I am sure that it is ok with him to "decrease the surplus population".
If we "follow the money," we will know which way the wind is blowing on "repeal and replace" with Ryancare. The Ryan plan obviously does not have have affordability and accessibility as its primary goal. Of course, the Republicans will continue to con voters into believing that they are the pro-life party while closing the door to affordable health care that protects and saves lives.
1
Just read the so-called policy paper (really just a long tirade about Obamacare, with a complete failure to objectively look at the successes of the ACA). Do they really think the vast majority of Americans who get their health care through employers will like having their benefits taxed and a "tax credit" applied? Do they honestly think HSA's benefit the middle class? Ask any retirement advisor - if you can afford they'll tell you how HSA's were set up as an additional savings vehicle for the well-off. Ask my employees, when we had a high-deductiobel plan, and they'll tell you they could never save a penny in the HSA because they were using it to pay the costs under the deductible. Block grant Medicaid? I feel very sorry for people in States like West Virginia, heavily dependent on Medicaid and with an incredible opiate drug problem, who would see funds and eligibility cut dramatically under a block grant system. This is another plan by the Republicans to create two Americas - those who can afford basics like food clothing, shelter and health care and those who can't. No wonder young people worry so much, and are so incredibly stressed about getting ahead, having successful careers. They no longer see an America of we, they see an America of I.
The Republicans basic philosophy about everything is that no one deserves anything they can't pay for themselves.
And if they can get all these types of laws and regulations passed, this country will turn into India or China, where there is a small middle class, an even smaller group of the very wealthy, and an enormous class of poor people.
That wouldn't bother them at all.
And if they can get all these types of laws and regulations passed, this country will turn into India or China, where there is a small middle class, an even smaller group of the very wealthy, and an enormous class of poor people.
That wouldn't bother them at all.
I think this is what we are supposed to regard as "freedom."
Any"plan" from Lyin Ryan is always devoid of any sensible details. Kind of like his fake "dish washing for the poor" campaign event during the 2012 campaign! Ayn Rand would be so PROUD!!!
2
The premise of this editorial is nonsense. Right now premiums and deductibles are going up because Obamacare mandates that all sorts of thing are included in insurance coverage even though many people will never use them. I am 52 and my children are all out of the house. Why should my wife and I be forced to buy coverage that subsidizes young families with children or women of child bearing years. I have no problem subsidizing those things when I am part of that pool using those services but why should I be forced to now. We are missing the point of what insurance is suppose to do. It is supposed to group people who shared common issues and risks because it does make sense to spread those risks out over a larger group of people who share those same risks. I defy anyone to find an example of insurance out there that so broadly distributes risk and also encourages people to use those insurance benefits for other than catastrophic reasons. Imagine if car insurance covered not only accidents but also normal service like oil changes and other repairs. That is what we try to do with medical insurance and it makes no sense.
This is the political anchor that will sink anyone that subscribes to it. The repeal and replace of a healthcare plan that has been implemented already and now covers almost 20 million more citizens cannot be removed without a full replacement plan ready that is actually better and cheaper. The GOP does not have such a plan after 6 years of trying!
Starting in January 2017 and ending with the midterms of 2018 this will be the undoing of many within the GOP and will destroy Paul Ryan's future.
Further proof that the GOP can complain (see Ryan, McConnell, Cruz, Cotton) but are incapable of crafting and enacting policy's that help people other than themselves.
Starting in January 2017 and ending with the midterms of 2018 this will be the undoing of many within the GOP and will destroy Paul Ryan's future.
Further proof that the GOP can complain (see Ryan, McConnell, Cruz, Cotton) but are incapable of crafting and enacting policy's that help people other than themselves.
1
A leopard does not change it’s spots, & Ryan does not change his effort to do away with all entitlements & eventually Social Security.Why is he driven by this insatiable desire to remove entailments is because he is driven to lower taxes on the rich which would require a flow of funds by other sources & thats where the elimination of entitlements come in.In a perfect world entitlements would not be necessary, everyone would be able to care for themselves, & not depend on the Government to subsidize our health care.However, for millions of Americans it is impossible to keep up with the cost of loving, which absorbs the majority of our income for essentials like food & shelter.Whether we like it or not, Social entitlements is necessary to sustain us.I’m sure Ryan understands this,but it’s low on his priorities, which are pandering to the Fat Cats that keep the Republicans in business.
1
This is one of the best-written editorials I've ever seen. Yes, it's in the category of "the emperor has no clothes" - i.e., it simply "tells it like it is," and the Times has almost always done precisely that.
But it is alarming where it should be ... and since Fox and others are/were probably content to say, "See, 'replacement' IS happening," just spelling out that this is not a "repair" but a gutting does an enormous public service.
Sadly, of course, even the Times' more conservative readers "know the score" - Trump as President boosts Ryan from a slightly wonky guy whose let's-make-the-rich-even-richer lifelong mission has just morphed from, "That's why we can focus on 1000 families and basically bankroll national and local campaigns as well or better than the other party" ... to a near-Jefferson in terms of influence.
The Times hit the nail on the head with its first word - Ryancare IS "a thing," and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that given how close the most recent Pres'l election was, a few million Trump voters getting kneed in the groin might just pave the way for an off-year (2018) election that gives us some hope.
Of course, Ryancare is a non-fake "death panel," where if you're not wealthy, you'll need luck to survive a serious health problem - be it coronary or diabetes. ADDICTION? The Republicans talked a half-decent game during the campaign, but the reality is now clear - "black or white, you got addicted - your future is AA or prison."
But it is alarming where it should be ... and since Fox and others are/were probably content to say, "See, 'replacement' IS happening," just spelling out that this is not a "repair" but a gutting does an enormous public service.
Sadly, of course, even the Times' more conservative readers "know the score" - Trump as President boosts Ryan from a slightly wonky guy whose let's-make-the-rich-even-richer lifelong mission has just morphed from, "That's why we can focus on 1000 families and basically bankroll national and local campaigns as well or better than the other party" ... to a near-Jefferson in terms of influence.
The Times hit the nail on the head with its first word - Ryancare IS "a thing," and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that given how close the most recent Pres'l election was, a few million Trump voters getting kneed in the groin might just pave the way for an off-year (2018) election that gives us some hope.
Of course, Ryancare is a non-fake "death panel," where if you're not wealthy, you'll need luck to survive a serious health problem - be it coronary or diabetes. ADDICTION? The Republicans talked a half-decent game during the campaign, but the reality is now clear - "black or white, you got addicted - your future is AA or prison."
When millions more Americans are begging on the streets because a health emergency destroyed their home, job, living and then dying in the gutters, will Republicans and the Koch Brothers finally, finally be happy? Enquiringly minds want to know. Wait until they go after Social Security (71 million Americans) and Medicare (55+ million Americans).
Does the Republican Party care about anyone but the 1%? Thanks angry white voters. Hopefully, some of you will notice.
Does the Republican Party care about anyone but the 1%? Thanks angry white voters. Hopefully, some of you will notice.
13
My loved one gets insurance through ACA. She pays $109 a month with fairly high deductibles for certain procedures. Reasonable pricing for Meds that is very important for her. I have called and called her Republican congressman and my Republican congressman for answers to give me an estimate on what we can expect on pricing now that Price has been confirmed. Her Representative, first no interest/knowledge of new plan. After pushing them they said someone from their DC staff would call me back. No call back. My rep same thing. The Republicans don't know how to help the average person and when you ask it seems to take them out of their comfort level.
Every legislation they craft is primarily for some industry, Insurance Industry, Finance Industry, Oil Industry, etc. They don't have a clue how to just help individual Americans.
Every legislation they craft is primarily for some industry, Insurance Industry, Finance Industry, Oil Industry, etc. They don't have a clue how to just help individual Americans.
14
The problem is we now have such a thoroughly dishonest government that has no interest in serving the people just deceiving them. I hope the white working class that is Trump's base understands what this is going to do to their healthcare coverage. They have so much to lose,
7
Whatever miserable plan he hatches: that's what he should be obliged to use for himself and his family!
20
We are skiing into an avalanche that will bury most of us. The Republicans told us what they would do, now they're doing it, then they'll us how great they are. The Democrats put up a candidate, Hillary Clinton by name, for whom the election was her to win and she lost it out of a mix of arrogance and obliviousness. The two political parties have a lock on election law in all 50 states that gives them a monopoly on the selection of candidates. Federal law gives the parties the ability to raise virtually unlimited amounts of money, much of which goes to support the lifestyles of the candidates themselves and the parasites called campaign consultants and pollsters. Almost all the problems with these policy issues, like federal spending on health care, can be traced back to the promises made to uninformed, often deluded voters by political candidates during campaigns. The two parties, Republican and Democrat in their present form, are in a dance of death that will take us all down with it. We must find a different way and do it now.
Nothing that has come out of the Trump Presidency and GOP-controlled Congress has altered their goal which the GOP (publicly, in a moment of weakness several years ago) stated: "The poor don't vote." And of course, with gerrymandering, voter ID, and other such restrictive laws, the poor often CAN'T vote.
I'm a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. It appalls me how many of the right wing lack the slightest compassion or tolerance for others. Is this really the depths to which we have sunk, as the richest country in the world?
I'm a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. It appalls me how many of the right wing lack the slightest compassion or tolerance for others. Is this really the depths to which we have sunk, as the richest country in the world?
8
Let's just call it Wealthcare. If you don't have it, they don't care.
10
I really can't wait for the poor, uneducated people who support Trump to start losing their health insurance. Sadly, like Jim Jones followers, they still will not believe they will suffer under Trump and Republican rule. What will it take to wake these people up?
9
I laugh. Ok, I'm lying- I sob whenever the media - yes, you guys too, on occasion - call Ryan the intellectual force in the Republican Party. He is simply a carnival barker serving up the same old right wing sideshows.
10
DONald Trump Care. In other words, DonTCare - it all makes sense now.
7
The cornerstone upon which we should should build national healthcare policy is universal lifetime catasptophic insurance. All other government sponsored healthcare programs (Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans, etc.) would be integrated with universal catastrophic coverage. People not covered by other government sponsored programs could connect to the catastrophic program whether or not they had private insurance, although most people would want to carry insurance for sub-catastrophic costs just as most Medicare participants now carry Medicare supplement insurance. The cost of universal catastrophic insurance would need to be fully covered and not added to the debt already piled up on our grandchildren. A national sales or value added tax would be a logical source of funding - everybody is covered and everybody pays.
Medicare for all is the answer. We have the money to do it; quit giving tax breaks to the wealthy, who don't need the break.
11
I not only don't know if it will work, but I don't think the world's greatest economists (if there is such a thing) would know. We will see. But, why would I believe an article about it in The Times (still my favorite news source despite its faults). The Times almost only publishes articles negative to Reps and especially Trump. Almost every article on the ACA here defends it, though it is literally falling out of the sky (inevitable unless taxes for it are doubled - likely the plan). I'm not a Rep or conservative - they have their crazy ideas too, but the ACA is doomed unless you are blinded by partisanship. Aetna's CEO just said as much as far as individuals go. The co-ops are almost all gone, etc.
Anyway, I do kind of expect the Reps to screw it up too b/c the truly insidious thing about the ACA was that once it gave insurance to millions of people for free no one else can take it away and politically survive. We all wish everyone could have insurance - the problem is, how do you do it so that it will not bankrupt us or the system will not fall apart? Now, the Reps, stuck with the problem are trying to do what they usually say you can't do - plan the economy. The reason, in my opinion, every other industrialized country can have universal care is b/c they sacrifice quality in many cases and they don't defend the world to the extent we do (which we should b/c we can).
Good luck, Ryan. I expect many would like you to fail.
Anyway, I do kind of expect the Reps to screw it up too b/c the truly insidious thing about the ACA was that once it gave insurance to millions of people for free no one else can take it away and politically survive. We all wish everyone could have insurance - the problem is, how do you do it so that it will not bankrupt us or the system will not fall apart? Now, the Reps, stuck with the problem are trying to do what they usually say you can't do - plan the economy. The reason, in my opinion, every other industrialized country can have universal care is b/c they sacrifice quality in many cases and they don't defend the world to the extent we do (which we should b/c we can).
Good luck, Ryan. I expect many would like you to fail.
2
It is better to be rich and healthy than sick and poor. Now the Greed Over People party want to make the law.
4
I went to my dermatologist. He scanned my body for less than 2 minutes. Had me shelter my eyes as he sprayed the tiny little whatever on my forehead. He circled a mole on my chest and then left. An assistant came in and removed the mole for biopsy - it took another 2-3 minutes. Bill was $601.00 (Surgery items: $178, $174 and $142. Physician charge: $107).
Under Ryancare I guess I should have questioned the different procedures or asked for an estimate and then shopped around but then I would have needed a written explanation of all the proposed procedures. I guess I could have contributed $50/month to an HSA but then how much should I save for my primary care doctor, the urologist and the gastrointestinal doctor, the opthamologist and the physical therapist - all of whom I needed to see this past year.
Under Ryancare I guess I should have questioned the different procedures or asked for an estimate and then shopped around but then I would have needed a written explanation of all the proposed procedures. I guess I could have contributed $50/month to an HSA but then how much should I save for my primary care doctor, the urologist and the gastrointestinal doctor, the opthamologist and the physical therapist - all of whom I needed to see this past year.
2
What Ryan and his fellow Republicans don't get is that they should be working to reduce health care cost for the people, for us. Their plans are aimed at reducing the cost to the Federal Government, but not to us.
3
The headline says it all- you can pay more for less. Paul Ryan's plan is a ruse. It will deny vital health care benefits to the most needy. It is part of the same tired rinse and repeat the GOP always promotes- trickle down economics. If people want to see what the likely outcome will be just look at the state of Kansas where the Republican Governor drove the state into a quagmire of a budget crisis by cutting taxes The only 'people" who will benefit from this nightmarish plan are the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies. I think even Ayn Rand would give Ryan's plan a thumbs down.
3
Because the Republican plan is simple: if you can't afford health insurance and you can't get a job that provides it, the "best" and cheapest alternative is to simply die. Republicans cannot say this and will not say this, but that has always been their intent. It has to be because there is no other way that cutting support to the working poor and those in total poverty makes sense.
It's the old "let them eat cake" recycled with Ryan's fake math.
Evan Trump seems taken aback at the idea of throwing people off Medicaid and Medicare, or at least realizes his hardcore fanatic base of 37% will evaporate if that happens, which is why his pick of Sec Price is so peculiar. Of course, it was more likely the pick of nihilist "President" Bannon.
It's the old "let them eat cake" recycled with Ryan's fake math.
Evan Trump seems taken aback at the idea of throwing people off Medicaid and Medicare, or at least realizes his hardcore fanatic base of 37% will evaporate if that happens, which is why his pick of Sec Price is so peculiar. Of course, it was more likely the pick of nihilist "President" Bannon.
4
All this noise and motion simply to undo President Obama. There is no other motive.
3
Jeez why haven't any of you thought that you need to move into Ryan's district and vote against him. We need about 5,000 volunteers.
3
Anything you need to know about the GOP is how they behave at prayer breakfasts. There is a god that lifts up the true believers and smites those who are not. Republicans got to church on Sunday, and literally "Lord over the Earth and ALL its people" the other six days. The assumption of divine empowerment is so absolute they don't feel even a twitch of guilt when someone dies because they couldn't get help that was within easy reach. This is the very essence of what our Founding Fathers (and no doubt Mothers) intended when they wrote the U.S. Constitution that barred the establishment of any state-backed religion - prayer before public meetings and flag salutes being deemed "strictly ceremonial' - an act suggesting there is a legitimate biological state of being "a little pregnant." But be that as it may, the right wing's abhorrence of those needing help as requesting "illegitimate entitlements" belies the GOP's belief in the need for any government at all, save for a bloated military. And to be sure, bloated expenditures for both acting as welfare providers whose forces circle the globe and give "non-believers" more than a bad time - keeping those nasty "non-believers" in "their place" while maintaining "manifest destiny" to make money on all of them. It's the exercise of an incredulous belief that "I'm a child of God and you're not." It's what puts that constant smirk on Paul Ryan's face. Separation of Church and State. It's there for a reason.
1
Unless you are one of those getting a huge subsidy or expanded Medicaid, the ACA sucks. Does anyone actually read the fine print in their health insurance policy - deductibles - you have to pay x amount before you receive any benefits and co-insurance - you will be paying x% of bill after you pay your copay. What does one actually get from paying the premium every month? Not much, unless you have a major medical event. Health insurance does NOT equal health care. There is a better way to provide basic health insurance for all but thats not where we are headed. At this point, I dont care. Just dont force me to support for profit health insurance companies and middlemen.
2
For all of the past 100 years, the American Medical Association has opposed every effort to make health care affordable and universal. Joined by Big Pharma, Hospitals and medical equipment manufacturers, the industry lobby has a firm grip on Congress.
People need health care and Republicans in Congress deny them. And yet, they win reelection. Public education is part of the problem.
People need health care and Republicans in Congress deny them. And yet, they win reelection. Public education is part of the problem.
Many countries in Europe have a single payer plan and a parallel private healthcare where people can pay either with more costly insurance or out of pocket. Low and middle income people are using the first.
However, the prices of healthcare across the board are sometimes even 100 cheaper, for care that it is often superior than in the US.
I wish some of the dumb reporters who are asking about single payer won't ask what would R and D have against a system were there will be both single payer and private options?
However, the prices of healthcare across the board are sometimes even 100 cheaper, for care that it is often superior than in the US.
I wish some of the dumb reporters who are asking about single payer won't ask what would R and D have against a system were there will be both single payer and private options?
2
The publicans care nothing for people, except the rich, and people still vote for them. Impossible to understand.
7
For profit care has been and always will be a failure. Those who need it most are denied care because they are already ill. For the remainder, only the wealthiest can afford the thousands of dollars a year that a good plan costs. And how will an ever shrinking pool of insured be able to pay for the uninsured who flood our ERs? Obamacare, while opening care to all, still had a ton of problems. The cheapest plans have the highest deductibles and out of pocket expenses for a population who can barely afford the plans. What's the point of a plan you can't even use? And the primary cause of bankruptcy in the elderly is healthcare costs. It's a disgrace. My retirement, like many others, will be brutal, especially if I get sick. Beyond that, our children and grandchildren will live in a country with fewer and fewer jobs, protections, and no healthcare at all. You think the haves are going to like providing a basic income or food or housing or medicine for people who don't work?
3
Will Insurance Companies be required to cover preexisting conditions at a reasonable cost? Will a person risk going to a doctor if they would be labeled with a preexisting condition. Healthy people and families that do not have huge medical costs and have the money upfront to pay for incidental medical costs would perhaps gain from an HSA, but the risk of falling into a position where expensive long term care is needed will bankrupt many very quickly.
Will their states be required to provide Medicaid with their block grants? Right now many states use a slight of hand to realocate Federal grants to other programs that were not intended. Many states especially red ones would take the money and run leaving their poor and sick high and dry.
The ACA is often a burden to some families in the middle class without subsidies, but this could be fixed with a little thought by those in Congress. perhaps through changing the tax code. But throwing out the whole program will hurt especially the poor and sick. Single payer is the way to gorecognizing the right to health care, but to adjust the ACA to help the struggling middle class is perhaps the best we could do.
Will their states be required to provide Medicaid with their block grants? Right now many states use a slight of hand to realocate Federal grants to other programs that were not intended. Many states especially red ones would take the money and run leaving their poor and sick high and dry.
The ACA is often a burden to some families in the middle class without subsidies, but this could be fixed with a little thought by those in Congress. perhaps through changing the tax code. But throwing out the whole program will hurt especially the poor and sick. Single payer is the way to gorecognizing the right to health care, but to adjust the ACA to help the struggling middle class is perhaps the best we could do.
2
Whatever merits that the Esteemed Editorial Board has with its other arguments, there is one argument that makes their view unacceptable.
No program funded by the taxpayers should be allowed automatically to spend more money than authorized by Congress without addition Congressional consensus.
No blank checks...to ANY program.
No program funded by the taxpayers should be allowed automatically to spend more money than authorized by Congress without addition Congressional consensus.
No blank checks...to ANY program.
1
Why is it necessary to be so mean spirited when it comes to a nations health? I ask you is this civilized behavior, focused on the common good? Republicans like Ryan and McConnell, toadies for corporations and the wealthy, have no shame. And they call themselves Christian! In name only. I still don't understand how McConnell gets away with sedition and no news source takes him on? Why!
4
What is often missing from a discussion of health care in the US is that we already pay twice as much per capita as the other industrialized countries.
Fix that problem and we could give universal health care for all for what we are paying now as a country and have money left over for universal two years of trade school or college.
Fix that problem and we could give universal health care for all for what we are paying now as a country and have money left over for universal two years of trade school or college.
2
With the ACA we had a national health plan that, while not perfect, was a good, solid start to something better. As an older, self-employed individual without access to subsidies, I was not alway happy about how the ACA turned out, but I was relieved nevertheless that there were laws and regulations to protect me from the predatorial practices of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries and health care providers. Now we will be thrown to the wolves once more, and it is at the hands of Paul Ryan, who has chosen to throw in his hat with the buffoon currently in the White House to further his own cruel and miserly agenda. The final insult is that the effort to destroy our already frail national health care plan without anything to replace it is being headed by an MD, Dr. Tom Price, who was warmly welcomed into this role by the American Medical Association. So much for the Hippocratic oath.
3
Yes, let's label this's hot mess what it is: Ryancare. And may it spell the end of Ryan, fraud that he is.
3
RE: Republican leaders in the House and Mr. Trump’s secretary of health and human services released a plan last week that would provide insurance that is far inferior, shift more medical costs onto families and cover far fewer people.
This sounds great given that 50% of people pay no federal income tax. Those 50% of us that do pay can no longer afford to support the others. And we don't want open borders and millions of 3rd world immigrants whom the Dems will promise benefits for in order to buy votes. No thanks.
This sounds great given that 50% of people pay no federal income tax. Those 50% of us that do pay can no longer afford to support the others. And we don't want open borders and millions of 3rd world immigrants whom the Dems will promise benefits for in order to buy votes. No thanks.
1
Healthcare CAN be universal and, in total, much cheaper. Every country which offers universal healthcare pays less per person - usually about half - than we pay. Half! And, the citizens of those countries live longer, healthier lives.
The exorbitant money we pay for our healthcare in the US is to paid to make Insurance companies stinkin' rich, make pharma companies stinkin' rich, make a subset of physicians stinkin' rich, etc.
We are already spending more than enough to give everyone in America high quality healthcare but the huge sums we pay are not going towards healthcare. They are creating healthcare billionaires and leaving us sicker than our friends, neighbors and allies.
Americans are very poorly informed by a conversation dominated by the wealthy stakeholders in this system. They are lied to and brainwashed day by day. No other country in the world allows pharma companies to advertise prescription meds to patients. Do you have any idea what that one "de-regulation" costs America?
We get so many CT scans that the radiation makes us sick. The scans do us no good. We insist on high priced new drugs when existing generics are better and safer. We do useless tests "just to be sure" that result in false positives which, when pursued, are more likely to shorten our lives than extend them.
The money is there. It is already being spent. The answer is not more money. The answer is seeing what they do in the UK, and Canada, and Denmark, and France, etc.
The exorbitant money we pay for our healthcare in the US is to paid to make Insurance companies stinkin' rich, make pharma companies stinkin' rich, make a subset of physicians stinkin' rich, etc.
We are already spending more than enough to give everyone in America high quality healthcare but the huge sums we pay are not going towards healthcare. They are creating healthcare billionaires and leaving us sicker than our friends, neighbors and allies.
Americans are very poorly informed by a conversation dominated by the wealthy stakeholders in this system. They are lied to and brainwashed day by day. No other country in the world allows pharma companies to advertise prescription meds to patients. Do you have any idea what that one "de-regulation" costs America?
We get so many CT scans that the radiation makes us sick. The scans do us no good. We insist on high priced new drugs when existing generics are better and safer. We do useless tests "just to be sure" that result in false positives which, when pursued, are more likely to shorten our lives than extend them.
The money is there. It is already being spent. The answer is not more money. The answer is seeing what they do in the UK, and Canada, and Denmark, and France, etc.
1
I simply cannot believe the absolute cruelty of these Republicans who want to hurt the people who need help the most. Where in God's name is the justification for taking away someone's health insurance? Why would anyone want to do that? Why do the politicians want to hurt their constituents so harshly? And - Where Are The Demoncrats? They should be screaming from the rooftops about this? Who fights for us little people?
2
Alan Grayson was right. The Republican health care plan is short and simple: do not get sick; if you do, die quickly.
4
It is high time the democrats start campaigning as a ' shadow ' govt much like a parliamentary system of govt
Then offer an alternate plan one which would fix some of the issues ACA had
Then explain and equate health insurance to car insurance
Be FOR Something not just against ....
Tell people what will happen to them under the proposals by mean paul Ryan and his new ' death panels'
Then offer an alternate plan one which would fix some of the issues ACA had
Then explain and equate health insurance to car insurance
Be FOR Something not just against ....
Tell people what will happen to them under the proposals by mean paul Ryan and his new ' death panels'
1
Paul Ryan starts with a set of philosophical assumptions generated during his adolescent infatuation with Ayn Rand:
1. Selfishness is the core of human nature
2. Government is evil
3. Individualism and personal responsibility are the ways that 'the good' is reached in human society
Each of these assumptions is flawed. Selfishness is NOT the core of human nature. We are evolved as a highly prosocial, cooperative species. Government is no more inherently evil than are markets. In a world with 7 billion human beings, goods and services will be mediated through large organizations, corporate or government in nature; the question is with what mandates, and with what oversight by whom and for whom.
Paul Ryan is astute enough to know that Medicare works very well, indeed, for its citizens. Ask his constituents in Janesville, WI how many of them want to give it up for what Ryan is now proposing. Paul knows he'd be out of office if he pushed this. That is why he will probably leave those 55 and older alone, and go after the younger citizens' Medicare next.
Older Americans (of which I am one): Stand with and for all citizens of this country. Properly run, Medicare for all is the wisest, most compassionate, and most effective way to provide health care to all of America's citizens.
1. Selfishness is the core of human nature
2. Government is evil
3. Individualism and personal responsibility are the ways that 'the good' is reached in human society
Each of these assumptions is flawed. Selfishness is NOT the core of human nature. We are evolved as a highly prosocial, cooperative species. Government is no more inherently evil than are markets. In a world with 7 billion human beings, goods and services will be mediated through large organizations, corporate or government in nature; the question is with what mandates, and with what oversight by whom and for whom.
Paul Ryan is astute enough to know that Medicare works very well, indeed, for its citizens. Ask his constituents in Janesville, WI how many of them want to give it up for what Ryan is now proposing. Paul knows he'd be out of office if he pushed this. That is why he will probably leave those 55 and older alone, and go after the younger citizens' Medicare next.
Older Americans (of which I am one): Stand with and for all citizens of this country. Properly run, Medicare for all is the wisest, most compassionate, and most effective way to provide health care to all of America's citizens.
3
Can we be honest here and acknowledge that the GOP does not believe that tax dollars should be used to help the less fortunate among us?
The rich get richer because they've bought the Republican Party and given it marching orders. They include lower taxes so the rich can live even more extravagantly than they do now. More importantly, with the GOP in charge, the super rich will be able to establish multi-generational dynastic wealth, spurring even greater disparities in opportunity and outcome.
Ryan must go to bed every night blessing the dark stars that brought him Lyin' Donnie Trump and his crazy road show. Our illegitimate president's unhinged and manic style is so captivating that nobody (with the exception of America's enemy, the media) is noticing that the GOP is busy dismantling government as rapidly as it can.
Pretty soon, government won't be around to help the sick and the poor. But don't worry - Mr. Ryan will be happy to send Horatio Alger novels to citizens who wonder how they are ever going to cope under the new regime.
The rich get richer because they've bought the Republican Party and given it marching orders. They include lower taxes so the rich can live even more extravagantly than they do now. More importantly, with the GOP in charge, the super rich will be able to establish multi-generational dynastic wealth, spurring even greater disparities in opportunity and outcome.
Ryan must go to bed every night blessing the dark stars that brought him Lyin' Donnie Trump and his crazy road show. Our illegitimate president's unhinged and manic style is so captivating that nobody (with the exception of America's enemy, the media) is noticing that the GOP is busy dismantling government as rapidly as it can.
Pretty soon, government won't be around to help the sick and the poor. But don't worry - Mr. Ryan will be happy to send Horatio Alger novels to citizens who wonder how they are ever going to cope under the new regime.
1
Those who voted for Mr. Vindictive-in-Chief think he's doing just great at stickin' it to the libruls and various uppities they resent and are frustrated that the majority don't agree. They'll never admit that they voted with their resentful, vindictive guts instead of thinking and understanding--that they're LOSERS yet again--but Obama and the libruls will be to blame when dear old Mom can't afford to live in her own place, or is too frail to manage on her own anymore, and they have to store her in the spare bedroom until she does them a financial favor and kicks off. A child with leukemia? Too bad, so sad, but the lord and savior wants their little angel in heaven right now, while he doesn't need Ryan's kid just yet. Even if they were even willing to read just the first few pages of 1984, they would still refuse to recognize themselves as having voted while in the throes of the Two-Minute Hate. Those few pages explain everything.
3
The day Paul Ryan and the rest of his Great Swamp cohorts are made to have Medicaid as their only health provider is the day they'll finally see the light. If they haven't lost their sight to macular degeneration by then.
4
What I don't understand is what do Republicans like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell personally get out of hurting our country?
5
Neither Ryancare, nor Trumpcare, will be passed. That would require Republicans working together, but it is perfectly clear that they will work only in their own, singular, best interest. Win at any cost means complaining while not acting can always be called "in the works" and that's a much better alternative than any actual action that can conceivably generate even more blame. The Republican party of Trump is appropriately headed by Trump and his singular focus on self-interest.
After so many years of vapor locking government don’t expect Republicans, especially the newer members, to learn how to govern anytime soon. And until it is in each members best interest to govern the country instead of their specific voters, don't expect a rush from them to learn how either.
After so many years of vapor locking government don’t expect Republicans, especially the newer members, to learn how to govern anytime soon. And until it is in each members best interest to govern the country instead of their specific voters, don't expect a rush from them to learn how either.
1
The only way to reduce health costs is to cap profits. That's how it works in every country with a national health care system. What Republicans propose is to cap the payments made by government. The difference will be paid by Mexico.
If Medicine, like our economy, were properly regulated it could not be as lucrative as it is. It would serve all and nearly everyone would be happy with the resulting system except for those who want irrational profit margins.
It is not rocket science to regulate anything, everyone does it every day.
It is practically a science to itself how the GOP has consistently developed ways to manipulate our language and the population to distract and confuse that fact.
It is not rocket science to regulate anything, everyone does it every day.
It is practically a science to itself how the GOP has consistently developed ways to manipulate our language and the population to distract and confuse that fact.
This is just more of the Republican death panels by omission. They don't want you to have insurance you might use. That's too expensive and their friends won't make as much money. Instead, they either want you cut off entirely, or on a program so poor you will die early and bankrupt, thereby saving the insurance companies money, and making its shareholders richer. Why would anybody, except maybe everybody who voted for Trump and is poor and on the ACA, be surprised? In an ideal world, if it is indeed enacted as written, this new policy would start killing off all the Republican voters who lose their insurance first, as they are the enablers that allowed it to happen.
You Can Pay More for Less! is a good summation of how health insurance has shifted in general over the last decade. This has only accelerated since the Affordable Care Act was launched. The fact is for those picking up the tab, no subsidy, young, healthy, etc, the program is a very bad deal. Why not make health insurance premiums tax advantaged for all, not just for those who purchase it through their employer? The Times trots out the old $50k vs $500k argument. This is just a cliche diversion. Wealthy individuals purchasing health insurance on the individual market are a infinitesimally small minority. Who cares? On the other hand, the middle class could use a break and are cut off by arbitrary means tested limits.
This editorial is as short on facts as the plan it aims to criticize. It employs typical Times insulting and dismissive language and vague anecdotes.
This editorial is as short on facts as the plan it aims to criticize. It employs typical Times insulting and dismissive language and vague anecdotes.
1
Unless the health care savings accounts have changed, they're pretty useless. First, if you have a medical need in February, there's likely not yet enough in your account to pay for it, so you'll be out of pocket for the remainder. Next, at least under the previous scheme, you had to spend all the money in your account by the end of the year. I worked with a young man, who under those rules, got a teeth whitening procedure in December in order to utilize some of the money he'd saved. Is encouraging unnecessary medical procedures really a good idea?
People are (correctly) blaming GOP and Paul Ryan. But what about your cousin who voted for Trump? What about your conservative neighbor? What about your "Make America Great Again" friend? Why don't you turn to them and tell them, "You are taking healthcare away from my child." "You are killing that old guy across the street." "The blood of that poor woman will be on your hands." Until it becomes personal, Trump voters will not wake up.
4
The rich will also pay LESS, which is the intent of harming innocent people.
For the oblivious who don't mind the end of Obamacare, they will come after you next. Whether it be Medicare or
taxing employer based benefits as income, you will be next.
For the oblivious who don't mind the end of Obamacare, they will come after you next. Whether it be Medicare or
taxing employer based benefits as income, you will be next.
8
I am not understanding why GOP is struggling to find a replacement for Obamacare (ACA). Just ask Trump! He promised in the campaign that he had a plan that would be cheaper and better and answer all the complaints of ACA which was only two years into full implementation, yet had already achieved so much in providing first-time accessibility for 11 million, lowering cost for so many. Did ACA have some initial problems? Yes, mainly because of the steady wall of obstruction and hurdles the Republicans put up at the federal and state level which prevented ACA from ever realizing its full potential. But the problems could have been fixed, rather than scrapping the whole notion of health care as a right, not a privilege. People’s complaints centered on the fact that premiums rose in some markets – but that was mainly an adjustment, particularly after the first-year roll out when estimates were too low. All we hear from the Republicans now are plans that would exacerbate the problems of ACA without fixing anything. The Republicans' goal is singularly to erase an Obama achievement and destroy a government program, like Medicare and Social Security before, that actually benefits people.
6
NOW is the time for Democrats to stake out a clear and definitive position: Single payer, Medicaid for all. The budgetary, efficiency and moral justifications are overwhelming. It is a winning case that must be made, starting immediately. It is above politics, but it is also the politically astute and bold move to make. No more self defeating and lame half measures. Hammer the Republican hypocrites on this and We can turn this country around!
8
No surprise here. Republicans are behaving like Republicans by apathetically making it harder for regular citizens while lining the pockets of their wealthy friends. Trump is just another Republican.
7
Your editorial is remarkable devoid of details on the plan. It is always easy to pick off one or two items yet the fullness of the plan is hardly developed. Poor effort. Grade C
2
As applied to people:
Democrats: We're in this together.
Republicans: You're on your own.
As applied to corporations:
Republicans: We're in this together.
Democrats: You're on your own.
Democrats: We're in this together.
Republicans: You're on your own.
As applied to corporations:
Republicans: We're in this together.
Democrats: You're on your own.
2
Republicans still do not know what they want, still do not know what they are doing and still could care less.
Republicans aren't any closer to fulfilling their longtime promise to “repeal and replace Obamacare with something better".
Promise them anything take them for everything.
Republicans aren't any closer to fulfilling their longtime promise to “repeal and replace Obamacare with something better".
Promise them anything take them for everything.
1
Medicaid is already financially unsustainable, yet Democrats support flooding the US with millions of uneducated, low skilled, non self-sustaining gimme dats who will demand and get free Medicaid services, even million dollar treatments, while working middle class citizens are robbed to pay for these freeloaders.
Medicare for all can only work if there is a massive increase in the numbers of doctors, and sharply reduced income for doctors. If that's politically acceptable, then we must also severely restrict the hourly fees lawyers are permitted to charge. I mean, isn't it unfair that some of us can afford gold plated legal services at 1000/hr, while those of lesser means are left to the 100/hr crowd, with the welfare and illegal crowd paying nothing?
Medicare for all can only work if there is a massive increase in the numbers of doctors, and sharply reduced income for doctors. If that's politically acceptable, then we must also severely restrict the hourly fees lawyers are permitted to charge. I mean, isn't it unfair that some of us can afford gold plated legal services at 1000/hr, while those of lesser means are left to the 100/hr crowd, with the welfare and illegal crowd paying nothing?
2
So tired am I of the GOP attack on the ACA, snide vitriol toward anything Obama and ignorance about heath care insurance among large swaths of Americans that part of me wants Ryancare to become the law of the land so it's disastrous consequences can be felt by all. Sometimes pain iand chaos are the only teachers.
6
My difficulty is that you hate Republicans so much that you have little credibility in my eyes. This is a pity because the NYT is a very important newspaper and not all of your columnists are as virulently anti-Republican as the NYT board.
I am not an investor and I think the left is right about economic justice. So I did not use to read the Wall Street Journal. But your obvious bias has forced me to go that route.
The NYT needs a new editorial board, one which is less partisan. Then it can return to its original mission of informing New Yorkers and the nation.
I am not an investor and I think the left is right about economic justice. So I did not use to read the Wall Street Journal. But your obvious bias has forced me to go that route.
The NYT needs a new editorial board, one which is less partisan. Then it can return to its original mission of informing New Yorkers and the nation.
9
If Putin has sex tapes on Ryan, they're probably of him peeing on everyone else. This Republican health plan is a real golden shower.
3
Your headline captures and encapsulates Ayn Rand-inspired RyanCare to perfection.
While other nations of the First World, which we are suppose to be in, except when it comes to health care, receive more comprehensive health care for less cost, Republican backward-thinkers believe in reverse engineering.
They have set up a "Replace" plan that defies imagination. It is a great plan for the for-profit insurance conglomerates. Not so much for the people whom RyanCare are expected to serve.
Tell me, Republican voters out there, what in heaven's name are you thinking? Unless you are a millionaire, and even then a millionaire who does not feel they owe their country anything which aided in achieving their greatness, why do you vote Republican?
Did you buy their snake oil about "freedumb" and "liberty"? To act as your own agent in dealing with insurance companies whose skyscraper headquarters dot the Manhattan skyline?
I have a 96 year mother-in-law who has been on Tricare due to her husband's military career. It has worked well for her. I would love for Ayn Rand Ryan to come visit her, and explain how he and his Republican motley corporate-bought crew are not going to give her the "freedumb" to make her own health care decisions.
Ryan has gall. Someone who benefited from Social Security Disability payments when he was young now has no problem telling others what was good for him is not good for America. Hypocrisy to the nth degree.
DD
Manhattan
While other nations of the First World, which we are suppose to be in, except when it comes to health care, receive more comprehensive health care for less cost, Republican backward-thinkers believe in reverse engineering.
They have set up a "Replace" plan that defies imagination. It is a great plan for the for-profit insurance conglomerates. Not so much for the people whom RyanCare are expected to serve.
Tell me, Republican voters out there, what in heaven's name are you thinking? Unless you are a millionaire, and even then a millionaire who does not feel they owe their country anything which aided in achieving their greatness, why do you vote Republican?
Did you buy their snake oil about "freedumb" and "liberty"? To act as your own agent in dealing with insurance companies whose skyscraper headquarters dot the Manhattan skyline?
I have a 96 year mother-in-law who has been on Tricare due to her husband's military career. It has worked well for her. I would love for Ayn Rand Ryan to come visit her, and explain how he and his Republican motley corporate-bought crew are not going to give her the "freedumb" to make her own health care decisions.
Ryan has gall. Someone who benefited from Social Security Disability payments when he was young now has no problem telling others what was good for him is not good for America. Hypocrisy to the nth degree.
DD
Manhattan
5
At the most fundamental level there are two approaches to issues like universal health care. One is to decide it is worthwhile, desirable, even a "right" and then find ways to pay for it (Sanders). The other is to take the view that "government is the problem" (Reagan), that taxes must never be raised (Norquist), and therefore any health care plan must be constrained and limited by these parameters. In the first, the goal is simply universal health care. In the second, the goal is to minimize government and cost thereto; health care is a residuum, a sort of secondary afterthought, available to all who can afford it.
I think the proper approach is very clear.
I think the proper approach is very clear.
I continued to be baffled by the fact that many of the people who benefit most from the Affordable Care Act voted for Trump, knowing that its repeal was one of his signature issues. How can people vote against their own self interest?
2
I don't expect the NYT to admit there is room to improve the ACA. Obama could do no wrong. However, the top issues driving health care cost are end of life care and attorney’s pursuing law suits at every chance. Hospital’s & Doctor’s insurance and legal costs are through the roof. Defensive medicine costs are off the chart. End of life costs are out of control.
These are the driving issues and our politicians will never address.
These are the driving issues and our politicians will never address.
4
The Republicans' objection to public support for health insurance is simple. They hate any measure that in any way uses public funds to give people of lesser means a break ... on anything. Today we are discussing health insurance. But the same applies to public education, food stamps, etc.
The Republican party is not a political party. It is an interest group. Their sole reason for existence is to make life better for the affluent. In their view, the government takes their money and gives it to the undeserving poor - and all the poor are undeserving.
The Republican party is not a political party. It is an interest group. Their sole reason for existence is to make life better for the affluent. In their view, the government takes their money and gives it to the undeserving poor - and all the poor are undeserving.
The real problem is that both Republicans and Democrats have had their heads in the sand for decades, building a estimated Federal debt of $20.1 trillion while not addressing fundamental issues prudently. The same is true for many states, where the debt is spiraling them towards bankruptcy. As hard-working U.S. citizens that just barely qualify as 1 or 2 percenters, here is our beef:
- For over 35 years we have paid annual Federal income tax of 35%, annual state income taxes of 3-13.3%, annual property taxes of 1-5% of our home value, sales taxes on every purchase of between 5-8.3% and an almost infinite number of hidden taxes on airline tickets, rental cars, cell phone charges and so on. So, our real taxes total 50% or more of annual income.
- In addition, we help care for elderly parents where their assisted living, home healthcare aids and prescription drugs total $14,000 per month. We also are co-guardians for our Down Syndrome brother taking care of his social, health and financial needs.
- Under the ACA, we have had to change providers every year as all but one major insurance company exited our geography. Our high deductible catastrophic health plan costs us $20,000 a year in premiums.
In summary, we want to pay fair taxes to address our nation's problems and provide for the less fortunate. But we are tired of paying higher and higher taxes for incompetence, corruption, waste and few solutions. When is enough, enough?
- For over 35 years we have paid annual Federal income tax of 35%, annual state income taxes of 3-13.3%, annual property taxes of 1-5% of our home value, sales taxes on every purchase of between 5-8.3% and an almost infinite number of hidden taxes on airline tickets, rental cars, cell phone charges and so on. So, our real taxes total 50% or more of annual income.
- In addition, we help care for elderly parents where their assisted living, home healthcare aids and prescription drugs total $14,000 per month. We also are co-guardians for our Down Syndrome brother taking care of his social, health and financial needs.
- Under the ACA, we have had to change providers every year as all but one major insurance company exited our geography. Our high deductible catastrophic health plan costs us $20,000 a year in premiums.
In summary, we want to pay fair taxes to address our nation's problems and provide for the less fortunate. But we are tired of paying higher and higher taxes for incompetence, corruption, waste and few solutions. When is enough, enough?
2
It's the same old story for the GOP: Essentially, "I've got mine. Now go out and get yours."
For Ryan, a professed Catholic who publicly makes much of his faith, it is hard to understand his Ayn Randian, every-man-for-himself attitude toward less fortunate Americans. But hypocrisy is nothing new among the GOP leadership. From immigration, to tax reform, to medical care, to the safety of the planet itself, it is always "them that have" who come out on top.
Mr. Ryan and his ilk pay no attention to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
For Ryan, a professed Catholic who publicly makes much of his faith, it is hard to understand his Ayn Randian, every-man-for-himself attitude toward less fortunate Americans. But hypocrisy is nothing new among the GOP leadership. From immigration, to tax reform, to medical care, to the safety of the planet itself, it is always "them that have" who come out on top.
Mr. Ryan and his ilk pay no attention to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
1
I get angry when I hear that 2 of the Republican cornerstones for health care are 1) tax credits and 2) health "banks" where folks can set aside $$$ that would not be taxed! Great ideas for the RICH but not so great for the rest of ther population.
4
I have stopped caring much about excesses in opposition to Trump. Short of violence, disorder and invasions of Mar-a-Lago by space monsters, I am in favor of them. This country is in the process of losing itself.
2
I don't disagree with the sentiments or information in this editorial. However, I am dismayed to see a grammatical error in an editorial -- which is presumably read by at least a few folks and not a rush into print or electronic media, as the explanation/excuse has been in discussions published by the Times in the past. The sentence reads: "The question remains on the form, but filers can chose not to answer it." There are fewer and fewer readers in this country, many of whom are poorly educated. It doesn't help when the Times is careless with language.
That Paul Ryan is viewed as an intellectual heavyweight may just be the greatest fraud perpetuated on the American public in years. His proposals to revise health care are old, tired, misguided and disproven. Moving American healthcare to a "defined contribution" model, rather than its current "defined benefit" model will be as unsuccessful as the 401(k) plan replacing the traditional pension plan. Who would rationally trade a lifetime of benefits for a deposit in an account in which the beneficiary bears all the risk of investment performance and rising costs? Certainly our members of Congress would not. When Paul Ryan and his ilk trade their guaranteed benefits for life for the garbage they tout, then I might listen. Actions do speak louder than words.
3
Constantly raising prices is the cause for homeowners to lose their property and all they have invested in it.
I assume that is one of the easiest ways for investors to gain their fortunes.
Who knows how to solve the eternal problem of Greed?
I assume that is one of the easiest ways for investors to gain their fortunes.
Who knows how to solve the eternal problem of Greed?
1
Repeal Citizen's United to start!
I don't think Ryan will get very far.I've never seen a massive govt welfare program,that created a lot of entitlement,end.More likely,Reps will come up with some other type of welfare program and we will continue with a country in decline,with unhealthy citizens and 20% of the economy sucked up by healthcare.Personal responsibility is old fashioned.We live in Hillary's village now.
1
This is 'Trump's village.' Hillary lost - let's be clear so we know who to blame when this thing turns really bad. Republican House. Republican Senate. Republican nominee for President and 32/52 State governors are Republican. ALL the blame goes to the elephants if this thing goes south. There are no liberals to blame
Disadvantaged people should just.....?
The ACA is NOT a welfare program. It is insurance, and the people using it are paying for it. So many employers deny coverage but their employees still need insurance. The ACA enables them to do so at a realatively affordable cost. Personal responsibility is not old fashioned. When people buy into the ACA they are demonstrating responsibility. You seem to be demonstrating ignorance of the program. I know several people who have availed themselves to the ACA and in two cases it has literally been a lifesaver.
1
The new HHS Secretary, a rich orthopedic surgeon, sees the main problem of the ACA is that it doesn't treat rich orthopedic surgeons fairly. So 20 million people will suffer to rectify this situation. Sounds like the Trump Doctrine at work; 'many will suffer so that few will benefit'.
12
No. It's RyanNocare.
6
What this editorial fails to mention is the boondoggle granted to certain banks. All of the money contributed to a Health Savings Account )we're talking billions) goes into these banks, where the money sits and gains little or nothing from very low interest rates. It's not like an IRA where one can place the money in conservative bonds or equities and reap some return.
Since these accounts frequently are untapped for years (mine for close to 10 years) that money is used by the banks to earn much higher return.
At some point, the HSA bank begins charging the account holder a fee for the privilege of drawing money out for healthcare expenses.
Pretty nifty deal for the bank. Not so much for the account holder.
Since these accounts frequently are untapped for years (mine for close to 10 years) that money is used by the banks to earn much higher return.
At some point, the HSA bank begins charging the account holder a fee for the privilege of drawing money out for healthcare expenses.
Pretty nifty deal for the bank. Not so much for the account holder.
19
This is interesting, and needs to be addressed by our Senator, Charles Schumer.
Maybe we need this to pass and harm a significant number of non-Clinton voters. Then, and only then, can people learn the consequences of their vote. Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise. To the Trump voters who don't have employer provided medical insurance, who voted for Trump anyway, enjoy your new coverage (if you're still eligible for any at all).
A larger military and tax cuts to the rich is sure to make everyday Americans life better is the bet that Trump voters took. Game on. See you in 4 years.
A larger military and tax cuts to the rich is sure to make everyday Americans life better is the bet that Trump voters took. Game on. See you in 4 years.
11
Completely agree, S Mat. Dems should enter the fray only to document what ACA repeal will cost people, then hammer that home in real time between repeal and the 2018 midterms. And pay special attention to those voters/districts who flipped for Trump in November. Best way to take down Reps and Trump is to make sure people follow the money - especially the people they said would not be forgotten who will soon realize they are. All else he talks about is to distract - illegal immigration, terror - and feed the far right.
But it will all be the dem's, the black guy and the woman's (you know who) fault. Sorry for the cynicism, but the GOP has managed to convince too many people of this.
Yes, but it will lower taxes on rhe rich Republican donors. Cant be all bad.
3
The Senators and Congressman need to give up their generous health insurance that protects them and their family and give Ryancare a try! Let them test out the provisions and see if the catastrophic plan along with a health savings account works for them and their family. If it works for them, perhaps, the country can give a try too. I need my government to start setting an example. Let them show the people how it is done.
12
Amazing that the Times's editorial has nothing positive to recognize about the Republican plan. I guess readers are to believe that there is nothing good to say about it, or surely the esteemed editors would have mentioned it.
2
Read the article again. There are other articles in other sources to read as well. All say the same thing. This is what you get with the ACA. This is what you get with Ryan's plan. The former covers more people more fully but costs some more than is comfortable/acceptable. The latter will cover fewer people less well (and some not as well) but will most likely cover some almost as well for less money. The lie is that ACA is failing and the Ryan plan will beat ACA hands down.
Maybe they did mention what was good in the plan: nothing.
What is this guy smoking? If this plan is so good, then the House and Senate should change their health plans for themselves and their family to Ryan Care.
7
Yes! Let them try it out first & get back to us.
Subsidy of healthcare serves to buoy the economy. For families that do have the extra income to contribute to health savings accounts, many will tighten the budget in other areas such as restaurants, weekend outings, or appliance purchases. The ripple effect will be loss of jobs in restaurants, hotels, and other areas.
1
Republicans always want the non-rich to have to pay more, and the reason is simple: its their fault they are not as rich as someone else because they didn't work hard enough. So of course any benefit designed to help the "less-hard-working" only hurts the those who work hardest.
This of course ignores the fact that a lot of us work just as hard or harder than the rich. But we have jobs where the pay is capped (and raises are small and incremental if we can get them at all). So, the truth is that a government program designed to help the "less fortunate" often times actually helps the hardest working.
But of course to understand that, you would have to not be married to a rigid, socially darwinistic ideology like that of Ayn Rand.
This of course ignores the fact that a lot of us work just as hard or harder than the rich. But we have jobs where the pay is capped (and raises are small and incremental if we can get them at all). So, the truth is that a government program designed to help the "less fortunate" often times actually helps the hardest working.
But of course to understand that, you would have to not be married to a rigid, socially darwinistic ideology like that of Ayn Rand.
6
People hate, hate, hate the high deductibles of the ACA plans. Now Ryan wants to make the deductibles higher.
Does that make sense to anyone but Ryan? I guess it's "alternative" sense.
Does that make sense to anyone but Ryan? I guess it's "alternative" sense.
7
It' may seem like a paradox but the way to bring down the cost of medicine is to modestly increase the cost to consumer. When a copay is less than a movie ticket, we don't competitively shop, we rush to the Dr for antibiotics for the smallest sniffle or sore throat. Push copays a little higher and the cost of medicine will start to flatten out
1
Nonone's co-pay is less than a movie ticket. And it does not matter because eductibles are so high we are paying it all out of pocket. Before you pronounce judgment on the ACA perhaps you should take time to understand it. Every single member of Congress and the Senate should no longer get a free ride on healthcare. If they actually had to pay for it then they would stop trying to destroy it.
If Paul Ryan had spent more time studying serious academic topics and real literature rather then wasting his time absorbing the ridiculous writings of Ayn Rand then he might have some thoughts in his mean spirited empty head. He does not seek to serve the American people, he serves his true masters, like the Koch Brothers who set the agenda for these greedy self serving power hungry men. Ryan is un-American and should be removed from our taxpayer funded payroll and seek employment in the private sector....maybe he can get back his old job serving fast food part time with no more cushy benefits paid for by the American people. Let him experience real life outside of his little bubble. When his real masters tire of him they will hang him out to dry.
13
Do you really think that anyone in Washington (Republicans or Dems) really care. They are medically covered and that is the only thing that counts. If either party cared about the people they are sent to Washington to represent, they would sit down like adults and come to some kind of understanding. But no, all they can do is play "gotcha."
Ryan is already a millionaire many times over. He won't have to work a lowpaying noninsured job. A nice daydream though.
1
Come on you koch owned gop chickens...repeal The Affordable Care Act...we dare y'all.
You sad rightist clowns are about to learn an important lesson.
A bunch of poorly educated racist losers and their incontinent grandparents hoolerin' at a trump rally does not translate into sound government policy.
You sad rightist clowns are about to learn an important lesson.
A bunch of poorly educated racist losers and their incontinent grandparents hoolerin' at a trump rally does not translate into sound government policy.
12
Trump and the Republicans had better go look at Rostenkowski running away from the seniors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TboXsOuMQGU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TboXsOuMQGU
Republicans have no problems with billions spent on meaningless wars, bloated defense budgets, and irresponsible tax breaks for the rich but they do not want to expand health care to the poor and middle class. There is no question which side their bread is buttered on. It is simply astounding that they are able to get the very folks hurt by their policies to vote for them despite years of cynical and hurtful policies. Go figure.
6
Here's an idea: Congress should pass a law that says all citizens of the US will get the same kind of medical coverage that congressional representatives get. I'd be happy with that.
5
Ryan's plan is in reality a shell game...now you see it, now you don't...there is no plan, just repeal...
3
One of these non-partisan think tanks, or some intrepid reporting, needs to look at all the money that goes into health care: every dollar by the Federal Government, states and localities, unions, Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA, individuals buying private insurance and their outlays, and money given to the insurance companies, etc.--- every last nickel from every source, and see if that money, pooled together could pay for universal health care for all Americans.
My guess is that one unified system, without the cut given to private insurance, could be affordable.
My guess is that one unified system, without the cut given to private insurance, could be affordable.
2
You are not guessing. Every other western industrialized nation in the world has had single payer for decades. The pharmaceutical industry in 2015, by itself, spent over 300 million lobbying Washington politicians. That is really the only reason why America is still arguing about this.
To appease Republicans, why not just say "Romneycare"? Would that take care of the problem? At least it would remind Paul Ryan, who probably doesn't even know it, that the plan originated in Massachusetts when Romney was governor.
As President Obama says he doesn't care about the name of what gives us the best health care possible, Republicans, would you please just relax and rename?
As President Obama says he doesn't care about the name of what gives us the best health care possible, Republicans, would you please just relax and rename?
2
Even that hypocrite Romney disowned his significant healthcare plan.
He might have been President had he shown courage of his convictions.
He might have been President had he shown courage of his convictions.
Another reader suggested leaving it as is and changing the name to Trumpcare. Whatever it takes. Remember we either pay now or pay later. When people use ER for healthcare it's not a positive or cheaper outcome for taxpayers.
Build a few less planes, fund Medicaid because it is cheaper for the federal government to keep Medicaid than it is for the taxpayer to absorb the cost of unpaid hospital and emergency room costs. Permitting an increase in HSA is no help to those who are not employer insured. The only interest this plan serves is that of the health care insurance companies.
3
California, as a country to move to, looks better and better. They may have fires, earthquakes, floods, droughts and a housing shortage, but at least they care about their people.
3
Mr. Ryan leaves some of us with the impression that the theories of Ayn Rand are the filter with which everything must flow. Reality requires a more pragmatic approach to making policy that affects the lives of millions of Americans.
Great proposal they've put forward: From ObamaCare to WeDon'tCare.
7
It seems the Republicans really do want certain numbers of people to die.
Consider, insurance companies want people who can afford to pay their premiums and are disinterested in the others.
It costs a lot to care for a sick person, considering there are no regulations concerning the cost of medicine or health care in the U.S. If these persons, without adequate Medicare, are simply permitted to die, it saves taxpayer dollars.
Extinguishing intellectual curiosity and research could prove difficult. BigPharma can step in to foot the bill ... but of course, only for research on its favorite drugs. Otherwise, researchers must go to another country.
And those do-good health care professionals, the ones who took oaths to do no harm, could conceivably still remain employed in America, but may have to barter for payment, rather than accept cash. Or, they, too may move to another country to do good work, and get paid.
Clearly, Ryan et. al. prefer a market driven economy, driven by those who can buy, pay and consume. If you cannot, you are worthless.
Consider, insurance companies want people who can afford to pay their premiums and are disinterested in the others.
It costs a lot to care for a sick person, considering there are no regulations concerning the cost of medicine or health care in the U.S. If these persons, without adequate Medicare, are simply permitted to die, it saves taxpayer dollars.
Extinguishing intellectual curiosity and research could prove difficult. BigPharma can step in to foot the bill ... but of course, only for research on its favorite drugs. Otherwise, researchers must go to another country.
And those do-good health care professionals, the ones who took oaths to do no harm, could conceivably still remain employed in America, but may have to barter for payment, rather than accept cash. Or, they, too may move to another country to do good work, and get paid.
Clearly, Ryan et. al. prefer a market driven economy, driven by those who can buy, pay and consume. If you cannot, you are worthless.
1
Trump suporters wanted change, and they will get it. Make America poor again.
Republicans have spread endless lies about the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid for decades seeking to eviscerate them And the lies will continue as they will try to convince us that Ryancare will make it cheaper. The opioid epidemic will only be the tip of the iceberg as more and more citizens die earlier making us the only'advanced' society whose average age of death plummets. Thank you Republicans for making America poor and sick.
Republicans have spread endless lies about the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid for decades seeking to eviscerate them And the lies will continue as they will try to convince us that Ryancare will make it cheaper. The opioid epidemic will only be the tip of the iceberg as more and more citizens die earlier making us the only'advanced' society whose average age of death plummets. Thank you Republicans for making America poor and sick.
4
Supporters of Obamacare need to understand that it is unsustainable. It cannot survive. It's as good as dead. There is no keeping it in its current form.
Until people accept this fact, they will not be open to changes. The reality is, however, that changes are absolutely necessary.
What are democrats offering to save the ACA? Until there are better ideas on the table, the republicans' options are all we have.
Until people accept this fact, they will not be open to changes. The reality is, however, that changes are absolutely necessary.
What are democrats offering to save the ACA? Until there are better ideas on the table, the republicans' options are all we have.
6
What do you mean it is unsustainable and it cannot survive? Please explain. The ACA seems to be doing just fine, even though some private insurance companies are backing out. The rise in premiums is at a far lower pace than it was before the ACA and the coverage is far better.
What health insurance do you have? Do you have personal experience with it or are you just repeating GOP hysteria?
What health insurance do you have? Do you have personal experience with it or are you just repeating GOP hysteria?
5
Don't be absurd. The democrats have offered fixes but the party of NO won't take their collective heads out of the sand.
1
Obamacare is not unsustainable, it is working. What are the Republicans offering, less spending on Healthcare and each individual work the system as best they can. There is NO plan, it is a charade by the Party of NO.
If the Democrats had won, they would have tweaked what need tweaking and it would have been better. The Party of No, haven't offered any solutions in eight years, it is naive to think they will start now.
If the Democrats had won, they would have tweaked what need tweaking and it would have been better. The Party of No, haven't offered any solutions in eight years, it is naive to think they will start now.
1
The Republican plan is so bad. The Trump/Ryan effort as opposed to the foolish connection of Krugman to a fantasy Trump/Putin regime (which is so immature and silly) is turning health insurance over to the tender mercies of Rs who want to ruin the health insurance prospects of many people and essentially bring back the days when people with serious expensive medical problems will be cut off and the poor and uninsured will be crowding into ERs for medical care. Other serious health problems addressed by the ACA will be dropped. Sorry Gov. Kasich.
And taxpayers pay in the end. It's so simple but often people only look at now and not the ultimate outcomes. See Iraq war, etc...there is a high price for non thinking and making decisions coming from an instinctual place that generally seeks comfort over pain.
While at the same time, Trump's family security detail is on a trajectory to suck any money saved dry and then some.
The people this most effects need to speak the loudest, but can they? Do they understand what is coming (or not coming their way)? I pray every last one is healthy.
Clearly one of their senses are off.
Relying on wealthier liberals to scream for them, will only go so far.
The people this most effects need to speak the loudest, but can they? Do they understand what is coming (or not coming their way)? I pray every last one is healthy.
Clearly one of their senses are off.
Relying on wealthier liberals to scream for them, will only go so far.
9
Not only are Mr. Trump's pants on fire when it comes to the loud claims that his plan would be better than Mr. Obama's, now we have Mr. Ryan's plan, perhaps the same plan he and his minions had for the last 6 years, also causing his pants to catch on fire.
Well, will those who supported Mr. Trump and his bombastic claims and rhetoric and cheer him on a daily basis with his continuous attacks on the ACA provide the same cheers when they discover they will get less for more money, or, continue to claim that whatever they get is still better than "Obamacare". Sad.
Well, will those who supported Mr. Trump and his bombastic claims and rhetoric and cheer him on a daily basis with his continuous attacks on the ACA provide the same cheers when they discover they will get less for more money, or, continue to claim that whatever they get is still better than "Obamacare". Sad.
13
This isn't a substantive critique of Ryan's so-called plan, but we can't call it Ryancare. We need an agreed upon label, and I start the bidding with
Republicare.
Republicare.
9
Try on "Freedomcare"
Too much money to be made. At some tipping point enough of the public will have had enough and then we will have Universal Healthcare that other countries have in various forms. These fools might just provide that tipping point.
And maybe just maybe we can have term limits for these buffoons so they can find out what it is really like out here in the real world.
And maybe just maybe we can have term limits for these buffoons so they can find out what it is really like out here in the real world.
15
How does someone in office propose to through out a program and not have another
that is presented beforehand?
Is this what a public servant does?
No employee in the private sector would attempt to throw out a program, even a piece of machinery, without first bringing a plan to the table for full discussion, or bringing in samples of a machine for replacement to prove it is more efficient.
The lunacy of this sum behavior is beyond comprehension.
Instead of tweeting what may be weaknesses in the ACA, and improving those aspects, millions upon millions of citizens will be without healthcare, costs will rise and force more out of care, hospitals will be revisited for costs they must bear because people have no regular doctor in-office care, emergenct treatments at hospitals will again rise for lack of affordable routine care, and insurers will be back at their profit sharing game, raising rates, unaffordable deductibles, no primary care
routine coverage with responsible deductibles,
and insurers will be, again pouring premium money into shareholder pockets and not towards the 80% ACA-mandated income to healthcare.
Health savings plans are for those whose incomes can afford to allot savings.
Or, wealthier individuals. Hence, this increasing divide between the 'have so much' and the 'haven't so much'.
And this further erodes the sense of common citizenship, of one nation.
And this is called governing.
Where is the outrage?
that is presented beforehand?
Is this what a public servant does?
No employee in the private sector would attempt to throw out a program, even a piece of machinery, without first bringing a plan to the table for full discussion, or bringing in samples of a machine for replacement to prove it is more efficient.
The lunacy of this sum behavior is beyond comprehension.
Instead of tweeting what may be weaknesses in the ACA, and improving those aspects, millions upon millions of citizens will be without healthcare, costs will rise and force more out of care, hospitals will be revisited for costs they must bear because people have no regular doctor in-office care, emergenct treatments at hospitals will again rise for lack of affordable routine care, and insurers will be back at their profit sharing game, raising rates, unaffordable deductibles, no primary care
routine coverage with responsible deductibles,
and insurers will be, again pouring premium money into shareholder pockets and not towards the 80% ACA-mandated income to healthcare.
Health savings plans are for those whose incomes can afford to allot savings.
Or, wealthier individuals. Hence, this increasing divide between the 'have so much' and the 'haven't so much'.
And this further erodes the sense of common citizenship, of one nation.
And this is called governing.
Where is the outrage?
The sole purpose of the "repeal and replace" Republican plan is to dismantle Obama's legacy. It has nothing to do with providing health care to the American people.
17
"God forbid a country should care for its citizens health." This seems to be the attitude of the GOP. All the while sounding so pious. They must think "Blessed are the poor" is enough to keep them healthy.
I am so ashamed to live in a country where so many of my fellow citizens must struggle to obtain even the dregs of healthcare, education, housing and so on. But what really galls me is how the Party that flaunts it's supposed religious values is constantly criticizing legislation that actually helps people while fabricating lies to pass scams that will further impoverish and sicken them.
We need a law that insists legislation be described accurately, in understandable language. We need a way to legally penalize legislators for political malpractice, when they propose programs that should be issued from the National Weather service - with numbers describing their degree of harm. Like hurricanes. Or earthquakes.
This proposed Volcano of destruction - called Heath "care" - is "likely to drive more people to street drugs and suicide...". Something like that warning should be issued. Every time the GOP hides a "national disaster" inside so-called "legislation."
I am so ashamed to live in a country where so many of my fellow citizens must struggle to obtain even the dregs of healthcare, education, housing and so on. But what really galls me is how the Party that flaunts it's supposed religious values is constantly criticizing legislation that actually helps people while fabricating lies to pass scams that will further impoverish and sicken them.
We need a law that insists legislation be described accurately, in understandable language. We need a way to legally penalize legislators for political malpractice, when they propose programs that should be issued from the National Weather service - with numbers describing their degree of harm. Like hurricanes. Or earthquakes.
This proposed Volcano of destruction - called Heath "care" - is "likely to drive more people to street drugs and suicide...". Something like that warning should be issued. Every time the GOP hides a "national disaster" inside so-called "legislation."
7
WWJD, sure right? The only one I've seen so far that remotely resembles the Christians I've known in my life look like Gov Kasich. A reasoned man it seems. How he got kicked off the stage baffles me and I am a democrat. I would have considered voting for him even though I'm not a fan of religion per se in politics. However many of these congress people boast about their Christian values....whatever.
Regretfully what people say they will do and believe many times doesn't match up to what they really do. Especially when it comes to religion.....
Regretfully what people say they will do and believe many times doesn't match up to what they really do. Especially when it comes to religion.....
You can jump up and down screaming, but Republican voters want this. I say, bring forth the night, and let us bear the consequences. Perhaps that is what it will take for people to finally stop voting against themselves - a disease we have been unable to cure.
12
Only the rich ones
This is a farse what needs to happen short of a single payer which needs to really be considered here. But besides that for the good of the greatest common denominator which is what the government exist to do that is to protect, defend, and support the most of its citizens as reasonably possible. So that being said the least painful and better bang for the buck is to modify and improve the existing ACA put in provisions to bulk manage drug prices like what happens with the VA and other high cost services. Bite the bullet and does what is right for the people.
3
Ryan sits on the board of the Soylent Corporation. Knowing that the life expectancy in the US is declining at a rapid pace and will decline even further when they make America sicker, he is hoping to pad his bank account by turning US citizens into green wafers for consumption..
11
Republican death panels for the elderly, poor, lower class and lower middle class. So much for taking care of the "forgotten" people.
15
NYT, please do a story on the health care insurance coverage Congress has. Do Ryan and the others making healthcare law have a "Cadillac", life long plan that WILL NOT be impacted by the law they create?
29
Yes they do.
"...which is why most experts believe that, over time, STATES would cover fewer people and cut benefits."
And because STATES make the decision on who is left behind and whose benefits get cut, the HOUSE and SENATE, should this abominable bill pass, can claim they DIDN'T cover fewer people or cut benefits. I hope the public sees through this scam and votes those who support it out of office at the Federal level and that they also vote out any of the 35 Republican governors who do not speak out against this bill.... and my hunch is that the States who will suffer most are the ones that are currently Red States through and through...
And because STATES make the decision on who is left behind and whose benefits get cut, the HOUSE and SENATE, should this abominable bill pass, can claim they DIDN'T cover fewer people or cut benefits. I hope the public sees through this scam and votes those who support it out of office at the Federal level and that they also vote out any of the 35 Republican governors who do not speak out against this bill.... and my hunch is that the States who will suffer most are the ones that are currently Red States through and through...
5
We all deserve the same healthcare that we are providing to our people in Congress through the taxes we pay.
We all deserve nothing less.
That money has to rule every decision in life in this culture/society is in itself a sickness.
Some things are more important than money.
Besides which, just for starters, if this country did not foolishly enter into imperialistic greed based wars where we have Absolutely No Business, that alone could solve our healthcare issue.
If only the few who want everything could only see how much better life could be if we shared. Is that not what we teach our children?
I hope i live to see the New Renaissance period that will follow the hollowness of this craven New Dark Ages.
We all deserve nothing less.
That money has to rule every decision in life in this culture/society is in itself a sickness.
Some things are more important than money.
Besides which, just for starters, if this country did not foolishly enter into imperialistic greed based wars where we have Absolutely No Business, that alone could solve our healthcare issue.
If only the few who want everything could only see how much better life could be if we shared. Is that not what we teach our children?
I hope i live to see the New Renaissance period that will follow the hollowness of this craven New Dark Ages.
6
Seriously, has the NYT Editorial Board ever supported a Republican proposal in the past 10 years?
2
And exactly which Republican proposal would you recommend they support? Which of the numerous 'help the rich get richer' proposals? They don't have (and haven't for at least 20 years) any policies which would actually help our country.
1
Name a Republican proposal from the last 10 years that is worth supporting.
1
Yes they have, Bush's AIDS programs in Africa.
Every day I am more ashamed of my government. It once meant something to say that you were an American. We didn't always live up to our ideals, but we still had the aspiration to be a model for the rest of the world. Now we have rich men turning their backs on those in need, and kicking the poorest amongst us while they are down. Shame on Paul Ryan, and shame on Tom Price, and shame on this sham of a President. And shame on anyone who aids and abets this assault upon the common good.
16
Someone should ask Paul Ryan about his father. His father and family all benefited from "entitlements." Ryan would probably not be where he is today without those "entitlements." Ryan is another partisan hack. He's soulless and doesn't have the guts to speak out against Trump. He has no principles. He's another Trump sycophant grinning and smiling and nodding when he's near Trump. The people of Wisconsin (a state where I was born and raised) should be ashamed of themselves for voting for this man.
5
All government programs are "unsustainable", unless you want to sustain them. The military is "unsustainable" without massive payments from the taxpayers. The concept that "something costs too much" is a false one.
Everything costs money. The question is whether or not it is worth it, in our society, to provide adequate health care to all. A proper analysis of long and short term cost versus benefits provides the only intellectually honest answer. Basic health care for all, with subsidies based on need. Anything else is "unsustainable".
Everything costs money. The question is whether or not it is worth it, in our society, to provide adequate health care to all. A proper analysis of long and short term cost versus benefits provides the only intellectually honest answer. Basic health care for all, with subsidies based on need. Anything else is "unsustainable".
9
Yep, there is a way with the will. Unfortunately it seems there is a willingness to kill through wars but not a willingness to make healthcare a right. Sad.
When Ryan and his colleagues are limited to two terms, have the same health care plans as us peons, are forbidden to be lobbyists for five years both before and after they become legislators, and are taxed at the same rate as they were back in those good ol' '50s, I will stop believing that what we have in Washington is a lethal combination of House of Cards and Game of Thrones.
3
Yes, if DJT will do this one thing, limit Congressional terms he will have helped us all. Make it real Donald, do it before they try to kick you out of office!
1
Economies do better when lots of people have lots of money to purchase goods and services.
Economies do less well when lots of money accumulates in just a few places.
The GOP policies are all about the second. Since Herbert Hoover.
Economies do less well when lots of money accumulates in just a few places.
The GOP policies are all about the second. Since Herbert Hoover.
7
In other words republicans will take the road they most always take, lots of talk and little action. Who cares whether those in need have clear access to health care as long as the wealthy have a means to enrich themselves at everyone else's expense. After all what is more important, working mans welfare or rich mans profit? Just take a close listen, repubs through their desired policy will make it very clear where their priorities lie.
6
I would put more faith in the suggestions of someone on a hospital's housekeeping staff for fixing healthcare than anyone should in the edicts handed down from a raft of self-important politicians who have never been in a position to examine the nuts and bolts of the problem firsthand.
The difference between Ryan's inappropriate and deadly prescription for curing this disease differs from what would happen if a physician wrote a prescription for contra-indicated drug to treat a particular ailment. The doctor is endangering only one person, Ryan has millions in his crosshairs.
The difference between Ryan's inappropriate and deadly prescription for curing this disease differs from what would happen if a physician wrote a prescription for contra-indicated drug to treat a particular ailment. The doctor is endangering only one person, Ryan has millions in his crosshairs.
6
It's painful to see how ugly this republican plan is, how poor and middle class Americans are seen by these republican lawmakers, they have no voice and will be unable to afford coverage. This will also put enormous pressure on rural hospitals which were closing rapidly before the ACA started to stabilize them. It's ironic, the target of the dismantleing of health care and public education will affect the very voters who put him in office.
7
RyanCareless...
2
Any conversation about effective health care for the citizens of these United States of America is a non-starter unless we begin with the premise that ludicrous profits supersede individual health.
5
This is merely prelude to what the Republicans plan on doing to Medicare. The worst is yet to come.
9
As we see thousands upon thousands of Americans take to the streets in protest of the so-called president's policies, 20 million of our neighbors are about to lose their health insurance. Ponder that.
8
Those 20 million better get up off their duffs and "exercise" their civic responsibility if they want to keep the ACA intact.
Otherwise, they deserve to lose it.
"If it ain't worth fightin' for it ain't worth keepin'!"
You can quote me on that.
Joey
Otherwise, they deserve to lose it.
"If it ain't worth fightin' for it ain't worth keepin'!"
You can quote me on that.
Joey
It's baffeling to me that Republicans seem so hellbent on making life harder for so many people. And not just any people, but usually the people who voted them into office. What is so hard about offering honest-to-god improvements in healthcare by reigning in the cost of private medical companies? I could write in my sleep a general outline that would save taxpayers millions and improve healthcare at the same time, yet like a pack of Neanderthals, the Republican Party seems only capable of making everything they touch turn into a steaming pile of horse manure. Education, worse. Healthcare, worse. Infrastructure, worse. The economy, worse. What is with these people?
15
The poor and middle class will pay more and get less. The rich will pay less and get more.
11
Now that the party of "NO" has become the party of "KNOW" they will fix everything quickly and bigly. The failing NYT should no better!
The Nytimes demonstrates the exact progressive of bias of coverage over sustainability that has plagued entitlement programs for generations. Every entitlement program that prioritizes people it covers by ignoring cost is doomed to deficits and crisis. Social Security is in far better shape than healthcare but has programmed in higher benefits payouts than are sustainable by disassociating the "Savings" by tax payers and paying out levels of compensation that are unsustainable. Medicare/Medicaide and ObamaCare suffer this fate times 2. The system of coverage has resulted in escalating premiums and adverse selection biases in the underlying pool of people covered. It virtually ignores the cost of healthcare forcing coverage and in doing so set up a crisis whereby tax payers would have to bail out the system. The Ryan plan (no fully disclosed) attempts to go the other way and start imposing a discipline on capping per consumer spending, forcing the system to start to innovate. This is the system used in European countries where coverage is cheaper and outcomes better. They have placed caps on per consumer costs forcing the hard decisions. Should there be orthopedic surgeons making $1M/year? Should drug companies be allowed to move patented new drugs with no material improvement in outcomes into the market and then market to doc's to prescribe them? Without cost containment, the system will act like every other entitlement, no innovation, bloated and escalating costs.
2
SS IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM!
Stop it!
Stop it!
The Heliocentric Theory of Health Care Reform
Before Copernicus and Kepler, people generally believed the sun and the planets revolved around the earth, but as we got more data it became increasing hard to reconcile this basic idea with the observed facts. People thought up the Ptolemaic system in which the heavenly bodies didn't just revolve around the earth, but they revolved in small circles called epicycles as they went around the earth. That eventually turned out not to be sufficient, so they hypothesized epicycles within the epicycles. The last iteration of the Ptolemaic system was an incredible complicated mess that was almost beautiful in it's complexity.
That's what we are doing today with health care reform. We wanted a "uniquely American solution." We wanted to keep the private insurance industry. We wanted the sun to go around the earth.
So we talk about mandates, exchanges, reference pricing, death spirals, etc. The problem of adverse selection is an example. We need some more epicycles. We wound up with a bill with thousands of pages whose result is unknown. HR676 (improved Medicare for All) had 70 pages.
If Kepler were alive, I am sure he would say, "If you simply give everyone Medicare, you wouldn't need all this complication, and I'll bet it would be cheaper, too."
Before Copernicus and Kepler, people generally believed the sun and the planets revolved around the earth, but as we got more data it became increasing hard to reconcile this basic idea with the observed facts. People thought up the Ptolemaic system in which the heavenly bodies didn't just revolve around the earth, but they revolved in small circles called epicycles as they went around the earth. That eventually turned out not to be sufficient, so they hypothesized epicycles within the epicycles. The last iteration of the Ptolemaic system was an incredible complicated mess that was almost beautiful in it's complexity.
That's what we are doing today with health care reform. We wanted a "uniquely American solution." We wanted to keep the private insurance industry. We wanted the sun to go around the earth.
So we talk about mandates, exchanges, reference pricing, death spirals, etc. The problem of adverse selection is an example. We need some more epicycles. We wound up with a bill with thousands of pages whose result is unknown. HR676 (improved Medicare for All) had 70 pages.
If Kepler were alive, I am sure he would say, "If you simply give everyone Medicare, you wouldn't need all this complication, and I'll bet it would be cheaper, too."
6
So much for Life and the Pursuit of Happiness. The jury is still out on Liberty.
1
What is it that McConnell charges a $10 fee to get a ticket to his "town-hall" meetings? Not only is he a coward, he is petty thief of his constituents.
The Republican proposed replacement to Obamacare comes as no surprise. The net effect is consistent with the Republican Party philosophy of government, which at its core purpose is to serve the wealthy.
I hate to be so callous and cynical, but depriving low-income people of healthcare will ultimately deprive Republicans of many of its voters--who will end up too ill or dead to vote against their interests.
The Republican proposed replacement to Obamacare comes as no surprise. The net effect is consistent with the Republican Party philosophy of government, which at its core purpose is to serve the wealthy.
I hate to be so callous and cynical, but depriving low-income people of healthcare will ultimately deprive Republicans of many of its voters--who will end up too ill or dead to vote against their interests.
4
Why does anyone even listen to Paul Onan (sic) anymore? This is someone who has never worked in the private sector for his entire life and yet he has the temerity to continually push his adolescent Ayn Rand fantasies as if he is some kind of policy Yoda - a Yoda with connections to Darth Vader. Paul Onan (sic) owes his entire life to government paychecks and yet his life's work appears to be limiting government services and benefits to everyone else. Hypocrite doesn't even begin to cover it because for Paul Onan (sic) it's more than just his own selfishness - he actively wishes to hurt people by ripping what is left of the social safety net to shreds.
1
And he benefitted by govt programs when his father died. I think you mean Paul Ryan ... I am not sure what Onan means but I see you qualified it with a (sic) so I know it's on purpose. Will have to look it up.
Why does he keep getting elected?
Bring on term limits!!!!
Why does he keep getting elected?
Bring on term limits!!!!
The republican plan as pointed out here has always been a scam and there is nothing new in the current version, yet ignoramus trump figures he can promise anything, like better and cheaper benefits and ryan will figure out how. And his voters belief this garbage.
Now of course reality hits the pavement. People in the middle income bracket or lower obviously have no money left over each month to pay premiums or put money into health savings accounts, or take advantage of potential tax credits. They largely live check to check, if that.
The one constant in republican policies is they lie about what their proposals will do, and in the end average or poor people will not benefit, but the high income to 1% brackets will.
Truly shameful such scam artists aren't held to account by voters. Frightening how some people will believe that which has no credibility, yet everyone suffers as a result.
Now of course reality hits the pavement. People in the middle income bracket or lower obviously have no money left over each month to pay premiums or put money into health savings accounts, or take advantage of potential tax credits. They largely live check to check, if that.
The one constant in republican policies is they lie about what their proposals will do, and in the end average or poor people will not benefit, but the high income to 1% brackets will.
Truly shameful such scam artists aren't held to account by voters. Frightening how some people will believe that which has no credibility, yet everyone suffers as a result.
2
Let's face it--the Republicans were better at obstruction. Ranting, ridiculous promises, voting to repeal the ACA when they knew there would be no consequences =all worked for them. But governing. Well, that takes too much work, time, courage, intelligence, persistence and compassion. What Ryan, McConnell and Price do to healthcare will be the template for all the GOP "improvements" to follow in every area of American life. Protesting, calling our representatives, and voting as many as possible of these slackers and posers out of office in 2018 will be best for the health of all of us.
3
I'm sorry but I truly hope that if Ryan gets his way all of the people who suffer are those who voted for this blithering idiot and his sycophant posse.
I'm sick of watching interviews of Trump supporters who say they love what he has done so far even though he has done absolutely nothing, unless you include lying and causing chaos. The angry ignorance of his pitchfork bearing supporters will only acknowledge facts when they have to bear the consequences of the Trump/GOP policies. The anger of the rational fact based populace will eventually prevail and give these guys the electoral boot.
I'm sick of watching interviews of Trump supporters who say they love what he has done so far even though he has done absolutely nothing, unless you include lying and causing chaos. The angry ignorance of his pitchfork bearing supporters will only acknowledge facts when they have to bear the consequences of the Trump/GOP policies. The anger of the rational fact based populace will eventually prevail and give these guys the electoral boot.
2
Let's reduce the Republican argument to its basic goal. RyanCare = more tax benefits to wealthy people = less health benefits to working and middle class people.
5
Keep in mind that any program that this congress would approve will not be better. Their program will be designed to help those that don't need help or will benefit insurance companies, drug companies or some new enterprise that will be designed top scam the system. So pardon my skepticism but during my 80 years on earth, I have not seen a single republican program that benefitted the common people more than some enterprise. In addition, I have seen multiple attempts to privatize, cut, or increase cost of programs that benefit middle an d low income people.
15
Sounds like you don't like our interstate highways.
I find it unbelievable that the US can afford its bloated defense budget, but can't afford to help its fellow citizens, and in fact brings in legislation to hurt them even further. These are your fellow Americans!
An even worse condemnation of the people at the center of this scam, like Ryan, are purported to be devout Christians. Apparently the "inasmuch" part of Jesus' teachings is missing from their Bible. They want to bring about a society that Dickens would recognize.
An even worse condemnation of the people at the center of this scam, like Ryan, are purported to be devout Christians. Apparently the "inasmuch" part of Jesus' teachings is missing from their Bible. They want to bring about a society that Dickens would recognize.
16
Ryancare is the health plan and premium Ryan and company chose to award and impose on themselves at taxpayer expense and without taxpayer choice.
Details, sauce for ganders currently includes the following for free:....
First report on existing reality.
Details, sauce for ganders currently includes the following for free:....
First report on existing reality.
1
To protect the private health insurance industry Republican elites are concocting a health care plan that will become popularly known as Curb Care. Put you sick and dying at the curb. Remarkably and perversely many rank and file Republican voters will love this plan until those empty insurance plans hurts their individual families. That will take a generation or two. In the meantime, protect yourself and get used to Curb Care.
8
The essence of politics revolves around 1) the production of wealth, and 2) the consumption of wealth. Everything else is just blather designed to obscure this basic principle. When it comes to health care the two sides are either: 1) it's a right that should be available (like public education) to all with the understanding that good health (like literacy) benefits and enriches society, or 2) it's a privilege that should be available based on personal circumstance. The idea that the GOP (a political party and vehicle of political interests) is going to somehow rise above the discussion of how wealth is produced and who gets to consume it in the form of health care is a discussion now being conducted at the level of liar-liar-pants-on-fire. Does the GOP really think that the American people are that stupid? Yes they do. Or, at the very least, as long as the donations from the very rich who would benefit from a cut in taxes keep on coming... there's no harm in trying. But why do they degrade the political discourse by representing lies and distortions as a defense of "American values". What hogwash!
12
Ryan, like his compatriot in the White House, the oaf, Trump, only loves the filthy rich. If there is a problem with medicaid, medicare, and social security, it's because these lovers of filthy rich bribes (campaign funds and supportive PACs) keep giving 'tax breaks' that fools who aren't rich think are for them, but are only for the mega-buck friends of the Trumpery bunch. When are the fools who vote for republicans going to learn they're shooting themselves in the foot every time they vote for one, or believe what one like Trump (a known and documented liar) says.
14
The only way to stop this is to start telling seniors "their" Medicare is next.
12
We are reminded all of the time especially if we belong to AARP
Employers make up 49% of all insurance purchases in the US per the Kaiser Family Foundation accounting for $1.1 billion per year in spending for Healthcare.
The GOP is never going to explain that this money is 100% tax deductible from the businesses purchasing benefits for their employees. Employer Health Insurance Premiums are also 100% income tax-free for all employees.
If you get it from work it is 100% tax-free, if you buy it yourself, it costs over 35% more using after-tax earnings.
The system we've built is that 50% of America is getting their insurance 100% tax-free, and 36% get their insurance from taxpayers via Medicaid and Medicare.
That leaves just 7% who purchase their insurance directly and 9% who don't have any insurance, and those are the real ACA people.
ACA is a private insurance purchase at full retail cost. It is very expensive, as it is for employers, costing up to $18,142 per family and over $5,277 per person on the individual market.
That means that as average family is spending over $1,511 per month for insurance, not actual health care spending, insurance. That is everyone, not just ACA.
The ACA used a direct tax credit to make the purchase for individuals appear more affordable. The GOP is about to wipe out the tax savings for people who are the least able to afford Insurance and replace it with lesser end-of-year deductions; it will kill the individual insurance market and make insurance out of reach for millions. Shame on the GOP.
The GOP is never going to explain that this money is 100% tax deductible from the businesses purchasing benefits for their employees. Employer Health Insurance Premiums are also 100% income tax-free for all employees.
If you get it from work it is 100% tax-free, if you buy it yourself, it costs over 35% more using after-tax earnings.
The system we've built is that 50% of America is getting their insurance 100% tax-free, and 36% get their insurance from taxpayers via Medicaid and Medicare.
That leaves just 7% who purchase their insurance directly and 9% who don't have any insurance, and those are the real ACA people.
ACA is a private insurance purchase at full retail cost. It is very expensive, as it is for employers, costing up to $18,142 per family and over $5,277 per person on the individual market.
That means that as average family is spending over $1,511 per month for insurance, not actual health care spending, insurance. That is everyone, not just ACA.
The ACA used a direct tax credit to make the purchase for individuals appear more affordable. The GOP is about to wipe out the tax savings for people who are the least able to afford Insurance and replace it with lesser end-of-year deductions; it will kill the individual insurance market and make insurance out of reach for millions. Shame on the GOP.
18
boiled down:
a system in place since World War ii, employer-sponsored health benefits (in lieu of then prohibited wage increases), together with the intrusion of for-profit insurance companies who don't really contribute anything to actual Healthcare, and laws and regs that make sure the playing by field is uneven in favor of those with money, has put us in the blind Canyon where we find ourselves.
we are not serious about Healthcare.
we are too serious about money.
a system in place since World War ii, employer-sponsored health benefits (in lieu of then prohibited wage increases), together with the intrusion of for-profit insurance companies who don't really contribute anything to actual Healthcare, and laws and regs that make sure the playing by field is uneven in favor of those with money, has put us in the blind Canyon where we find ourselves.
we are not serious about Healthcare.
we are too serious about money.
I sincerely appreciate this editorial and hope it's read widely; please keep them coming. But I do wish coverage of the dismantling of the ACA focused more on the GOP's real, routinely disguised, goal: a tax break for the wealthy, who can easily help support, with everyone else's taxes, a more humane and functional health care system. Republicans have been expert at framing the debate solely in terms of the ACA's weaknesses, which they had a role in engineering. By doing so, they keep attention away from arguments about tax and income inequality that would have a lot more resonance with voters. We can't let them do that.
15
George Orwell in “1984” explaining how lotteries helped maintain Big Brother in power:
“The Lottery, with its weekly pay-out of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that there were some millions of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant. Where the Lottery was concerned, even people who could barely read and write seemed capable of intricate calculations and staggering feats of memory. There was a whole tribe of men who made their living simply by selling systems, forecasts, and lucky amulets. Winston had nothing to do with the Lottery, which was managed by the Ministry of Plenty, but he was aware (indeed everyone in the party was aware) that the prizes were largely imaginary. Only small sums were actually paid out, the winners of the big prizes being nonexistent persons.”
Today we have Trump making ridiculous, impossible, never defined-in-detail promises about low cost health care, well paid jobs for everyone, the elimination of crime in our cities and the virtual elimination of our foreign enemies; all in exchange for total unquestioning allegiance to him. Soon we will be getting free lotteries.
“The Lottery, with its weekly pay-out of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that there were some millions of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant. Where the Lottery was concerned, even people who could barely read and write seemed capable of intricate calculations and staggering feats of memory. There was a whole tribe of men who made their living simply by selling systems, forecasts, and lucky amulets. Winston had nothing to do with the Lottery, which was managed by the Ministry of Plenty, but he was aware (indeed everyone in the party was aware) that the prizes were largely imaginary. Only small sums were actually paid out, the winners of the big prizes being nonexistent persons.”
Today we have Trump making ridiculous, impossible, never defined-in-detail promises about low cost health care, well paid jobs for everyone, the elimination of crime in our cities and the virtual elimination of our foreign enemies; all in exchange for total unquestioning allegiance to him. Soon we will be getting free lotteries.
11
Trump is too busy "campaigning" before his adoring crowds to learn anything about health care, leaving the GOP to do its dirty work. And those crowds will only stop adoring this conman when they have lost Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and affordable health care. Unfortunately, those of us who are not so adoring will lose everything along with them, and by the time we all join forces to consign the GOP to the dustbin of history it may be too late.
7
The thing is, people who don't have insurance will wait until they are in crisis, then go the emergency room. This costs about 1000% more than regular care. Next, they can't pay the bill. So, the bill gets paid by both the government and by insured hospital patients. Why, economically, would anyone choose this plan?
8
It's not as though all these problems don't exist now. They are gaming the season by going uninsured during the few months of "open enrollment".
The ACA is failing because not enough healthy young people have signed up. That's with the mandate and penalties. Time to face facts. Americans are not going to buy something they don't believe is a good value. Healthy young people were never going to pay for sick older people. The model was doomed to fail.
The ACA is failing because not enough healthy young people have signed up. That's with the mandate and penalties. Time to face facts. Americans are not going to buy something they don't believe is a good value. Healthy young people were never going to pay for sick older people. The model was doomed to fail.
1
It was always obvious that Republicans do not care about offering Healthcare to millions of Americans. They believe that Healthcare is a privilege and not a right, therefore if YOU can't afford Healthcare, too bad.
It is a pity that their constituents were dumb enough not to realize that the Republicans were always against their best interests.
Where we are heading as a Nation is unknown, but with Republicans at the helm it appears into CHAOS and fascism.
It is a pity that their constituents were dumb enough not to realize that the Republicans were always against their best interests.
Where we are heading as a Nation is unknown, but with Republicans at the helm it appears into CHAOS and fascism.
7
Evidently people who believe that the US is "under God" feel obliged to vote for His pet goldfish, like Ryan and McConnell.
Ryan is essentially a glorified bean counter.
Frankly the Times offers little of value in this piece. Continuing to extoll the benefits of the ACA is really a waste of time.
Between Trump and the Republican controlled House nothing truly innovative or really credible in healthcare reform is forthcoming, especially for those on the margins. Certainly nothing that is more affordable or comprehensive.
The GOP gang touting health saving accounts as a game changer for the majority of Americans who’s discretionary income is nominal and who’s savings are notoriously abysmal is a ruse.
NYT how about really getting on top of this disaster in the making in a major way and on a sustained basis.
Frankly the Times offers little of value in this piece. Continuing to extoll the benefits of the ACA is really a waste of time.
Between Trump and the Republican controlled House nothing truly innovative or really credible in healthcare reform is forthcoming, especially for those on the margins. Certainly nothing that is more affordable or comprehensive.
The GOP gang touting health saving accounts as a game changer for the majority of Americans who’s discretionary income is nominal and who’s savings are notoriously abysmal is a ruse.
NYT how about really getting on top of this disaster in the making in a major way and on a sustained basis.
52
Ryan doesn't even seem to understand why double entry book-keeping was invented.
As Doc in Chicago describes, and as has been abundantly clear for a decade, the GOP does not have as a goal the health and well being of the average American, much less the poor. That is consistent across virtually all policies it pursues and, kept foremost in mind, explains every step along the way. You're being had America, and the deal is almost complete.
12
Why is the Editorial board surprised?
Repeal and replace was always "cripple and curtail". The so called plan simply confirms what we already know; the GOP has a deep disdain for the poor, disabled and older people of our nation. Those groups do not fit in with their narrative of bold , young, self sufficient, personally responsible entrepreneurs craving to carve out a living in the economic wilderness.
If only the captains of industry and entrepreneurs had a tax cut to free them from the constraints of a big government mandate to support civilized society, they could create jobs every thing would fine.
Repeal and replace was always "cripple and curtail". The so called plan simply confirms what we already know; the GOP has a deep disdain for the poor, disabled and older people of our nation. Those groups do not fit in with their narrative of bold , young, self sufficient, personally responsible entrepreneurs craving to carve out a living in the economic wilderness.
If only the captains of industry and entrepreneurs had a tax cut to free them from the constraints of a big government mandate to support civilized society, they could create jobs every thing would fine.
2
Ryan still has his head stuck in his copy of Atlas Shrugged. He does not understand that healthcare does not exactly fall into a "you get as much as you can by the sweat of your own category" that other goods do.
The Times article is too complicated. What it all comes down to is Speaker Ryan believes that people should be pay more for healthcare in a systems that has no control over costs.
You know, when you get a cancer diagnosis, the last thing you really want to do is "shop around" for treatment. Sick people should not be forced to be market players to keep supply and demand in balance.
It would be nice for once to see a politician more concerned about people getting well than the bottom line.
But then again, I guess that's what making America Great is about to some people.
The Times article is too complicated. What it all comes down to is Speaker Ryan believes that people should be pay more for healthcare in a systems that has no control over costs.
You know, when you get a cancer diagnosis, the last thing you really want to do is "shop around" for treatment. Sick people should not be forced to be market players to keep supply and demand in balance.
It would be nice for once to see a politician more concerned about people getting well than the bottom line.
But then again, I guess that's what making America Great is about to some people.
1
It is also what KEEPING AMERICA GREAT by fighting people like Ryan is all about. American is great now. Not perfect. Nothing in this universe is perfect. If you believe it can be you are delusional. When the ADA was signed President Obama said it wasn't perfect, but, it WAS something, and could be worked on as the flaws became noticeable. Congress, on their 8 year hiatus, did nothing to improve it, just screamed REPEAL, REPEAL! So, the fact that at least some of it's flaws were never fixed is the REPUBLICANS FAULT! Now they want to end any chance of affordable health care. They want the old, infirm, disabled, sick to die. That makes them the targets when the season opens on Congresspeople. Which will be right after NH ends the need for a permit to carry concealed, and all the mentally ill get their weapons. Let's invite the NRA bigwigs to Congress that day. Hmmm?
Under Ryan/Trump care Billionaire Warren Buffet would get a greater healt care subsidy than a young single mother. That is just nuts !
2
Once again we turn to Matthew 7: 3-5 to put Republicans in context. 2 examples. 1. Obama said to Eric Cantor, once: "...we won." This single reference was used by Republicans to criticize Obama for 8 years as "arrogant." Trump manages to say "I won!" 5 or 6 times a day. 2. Obama's verbal stumble over the ACA along the lines of "you can keep your old plan" was quickly and reasonably explained, however the explanation was ignored and the slip used, again, to criticize him, again and again. Here Trump's campaign pledge is completely reversed in every possible way. There really needs to be a term for this particular type of radically imbalanced hypocrisy by Republicans.
4
As the republican congress concocts a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, Americans should demand immediately that those republicans representatives and senators withdraw from the federal health care plan that is available to them as federal employees. This is a gold plated plan made available to all federal employees in the executive, congressional and federal branch of government. It provides prescription drugs, unlimited doctors visits and hospitalization without limits. The elected representatives should then write themselves into the new act that they created. In Washington DC for United Health Care they are paying $70 a month for themselves and $195 for their families. You the tax payer foot the bill for the difference for the employer contribution. So far, none of the republicans have indicated any inclination to get off the federal medical gravy train and get their health insurance through the ACA and with whatever they are going to replace it with. My guess is that when the ACA goes down the drain they will clutch their federal health care like a drunk clutching their last bottle of rotgut.
And the defined benefit retirement plan the republican representatives and senators have along with federal matching of the funds they contribute to the plan.
Most Americans are willfully and woefully ignorant of the benefits that are available to their elected republican representatives. They act as moral crusaders when in fact they are ticks.
And the defined benefit retirement plan the republican representatives and senators have along with federal matching of the funds they contribute to the plan.
Most Americans are willfully and woefully ignorant of the benefits that are available to their elected republican representatives. They act as moral crusaders when in fact they are ticks.
5
Ironically, I think Paul Ryan most closely resembles the Wesley Mouche character from his beloved "Atlas Shrugged" fairy tale.
This guy just takes a rake-off from selling captive consumers to rentiers.
This guy just takes a rake-off from selling captive consumers to rentiers.
5
Steve, one of these days I'll have to pick up that piece of garbage and read it. Never understood how a whole generation of right wingers could base their whole philosophy on one book of fiction by a Russian emigre. Anyway, Paul Ryan still reminds me more of Eddie Munster.
1
A private for profit health care system is nothing more than a hostage situation. The ACA has some serious problems but at least it was a start. If the GOP mess this up they will feel the wrath from both sides of the electorate. Once people's lives are seriously impacted no one is going to be able to blame fake news or offer 'alternative facts'.
The poor and middle class, whether GOP or democrat, have many common needs; if they could just for once get together and demand that their public servants actually serve them they would be powerful force for change.
The poor and middle class, whether GOP or democrat, have many common needs; if they could just for once get together and demand that their public servants actually serve them they would be powerful force for change.
7
Yeah, but it doesn't matter whether Obamacare is an un-fixable disaster, or whether the New Improved Health Care is better, as long as the Republican base can de-code the GOP position for what it actually means. The irrational attacks on Obamacare are racial coding, like The Wall, like Law and Order, like Millions of Illegal Voters, like Voter ID, like the idea that America is beset with Islamic terrorism and an immigrant crime wave and brown hoards teeming over the border, like the absurd notion that Obama left a mess for Trump to clean up, like the entire notion that Obama's presidency was anything except a huge success. As long as the Republicans can surreptitiously nail down the racist vote with their otherwise inexplicable and indefensible positions, they can pretty much elect any atrocity that they want to, as we can see.
7
Typical vacuous, poorly thought out horse pucky by the republicans leading self styled "policy wonk". Similar to the three page Ryan budget that lacked one thing- numbers. He's such a lightweight empty suit- in the words of our great leader- so sad!
7
Once health care is ripped from millions, Ryan and the other Repubs can move on to his reason passions: dismantling and "privatizing" Medicare and Social Security. With their other push, to allow those who help people with their finances to return to pretending they are going to help consumers but allowing them to make money off their client first, with no fiduciary duty to do anything other than rip off their client, that should work out well. I just hope the Republicans try to push all this through swiftly because even Representatives in their gerrymandered districts will be toast, never mind Senators, who have to win the whole state.
The silver lining, assuming we live through the debacle, is that now these bought and paid for politicians have to implement all the disingenuous positions they've been spouting. Their constituents will finally get to see what happens when Republican lobbyists, billionaires, and corporations run the government. The sooner the better.
The silver lining, assuming we live through the debacle, is that now these bought and paid for politicians have to implement all the disingenuous positions they've been spouting. Their constituents will finally get to see what happens when Republican lobbyists, billionaires, and corporations run the government. The sooner the better.
7
We are no longer being governed. We are now being ruled by a plutocratic oligarchy that fully intends to serve only itself and its own narrow interests.
Nobody can tell me that we, the governed, give our consent to this.
Nobody can tell me that we, the governed, give our consent to this.
17
You did not. In the late 1970s when the Supreme Court OKD money and lobbyists as free speech, later enforced by the Citizens United decision, then all bets were off. This now gave carte blanche to lobbyists, i.e. corporations,
to spend as they like lobbying politicians and ultimately dictating the government agenda to serve THEIR interests, NOT, the electorate.
I would suggest reading the Princeton/Northwestern Universities 25 yr. study of government legislation passed during that period to see whom actually benefited from it. As one would suspect, overwhelming, it was the corporations and the special interests. Politicians serve their corporate masters, NOT, the electorate.
to spend as they like lobbying politicians and ultimately dictating the government agenda to serve THEIR interests, NOT, the electorate.
I would suggest reading the Princeton/Northwestern Universities 25 yr. study of government legislation passed during that period to see whom actually benefited from it. As one would suspect, overwhelming, it was the corporations and the special interests. Politicians serve their corporate masters, NOT, the electorate.
Progressives have been playing defense on healthcare insurance for too long. Even Obama did this with ACA by caving into presumed "Harry and Louise" pressure and deep sixing the Public Option.
It's time to go on the offensive, and the obvious underreach of Ryancare as the less expensive, yes, better, NOT!, replacement for ACA provides the opportunity.
Any healthcare economist who is not a hack or a shill for the private insurance companies, PhRMA, and Big Insurance will tell you that the only rational solution, in terms of price and quality, for the American public would be Medicare For All, with this program being phased in over a 10 or so year horizon for the <65 population, ultimately replacing Employer Sponsored Insurance.
So instead of just picking holes in Republican proposals, which really is like shooting fish in a barrel, go for the gold and change the center of gravity in the current discussion to "Medicare for All: Make American Healthy!"
Challenge the Republicans to show not why Ryancare will be better than Obamacare -- whih they can't of course -- but why it wold be better than "Medicare for All!", which they can't even dream of showing.
By taking the offensive, and taking advantage of the enormous reservoir of good will which gushes for Medicare, even from low knowledge Trumpista types who would want the Government to Keep its hands off Medicare!", we can change the narrative, and leave the Republicans to eat their own meanspirited and Koch-poisoned dust.
It's time to go on the offensive, and the obvious underreach of Ryancare as the less expensive, yes, better, NOT!, replacement for ACA provides the opportunity.
Any healthcare economist who is not a hack or a shill for the private insurance companies, PhRMA, and Big Insurance will tell you that the only rational solution, in terms of price and quality, for the American public would be Medicare For All, with this program being phased in over a 10 or so year horizon for the <65 population, ultimately replacing Employer Sponsored Insurance.
So instead of just picking holes in Republican proposals, which really is like shooting fish in a barrel, go for the gold and change the center of gravity in the current discussion to "Medicare for All: Make American Healthy!"
Challenge the Republicans to show not why Ryancare will be better than Obamacare -- whih they can't of course -- but why it wold be better than "Medicare for All!", which they can't even dream of showing.
By taking the offensive, and taking advantage of the enormous reservoir of good will which gushes for Medicare, even from low knowledge Trumpista types who would want the Government to Keep its hands off Medicare!", we can change the narrative, and leave the Republicans to eat their own meanspirited and Koch-poisoned dust.
13
Medicare for all sounds great... until you get to the part where they get to call it Communism.
Will the donald's supporters wake up when they no longer have insurance coverage for their insulin?
10
No. They'll be dead.
1
PK
No. They'll blame the Democrats and elect even more Republicans in hope of getting things fixed.
No. They'll blame the Democrats and elect even more Republicans in hope of getting things fixed.
Darwin.
Opposition to the ACA is based primarily on this fear: "Someone will get something for nothing, when I have to pay for what I get. That person will be the winner and I will be the loser." It is not rational and cannot be rebutted with rational argument. And it is a fear that motivates a great deal of opposition to any government program. But I thank all of you for trying.
20
Imagined Paul Ryan to Mitch McConnell on Medicare: "Let's call it reform whilst we eviscerate it"
I expect Social Security will get the same treatment down the road.
When you think about it, it's more like an assault on human decency than a policy perscription.
For those who expected Trump to keep his word....Are You Kidding?
I expect Social Security will get the same treatment down the road.
When you think about it, it's more like an assault on human decency than a policy perscription.
For those who expected Trump to keep his word....Are You Kidding?
14
Paul Ryan has been waiting with glee to cut Medicaid, Obama care and Medicare for a long time. Now he thinks he has support for his long-time plan. The only way to thwart him is for constituents , especially those from his own party to loudly protest. Many people do not understand these programs or their eligibility requirements. Many of his own
constituents are in receipt of these programs. Are they all willing to support their family members if they are old/sick?? A MANDATORY contribution to old/sick family members would shut these people up. Prior to Medicaid and Medicare, families had to support their own. How many in nursing homes receive family financial contributions?? How many are cared for in relatives homes WITHOUT financial assistance?? How many grandparents pay for their grandchildren's medical bills?? We. should have a universal health care program for all.
constituents are in receipt of these programs. Are they all willing to support their family members if they are old/sick?? A MANDATORY contribution to old/sick family members would shut these people up. Prior to Medicaid and Medicare, families had to support their own. How many in nursing homes receive family financial contributions?? How many are cared for in relatives homes WITHOUT financial assistance?? How many grandparents pay for their grandchildren's medical bills?? We. should have a universal health care program for all.
12
Why would anyone be surprised by these proposals, which will hurt the poor and the middle class? They are brought to you by the same people who created the framework for the growing inequality that we have in the US.
The Republicans throw out a lot chaff to attempt to disguise their true plan for government, which at its core is always the same. Use the power and wealth of government to hurt most Americans and benefit their 1% owners. The only mystery in the whole equation is why the voters in the US fall for it over and over again.
The Republicans throw out a lot chaff to attempt to disguise their true plan for government, which at its core is always the same. Use the power and wealth of government to hurt most Americans and benefit their 1% owners. The only mystery in the whole equation is why the voters in the US fall for it over and over again.
21
The GOP believes that federal dollars should only be for defense. It might still even believe that only the propertied class should be allowed to vote.
The GOP won't rest until the wealthy pay no taxes, while other rubes fund the Pentagon.
Let's keep it simple, if we want to understand GOP motivations. Nothing less than a permanent aristocracy will satisfy the GOP soul.
The GOP won't rest until the wealthy pay no taxes, while other rubes fund the Pentagon.
Let's keep it simple, if we want to understand GOP motivations. Nothing less than a permanent aristocracy will satisfy the GOP soul.
16
Most recent Canadian Wait Times AFTER referral as at Nov 2016:
MRI: 10.4 weeks
Neurosurgery: 46.9 weeks
Orthopaedic surgery: 38
Ophthalmology: 28.5
There is no magic solution in universal care
You limit costs by:
1. Extending Wait Times
2. Limiting access to Dr's
3. Limit what procedures can be covered
Did you know that you can not buy access to a procedure in Canada? Even if you wanted to?
Funny thing when the Premier of Newfoundland or Adele were seeking medical treatments - do they go to their national programs?
No - they come to the good ol' USA for treatment.
MRI: 10.4 weeks
Neurosurgery: 46.9 weeks
Orthopaedic surgery: 38
Ophthalmology: 28.5
There is no magic solution in universal care
You limit costs by:
1. Extending Wait Times
2. Limiting access to Dr's
3. Limit what procedures can be covered
Did you know that you can not buy access to a procedure in Canada? Even if you wanted to?
Funny thing when the Premier of Newfoundland or Adele were seeking medical treatments - do they go to their national programs?
No - they come to the good ol' USA for treatment.
5
I'm a primary care physician in the US. We here in the good ol USA have :
1.extended wait times
2.limited access to doctors
3. Limits to what procedures (and medications and diagnostic tests) can be covered by insurance .
However in Canada and the U.K. the standards are public and more transparent. In the US all of these limits are enacted and constantly tweaked by for profit insurers whose first responsibility is to shareholders and the profit margin.
This was somewhat improved under the ACA. But don't worry, you'll get what you asked for and we will all regret it.
1.extended wait times
2.limited access to doctors
3. Limits to what procedures (and medications and diagnostic tests) can be covered by insurance .
However in Canada and the U.K. the standards are public and more transparent. In the US all of these limits are enacted and constantly tweaked by for profit insurers whose first responsibility is to shareholders and the profit margin.
This was somewhat improved under the ACA. But don't worry, you'll get what you asked for and we will all regret it.
1
Yeah, good care for rich ppl - sounds like health care in the US alright.
Admittedly universal health care has wait times -- Norway's and Demnmark's are better than Canada's, Chile's are worse -- but at least those with serious illnesss don't lose their homes due to soaring health care costs. I'm no doctor but I would venture a guess that if one is sick, bankruptcy is likely to make one sicker.
1
It needs to be called "Republicare". They all should own it.
14
Why are most of the Republicans so awful -- the senators, congressmen, potential candidates. There's not a good one among them. Does being Republican require lack of education, thoughtfulness or abstract thinking skills. Does it go hand and hand with conspiracy theories? Where are the good guys?
Perhaps it goes to the fact that their base is composed of the least educated, dopiest, blue collar, most religious, easiest led? Could be. Hopefully, next time the closet racists (not really -- but those mostly men who think they are getting the shaft) will do the right thing and shift us back to normal.
Perhaps it goes to the fact that their base is composed of the least educated, dopiest, blue collar, most religious, easiest led? Could be. Hopefully, next time the closet racists (not really -- but those mostly men who think they are getting the shaft) will do the right thing and shift us back to normal.
11
All other industrialized countries have some form of universal government run health care, mostly single payor. They get better care as measured by all 16 of the bottom line public health statistics, and they do it at 40% of the cost per person. If our system were as efficient, we would save over $1.5 TRILLION each year.
www.pnhp.org & www.oecd.org, especially
http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/oecd-health-statistics-2014-frequ...
Some data:
Here are the per capita figures for health care costs in 2013 in PPP dollars (which take cost of living into consideration) from the OECD:
OECD average - 3463
US - 8713
UK - 3235
France - 4124
Australia (similar obesity) - 3966
Germany - 4919
Denmark - 4553
The Netherlands - 5131
Canada - 4361
Israel - 2128
Switzerland (Highly regulated private insurance) - 6325
Let;s compare some bottom line statistics between the US and the UK which has real socialized medicine.
Life expectancy at birth:
UK - 81.1
US - 78.8
Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000):
UK - 3.8
US - 6.0
Maternal Mortality (WHO):
UK - 9
US - 14
If you want to bring up the VA, let me point out that any program no matter how well thought out can be ruined by lack of funding and incompetence. (One can combine these two by regarding lack of funding as incompetence on the part of Congress.) As Einstein said,
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
www.pnhp.org & www.oecd.org, especially
http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/oecd-health-statistics-2014-frequ...
Some data:
Here are the per capita figures for health care costs in 2013 in PPP dollars (which take cost of living into consideration) from the OECD:
OECD average - 3463
US - 8713
UK - 3235
France - 4124
Australia (similar obesity) - 3966
Germany - 4919
Denmark - 4553
The Netherlands - 5131
Canada - 4361
Israel - 2128
Switzerland (Highly regulated private insurance) - 6325
Let;s compare some bottom line statistics between the US and the UK which has real socialized medicine.
Life expectancy at birth:
UK - 81.1
US - 78.8
Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000):
UK - 3.8
US - 6.0
Maternal Mortality (WHO):
UK - 9
US - 14
If you want to bring up the VA, let me point out that any program no matter how well thought out can be ruined by lack of funding and incompetence. (One can combine these two by regarding lack of funding as incompetence on the part of Congress.) As Einstein said,
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
37
Can't have that, it's socialism. (insert sarcasm emoji here)
Good report, however, for the record, the most recent stats I read about concerning Maternal Mortality in the U.S., actually from a report in the NYT a few months ago, was that it was now in the 20s with the state of Texas having a rate that is actually worse than that of Mexico. That puts Texas on par with most THIRD WORLD countries. They must be proud.
Ryancare proposes slashing Medicaid spending by having the states choose block grants or per capita limits on spending. Because two thirds of Medicaid spending is on the elderly poor or people with severe disabilities, one wonders if this policy would require death panels.
11
Medicaid does not pay for the elderly...
Medicare is the program that does.
Medicare is the program that does.
No, death panels would be taking too much responsibility for the Republicans. People will just die horrible and preventable deaths far from their cowardly offices due to circumstances that Republicans will call a regrettable lack of initiative on the part of the sick. We call this "the free market".
I think Ryan, & company ARE ALREADY THE DEATH PANEL!!! &, They are already in process to injure &/or kill those Americans who don't have access to their own "CADILLAC" Health Insurance which Congress persons receive.... at no or low cost--- funded by the rest of Americans.. HYPOCRISY!!! THY NAME IS PAUL RYAN & REPUBS!!!!!!
Getting the government out of health care means that this grifter and his grifter GOP colleagues fleece us twice. Under his "plan," Ryan and the other so-called "representatives of the people" will keep the best health care money can buy thanks to us taxpayers (fleece #1), while he plays the rest of us off against each other--to make health care unaffordable to vast swaths of us and force those of us who can still afford it to pay even more to cover their emergency room visits (fleece #2). Alas, the Grifter-in-Chief's supporters are so intent on gleefully sticking it to the libruls and others they want to put back in their "place" that they don't notice that they're the stickees. What has happened is all about their jealousy and resentment. Nothing else matters.
28
Healthcare is a public health issue. If substantial numbers of citizens don't have healthcare and there is an outbreak of disease, it will likely impact everyone, regardless of whether they have insurance.
17
I thought the ACA had dibs on the "pay more for less" slogan?
5
Ah but the GOP can always one up the Dems. This new version is "More People Pay More for Less Big League".
It would be hard to wrest that label away from Obama care without the complete repeal of the ACA and not making any other provisions.
The ACA has shown itself to be far more expensive and far less effective than promised, and far more in line with the predictions of the likes of Ted Cruz than the siren calls of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Kathleen Sibelius.
And, the proponents of Obamacare have never recognized the fact that millions of people were forced from the rolls of private insurance because of the acts provisions, and the healthcare insurers unwillingness to offer plans in the "exchanges".
...And now, we see two more national insurers deciding no longer to participate in the ACA marketplace because they are unable. at a minimum, to break-even on the balance sheet.
The ACA has shown itself to be far more expensive and far less effective than promised, and far more in line with the predictions of the likes of Ted Cruz than the siren calls of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Kathleen Sibelius.
And, the proponents of Obamacare have never recognized the fact that millions of people were forced from the rolls of private insurance because of the acts provisions, and the healthcare insurers unwillingness to offer plans in the "exchanges".
...And now, we see two more national insurers deciding no longer to participate in the ACA marketplace because they are unable. at a minimum, to break-even on the balance sheet.
Go tell that to the 20 million people that got insurance under ACA that didn't have it before. I'll bet they don't think they are paying more for less.
At the end of the day , they cannot and embrace the current insurance because it was enacted by president Obama, they spend millions dollars over 50 times to repeal it , has absolutely no idea to replace with , it is hard to critiqued an insurance that was their plan first with Romney in MA, so painful to watch.
15
Ryancare? How about "Ryandoesn'tcare." Or "Republicansdon'tcare."
32
Paul Ryan has internalized his Ayn Randian lessons: why would one do anything that is not directly beneficial to oneself?
The wealthy will reward this behavior, the poor and middle class can be pre-occupied with survival.
This is an existential crisis for many millions of Americans.
The wealthy will reward this behavior, the poor and middle class can be pre-occupied with survival.
This is an existential crisis for many millions of Americans.
31
We can be sure of one thing: the Ryans of the world have never experienced real adversity.
Ryan's autobiography: "At Least I Shrugged"
1
What has become very clear is that the Republicans and Trump do not care. They do not care about the air we breath, the water we drink and the health care we have. What do they care about. I DON"T KNOW!
33
Answer: How much money they can get with the least amount of effort.
These people calling themselves Republicans bear no actual relationship to those so labeled in my youth. These are zombie Republicans. Their brains and hearts have been eaten and replaced with dollars.
1
Reelection, power, and money
The Republicans are in the health for profit business. Sorry but the Capitalist doctrine.. whoch may be that doctrine folks are looking for from Trump is quite simple. Pay or die. That is the new whatever you want to call it national plan.
Pay or die. Unless and until the houses of government and those elected to it are subject to the same rules the 100% of the rest of us are .. These officials work for the inusurance companies.. nothing more to say. We as humans are just not relevant. You can wish that that cared about you.. yell at them to do the right thing… Stand on your head and hold your breath. They don't care. They do not work for you as they see the insurance company as the one who will be damaged by health care for you. They see it in their campaign coffers.. They see it at their stock brokers… They see it on their paychecks.. that is they don't really see it because they don't pay for it.. We do.. so we're a bunch of suckers who need to be appeased .. just not insured or at least not insured enough so as to gt in the way of a lobbyists donation or a Goldman Sachs fund manager's profit expectation. IF you can squeeze a band aid in there somewhere ….
Pay or die. Unless and until the houses of government and those elected to it are subject to the same rules the 100% of the rest of us are .. These officials work for the inusurance companies.. nothing more to say. We as humans are just not relevant. You can wish that that cared about you.. yell at them to do the right thing… Stand on your head and hold your breath. They don't care. They do not work for you as they see the insurance company as the one who will be damaged by health care for you. They see it in their campaign coffers.. They see it at their stock brokers… They see it on their paychecks.. that is they don't really see it because they don't pay for it.. We do.. so we're a bunch of suckers who need to be appeased .. just not insured or at least not insured enough so as to gt in the way of a lobbyists donation or a Goldman Sachs fund manager's profit expectation. IF you can squeeze a band aid in there somewhere ….
3
What contact do lawmakers have with people who are hourly employees who often work multiple jobs and have no benefits such as health or dental care, or disability insurance provided or subsidized by their employers? Or - if they do have employer subsidized healthcare, they still can not afford the insurance. I can think of a specific example of a janitor who has a wife and children and who is working for a school district. His premiums would be about $500 a month. He makes under $30,000 a year - full time job. His wife works part time - 25 hours a week. He can not afford the schools district's health insurance; the new teachers who are making $34,000 a year might afford the single plan but if they had a family - again - it is difficult to pay that amount of premium. A health savings account has to be 'saved' first. Any new healthcare act needs to take that into consideration. I get the sense that the framers of the "replacement" are not looking at these kinds of situations.
Then there is the issue of "supplemental" health and pharmacy coverage seniors better have once they become Medicare-eligible. The ACA does not help seniors. I would urge Ryan and his Republican "replacers" to look at all healthcare in formulating an improved plan. Do not do a knee jerk reaction. They campaigned on repealing the ACA without explaining how it would be improved. Apparently, voters bought this idea thinking it would be better for them. This proposal isn't.
Then there is the issue of "supplemental" health and pharmacy coverage seniors better have once they become Medicare-eligible. The ACA does not help seniors. I would urge Ryan and his Republican "replacers" to look at all healthcare in formulating an improved plan. Do not do a knee jerk reaction. They campaigned on repealing the ACA without explaining how it would be improved. Apparently, voters bought this idea thinking it would be better for them. This proposal isn't.
5
Blind ideology and greed first, last and always, but no common sense, just indifference to the common good. They're even indifferent to finding a zero-sum solution. Ultimately it may be lose-lose, even for the puppeteers. That is assuming they're not motivated by a cynical desire to look down their long, dripping noses and snicker at the undeserving masses. (Sometimes I think that may be so.)
5
Ryan may be a bigger fraud than Trump.
17
I shake my head in complete disallusionment.
People are STILL convinced that health INSURANCE is the same thing as health CARE.
We continue to believe the insurance industry line about "taking care of ourselves with exercise and eating right" and we wont need health CARE....and then cynically require us to pay for INSURANCE anyway.
Worse...the Bank industry is in on the action....Congressional Law now motivates us to create a Health Savings Account(tax free)....at a Bank...which kindly offers to "manage" the account for a nominal fee.
BTW...a "nominal fee" times millions equals Billions of dollars in revenue for effectively doing nothing....all while pathetic americans pay out of pocket to avoid using the insurance that was supposedly designed to cover the escalating costs of actual health care.....and I hate to rain on the parade, but, no matter how healthy you are and how healthy you eat....yer gonna need actual health care....sorry.
Its all a scam.
OBamaCare doesnt even mention the words "health care"....it does one thing.....ObamaCare sets up an Insurance system, supported by Govt subsidies(ie..your tax money), which creates a monopoly......maybe your economics prof told you about "inelastic demand curves" once?
And it is this "inelastic demand curve" that drives health CARE costs sky high.........
We are in a trap of our own devising....sold to us by the Senate and their Insurance/Banking Lobbyist Enablers.
As Ralph Nader said, "They really are laughing at you".
People are STILL convinced that health INSURANCE is the same thing as health CARE.
We continue to believe the insurance industry line about "taking care of ourselves with exercise and eating right" and we wont need health CARE....and then cynically require us to pay for INSURANCE anyway.
Worse...the Bank industry is in on the action....Congressional Law now motivates us to create a Health Savings Account(tax free)....at a Bank...which kindly offers to "manage" the account for a nominal fee.
BTW...a "nominal fee" times millions equals Billions of dollars in revenue for effectively doing nothing....all while pathetic americans pay out of pocket to avoid using the insurance that was supposedly designed to cover the escalating costs of actual health care.....and I hate to rain on the parade, but, no matter how healthy you are and how healthy you eat....yer gonna need actual health care....sorry.
Its all a scam.
OBamaCare doesnt even mention the words "health care"....it does one thing.....ObamaCare sets up an Insurance system, supported by Govt subsidies(ie..your tax money), which creates a monopoly......maybe your economics prof told you about "inelastic demand curves" once?
And it is this "inelastic demand curve" that drives health CARE costs sky high.........
We are in a trap of our own devising....sold to us by the Senate and their Insurance/Banking Lobbyist Enablers.
As Ralph Nader said, "They really are laughing at you".
7
It is a well-proven medical (read scientific) fact that eating well and responsibly and exercising regularly do indeed contribute to good health and reduced medical expenses over one's lifetime.
Starting from a false premise does not make your argument more believable, shortend.
Starting from a false premise does not make your argument more believable, shortend.
It's nice to read somebody else here who has realized that the health insurance industry is a trillion dollar drag on the economy that adds nothing of value to anyone. Nothing.
And I assume from your post that you would be very happy to completely eliminate health insurance as an option and sink the massive savings into providing actual care for everybody in the country, whenever they need it.
We could spend the remaining billions on public education and retraining the millions about to be thrown out of work by Trump's only real friends: the corporations.
Very, very nice.
And I assume from your post that you would be very happy to completely eliminate health insurance as an option and sink the massive savings into providing actual care for everybody in the country, whenever they need it.
We could spend the remaining billions on public education and retraining the millions about to be thrown out of work by Trump's only real friends: the corporations.
Very, very nice.
The racist Republicans who didn't like the name of a Black president associated with any law, are hellbent upon removing our last president's name from a fine piece of legislation that helped more than 30 million people including Medicaid recipients.
So what we've now,is a very messy and childish president who has no replacement plan that he lied to his devoted followers in all his election rallies that he'd tear apart this law the very first day of his office.
But now we're on the 30+ days of his assuming the mantle of the highest office in the country and he still can't show a replacement plan.
Why ?
Because there is no other plan that is better than the Affordable Care Act which is helping millions of Republican supporters too beside millions of Trump's supporters.
So it becomes incumbent upon all the real Americans including Trump supporters to crash into and disrupt the proceedings at every Republican congress members' town hall meetings.
Although most of those town hall meetings are cancelled because of fear of Tea Party like crash landings on the Democratic members' town hall meetings in 2009, the true American patriots like us should never let these racist members of a very racist party called G.O.P., dismantle a fantastic law that's helping even the Republican party's constituents, just because it was passed under an African-American president's term.
It should noted here that the Republican replacement plan would remove more 20 million people from Obamacare.
So what we've now,is a very messy and childish president who has no replacement plan that he lied to his devoted followers in all his election rallies that he'd tear apart this law the very first day of his office.
But now we're on the 30+ days of his assuming the mantle of the highest office in the country and he still can't show a replacement plan.
Why ?
Because there is no other plan that is better than the Affordable Care Act which is helping millions of Republican supporters too beside millions of Trump's supporters.
So it becomes incumbent upon all the real Americans including Trump supporters to crash into and disrupt the proceedings at every Republican congress members' town hall meetings.
Although most of those town hall meetings are cancelled because of fear of Tea Party like crash landings on the Democratic members' town hall meetings in 2009, the true American patriots like us should never let these racist members of a very racist party called G.O.P., dismantle a fantastic law that's helping even the Republican party's constituents, just because it was passed under an African-American president's term.
It should noted here that the Republican replacement plan would remove more 20 million people from Obamacare.
10
If the conservatives were reluctant to allow a black president's name to be attached to any legislation, then why. since it's inception, the Affordable Care Act and publicly been known as, and referred to as, Obamacare?
Your thesis, sir, is incorrect.
Your thesis, sir, is incorrect.
Realistically, Paul Ryan's plan is a plan for the health of the healthcare industry and of Congressional Republicans. If it does that it will succeed in its purpose. Criticisms about the extent, quality, and affordability of healthcare for Americans are simply beside the point. The only way that the conversation about healthcare in America will be about the health of Americans is if Americans make it so.
6
How millions of GOP supporters could cheer the destruction of the ACA without a better replacement in place is mind boggling. I can't relate to these people. They are bringing everyone down with them. Are they suicidal or just ignorant?
24
They have employer insurance and don't care for anyone but themselves.
Hatred blinds.
I know few, if any, conservative or GOP supporters who are supporting a repeal without s reasonable system of healthcare funding in its place.
Your assumptions, Phil M, are a strong indication that you have not truly canvased the conservative opinions, but hat engaged in sound-bite/talking-point rhetoric without rational basis.
Is this typical of the liberal and the left's thinking? That concept is certainly confirmed by many of the comments posted here on the NY Times.
Your assumptions, Phil M, are a strong indication that you have not truly canvased the conservative opinions, but hat engaged in sound-bite/talking-point rhetoric without rational basis.
Is this typical of the liberal and the left's thinking? That concept is certainly confirmed by many of the comments posted here on the NY Times.
Once you become a "true believer" your positions no longer have to add up. You/we are saved. Pride, indoctrination blinds rationality. A cult of sorts. Down the slippery slope.
10
The performance of the ACA and the reluctance of its "true believers" openly to admit its shortcomings and out-of-control expenses to the "beneficiaries" certainly make your assessment, badman, appear valid.
I am happy that so many people were able to get health care and I support that, even though it has come at my personal expense. But I completely disagree about the penalty. Many, like myself, who are self employed, make very hard decisions on which way to bankrupt our families. As things play out for my family, everyone but me can have health care we can afford. Mine is too expensive. (And I am healthy and have not made a claim in years). I'm good with that. My spouse and kids will be okay. So my choice is this -- to roll the dice on my health, or to go ahead and cripple the family finances with high cost health care. The penalty is a draconian nastiness on the order of debtor's prison. And it won't work either, because health care premiums are so ridiculously high that the penalty is a drop in the bucket in comparison. The majority of people want healthcare if it's affordable. We don't need a penalty to kick us in the teeth.
The only thing that makes sense is a single payer system, and anyone with a brain knows this. Because heath care premiums are the smoke that hides the actual issue -- the outrageous cost of health care in this country. The only way to rein that in is through single payer.
What I admire about European countries is their ability to govern with basic common sense. For us -- well, we elected Trump. It's hopeless. I won't look to my government or my fellow Americans for help. I will take care of myself.
The only thing that makes sense is a single payer system, and anyone with a brain knows this. Because heath care premiums are the smoke that hides the actual issue -- the outrageous cost of health care in this country. The only way to rein that in is through single payer.
What I admire about European countries is their ability to govern with basic common sense. For us -- well, we elected Trump. It's hopeless. I won't look to my government or my fellow Americans for help. I will take care of myself.
14
Medicare for all with heightened scrutiny for billing fraud IS the way to go.
And this is form a "conservative" point of view.
Will it happen? Probably not unless both parties have an epiphany at about the same time.
I doubt if that will happen in my lifetime because both parties are unwilling to set aside political advantage to do what is right for our nation.
And this is form a "conservative" point of view.
Will it happen? Probably not unless both parties have an epiphany at about the same time.
I doubt if that will happen in my lifetime because both parties are unwilling to set aside political advantage to do what is right for our nation.
Mr Ryan,
We only want the same insurance you and your family enjoy so much and pay by the socialist system that you claim is not good for the rest of us, hypocrisy at his best.
We only want the same insurance you and your family enjoy so much and pay by the socialist system that you claim is not good for the rest of us, hypocrisy at his best.
17
Trump Care
Don' t you dare call this RyanCare
Trump should own this lock, stock and barrel
Call it by it's true name
Trump Care
Calling it Ryan Care gives the man at the end of the buck a get out of jail free card
Trump Care
Don' t you dare call this RyanCare
Trump should own this lock, stock and barrel
Call it by it's true name
Trump Care
Calling it Ryan Care gives the man at the end of the buck a get out of jail free card
Trump Care
8
How about a compromise : TRyan Rump Care ..
I think the political calculus is this: poor people are likely Democratic Party voters. To the extent that they struggle financially or health-wise, the less likely it is that they will vote given that they will be putting their energy into merely struggling to survive. Combine this with voter role purges, and a rabid demonization of the poor as "takers" which energizes the base, and one pillar of Democratic political support is essentially neutralized.
6
Rep. Ryan doesn't care about providing the poor and middle class with affordable health insurance. All he wants is tax cuts for his rich donors and the appearance of offering health insurance. If more poor and middle class people die or live miserable lives because of his plan his view is: "so what?"
10
"He and his colleagues offered no estimates of how many people would lose coverage or how much premiums and deductibles would rise for middle-class and poor families?"
And yet, the Trump administration, and Trump himself, continues to proclaim "Better coverage and less expensive insurance for more people".
Those providing insurance want stability, and as businesses, they run on quantitative analytics. So the policy wonk and brainy guy (Ryan and Trump) are going to run America's businesses on low end policy papers without any numbers? When does reality actually come into play?
And yet, the Trump administration, and Trump himself, continues to proclaim "Better coverage and less expensive insurance for more people".
Those providing insurance want stability, and as businesses, they run on quantitative analytics. So the policy wonk and brainy guy (Ryan and Trump) are going to run America's businesses on low end policy papers without any numbers? When does reality actually come into play?
4
Loss of coverage and increased premiums and deductibles have been a hallmark of the "Affordable Care Act".
Do you hold the same level of disdain for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid...and Chuck Schumer, too..., and Barack Obama as the two Republicans that you mention?
I would think given the dramatic rise in premium costs and the nose-bleed levels of deductibles that the ACA has enjoyed, that you would at least have something less than positive to say about their efforts.
Do you hold the same level of disdain for Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid...and Chuck Schumer, too..., and Barack Obama as the two Republicans that you mention?
I would think given the dramatic rise in premium costs and the nose-bleed levels of deductibles that the ACA has enjoyed, that you would at least have something less than positive to say about their efforts.
Seems more than ever age of inherited wealth ensconced in positions of political power seeking to cutback safety nets. May Paul Ryan's religious self-reflection consider most Americans did not marry into money and do not have best healthcare and other benefits he and others in Washington have. Think Paul Ryan has a good grasp on the big financial picture given his education/background, but Paul Ryan must never forget being the beneficiary of big silver spoon is something most Americans do not have.
2
Well, if Trump and the bulk of the GOP are unwilling to replace Obamacare with a public system at least as universal and generous as the Turkish SGK, responsible American MUST see to it that moral and messedwith portions of the U.S. population know the extent of the crime and who done it.
Health care in this country is all about stockholders and officeholders, not about the people who will be left holding the bag. Health savings accounts? Ryan talks about them like it's something someone earning minimum wage can discuss with their non-existent financial adviser along with their non-existent IRA contributions and other financial vehicles that have no wheels.
3
Could the Republicans' real problem with the ACA be that members of Congress are required to obtain their coverage through the ACA health care marketplace? Their coverage is under the same "umbrella" as that of millions of formerly-uninsured ordinary Americans. If members of Congress want one of the "gold-plated" plans, they must pay a 40% excise tax on the plan.
What is the provision for members of Congress in Ryan's plan? That may tell us all we need to know about the true purpose of "repeal and replace".
What is the provision for members of Congress in Ryan's plan? That may tell us all we need to know about the true purpose of "repeal and replace".
2
Also worth noting that Trump promised on the campaign trail not to cut Medicaid (or Medicare or Social Security). Since he prides himself on keeping campaign promises, he should not be let off the hook for joining the plan to slash the ACA's Medicaid expansion, including to many people who voted for Trump.
2
What will probably happen,
will be that the Republicans will make a few minor changes
and then claim they have replaced Obamacare with something brand new.
And they'll give it a new name, like 'HeritageFoundationCare'
After all, it was a conservative idea in the first place, created to counter the idea of HillaryCare.
The Republicans are fond of claiming that they had nothing to do with Obamacare,
but the ACA included 161 amendments authored by Republicans.
Only 49 Republican amendments were rejected out of 210 considered.
And yet the ACA got zero Republican votes.
I guarantee you,
that the ACA would have been much different,
and probably much better,
if Obama and the Democrats had realized
that the Republicans were not worth working with.
======================
will be that the Republicans will make a few minor changes
and then claim they have replaced Obamacare with something brand new.
And they'll give it a new name, like 'HeritageFoundationCare'
After all, it was a conservative idea in the first place, created to counter the idea of HillaryCare.
The Republicans are fond of claiming that they had nothing to do with Obamacare,
but the ACA included 161 amendments authored by Republicans.
Only 49 Republican amendments were rejected out of 210 considered.
And yet the ACA got zero Republican votes.
I guarantee you,
that the ACA would have been much different,
and probably much better,
if Obama and the Democrats had realized
that the Republicans were not worth working with.
======================
7
The speaker wants "trickle up" health care.
I am not sure if Ryan really believes in his "plan" for national care, or is more concerned that any plan must be bent to his partisan economic preferences. Forget that a sensible "national health care plan" should itself be the primary concern. Is he just pandering to his conservative caucus?
There are, and have been for some time, ways to start to get at cost controls that would compromise intensely partisan principles for the good of the nation. The NYTs and other venues have discussed many of these things: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/16/obamacare-is-failing-but-there-is-one-way... AND https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/opinion/the-acas-premium-increases-ar... .
Partisans will cherry-pick negative remarks from these more broad-based discussions. That is what hampered the ACA from the start: partisan plans focused on partisan considerations. Most experienced analysts do not want a full repeal. Nor do most of the nation's primary care physicians, nor our citizens (when individual plan benefits are discussed).
I am not sure if Ryan really believes in his "plan" for national care, or is more concerned that any plan must be bent to his partisan economic preferences. Forget that a sensible "national health care plan" should itself be the primary concern. Is he just pandering to his conservative caucus?
There are, and have been for some time, ways to start to get at cost controls that would compromise intensely partisan principles for the good of the nation. The NYTs and other venues have discussed many of these things: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/16/obamacare-is-failing-but-there-is-one-way... AND https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/opinion/the-acas-premium-increases-ar... .
Partisans will cherry-pick negative remarks from these more broad-based discussions. That is what hampered the ACA from the start: partisan plans focused on partisan considerations. Most experienced analysts do not want a full repeal. Nor do most of the nation's primary care physicians, nor our citizens (when individual plan benefits are discussed).
1
I read that Trump wants to improve infrastructure. Well folks, decent health care for all Americans is infrastructure. Just as failing to take care of our physical facilities costs America a lot of money, so too does failing to take care of America's health costs. Money is money, whether you spend it on bridges, roads , or people. To those that would end up being uninsured, the costs would be passed on to policyholders (increased premiums) or taxpayers. Ryan's "plan" doesn't do that. Aw, wait, Congressmen have decent coverage. Would they also be included in his plan?
4
"Far inferior insurance" is the Republicans' health care plan. House Speaker Paul Ryan should be hanging his head in shame for advocating reduced spending on Medicaid - throwing more than 74 million poor and older and disabled people into the GOP's ashcan. "Making America good and sick" is Trump's promise. All the essential details of the antiObamacare plan - such as how many people would lose coverage, how much premiums and deductibles would rise for middle class and poor families, too horrible to contemplate that the Affordable Care Act is going to be thrown out with the garbage by Trump's team of do-nothings and liars and promisers. Happily (though there is nothing happy about these grievous times) the Congress is in recess this week. We the people must reach our representatives and senators now and tell them that Americans want legislation that improves health care (as Obamacare does and did), not making health care unaffordable by President Trump's henchmen for so many millions of our people in the direst of health circumstance needing medical help they could rely on provided by the Affordable Health Act and President Obama's administration.
3
Republicans need to come out and say it, once and for all to hear, "We, Republicans have absolutely no interest in paying anyone's healthcare, period"
Stop asking about it. Obamacare was an anomaly, period
We want less government, not more, everyone is on their own......
Stop asking about it. Obamacare was an anomaly, period
We want less government, not more, everyone is on their own......
2
Pretty lame, buddy. Were you REALLY a Boy Scout? Or were you just burnishing you future political resume?
3
Saturday last, Trump said he would have an ACA replacement plan in two weeks. Is Ryans plan Trumps plan? Do these clowns talk to each other? I know there was difficulty turning the lights on in the Whitehouse are the phones causing problems as well?
The most important parts of health insurance are preventive health care and coverage of pre-existing conditions. Health savings accounts are great for those with adequate income, but poor people have trouble making their pay checks last until the next pay day. They have no extra money to put in savings. I am fortunate enough to have always had employer provided healthcare so I've had access to preventive care all my life. Republicans will have a hard tim convincing voters that they are the party of the working man and the poor if they yank away ACA without replacing it with an equivalent plan. While it's true the ACA needs to be fixed, it is still better than anything Republicans have proposed thus far. They need to get to work.
6
After the vote by Cory Booker against lowering cost of prescription drugs , only because of the 260k given by pharmaceutical industry , who do we vote for ? I decided to stop believing on any of them
1
You're on the right track, now consider the NYT/DNC/Propaganda Department and wake up.
Can you imagine the fight in the hallowed halls of Washington year in and year out to decide how much to "block grant" to each state in support of medicaid? These proposals don't do anything to reduce health care costs except by cutting the Federal budget line that pays for healthcare. The problem is Trump championed "repeal and replace" and he is loathe to back down.
1
Yeah, after a couple of weeks the runaway federal budget deficit Trump inherited and our grandkids will have to pay for has nothing to do with how we pay health care for 11-30 million illegal immigrants, not to mention the rest of the services of American civilization not quite available back home.
I should not be surprised but I continue to be unable to comprehend view of empathy that conservatives exhibit. They feel sorry for the tax burden of business owners and the wealthy and feel the general public should simply "suck it up". If they can't afford healthcare, then it's tough luck on them. I really don't understand the mental gymnastics required to not care about people in such a mechanized way.
8
You yourself are doing quite well in the mental gymnastics department as your cartoon depiction of opponents motivations illustrates. Maybe the simpler explanation is they're sick of footing the bill for the grand schemes of poseurs whose main concern is their legacy, or the 120 million dollar fortune they've accrued on the public's dime while advocating open borders and universal health care.
I hosted my first "bridge building" dinner last week. An intelligent, articulate, likeable Republican neighbor agreed to come over with the express purpose of explaining the conservative view point on a variety of issues. My job was to ask probing questions, listen and summarize. No counterpoints.
Dinner #1-Obama Care. My question: Why is the ACA such a hot button issue for Republicans?
This summary of his answer was approved by my guest:
20% of Republicans see Obama Care as Hillary Care. They cannot get beyond the fact that first lady Hilary meddled with health care. This plan is seen as her plan with a new name.
25% of Republicans cannot get over the fact that a black man created Obama Care. The hatred of ACA, in this group, is a purely racist response.
15% will block anything that is put forward by Democrats.
20% want to block/limit government intervention, period. (My guest did not know if this group also rejected the idea that health care was a basic right of all citizens.)
20% are angry that insurance choice has been taken away. These people are angry that they had insurance options before which they do not have now. They were told that this would not happen and it did so they also feel duped. Furthermore, this group feels that the system was not broken and should not have been tampered with in the first place. The health care industry is where reform needs to occur.
The wine was good and lots of laughs. Bridge building, yes, enlightenment, no.
Dinner #1-Obama Care. My question: Why is the ACA such a hot button issue for Republicans?
This summary of his answer was approved by my guest:
20% of Republicans see Obama Care as Hillary Care. They cannot get beyond the fact that first lady Hilary meddled with health care. This plan is seen as her plan with a new name.
25% of Republicans cannot get over the fact that a black man created Obama Care. The hatred of ACA, in this group, is a purely racist response.
15% will block anything that is put forward by Democrats.
20% want to block/limit government intervention, period. (My guest did not know if this group also rejected the idea that health care was a basic right of all citizens.)
20% are angry that insurance choice has been taken away. These people are angry that they had insurance options before which they do not have now. They were told that this would not happen and it did so they also feel duped. Furthermore, this group feels that the system was not broken and should not have been tampered with in the first place. The health care industry is where reform needs to occur.
The wine was good and lots of laughs. Bridge building, yes, enlightenment, no.
3
It's easy to see you weren't enlightened and your bridges have tolls, you know like walls have ladders.
Our rights are not only clearly enumerated in the Constitution but are also easy to identify: they are intangibles, the exercise of which doesn't impact anyone else's rights.
BALONEY.
The Editorial Board, like a bunch of hucksters in cheap suits, chooses to skirt the primary issue - who pays and how much.
Example: In Massachusetts a healthy young couple used to pay about $350/month for health insurance. Enter MassHealth and that went up to $550/month, and enter Obamacare, and that same healthy couple now pays more that $850/month for slightly less coverage than what they used to get for $350/month.
The editors clearly favor the forced collectivist approach where all persons are forced to bear the cost of the high risk insured.
BALONEY.
4
And yet you are quoting figures on the assumption that rates in Massachusetts would have stayed stable without reforms? Have you looked at the percent increases PRIOR to Romneycare? Our Republican governor championed reform because rapidly escalating healthcare costs made business unsustainable in the Commonwealth. And our current GOP governor plans to return to an improved Romneycare once our short sighted Congress takes action. Healthcare charges and costs to citizens and businesses continue to rise and MA medical institutions are among the most expensive in the country so don't blame this on healthcare reform. It was fixed (albeit imperfectly) because everyone agreed it was broken decades ago.
Don't forget, that even in Massachusetts, the deductibles under MassHealth are on the rise.
At $850 a month, the insured has to pay out $10,100 before he even gets to see a doctor.
For a working class stiff who grosses $35k-$40k per year, that is a heavy burden on his net of $27k-$32k that he sees after he pays his federal and state income taxes (where applicable) and some of the nose-bleed sales taxes and revenue fees that are tagged onto his day-to-day expenses.
At $850 a month, the insured has to pay out $10,100 before he even gets to see a doctor.
For a working class stiff who grosses $35k-$40k per year, that is a heavy burden on his net of $27k-$32k that he sees after he pays his federal and state income taxes (where applicable) and some of the nose-bleed sales taxes and revenue fees that are tagged onto his day-to-day expenses.
Under Bush premiums rose an average of 23 % per year. That is why Obama ran on the promise of health care. The average family plan for employers is 18,000. It has less to do with the program and more to do with the fact that capitalism doesn't work with health care. Everyone trying to make a profit increases costs. If the ACA is rescinded costs will rise even faster since less will be insured. All persons bear the costs in insurance that's the way it works. It may go down slightly when caps on yearly and lifetime use are put back in. That resulted in 750,000 going bankrupt each year. Our system is broken
1
If this "sick" proposal be signed into law, let's hope that the millions of Americans who are dropped from health care coverage revolt against these evil, mean-spirited, and sorry excuses for elected representatives.
7
Everyone who is sick should have health care. With that said, there is a huge problem with the current system. Is the deliveryof health care going to be the only industry that the United Sates has? People abuse the system mightly!! Many, many ails will get better with a trip to the doctor. Many human physical ills are brought on by the lack of taking responsibility for yourself. Should the person who eats carefully and exercises, really pay for the person who doesn't? It is time for the individual to take responsibility for there own well-being. Should people work 2 jobs to pay for a 73 old man to get a new heart? We are over treated and can not accept aging and death.
15
And if you eat healthy and live your life according to your saviour and still get cancer, who pays? Are we not our brother's keeper or is that just pyscho-religious propaganda? Inquiring minds would like to know.
3
I am happy to pay equally for anyone to have insurance, no matter their lifestyle. Who am I to judge? Anyone who has a body is going to have a problem with it at some time or another. Many people are born with health issues, or experience problems no matter how good they care for themselves. I lived for 10 years in a country that had universal health insurance for all, and no one ever implied that someone didn't deserve care, or that they were happy to pay for person x but not person y. Why are Americans such judgmental jerks?
2
Many ACA plans are high deductible, however, many families still need subsidies to afford even those. After paying off student loans, saving for retirement, emergencies, and possibly a home purchase, there's not much left to fund an HSA for most people with incomes below the median. HSAs are just another nice tax savings vehicle for those who are already doing well. They do nothing for the lower middle class and below. I don't understand why republicans refuse to accept this fact.
2
This Darwinian idea, the survival of the fittest, appears to be out of the Ayn Rand playbook. One can only survive if one is able to crush the poor, the elderly, the opponent. Without Medicaid millions will die. Simple isn't it?
30
Missing in the discussion is how these changes will personally affect people:
1) If you have a relative in a nursing and it's being covered under Medicaid. "Can you take care of them at home" may become an important question.
2) If you work for a hospital, long-term care facility, or any health facility that gets payment from Medicaid. Healthcare is one of the largest employers in the country.
3) There was a mention about how most Americans hardly save or can save...even for their kids' college expenses, let alone save for health care vouchers. How does this help to grow the middle class?
And no difference between $50000 and $500000 income? You've got to be kidding me. Are these people living in the real world? Obviously not.
4)Will this Congress use the same "rules" for cutting Medicare? Repeat #2
One thing in MY favor: I retired from nursing a few years ago.
However: MY insurance is Medicare and my daughter (returning to school for her masters) is on Medicaid. It looks like I'll be paying her insurance out of my Social Security (quickly becoming a misnomer).
1) If you have a relative in a nursing and it's being covered under Medicaid. "Can you take care of them at home" may become an important question.
2) If you work for a hospital, long-term care facility, or any health facility that gets payment from Medicaid. Healthcare is one of the largest employers in the country.
3) There was a mention about how most Americans hardly save or can save...even for their kids' college expenses, let alone save for health care vouchers. How does this help to grow the middle class?
And no difference between $50000 and $500000 income? You've got to be kidding me. Are these people living in the real world? Obviously not.
4)Will this Congress use the same "rules" for cutting Medicare? Repeat #2
One thing in MY favor: I retired from nursing a few years ago.
However: MY insurance is Medicare and my daughter (returning to school for her masters) is on Medicaid. It looks like I'll be paying her insurance out of my Social Security (quickly becoming a misnomer).
18
By providing Medicare for all, the government would spend less than the insurance companies have to and all individuals would get care and treatment without copay. This is why Canada is able to provide excellent health care at lower cost - for everyone. The system does work well despite the uniformed citations to the contrary - it is supported by every political party. The cost of medical school is subsidized. Physicians are self-employed and are guaranteed to be paid for the services they render on a scale that their professional body negotiates with the insurance provider, a government agency that receives its income from taxes. The ACA was modeled on the Romneycare of Massachusetts so that Republican concern for the insurance industry could be accommodated. Its time for Medicare for all, not Medicaid for fewer.
24
During this tax season I'm advising all of my clients to get any medical issues taken care of as soon as possible. Especially women because that's what they're going to go after first.
The gall (too mild a word) of these people to constantly call the ACA a disaster and say the only way to fix it is to completely destroy it. And the Orange One says he "inherited a mess". It's disgusting.
Senator Coffman (R Colo) ducked out of a town hall meeting because there were too many people there and then had the gall (again, too mild a word) to say they were all activists. You bet they were activists!
Mr. Obama is gone. People really, really appreciate the fact that they have health care. Some, like me, have truly benefitted from it. A healthy society is a productive society. Isn't that a good thing?
The gall (too mild a word) of these people to constantly call the ACA a disaster and say the only way to fix it is to completely destroy it. And the Orange One says he "inherited a mess". It's disgusting.
Senator Coffman (R Colo) ducked out of a town hall meeting because there were too many people there and then had the gall (again, too mild a word) to say they were all activists. You bet they were activists!
Mr. Obama is gone. People really, really appreciate the fact that they have health care. Some, like me, have truly benefitted from it. A healthy society is a productive society. Isn't that a good thing?
29
For many people, Obamacare premiums have been catastrophic to their basic personal finances.
For many people, Obamacare deductibles have been catastrophic to their hand-to-mouth existences.
For many people, Obamacare has become a burden due to the limitation of networks and hospitals
How much of a trade for "the good things" is worth the expenses of "the bad things".
On the whole, Obamacare has been most disruptive to the very people that it was intended to help.
And, being such, isn't it advisable to correct or replace those elements that are causing the real pain?
For many people, Obamacare deductibles have been catastrophic to their hand-to-mouth existences.
For many people, Obamacare has become a burden due to the limitation of networks and hospitals
How much of a trade for "the good things" is worth the expenses of "the bad things".
On the whole, Obamacare has been most disruptive to the very people that it was intended to help.
And, being such, isn't it advisable to correct or replace those elements that are causing the real pain?
First Ryan could not tolerate Trump. Next, he "fell in love" with him. Just another example of each for himself; never mind the rest of us who inhabit the USA.
23
kind of like Barack, Michelle and Bernie's total distaste for Hilary until they loved her.
Welcome to Trumpcare. They are going to make a mess of healthcare in this country. Healthcare is the most important element of safety net that humans can expect. ACA was not perfect by any means, but can be improved like any other process in business. Continuous process improvement is the mantra in any business. Republicans are afraid to improve ACA and boost Obama's legacy.
Republicans have never thought about expanding healthcare until ACA forced their hand. If Mr. Trump rules for another 8 years, it will take 2 more decades to make it right again by cleaning up the mess. In the name of democracy, we have to just put up with it.
Republicans have never thought about expanding healthcare until ACA forced their hand. If Mr. Trump rules for another 8 years, it will take 2 more decades to make it right again by cleaning up the mess. In the name of democracy, we have to just put up with it.
13
No we don't have to put up with it! Organize. Protest. March. Call your representative. Arrange a townhall.
How is it that the party of family values has one fight: abortion. In every other metric of encouraging family life--they don't. Their rosy economic projections are completely divorced from the consequences of their other acts. After this administration, the next one will be picking up the pieces of what remains of our country.
31
Sounds familiar
How come, Susan, does "the party of the people" never want to answer the real question about abortion:
When does the practice (legal) turn to murder (illegal).
It is a crucial question at the heart of the issue, and without a clear answer, the subject will remain contentious and divisive.
It is also a question that his heart-wrenching to answer honestly.
When does the practice (legal) turn to murder (illegal).
It is a crucial question at the heart of the issue, and without a clear answer, the subject will remain contentious and divisive.
It is also a question that his heart-wrenching to answer honestly.
Have you no shame! Another poorly conceived plan comes to light.
10
It would be so much simpler if the Republicans would just say "we don't want to pay for anyone else's health care. We only take care of only ourselves. "
Isn't that the bottom line? Why keep pretending?
Isn't that the bottom line? Why keep pretending?
58
Can't anyone as see through Paul Ryan's self satisfied grin when he is behind Trump thinking "now i am in control of the house and am ready to tear apart Obama care"
He is a slime ball of the first order, just how does the guy claim o be a Catholic.
He is a slime ball of the first order, just how does the guy claim o be a Catholic.
53
So transparent in his simplistic privatization plans Ryan can't win elections in his blue collar hometown of Janesville WI but instead is elected via wild gerrymandering of Gov Walker, Vos and Fitzgerald. But beware of his smirk, Ryan really wants to be president.
I don't know what Catholicism has to do with Ryan being a slime ball. Lots of Catholics are slime balls and many of the worst ones have been politicians and popes. I'd like to draw your attention to Rick Santorum and Marco Rubio. While there has been some very good Catholic activists Pope John Paul II took care of silencing most of them as did his his successor Benedict XV. There's slimebalms all over this earth who use religion to enchain people. There are others who use religion to set people free. I prefer the latter to the slime ball type.
"claim" is the operative word. His actions speak far louder than his words.Matthew's25:41-46tell us "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Not possible. Obamacare already accomplished the paying more for less.
2
"For example, the paper calls for reducing spending on Medicaid, which now provides insurance to more than 74 million poor, disabled and older people."
The Times is guilty of statistical slight of hand here. Disabled and older people are generally provided healthcare under Medicare, rather than Medicaid. To the extent that they are provided healthcare under Medicaid, it is because they are poor. The main premise of Medicaid has been to provide healthcare to the poor. In this instance, the disabled and the poor are a subset of the poor. The Times might just as reasonably written, 74 million poor, whites, and males. It is true that Medicaid does provide coverage to people who are poor, white, or male, but mentioning whites or males is misleading, just as mentioning the disabled and elderly is. Of course, invoking the disabled and elderly evokes more sympathy in us, than mentioning whites and males does.
The Times is guilty of statistical slight of hand here. Disabled and older people are generally provided healthcare under Medicare, rather than Medicaid. To the extent that they are provided healthcare under Medicaid, it is because they are poor. The main premise of Medicaid has been to provide healthcare to the poor. In this instance, the disabled and the poor are a subset of the poor. The Times might just as reasonably written, 74 million poor, whites, and males. It is true that Medicaid does provide coverage to people who are poor, white, or male, but mentioning whites or males is misleading, just as mentioning the disabled and elderly is. Of course, invoking the disabled and elderly evokes more sympathy in us, than mentioning whites and males does.
2
Though you are correct in saying Medicare is the primary health insurance for the elderly, what is also true is that the overwhelming majority of elderly people who end up living in nursing facilities will also go on Medicaid. A significant percentage of those people do not begin their nursing home stays poor, but a great many of them will become impoverished as a result of their need for 24 hour/day care. The average yearly stay can cost around $100,000 per year, hardly an amount most of us could afford for any period of time.
“Medicaid was designed as a critical part of the safety net for our nation’s most vulnerable populations—individuals who are aged, blind, or disabled, and families with incomes well below the poverty line—many of whom possess limited ability to provide for their own well-being." -- Seema Verma, Trump's pick for CMS
God save us from Privatizing Paul Ryan and the heartless Republican oligarchy (aka Trump Administration) eager to plunder the public treasury for personal gain! I just spent a month getting my disabled son on a subsidized, "essential," plan saving me over $500/month that I can no longer afford to pay. The future looks bleak for my son and many others like him dependent on such plans for expensive medications. And, in addition to that, I now have to worry about the safety of Medicare essential to my own health and well-being. The Republicans eagerness to steal from the poor to pay for the tax cuts for their wealthy, billionaire backers is beyond cruel; it is criminal. It is a death sentence for thousands who will soon be denied the health care that is keeping them and their loved ones alive.
18
Fake health plan!
11
From a fake Party!
Life and death services should not be meted out by for-profit companies. Isn't this obvious?
19
Paul Ryan is a phony and a hypocrite. He loved Social Security when it helped him get through college as a youth, now he hates it. He has no problem accepting his congressional platinum health plan, paid for by taxpayers (as is his salary). When he and his colleagues stop accepting those perks, as well as re-election funds from the health industry, maybe he will change his tune. ACA is a republican-devised plan designed to protect the profits of the health insurance industry. A universal single-payer system, eliminating the layers of expenses imposed by the insurance industry, would be vastly more fair and efficient.
13
The media has for some time caste Paul Ryan as a 'sensible conservative.' He doesn't rant Like Trump and presents policy papers not just criticisms of Obama.
But Ryan has always been a driven neoliberal. His ideological view of the world is that markets=free choice and nothing can contribute to individual liberty more than a commodity driven market approach to all services, especially medical care.
He also believes that market discipline is good for poor people. It's an incentive to work and rely less on government. His mind is full of meaningless economic formulas without a human connection.
Privatization of government services is really a ruse. Hiding behind all his totally discredited views is capitalism in crisis. He knows the only way to exploit more markets is to create them. So medical care is a market. So is education, supplying the military, running prisons. These privatized services will be more efficient and cheaper so that the savings can be transferred to the wealthy in the form of tax cuts.
Of course it's all a myth. There are no details in Ryan's proposal because there are no numbers to support the claim of efficiency, cost savings or benefits to the public. The benefit will go to companies that rake off a profit while providing inferior service and of course to the tax cuts for the wealthy.
Ryan is a savage tool of the 1% dedicated to squeezing blood out of a stone, as long as it's the blood of the poor and working class.
But Ryan has always been a driven neoliberal. His ideological view of the world is that markets=free choice and nothing can contribute to individual liberty more than a commodity driven market approach to all services, especially medical care.
He also believes that market discipline is good for poor people. It's an incentive to work and rely less on government. His mind is full of meaningless economic formulas without a human connection.
Privatization of government services is really a ruse. Hiding behind all his totally discredited views is capitalism in crisis. He knows the only way to exploit more markets is to create them. So medical care is a market. So is education, supplying the military, running prisons. These privatized services will be more efficient and cheaper so that the savings can be transferred to the wealthy in the form of tax cuts.
Of course it's all a myth. There are no details in Ryan's proposal because there are no numbers to support the claim of efficiency, cost savings or benefits to the public. The benefit will go to companies that rake off a profit while providing inferior service and of course to the tax cuts for the wealthy.
Ryan is a savage tool of the 1% dedicated to squeezing blood out of a stone, as long as it's the blood of the poor and working class.
9
Ryan and the republicans are adamant with their plans to punish the most vulnerable, the sick and disabled. This country went wrong early on, when health care became a for profit enterprise. All other developed nations believe that health care is a right. People do not choose to become seriously ill, but they can lose everything in buying their treatment. At the same time, the Secretary of Health became wealthy through inside information on medical devices. There is something wrong with this picture and we need to correct the focus. Get out there and raise your voice on healthcare!
4
Obamacare with - among other things - it's requirement for fairly standard insurance products which allow buyers to price shop is very much at odds with the traditional American health care model with much lip service to free markets but very little actual price shopping. Regulation facilitating actual price competition must be eliminated quickly before it spreads, perhaps even to medical services. The Republicans, free marketeers all, are up to the job.
3
There is only one solution to the health care issue, Universal Care., Single Payer, Medicare for all. Anything else is putting a band-aid on arterial bleeding.
15
Republicans have been attacking the ACA since it was announced and voting in the House to repeal it on a weekly basis. Are you telling me that in all that time, they never crafted a well thought out plan to replace it the day they got into power? Just tells you that what they were really opposing all that time was a black president, not a health plan.
8
Typical GOP plan. Favor the corporations and the rich, and savage the middle class and the poor.
9
We already got that with Obamacare.
RYANCARE Looks like another bunch of nails in the coffin where GOPpers plan ot bury Obamacare. It is not for nothing that the nearly 70 bills introduced to repeal Obamacare were introduced by GOP extremists. The cockamamie system the GOP proposes to set up will place the burden on hospitals to provide unreimbursed treatment. Once again, ERs will become sources of primary patient care, rather than places that people go when they have severe, potentially life-threatening medical conditions. The effect of such strangulation of income streams for hospitals will be that they will be forced to close their doors. More people who require ER treatment will have to travel farther to get less care. Why is it that the GOPpers want to rig the system so that the 1% is guaranteed to get well over 90% of all new wealth, while the rest of us get sick and die because of their greed? Are those their much vaunted "traditional family values." I was unaware that human sacrifice by taking away programs from the 99% was the primary goal of the GOP. Such policies go beyond being nasty, small-minded and vile to being murderous. Where willl it all end? No time soon and no place good, I fear.
7
Well, I guess this means that Sarah Palin's death panels will come to fruition. If you can't afford health insurance, you will die. Compliments of the Republican Party.
Considering, however, that the first to suffer from this renewed lack of insurance are mostly Trump voters, the wisdom of this plan is very questionable. Who will vote for the next Republican presidential nominee if the less-educated, angry, older, white male voters are gone? But then, nobody has ever accused conservative politicians to possess empathy, compassion, and strategic and economic knowledge. Au contraire.
Considering, however, that the first to suffer from this renewed lack of insurance are mostly Trump voters, the wisdom of this plan is very questionable. Who will vote for the next Republican presidential nominee if the less-educated, angry, older, white male voters are gone? But then, nobody has ever accused conservative politicians to possess empathy, compassion, and strategic and economic knowledge. Au contraire.
9
Sorry to have to inform you, but the death panels already exist.
But they are strewn over the various levels of the health care industry, and include the government, the insurers, the hospitals and the medical professionals.
Your argument is filled with straw men and herrings with red markings.
But they are strewn over the various levels of the health care industry, and include the government, the insurers, the hospitals and the medical professionals.
Your argument is filled with straw men and herrings with red markings.
As long as providers and suppliers to America's healthcare system see Federal tax dollars as an excuse to charge more for goods and services, there can be no viable plan to provide affordable coverage to a majority of American citizens. The notion of a healthcare "free market" is a non-starter given the power and information advantages held by the sellers/insurers over the purchasers, to say nothing about slight of hand activities that can add thousands of dollars to the patient's bill. The only path forward requires some kind of Federal regulation of the healthcare industry to ensure that operating margins are not tilting the whole system out of control, perhaps by not allowing US costs to exceed the average of those negotiated by other universal coverage systems in Canada and Europe. America cannot allow the ever increasing power of wealth in politics to destroy access to a public good. That way lies the further collapse of the republic.
3
The ONLY way to provide healthcare for all at a reasonable cost is to allow a Medicare option for all US citizens and legal residents. Private, for-profit companies would still sell their insurance products in a competitive market while the Medicare option will provide a counter weight balance. And let's remove the give-away to Big Pharma by allowing Medicare to purchase prescription drugs on the global market. No reason to believe medical providers and consumers in other developed worlds have inferior prescription drugs given the better health outcomes at lower costs these countries have demonstrated time and time again. Physiciansand medical practicioners should be compensated fairly for their expertise and efforts in a competitive marketplace, but when did becoming an MD justify a 1% economic outcome?
10
'CRYan, oh Ship of State, oh union strong and great; Humanity with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on they faith.’ — William Wadsworth.
1
The people who voted for trump are the most likely to be harmed by Ryan's plan. Since the ACA was passed, the percent of whites who are uninsured dropped from 15% to 9%. Of those states that expanded Medicaid, 16 have Republican governors, 14 have Democratic governors, and one has an Independent governor. The states that saw the largest benefit from the Medicaid expansion: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey.
9
Ryancare is disconnected from reality; always has been; always will be. Representative Ryan represents years of thinking badly. His abysmal track record was formulated during the last Presidential administration, and has not changed. He offers no credibility in policy or practice. His alternative facts will not fly, and he can talk and distribute all the papers his hands can muster. Health care permeates us all; but sheer stupidity does not.
1
It's plain and simple. My parties version of better, cheaper and covers more people is actually Stay Healthy, Get Wealthy or Die.
Great, just great. My party's best ideas on health care WAS the ACA which came from the Heritage Foundation. Unbelievable and sad.
Great, just great. My party's best ideas on health care WAS the ACA which came from the Heritage Foundation. Unbelievable and sad.
2
For starters, comparing any plan to the ACA is silly. The ACA has collapsed in short order. It was doomed from the beginning starting with the web site repeated failures and ending with the major insurance companies bailing out. It is inconceivable to me how the framers of this act ever thought that young healthy adults would ever join such a plan because they face a small penalty which amounted to a small fraction of the cost of a super high deductible insurance.
What ever we get will better because the ACA was dead from self inflicted wounds.
What ever we get will better because the ACA was dead from self inflicted wounds.
1
Ryancare or Trumpcare is based in one simple formula, if one is sick, poor, and elderly - die and die quickly - because if you are not wealthy then you are unworthy. So much for the idea of being pro-life, just as long as you are in the womb. Once you leave the security of your mother's womb, you become a taker, and in Paul Ryan's world that the pinnacle of worthlessness.
6
A great way to protest Ryan's plan once it's passed is for everyone without health ininsurance not to hesitate to visit an ER. Maybe then states and their tax payers facing these huge costs will say something.
1
I hate to say it but the best thing that could happen would be that the Republicans would kill both Medicaid and Obamacare.
The pain for so many would be so great that it would send a message to the millions who have been helped and need to be helped by these programs and show the true colors of GOP 'caring'.
And that would cause a needed revolution at the ballot box so that the 99% would see the lies of Trump and his minions for what they are.
The pain for so many would be so great that it would send a message to the millions who have been helped and need to be helped by these programs and show the true colors of GOP 'caring'.
And that would cause a needed revolution at the ballot box so that the 99% would see the lies of Trump and his minions for what they are.
2
No, we must never do that to our fellow citizens!
No one said Obamacare would be a quick fix. Any national healthcare plan is obsessively expensive. 71% of illegals are on social programs as social security, Medicare and Medicaid and the American taxpayer is paying for all of this so expect your taxes to greatly increase to accommodate the masses. Obama left one big mess with providers exiting, exorbitant deductibles and monthly unaffordable premiums. That is what you got from him with his healthcare mess for 20 million people.
This is like the early-bird dinner special: buy one, get one free. Or, a coupon " voucher " for 50 percent off. Seniors, you are NEXT. Be very careful what you vote for, and Donald WON'T be paying your medical bills . But, it's still somehow Obamas fault, right???
4
Yes, that is right actually. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Let's begin some brainstorming in the PUBLIC FORUM about putting everyone on Medicare and/or Medicaid - the single payer idea and the ONLY option that would actually WORK in the long run.
How can it hurt to broach the subject and toss around ideas on what it would mean to implement as has been done in the rest of the civilized world? I actually think our president may be amenable to such give and take.
Yes, there would be a cost - Everyone would need to pay into the plan just as they pay into Medicare now, according to their ability to pay. And the logistics of dismantling our current unfair and intractably arcane system might try our souls - but in the end it COULD be done. Much of the rest of the world has already done it.
Such a plan would free ALL employers nationwide from onerous health care maintenance costs. Salaries might even increase!
Insurance companies would need new business models, of course. (Admittedly a sticking point. Maybe that's too much to ask?)
And while we're at it, part of any discussion should be the idea that all of Washington, incl the President and all of Congress, would have to be covered by this plan.
If we could do this ONE thing...If our beleaguered president could pull this off, despite all his MANY disconcerting flaws, we might also have to decide how we might add the Trump visage to Mt Rushmore!
How can it hurt to broach the subject and toss around ideas on what it would mean to implement as has been done in the rest of the civilized world? I actually think our president may be amenable to such give and take.
Yes, there would be a cost - Everyone would need to pay into the plan just as they pay into Medicare now, according to their ability to pay. And the logistics of dismantling our current unfair and intractably arcane system might try our souls - but in the end it COULD be done. Much of the rest of the world has already done it.
Such a plan would free ALL employers nationwide from onerous health care maintenance costs. Salaries might even increase!
Insurance companies would need new business models, of course. (Admittedly a sticking point. Maybe that's too much to ask?)
And while we're at it, part of any discussion should be the idea that all of Washington, incl the President and all of Congress, would have to be covered by this plan.
If we could do this ONE thing...If our beleaguered president could pull this off, despite all his MANY disconcerting flaws, we might also have to decide how we might add the Trump visage to Mt Rushmore!
2
It's going to be more welfare from rich blue stars to the poor red ones. I think this is the master Republican plan. They need to keep the free dumb people voting for them. So mark my words they will divide all of us even more with some kind of back door trick that makes NY and CA pay for poor Republican states.
3
Whatever replacement healthcare plan Republicans come up with, they should be mandated use it as well
4
Ryancare=Die please
9
I will never understand why the US — the wealthiest, most technologically advanced nation in the history of the world — *chooses* to not provide universal healthcare for all of its citizens. Forget about whether healthcare is a legal "right." Think instead about whether we have an ethical obligation to care for and look out for each other as human beings, especially the neediest among us. From an economic angle, consider that a healthy population is happier and more productive, and that preventive treatment is far less expensive than catastrophic care. Finally, if you want to encourage businesses to hire more and to be more competitive in global markets, you should unsaddle them from the burden of having to provide healthcare coverage. The US should leverage the economies of scale, treat healthcare as a form of infrastructure, and provide universal healthcare for all of its citizens.
10
The sad thing about this repeal effort is that the largest number of beneficiaries of the ACA come from states that voted for Trump. And they don't know that they're about to lose their healthcare. Imagine how strong their reaction will be when they find out. All those white working class Trump supporters will not be happy. Trump has less to worry about from the left than he does from his own base.
Trump is about to break healthcare in America, and he will own it forever onward. Trumpcare will be a devastating catastrophe. IF, and it's a big "if", the GOP can actually put a plan together to replace the ACA. But when they don't, and they decide to repeal it anyway... well, when it comes to protests, they ain't seen nothin' yet.
Trump is about to break healthcare in America, and he will own it forever onward. Trumpcare will be a devastating catastrophe. IF, and it's a big "if", the GOP can actually put a plan together to replace the ACA. But when they don't, and they decide to repeal it anyway... well, when it comes to protests, they ain't seen nothin' yet.
5
I have been pricing Health plans for the last 10 years. I know that I have to purchase at 65 for my family. The price for similar plans has dropped from 1150$ a month to 750$. Cheap? no, cheaper? Yes I call that progress.
I have a friend, former PTA Head single mom, learning disabled son who had a massive stroke at 48.
She is wheelchair bound and her children are now in the care of her mid 80's parents. Without ACA the entire family would been bankrupted.
The dream is being strangled with the help of know nothings.
I have a friend, former PTA Head single mom, learning disabled son who had a massive stroke at 48.
She is wheelchair bound and her children are now in the care of her mid 80's parents. Without ACA the entire family would been bankrupted.
The dream is being strangled with the help of know nothings.
7
Republicans lack empathy as the citizens will lack healthcare.
2
Ryan will not keep Trump's promise to replace Obamacare with something better and cheaper. What will Trump do? Veto the bill? Nothing? Lie about it? change the subject to his big victory? Blame Obama?
4
Ryan's goal here is clearly about the budget. All entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) are unsustainable. The added costs of the ACA just make it worse. These programs are not self sustaining, and as the boomers age, the interest on the ever accumulating debt will crush us.
I count myself a liberal, but I part with my party on the unrealistic expectations we have of these programs. The numbers just don't add up. One way or another, entitlements will have to be cut, and the sooner we implement changes, the less pain we will feel all around.
That being said, I won't listen to a word that Ryan has to say about our fiscal problems while there is still serious talk about a wall and a tax plan that cuts rates for richest Americans (when there is no evidence that tax cuts like this stimulate growth.). Even infrastructure spending is foolish at this point in the economic cycle. Gimme a break. If the problem is money Mr. Ryan, these fool ideas just kill your credibility.
I count myself a liberal, but I part with my party on the unrealistic expectations we have of these programs. The numbers just don't add up. One way or another, entitlements will have to be cut, and the sooner we implement changes, the less pain we will feel all around.
That being said, I won't listen to a word that Ryan has to say about our fiscal problems while there is still serious talk about a wall and a tax plan that cuts rates for richest Americans (when there is no evidence that tax cuts like this stimulate growth.). Even infrastructure spending is foolish at this point in the economic cycle. Gimme a break. If the problem is money Mr. Ryan, these fool ideas just kill your credibility.
12
America urgently needs more infrastructure spending. According to the latest review of American infrastructure (American Society of Civil Engineers, 2013; the 2017 report will be released in March 2017), U.S. infrastructure is rated D . Expenditure of an estimated $3.6 trillion is needed to get us to a grade of B.
This is a matter of American economic competitiveness. The U.S. is competing on a collapsing infrastructure platform.
This is a matter of American economic competitiveness. The U.S. is competing on a collapsing infrastructure platform.
15
You are not really a liberal. Sen. Daniel Moynihan screamed for years that Social Security and Medicare would be dead in a few years - every few years. He died in 2003. The Republicans see the money flowing very efficiently from the taxpayer to those who need it and the programs. That can't stand that their Wall Street friends aren't capitalizing on it for their own profit. That's their plan. The whole plan. If you don't understand that, you are being duped. And you are no liberal.
2
Where is your budget slashing ax when it comes to vastly more amounts of money the government gives to the wealthy, the industrial military complex, and the massive amount of tax cuts for the rich? If you really are liberal, and not a Russian troll, that would have been your first concern. America is as strong as its people and not its GDP.
The GOP wants to reduce spending on health care because all health care plans increase taxes on the rich to help pay for health care for the non rich.
And the rich do not want to pay higher taxes.
Ryan and other conservatives know their philosophy will cause people to die unnecessarily as conditions like a cancerous lump or diabetes or high blood pressure /cholesterol are not detected in time.
And they think this is a good thing.
A Washington Post op ed by a leading conservative explains the cruel conservative position.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/end-obamacare-and-people-could-d...
And the rich do not want to pay higher taxes.
Ryan and other conservatives know their philosophy will cause people to die unnecessarily as conditions like a cancerous lump or diabetes or high blood pressure /cholesterol are not detected in time.
And they think this is a good thing.
A Washington Post op ed by a leading conservative explains the cruel conservative position.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/end-obamacare-and-people-could-d...
28
Easy explanation is: Ryan hates people. Mostly older people. We have made the mistake of living too long. See, he hates anyone who lived when his father died. He plans to remedy that.
I plan, if he succeeds in gutting SS & Medicare (my primary concern I'm 65). When I run out of my medications & can't get more because I can't afford them, when I lose my apartment because I can't afford the rent. When I can't afford going to the doctor. I & I hope, millions of seniors will spend their last dime going to Washington, set up a spot on the steps into the Capitol building, & stay there till I die. With a great big sign that says: Paul Ryan will shortly be my murderer. He personally set it up so that I can not get healthcare, medicines or Social Security. So, Paul Ryan is a murderer. If he sends the Capitol police out to move me, I will scream it until I lose my voice when released go back to the same spot. I will make sure the media knows I & others are there. We will NOT go quietly. We will NOT live under bridges, we won't let him destroy us, just because he hates us. Remember we are the Boomers. We have been protesting since, I think, before we were out of diapers. Now we are in them again, we are being murdered, we will make noise one last time! I hope it is a big one. Remembered & written in the Ryan family history as HIS downfall! Oh, those who have kids will just move into the master suites of their kids homes, let them pay all the bills, be responsible. Only fair. Join us.
I plan, if he succeeds in gutting SS & Medicare (my primary concern I'm 65). When I run out of my medications & can't get more because I can't afford them, when I lose my apartment because I can't afford the rent. When I can't afford going to the doctor. I & I hope, millions of seniors will spend their last dime going to Washington, set up a spot on the steps into the Capitol building, & stay there till I die. With a great big sign that says: Paul Ryan will shortly be my murderer. He personally set it up so that I can not get healthcare, medicines or Social Security. So, Paul Ryan is a murderer. If he sends the Capitol police out to move me, I will scream it until I lose my voice when released go back to the same spot. I will make sure the media knows I & others are there. We will NOT go quietly. We will NOT live under bridges, we won't let him destroy us, just because he hates us. Remember we are the Boomers. We have been protesting since, I think, before we were out of diapers. Now we are in them again, we are being murdered, we will make noise one last time! I hope it is a big one. Remembered & written in the Ryan family history as HIS downfall! Oh, those who have kids will just move into the master suites of their kids homes, let them pay all the bills, be responsible. Only fair. Join us.
I've just read the Ryan report on federal support for health care.
The Times' assessment of the report is charitable. This "plan" is worse half-baked, it's as full of holes as a piece of Swiss cheese.
Here's how the "plan" boils down:
-Expand tax credits for individual and family health savings accounts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the report ignores the problem of how to cover catastrophic costs if the amount in the health savings account isn't sufficient to pay medical bills. Also not addressed: the probability that lower-paid employees are less likely to establish accounts, especially if the program is structured so that set-asides reduce their paychecks. Third problem: human inertia. It's quite possible that many families will not set up accounts.
-Administer federal programs through state governments via per capita payments or block grants. The capitation formula appears designed to restrict funding, so a question arises as to the sufficiency of payments, especially during bad economic times.
-Provide innovation grants to states for designing approaches that cut costs/increase coverage. Not a bad idea, but doesn't address the basic question as to whether basic federal funding for health care is sufficient.
Representative Ryan, where's the beef?
The Times' assessment of the report is charitable. This "plan" is worse half-baked, it's as full of holes as a piece of Swiss cheese.
Here's how the "plan" boils down:
-Expand tax credits for individual and family health savings accounts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the report ignores the problem of how to cover catastrophic costs if the amount in the health savings account isn't sufficient to pay medical bills. Also not addressed: the probability that lower-paid employees are less likely to establish accounts, especially if the program is structured so that set-asides reduce their paychecks. Third problem: human inertia. It's quite possible that many families will not set up accounts.
-Administer federal programs through state governments via per capita payments or block grants. The capitation formula appears designed to restrict funding, so a question arises as to the sufficiency of payments, especially during bad economic times.
-Provide innovation grants to states for designing approaches that cut costs/increase coverage. Not a bad idea, but doesn't address the basic question as to whether basic federal funding for health care is sufficient.
Representative Ryan, where's the beef?
35
The whole point of block grants is that they can be set up and then forgotten. As populations grow, age, (become unhealthier due to the EPA's demise) the pot is spread thinner and thinner. But, the fed gov can wash its hands of it--they gave power over the grants back to the states--their problem. I hope the red states appreciate just exactly how they will be the primary guinea pigs--but maybe not. (Kansas).
Health savings accounts are to be combined with high deductible health insurance in the ACA so they are meant to cover out of pocket medical expenses.
You have to remember Ryan wants all who can't work at hard physical labor 12-15 hours a day, to die. He hates anyone who is worthless. To him anyone of any age who can not do hard physical labor is not worth "fixing". Many do not do hard labor, they push papers. Usually under unreasonable stress. I had a job once where I had to have my incoming bin empty, all the work in it done, by 5pm on the last Friday of the month. But, the people who generated my work had no deadline for it getting into my bin. I found it an impossibility. But, it was MY fault. Needless to say I didn't last long. Not even explaining I couldn't do work I had not received yet made any sense to them. This is how Ryan works. Make it impossible for people to do something. Health insurance should not be a choice between food or insurance. Ryan does not care. If you can't work for whatever reason, just go and die....quietly. Don't bother HIM. Well, we need to "bother" him. He needs to see the people he wants to consign to death. Often & up close. Little kids, working people, the elderly (one step older than seniors), seniors. WE MUST NOT GO QUIETLY, WE MUST RAISE A STINK & KEEP RAISING IT. We must roll, limp, be pushed, carried, to Washington. People permanently out of the workforce, others that with some treatment can rejoin the workforce, those who still work, but, with less ability, who could be helped back to full speed. We will not go back into the attic. That's where we used to be kept, out of sight.
Ryancare = Republican Greed.
71
Unintended consequences.
Study the eligibility rules for Medicaid in your state. There are built in economic incentives to not get or stay married.
Single parenthood? Often cited as the root cause for inner city problems.
Solution? Medicaid/Medicare for all....and allow anyone to purchase supplementary care of there own choosing.
Like they do in England......what's the big deal?
Jon
Study the eligibility rules for Medicaid in your state. There are built in economic incentives to not get or stay married.
Single parenthood? Often cited as the root cause for inner city problems.
Solution? Medicaid/Medicare for all....and allow anyone to purchase supplementary care of there own choosing.
Like they do in England......what's the big deal?
Jon
50
Study Medicare. See how it works. Go out & build your own system. Leave Medicare alone. There are 10's of millions of people who have been paying into that system all their working lives. Now because the Feds have been stealing from that & the SS trust funds, they say there isn't enough money. They should have to pay it all back, with interest set at the highest it's been since the started stealing. Compounded daily. Then there would be no problem But, they won't. They would rather kill us old folks off. They screamed "death panels" for the ADA. Guilty consciences maybe? They were planning this all along? I won't die easily. I will make sure that everyone knows who killed me. PAUL RYAN! WHY DO YOU HATE SENIORS & ELDERLY PEOPLE SO MUCH?
You Millennials better watch out. Better start saving a minimum of 85% of gross earnings. So that maybe you won't be caught in this sort of tacky trick. Of course it will mean a miserable, not a happy life. No movies, no eating out (not even McDonalds), no vacations (you'll take the money instead, & save it), no brand names, not in clothing, not in foods. Walmart and thrift stores will be your favorite shopping places. Till the thrift stores close, cause no one is giving away old but wearable clothes. Everyone will be in the same fix. He is trying to make the 99% live like it's the Great Depression. So the 1% can all be trillionaires. WHY?
You Millennials better watch out. Better start saving a minimum of 85% of gross earnings. So that maybe you won't be caught in this sort of tacky trick. Of course it will mean a miserable, not a happy life. No movies, no eating out (not even McDonalds), no vacations (you'll take the money instead, & save it), no brand names, not in clothing, not in foods. Walmart and thrift stores will be your favorite shopping places. Till the thrift stores close, cause no one is giving away old but wearable clothes. Everyone will be in the same fix. He is trying to make the 99% live like it's the Great Depression. So the 1% can all be trillionaires. WHY?
Republicans always have a better plan. Except when they don't..
23
I don't expect the NYT to opine positively about repeal efforts of the ACA but I do expect accurate positions on things that are easily verifiable. Health Savings Accounts combined with High Deductible Health Plans save money, in most cases a lot of money, and with no negative health outcomes for the overwhelming majority of participants in those plans.
On average, about 70% of participants in health insurance plans actually spend less than $1000 per year on health care services and that level of spending is relatively consistent for most people for most of their lives. The average health insurance plan have premiums of over $18,000. Switching to an HSA typically reduces premiums by over 30%. That's $5400 in savings. If all of those savings are instead put into an HSA and the participant spends the $1000 average, they are still left with $4400 in their HSA. That's only the first year. The savings typically continues for multiple years. Even if the participant has a serious illness or injury, the maximum out-of-pocket expense is rarely more than $10,000, an amount saved in less than 2.5 years under the HSA. While some will have this happen before they save the money, the evidence is clear that the vast majority will not. After 5 years on an HSA, more than 80% of plan participants have money in their HSA account. The fears of participants delaying needed care are also not supported by the evidence. HSAs are different, but for most Americans they are better.
On average, about 70% of participants in health insurance plans actually spend less than $1000 per year on health care services and that level of spending is relatively consistent for most people for most of their lives. The average health insurance plan have premiums of over $18,000. Switching to an HSA typically reduces premiums by over 30%. That's $5400 in savings. If all of those savings are instead put into an HSA and the participant spends the $1000 average, they are still left with $4400 in their HSA. That's only the first year. The savings typically continues for multiple years. Even if the participant has a serious illness or injury, the maximum out-of-pocket expense is rarely more than $10,000, an amount saved in less than 2.5 years under the HSA. While some will have this happen before they save the money, the evidence is clear that the vast majority will not. After 5 years on an HSA, more than 80% of plan participants have money in their HSA account. The fears of participants delaying needed care are also not supported by the evidence. HSAs are different, but for most Americans they are better.
29
Where can you get cancer treatment for $10000 per year?
9
The hard part of health care is not "most Americans", whose spending is actually not great, it is the smaller fraction who have serious chronic or acute problems and generate most of the expense. HSA's do not address this.
But the real problem overall is the gross inefficiency of the for-profit system. If the US is going to get costs down the obvious route is a centralized system such as single-payer. If every other advanced country can do it, why can't the US?
But the real problem overall is the gross inefficiency of the for-profit system. If the US is going to get costs down the obvious route is a centralized system such as single-payer. If every other advanced country can do it, why can't the US?
4
Could you cite a source for the fact that 70% of participants in high deductible plans spend less than $1000 a year on their health care? I can't imagine that being accurate. The number may be accurate for those who are in low deductible plan and who's coverage begins to pay expenses at an earlier point. In the high deductible model coverage doesn't kick in until the deductible has been met- on my current high deductible plan that amounts to $3,000 before the plan begins to pay. With a limit on how much a person can put in an HSA($6,750 for a family in 2016) your math, in terms of saving to cover future catastrophic costs, does not add up. The only thing my high deductible plan allows vs an HMO is more choice. The economics of it, which I looked at before making a decision, were essentially neutral.
3
Paul Ryan doesn't care about the American people, so long as he and his family keep their insurance. If it's good enough for him why isn't it good enough for the rest of us?
58
The only "death panel" is the House Republican Caucus. People will die so that Paul Ryan's boyhood dream of a Randian dystopia may finally come true.
89
Most people outgrow Rand at age 24. Wonder why Ryan never grew up?
I think his hatred of people comes from the fact his father died when he was 9, & we didn't have the decency to do the same.
And of course there is the complete irony Ayn Rand's having spent her final years on Medicare and Social Security.
Since the November election, my teenage children have gone from being optimistic and hopeful to, week-by-week, increasingly and more deeply disillusioned about our country, our society, and their future in it.
They've been asking us questions, such as:
"Why did a person who did things like talk about grabbing women by their pussies and cheat students out of their money, and who seems to lie all the time, get elected president?"
"Will my friends who are from other countries be forced to leave?"
"What are people who have jobs and work hard but still can't afford to go to the doctor or hospital supposed to do?"
"Why would anyone want to get rid of the laws that protect the environment and the water that everyone drinks?"
They raise questions like this almost daily. It's sad to see our kids so clearly losing their optimism and hope. And, we're only one month into Trump's presidency. I can't imagine how they'll be feeling in another year or two.
They've been asking us questions, such as:
"Why did a person who did things like talk about grabbing women by their pussies and cheat students out of their money, and who seems to lie all the time, get elected president?"
"Will my friends who are from other countries be forced to leave?"
"What are people who have jobs and work hard but still can't afford to go to the doctor or hospital supposed to do?"
"Why would anyone want to get rid of the laws that protect the environment and the water that everyone drinks?"
They raise questions like this almost daily. It's sad to see our kids so clearly losing their optimism and hope. And, we're only one month into Trump's presidency. I can't imagine how they'll be feeling in another year or two.
106
So glad I didn't have kids. I saw this coming when Reagan got elected.
1
The ongoing enablement of Trump and his slob entourage by this helpless nation makes me suspect I may get to die in the nuclear war that will kill technological civilization on Earth.
Answere in 3 words: fly over states.
Already about 30 cents on the dollar goes to overhead (execs, shareholders, vast bureaucracy to manage a byzantine array of policies and policy options). In countries with universal single payer, this is about 15 cents on the dollar (their OECD numbers are far better also).
Free market forces do not apply in this domain. Our current private for-profit system (which is immoral by the way) does not create a rational and efficient bureaucracy. Why on earth does anyone think private bureaucracies are superior to public ones. The evidence sure does not support this notion.
Ryan's voucher plan is just another slimy sneaking way to phase out medicare. Imagine octogenarians trying to wade through policies and policy options. People will die.
Free market forces do not apply in this domain. Our current private for-profit system (which is immoral by the way) does not create a rational and efficient bureaucracy. Why on earth does anyone think private bureaucracies are superior to public ones. The evidence sure does not support this notion.
Ryan's voucher plan is just another slimy sneaking way to phase out medicare. Imagine octogenarians trying to wade through policies and policy options. People will die.
73
I think you just answered your own question, because the private bureaucracy is taking an extra .15 cents on the dollar and is convincing the rest of us that this arrangement is in our benefit.
Actually you are way off. The overhead in other countries is much less. For example in Canada, it is a penny on the dollar.
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-faq
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-faq
I'm 65. My intention, if Ryan manages his unholy little war on the seniors, elderly, & infirm, is to, when I can't get my medications, can't afford my doctor visits, can't afford treatments, is to go to Washington, set myself up on the Capitol steps with a large sign about how I am dying, will sit here until I do, & that Ryan should be considered to be my murderer. Him personally. I hope others in the same predicament will show up. We can sing old protest songs. Learn any new ones that come along. Making sure the whole country knows that their elderly are sitting out, in any weather, just waiting to die, because of Ryan. I think the media would come. This generation of seniors know about causing scenes, trouble, & making politicians look bad. We've done it before. We are known as the Boomers. I consider it one last hurrah for our country. Cause what is done to us, will be worse when it's you. Look at what he has planned for the young & middle aged now. Will only get worse. When he leaves & is old, hopefully he will get the same treatment he dishes out now. Only FAIR!
Why anyone would think a Republican plan for healthcare would be anything but worse than the ACA is a mystery to me. Time and time again the GOP has pushed for policies which hurt many of the people who continually vote against their own interests by electing Republicans. Maybe the destruction of the ACA is what we need to get these people to wake up.
30
I am a 65 year old who has listened to Conservatives, Republicans complain and connive for decades against government support for workers and families in this country. It is now a certainty the Republican controlled Congress will set afire the remaining strands of the American social safety net.
The simple truth is the jackets who now occupy Congress cannot conceive the need for Federal intervention when state governments and the markets can't r won't devise a way to deliver necessary services to the citizenry.
Ryan and company have waited a long time, in their eyes, to drive a stake into the ACA. Next are all those bothersome programs that provide undeserving assistance to millions.
The fault lays at the feet of those voters who continue to return to Congress men and women who continuously legislate against the economic interests of worker and families.
It's time for a reality check, hopefully before the Republicans turn the US into a nation of paupers and beggars, prey for American oligarchs.
The simple truth is the jackets who now occupy Congress cannot conceive the need for Federal intervention when state governments and the markets can't r won't devise a way to deliver necessary services to the citizenry.
Ryan and company have waited a long time, in their eyes, to drive a stake into the ACA. Next are all those bothersome programs that provide undeserving assistance to millions.
The fault lays at the feet of those voters who continue to return to Congress men and women who continuously legislate against the economic interests of worker and families.
It's time for a reality check, hopefully before the Republicans turn the US into a nation of paupers and beggars, prey for American oligarchs.
55
The voters in Ryan's district are the only people who can give him the boot he so richly deserves.
Another Boomer! Does my 65 year old heart good to read you. If they manage it, come join us on the steps of the Capitol when your insurance is gone, your SS is gutted. One last great protest against those stupid repugs & the even stupider workers who vote them in, knowing they will strip evermore from the lower echelon of workers. Sometimes it seems like we are screaming in the wilderness. Sometimes I get tired. But, I know there are others worse off than me. So, I can't quit. Rolling instead of marching, stuck at home cause I can't get out, I am trying to be a gadfly in their ears, and a Voice in the Wilderness.
I can't ask you to join me as I do not know your situation. Just know this little old crippled lady got tears as she read your post. Not alone. So good to know.
I can't ask you to join me as I do not know your situation. Just know this little old crippled lady got tears as she read your post. Not alone. So good to know.
Since whatever plan is ultimately settled upon will need help obtaining funding, I would like to make a simple suggestion.
Whatever plan there is should come with an independent Auditig Department, tasked with investigating the propriety of those receiving benefits, with the ability to claw back those erroneously received, and perhaps subpoena power
We almost daily read of overcharging the government over a number of years, and all sort of cheats.
Let's have an Auditig Department solely assigned to the new health care law.
Bet it pays for itself.
Whatever plan there is should come with an independent Auditig Department, tasked with investigating the propriety of those receiving benefits, with the ability to claw back those erroneously received, and perhaps subpoena power
We almost daily read of overcharging the government over a number of years, and all sort of cheats.
Let's have an Auditig Department solely assigned to the new health care law.
Bet it pays for itself.
2
The bigger the cheat, the more likely they are to get elected to governorships in states like Florida.
If you mean auditing the companies, the hospitals, the doctors, fine. If you mean "auditing" the users of the program, deciding if they spend their money right (or take what they have spent back, steal from them actually, cause it is the businesses providing services that apply for and get the money), that is not right.
In his first inaugural address, Ronald Reagan, so often referenced and revered by many GOP supporters, spoke these words: "How can we love our country and not love our countrymen; and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they're sick, and provide opportunity to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?"
25
Ok Ragan screwed us with a smile, Drumpf does it with a scowl and a sneer. Ultimately tho, there is no difference.
The GOP cares about one thing and one thing only. Lowering the taxes of their wealthy supporters.
35
Having been in healthcare for over 35 years, I can safely say that what Paul Ryan knows about the subject would fit on the head of a pin...with room to spare.
67
The headline `you can pay more for less' does not apply ubiquitously. If you belong to the one percent, then you will pay far far less.
22
Sociopaths, everyone of them.
33
It's time for Americans to connect the dots about Republicans' Health Non-Care Plan. First, they would rather repeal and not replace, but they can not do that because it would be bad politics (for now). Second, their idea of replace therefore would be as close to repeal as they could politically withstand. Third, evidenced particularly by the proposed slashing of Medicaid, they have no interest in helping poor, elderly, or disabled people. Their view is that such people do not add to GDP and are merely cost centers. They would rather see them get less, poor, or no health care. It is Social Darwinism, health care prolongs life and the Republicans would rather those people die.
17
As one of those people I agree. Why do they (Ryan in particular) hate us so much. We are why this country is so wealthy (as a whole). We toiled, worked unpaid OT, used faulty equipment because companies hate spending money on repairs. We made them gazillions of dollars. Least they can do is just keep the promises made to this older generation. If they want to gut everything after that, well Millenials get ready. After us, they are after YOU.
1
Isn't it a funny old world when folks don't complain much about mandated car and home insurance, but raise hackles about insuring themselves and their children with a mandated health care policy.
49
With the literal implication of actually saving their lives one day...
A comprehensive public health plan would cover injuries from car accidents, which would lower the cost of car insurance.
Yes, It's so funny when I get quotes for my wife for $900 to $1400 per month with $5000 deductible.
Car insurance is necessary to insure yourself against uninsured illegal immigrants. You'd be a fool not to have it.
Car insurance is necessary to insure yourself against uninsured illegal immigrants. You'd be a fool not to have it.
Now that Hillary Clinton lost we can stop limiting our healthcare options under the guise of "Pragmatism" and move forward to a single payer , Medicare for All system.
It's a proven affordable approach to care that covers all citizens giving them security and dignity. It eliminates the profit seeking insurance company middle men , ideologically hostile governors and employers from the equation.
This is true freedom and independence and not the GOP canned variety. And if Democrats shake off their fealty to corporate donors and get with the program, it just may save the Party from obsolescence.
It's a proven affordable approach to care that covers all citizens giving them security and dignity. It eliminates the profit seeking insurance company middle men , ideologically hostile governors and employers from the equation.
This is true freedom and independence and not the GOP canned variety. And if Democrats shake off their fealty to corporate donors and get with the program, it just may save the Party from obsolescence.
28
Absolutely agree. But as we all know the Democrats are a bunch of spineless jellyfish who are so afraid of being called a name by the evil that is a Republican that they will cave at the very thought of harsh language. We are finished as a country unless a real FDR type Democrat rises up.
Please, Hilary won the popular vote. Now that the election was stolen.....
Boy do you want the repugs to EAT you? They would prefer no insurance unless you can pay a minimum of $25,000 a year for it. More if married, more still if you have kids.
Not the demipoots fault. We have a good start. Needs some tweaking, but, all new things do. But, instead of taking fine tools to work on the ADA, repugs want to take a million pound sledge hammer to it. Then stand back proudly, shaking each other's hands & saying, there, all fixed. Then limp off to their chiropractor for a few adjustments on us. (We pay for Their insurance & all the extras with it that come free). While we die. Slowly, painfully, without even the release of euthanasia if it gets too bad. That is anathema to them. We must stay & spend as long as possible. But, they won't help. They don't care. They better remember they work for US not the other way around.
Not the demipoots fault. We have a good start. Needs some tweaking, but, all new things do. But, instead of taking fine tools to work on the ADA, repugs want to take a million pound sledge hammer to it. Then stand back proudly, shaking each other's hands & saying, there, all fixed. Then limp off to their chiropractor for a few adjustments on us. (We pay for Their insurance & all the extras with it that come free). While we die. Slowly, painfully, without even the release of euthanasia if it gets too bad. That is anathema to them. We must stay & spend as long as possible. But, they won't help. They don't care. They better remember they work for US not the other way around.
Analysis of any Republican plan for anything starts from an incorrect premise: the idea that Republicans actually want to fix or "reform" anything at all.
If it increases profits or lowers taxation on the rich, by definition it works for them, no matter which "it" we're talking about. The assumption that they want to "fix" things for the rest of us is just so ludicrous that it's very frustrating to hear it repeated over and over again.
Follow the money. To Republicans "business" and the rich matter. The rest of us are just Soylent Green. From this perspective Ryan's plan "works." Just not for the vast majority of us.
Our current economic system of low wages and benefits, high corporate profits, demoralized workers, unfettered predatory capitalism and domination by a financial sector that produces absolutely nothing works -- for them. Why would they want to change it? It's Republican utopia.
If it increases profits or lowers taxation on the rich, by definition it works for them, no matter which "it" we're talking about. The assumption that they want to "fix" things for the rest of us is just so ludicrous that it's very frustrating to hear it repeated over and over again.
Follow the money. To Republicans "business" and the rich matter. The rest of us are just Soylent Green. From this perspective Ryan's plan "works." Just not for the vast majority of us.
Our current economic system of low wages and benefits, high corporate profits, demoralized workers, unfettered predatory capitalism and domination by a financial sector that produces absolutely nothing works -- for them. Why would they want to change it? It's Republican utopia.
22
When will you learn? The Republicans don't mean anything they say - EXCEPT that they want to lower taxes on the uber-wealthy, and stick it to everyone else.
The invent fake economics - "supply side" - to support their ideology; they invent fake euphemisms - "job creators" - to support their ideology; they invent fake science - "if it's snowing there can't be global warming" - to support their ideology.
They claim to be "deficit hawks," but deficits skyrocket when they are in power. They claim to abhor "crony capitalism" but they appoint Verizon's chief counsel to head the FCC. They claim to want to improve the quality of education, but repeal No Child Left Behind and replace it with Betsy DeVos.
They claim to want to root out all government evil, but turn a blind eye to Trump, yet hold endless show trials against Hillary Clinton, their political enemy. They claim to be policy "wonks," but all they do is provide us with Magic Asterisks.
It's time the media stop parroting what Republicans say and start reporting on what they do. It shouldn't be up to the op-ed page to point these truths out. Next time Chaffetz holds a show trial, how about saying, "House Republicans holding another show trial"?
It's what Edward R. Murrow would have done.
The invent fake economics - "supply side" - to support their ideology; they invent fake euphemisms - "job creators" - to support their ideology; they invent fake science - "if it's snowing there can't be global warming" - to support their ideology.
They claim to be "deficit hawks," but deficits skyrocket when they are in power. They claim to abhor "crony capitalism" but they appoint Verizon's chief counsel to head the FCC. They claim to want to improve the quality of education, but repeal No Child Left Behind and replace it with Betsy DeVos.
They claim to want to root out all government evil, but turn a blind eye to Trump, yet hold endless show trials against Hillary Clinton, their political enemy. They claim to be policy "wonks," but all they do is provide us with Magic Asterisks.
It's time the media stop parroting what Republicans say and start reporting on what they do. It shouldn't be up to the op-ed page to point these truths out. Next time Chaffetz holds a show trial, how about saying, "House Republicans holding another show trial"?
It's what Edward R. Murrow would have done.
48
Just call it Ryangenocide instead.
21
I'm going to try to do my dying (I'm 65) on the Capitol steps, to do a very repug thing. I want to make a loud statement about why I die. Because Ryan wants me and those like me dead. Not just all old people. But, I take it very personally (as everyone should), he wants ME dead. If I can't stop him & those like him, I want to make it as uncomfortable for him & those like hm as possible. Starting with a sign "I am a senior. Paul Ryan is murdering ME". Then protest songs, chanting, the news media.
He should remember that when he takes on SS and Medicare,he is taking the greatest protesting generation of all time. The Boomers! Lots of whom are veterans. They will lead all the citizens in the Citizens' Army when we go to Washington to take back our government. Then take back those state houses we need to.
We will fight. For our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. They have no honor.
He should remember that when he takes on SS and Medicare,he is taking the greatest protesting generation of all time. The Boomers! Lots of whom are veterans. They will lead all the citizens in the Citizens' Army when we go to Washington to take back our government. Then take back those state houses we need to.
We will fight. For our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. They have no honor.
1
The goal of the GOP is to cut back government involvement in everything and allow the free market, their rich buddies, to set the rules. I must agree that the ACA has its problems, the price is high if you pay the full price and the deductibles are very high. That said I have a hard time understanding why so many Americans seem to be against health care for everyone. Are these the people who get it from their job? Whats wrong with a system like Canada has? I am a DEM however I can see where some safety net programs are too generous, illegal immigration is out of control, in some cases there are far too many regulations however basic health care everyone can afford, come on GOP, the richest country in the world are we can't provide that?? shame on you!!
5
Health Savings Accounts can be tricky for people who work for small employers. The accounts have to be legally set up and pre-tax money put in. As a pastor of a small church, I tried to get them to start one. Since I was the only full time employee and a lawyer in the congregation (with information from the denomination's benefits managers) showed them their fiduciary responsibility in establishing and maintaining the account, they refused.
So, if health savings accounts are a big part of the GOP healthcare "plan," are the willing to set up government run plans for employees of small businesses? I'm betting that that is not in their plan. Will they require businesses to offer such savings plans? That doesn't sound like the GOP either...
So, if health savings accounts are a big part of the GOP healthcare "plan," are the willing to set up government run plans for employees of small businesses? I'm betting that that is not in their plan. Will they require businesses to offer such savings plans? That doesn't sound like the GOP either...
16
Donald and the Republicans can dismantle ACA and other social safety nets at their own peril. I'm not sure these people realize just how angry and fed-up with government screwing the little guy and lavishing monetary benefits to corporations and the wealthiest Americans. But, they are going to feel the anger and pressure by great numbers of people protesting. The respect given to those in Congress which they are accustomed to is gone as demonstrated by the various raucous town hall meetings in various districts across the nation. It's no longer business as usual for government politicians that ignore their constituents.
34
I hope you're right. The political lives of the Republicans in congress have to be threatened. And we have to hope that their survival instinct is stronger than their greed.
1
The wealthy stand to gain income from this slashing since they'll no longer be contributing to the ACA (or contributing as much).
As per usual, Republicans impose a hidden tax on the the rest of us while the uber-wealthy get a tax cut.
As per usual, Republicans impose a hidden tax on the the rest of us while the uber-wealthy get a tax cut.
26
And less is spent on the people who need it the most, while the Republicans in Congress get their political health savings accounts funded by the healthcare industry.
1
The most advanced countries have single-payer healthcare.
Illness is a human issue and treatment should be guaranteed to all.
The US failure to provide equal healthcare to all its citizens is a black stain on its character.
Illness is a human issue and treatment should be guaranteed to all.
The US failure to provide equal healthcare to all its citizens is a black stain on its character.
39
The ER will be the place people will end up. There will be no access to primary care except for the rich and politicians. This will be a blue smoke and mirror plan. Also it probably will not address the shortage of primary care providers. Doctors do no not want to do primary care any more. Preventative medicine is the key, not ending up in the ER when you are a mess. Fix the ACA. Everyone needs to pay something for their care.
9
Isn't it the poorest who lack jobs? The Ryan plan is clearly designed to address both unemployment and healthcare at one fell swoop - by raising the mortality of the poor.
42
republican death panels, plain and simple...death by a thousand cuts.
4
Under the ACA, the young subsidize the old, the healthy subsidize the sick, and the fortunate subsidize the unfortunate.
Ryancare weakens all of these subsidies, so that the young, healthy and fortunate can pay less. But what happens when the young, healthy and fortunate age, get sick, or lose their jobs?
Ryancare is healthcare for the healthy.
Ryancare weakens all of these subsidies, so that the young, healthy and fortunate can pay less. But what happens when the young, healthy and fortunate age, get sick, or lose their jobs?
Ryancare is healthcare for the healthy.
31
On the other hand, it's so unfair for the young and healthy to subsidize the rest of us.
It's not like they ever are in traumatic car crashes or other accidents, have a sick baby, job hop, or are diagnosed with a chronic illness. Why do they need insurance?
It's not like they ever are in traumatic car crashes or other accidents, have a sick baby, job hop, or are diagnosed with a chronic illness. Why do they need insurance?
2
Healthcare for the Wealthy, i think you meant to say...
Under the ACA - young are supposed to subsidize the old, the healthy are supposed to subsidize the sick and the fortunate are supposed to subsidize the unfortunate. Guess what - it hasn't worked!! Not only has it not worked, but lower to middle income Americans who can't afford insurance under the ACA have to pay a penalty.
Isn't there a direct relationship between the healthcare issue and interest rates? It is certainly true that more people buying into the system, either with their own money or government subsidies, puts more capital is in the pool with which to provide healthcare. Yet, health insurance companies make the bulk of their profits by investing that money pool in other things, as AIG did in the housing market. The current low interest rates are a negative incentive to participating in the process at all.
Actuarially speaking, with healthcare costs so high and so many people unable to participate on their own, there may not be sufficient profit motive in a healthcare plan that is mandated by the government, yet driven by commercial interests. There simply aren't enough new participants buying in at the bottom of the pyramid to support the more expensive, older participants cashing out at the top, not without all the secondary investing that used to be done with the pool of capital collected by private insurance companies.
Unless demographics revert to post WWII baby boom levels, this won't change. Any healthcare system will need to be driven by a public commitment to healthcare as a part of our national infrastructure - instead of by the investment industry masquerading as national healthcare.
Actuarially speaking, with healthcare costs so high and so many people unable to participate on their own, there may not be sufficient profit motive in a healthcare plan that is mandated by the government, yet driven by commercial interests. There simply aren't enough new participants buying in at the bottom of the pyramid to support the more expensive, older participants cashing out at the top, not without all the secondary investing that used to be done with the pool of capital collected by private insurance companies.
Unless demographics revert to post WWII baby boom levels, this won't change. Any healthcare system will need to be driven by a public commitment to healthcare as a part of our national infrastructure - instead of by the investment industry masquerading as national healthcare.
163
Secondary investing is a smokescreen. It is meaningful for life insurance, but nearly insignificant for health insurance, in which most payouts occur within the year in which the corresponding premium is paid.
Exactly. Take profit out of the equation.
I see the difference. Still, when you are dealing is a whole population's pooled premiums, doesn't that add up to pretty large amounts of investment capital - even if short term? What other reason does the health insurance industry have to be involved at all in such an obviously losing business model? ...pharmaceuticals?
The Affordable Care Act is not "affordable" for too many families. I am self-employed small business owner who works 60 hours per week. My family does not qualify for subsidies. Last year my family of three (2 adults and a 9 year old) spent $18,000.00+ on premiums and deductibles without dental care! We avoided necessary services because of cost.
At the same time, my sole employee (a single mother of 3) received full coverage for herself for roughly $40.00/month (HIP) and free Medicaid coverage for her 3 children (Hoosier HealthWise). The father of her two youngest children is a personal injury attorney! The father of her oldest child has free insurance coverage for that child from his employer but there is no out-of-pocket for the child because she, too, qualifies for Medicaid as a member of her mother's household. So essentially, my employee and her 3 children have better coverage than my family with absolutely no out-of pocket costs for less than $480.00 per year. This is lunacy.
The ACA is bankrupting my family. It is deeply flawed. It needs to be fixed.
At the same time, my sole employee (a single mother of 3) received full coverage for herself for roughly $40.00/month (HIP) and free Medicaid coverage for her 3 children (Hoosier HealthWise). The father of her two youngest children is a personal injury attorney! The father of her oldest child has free insurance coverage for that child from his employer but there is no out-of-pocket for the child because she, too, qualifies for Medicaid as a member of her mother's household. So essentially, my employee and her 3 children have better coverage than my family with absolutely no out-of pocket costs for less than $480.00 per year. This is lunacy.
The ACA is bankrupting my family. It is deeply flawed. It needs to be fixed.
8
It seems you are clearly seen the benefits of the public option in the healthcare system, a part that was stripped off the law negatively conditioning the affordable care act
4
absolute nonsense, your story does not add up, especially the part about missing essential healthcare and the total cost, sorry i do not believe it.
9
Tula, 1 healthcare and other policies should be based on data, not anecdotes. 2 calling bunko on your whole story as made up idealogical, illogical stupidity, completely lacking credibility and logic.
Ryan is a fraud, a little Ayn Rand fan with no ideas of his own. That is also true of most Republicans. They have degenerated into a party whose only wish is to slash taxes on the wealthy and destroy the notion that government can do anything. They kept lying to the American people about "job killing" Obamacare and many in the public bought it. The biggest liar of all on that score was--SURPRISE--Trump himself. Obamacare was a "disaster" and he would bring on something "so much better". Why anyone votes for that party is beyond me--they drum up support by keeping their base focused on race, immigration and "bad hombres". The kind of lying they have engaged in is literally life threatening.
26
Ryan is also a follower of Kansas governor brownback and look how well brownback' plans for Kansas have turned out. Little taxes on the rich, little revenue, and fewer services for those who need the help.
2
Well, what did we expect of a shameless government by plutocracy? We are invited to go back to the system in which insiurers rule and the average family would be given, say, $500 and a kitten to offset premiums that are likely to go through the roof. Most families are having trouble buying groceries and medicine, and Ryancare will invite them to sock away the $25 a monthy they might, just might, find to puit into an HSA by foregoing one or the other. Hospital emergency rooms, that under current federal law cannot turn people away, will again become the doctors of choice for millions, financed by you know who.
It is sad to say, but this laissez faire, let-them-eat-cake attitude about basic wellness for the majority of our population is merely a symptom of the abandonment of democracy with which we will be living for the next two, four, or even eight years. As Garrison Keillor put it once, it may be time to just focus on growing good tomatoes.
It is sad to say, but this laissez faire, let-them-eat-cake attitude about basic wellness for the majority of our population is merely a symptom of the abandonment of democracy with which we will be living for the next two, four, or even eight years. As Garrison Keillor put it once, it may be time to just focus on growing good tomatoes.
17
We need a healthcare system that treats everyone equally. I want to see Congressional, federal, state, municipal, private employees and even military personnel receive the same health benefits under one umbrella, instead of separate coverage, doctors, hospitals and benefits. Retirement health benefits must also be looked at, since I am paying for lifetime health insurance for the spouses of all of the above while I will barely be able to afford an adequate Medicare plan.
290
Agreed. The ObamaCare plan was for employers of low income workers to dump them into the exchanges. As the costs rose because of the design of ObamaCare, the threshold of income would rise as employers worked their way up the income levels in dumping employees. In ten years, the only people who still had employer provided health insurance would be highly paid employees in the private sector and civil servants.
Ryan's plan may play well within the echo chamber of the GOP, but it ain't doing so well on the road.
When Republican Congressman Reed of NY touted health savings accounts at a town hall meeting, some in the crowd asked, “How can the poor get savings accounts?”
Reed's answer was to "grow the economy" so that more people can afford to have health savings accounts.
That's akin to the Herbert Hoover promise of "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." We all know how that went. Reed got booed.
Poor Reed didn't fare any better when he said, “I do not support taxpayer-funded paying of abortion.” Someone in the audience chastised him for passing misinformation and corrected him. Apparently, Reed was unaware of the Hyde Amendment which prohibits the use of public funds to pay for abortions.
Reed also mentioned tax credits for health insurance and got booed again.
Republicans' answer to most problems involve something to do with taxes. Sort of like, "If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
The Reed town hall meeting proved that people don't want to get hit with a tax solution for every problem.
When Republican Congressman Reed of NY touted health savings accounts at a town hall meeting, some in the crowd asked, “How can the poor get savings accounts?”
Reed's answer was to "grow the economy" so that more people can afford to have health savings accounts.
That's akin to the Herbert Hoover promise of "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." We all know how that went. Reed got booed.
Poor Reed didn't fare any better when he said, “I do not support taxpayer-funded paying of abortion.” Someone in the audience chastised him for passing misinformation and corrected him. Apparently, Reed was unaware of the Hyde Amendment which prohibits the use of public funds to pay for abortions.
Reed also mentioned tax credits for health insurance and got booed again.
Republicans' answer to most problems involve something to do with taxes. Sort of like, "If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
The Reed town hall meeting proved that people don't want to get hit with a tax solution for every problem.
35
Paul Ryan has been desperate to get his Republican hands on social service programs for years, trotting out the same tired proposals that clearly will not work. He is nothing but an alt right ideologue dressed in a business suit.
9
It wouldn't surprise me if the Republicans proposed (and supported) prayer services for the very sick or disabled poor or middle class families as their health care alternative. Don't the Trump supporters know that their politicians get golden health care plans!? Doesn't that bother them in view of the fact that these same politicians want to scale back on health care for their constituents? You don't need a college or even a high school diploma to understand that, do you?
16
"You can pay more for less." Obamacare already did that. Has the New York Times editorial board written about that?
6
Do you know what the ACA covers? Do you know the difference between coverage prior to the ACA and now? Do you know what benefits you'll lose when the ACA is repealed? Please learn about these benefits before your congressperson eliminates your coverage and tries to blame the Democrats.
Someone should ask Ryan why does he have a problem helping his fellow Americans? The ones that need help.
24
The ones that need help are not his fellow Americans. Real Americans make large donations to his campaigns. Silly you.
Medicaid is a nationwide insurance program. If it is converted to a block grant it becomes a wealth transfer from states that provide higher federal tax revenue those states that are poorer. Why bother keeping Medicaid at all?
In Paul Ryan's world, Medicaid less of an insurance system and more of a welfare program. Why should the citizens of wealthy states help subsidize healthcare for the citizens of other states?
The Republicans have had seven years to develop an effective alternative to the Affordable Care Act. The reason they have not is simple. Republicans do not believe it is the role of the federal government to make healthcare function effectively.
In Paul Ryan's world, Medicaid less of an insurance system and more of a welfare program. Why should the citizens of wealthy states help subsidize healthcare for the citizens of other states?
The Republicans have had seven years to develop an effective alternative to the Affordable Care Act. The reason they have not is simple. Republicans do not believe it is the role of the federal government to make healthcare function effectively.
10
Um, medicaid is a welfare program - if provides healthcare to the poor at no cost to the recipient.
We had -maybe still have- a "high risk pool" in Wyoming. Several Hundred dollars a month for a maximum lifetime benefit of....Trumpets please!...fifty thousand dollars....
7
I'll be fine with any plan the GOP comes up with, provided it is the same plan that their employer, THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER, provides "free" to them and their families. That works for me.
72
I think you are onto a very good idea here. Adding those employees to the exchange pools may go a long way to bring in younger and healthier people that the insurance companies say are missing.
2
Actually, all congresspeople and their staff have to BUY the health insurance on the exchange.
It ain't free.
It ain't free.
That would be Obamacare, supplemented by the federal subsidy provided to all federal employees. Under the ACA, members of Congress and their senior staff members are required to obtain their health insurance through the exchanges. Previously they were covered under the FEHP (Federal Employees Health Insurance Plan).
Yeah right, Americans living from paycheck to paycheck are supposed to also have a health savings account? Just like they're supposed to be saving for retirement? Just like they're supposed to be saving for their child's college education? Ryancare cares for fat cats.
42
what you don't seem to understand is these Americans you are talking about can't afford insurance under the ACA. I work at a free medical clinic and lower to middle income Americans cannot afford the rates b/c they don't qualify for subsidies. They are the main folks we serve now!! If you are living paycheck to paycheck, there is no health insurance out there for you. And still, you have to pay the government a penalty. It's not right. Maybe Ryan's plan isn't "it" but something needs to change!
The Ryan plan shifts premium costs to families. Who should pay your families' premium? Me?
3
You need an education on how insurance works. All insurance works the same way. The larger the number of people who pay premiums, the lower the cost is to everyone. Large numbers of covered people spread the risk of those who use their coverage more than others. We all pay for everyone else who has coverage. If you need to use your insurance, you're getting money from other people's premiums.
1
Wimp From Wisconsin: An Ode to Paul Ryan
I consider Ayn Rand as my personal guru
I’ll let you keep your health care through some kind of voodoo
I’m a policy guy . . . when there are values at stake
A core belief’s a risky thing, a risk I won’t take
I’ll have to sit and wait to see the way the winds politically blow
You can call me the Wimp, the Wimp from Wisconsin
There’s a scary Tweetie-Fingers I don’t want in any way to annoy
You can call me a wimp, I market-test my responses.
I’m the Speaker of the House but I’m really just a scared little boy.
You can call me the Wimp, the Wimp from Wisconsin
There’s a scary Tweetie-Fingers I don’t want in any way to annoy
You can call me a wimp, I market-test my responses.
When the Trump tells me to jump, there’s a rubber stamp I gotta employ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8N8pHr2qk
I consider Ayn Rand as my personal guru
I’ll let you keep your health care through some kind of voodoo
I’m a policy guy . . . when there are values at stake
A core belief’s a risky thing, a risk I won’t take
I’ll have to sit and wait to see the way the winds politically blow
You can call me the Wimp, the Wimp from Wisconsin
There’s a scary Tweetie-Fingers I don’t want in any way to annoy
You can call me a wimp, I market-test my responses.
I’m the Speaker of the House but I’m really just a scared little boy.
You can call me the Wimp, the Wimp from Wisconsin
There’s a scary Tweetie-Fingers I don’t want in any way to annoy
You can call me a wimp, I market-test my responses.
When the Trump tells me to jump, there’s a rubber stamp I gotta employ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI8N8pHr2qk
6
1) All annual salaries for Senators & representatives to be reduced to $45K--the median income of most Americans. More than half of Congress is made up of multi-millionaires & billionaires---hardly representative of their constituents.
2) All reps & senators will pay for their own health care premiums & can put part of their income in a health savings account
3)All Reps & Senators will no longer receive lifetime pensions or lifetime health care, thereby saving the American taxpayer enormous sums
And furthermore...
4)All Reps & Senators will cut that financial umbilical cord to lobbying firms--both before being elected & after leaving Congress. No more revolving doors on pain of imprisonment.
5) All Reps & Senators will no longer have access to perks: private plane rides,dining, vacations, & other bribes from lobbyists, businesses, corporations, religious organizations, or well-grea$ed think tank$. No more extra perks, such as gym or other membership privileges.
6) All Reps & Senators will divest themselves of their Stock portfolios (& those of their immediate family members).