OBAMA/TRUMPCARE MEGATHREAD

[Cknolls]

I have a question. With the high cost of health care, what happens if you are diagnosed with a terminal disease and you have no insurance and no money? Does the medical system have the right to kill you? Refuse to provide you meds and treatment? Isn't that involuntary manslaughter?

 

Secondly ... if you have a terminal disease, no insurance and no savings, can you deny treatment to avoid going into debt for your survivors? In effect you'd be killing yourself and I thought suicide was illegal. Hmmm...

 

 

Go to California. Jerry Brown will let you kill yourself with the help of a Dr. AND they won't even call it suicide..Win Win!

[Jerksticks]

My premiums have increased almost 50% in the last five years. Nothing to do with Obamacare I'm sure. I do not give a flying f*** what your Kaiser stats say. The law passed in 2009. Companies started planning for the abomination. They didn't wait four to five years to plan. I don't have to prove anything to you. I am living it right now and it's because of the ass clown you libs elected.

Mine have gone through the roof as well. Interestingly enough the ACA has created quite the catch 22. No longer do people have to have full time jobs to get insurance. So laziness is more encouraged. But also, many companies, mainly the huge corps where the poorest people work, split up everyone's time and higher more worker's so that nobody works close to full-time. If you're poor and working at Walmart, McDs etc, you basically can't get a full-time salary. Less money. But the unemployment stats don't tell you that the poor are sufferibg more than ever. Economy is growing!

[southsider2k5]

My company is seeing their rates for our insurance plans go up 8% this year, but they are not passing along the costs to us.

[StrangeSox]

Surprise win last night for the Tea Party Republican who campaigned on eliminating Kynect and rolling back the Kentucky Medicaid expansion:

 

Conservative businessman Matt Bevin won the Kentucky gubernatorial race on Tuesday night, handing the Republican Party its 31st governorship in a state that has elected Democrats to that office all but once since the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson.

 

. . .

 

 

In polls, Kentucky voters rejected Obamacare at roughly the rate they rejected the president, 2-1. But they were fond of KYnect, which Beshear created by executive order, bypassing a gridlocked Kentucky legislature. Month by month, Kentuckians took advantage of the state's Medicaid expansion or the plans offered on the exchange, and the state's uninsured rate plummeted from 20.4 percent to 9 percent. Beshear predicted that "the Democratic nominee will make this a major issue and will pound the Republicans into the dust with it.”

But the opposite happened. Bevin campaigned on shutting down KYnect and transferring those on it to the federal exchange, as well as reversing the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The impact on health care in the Bluegrass State would be significant if both programs are reversed. About 400,000 Kentuckians qualified under the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, according to the Huffington Post, and another 100,000 received health insurance through KYnect.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archiv...e-bevin/414055/

 

Turnout for the race was around 25%.

[cabiness42]

Surprise win last night for the Tea Party Republican who campaigned on eliminating Kynect and rolling back the Kentucky Medicaid expansion:

 

 

But the opposite happened. Bevin campaigned on shutting down KYnect and transferring those on it to the federal exchange, as well as reversing the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The impact on health care in the Bluegrass State would be significant if both programs are reversed. About 400,000 Kentuckians qualified under the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, according to the Huffington Post, and another 100,000 received health insurance through KYnect.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archiv...e-bevin/414055/

 

Turnout for the race was around 25%.

 

I was subjected to the endless commercials. Bevin is a slimeball. I thought after McConnell blew him away in the Senate primary last year that he had no chance to win anything.

[StrangeSox]

I'll just point to that incredibly low turnout number again. When so few people bother to vote, the "true believers" get to control the elections.

 

It'll be pretty terrible for half a million Kentuckians if Bevin goes through with his promise to destroy programs that a majority of Kentuckians support and which have cut the uninsured rate in the state by half.

[southsider2k5]

I'll just point to that incredibly low turnout number again. When so few people bother to vote, the "true believers" get to control the elections.

 

It'll be pretty terrible for half a million Kentuckians if Bevin goes through with his promise to destroy programs that a majority of Kentuckians support and which have cut the uninsured rate in the state by half.

 

Our municipal election saw an 18% turnout.

[Cknolls]

Can i ask what happens to everyone on a PPO PLus plan now, who, due to Cadillac tax, will no longer have that plan available to them, and will no longer have their hospitals and doctors anymore?

[cabiness42]

I'll just point to that incredibly low turnout number again. When so few people bother to vote, the "true believers" get to control the elections.

 

It'll be pretty terrible for half a million Kentuckians if Bevin goes through with his promise to destroy programs that a majority of Kentuckians support and which have cut the uninsured rate in the state by half.

 

I think that's why it's bad to elect Governors in odd years.

[Harry Chappas]

Can i ask what happens to everyone on a PPO PLus plan now, who, due to Cadillac tax, will no longer have that plan available to them, and will no longer have their hospitals and doctors anymore?

 

I'll let you know as we are heading that way.

 

$250,000 fine

 

Our health plan is collectively bargained and by forcing the union to give up their Cadillac plan, the cost will come from somewhere.

 

Also our rates have gone up an average of 8% a year for the last six years.

 

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Our municipal election saw an 18% turnout.

That drives me insane. With turnout that low, you are A) giving your vote to someone else, and B) allowing the issue-specific crusaders to control outcomes. None of that is good.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I'll let you know as we are heading that way.

 

$250,000 fine

 

Our health plan is collectively bargained and by forcing the union to give up their Cadillac plan, the cost will come from somewhere.

 

Also our rates have gone up an average of 8% a year for the last six years.

Rates continue to increase, though the actual numbers I've seen indicate at a slightly lesser pace of acceleration. Still above inflation though, and that is a major problem.

 

Obamacare won't add to the overall increased rates issue, but it doesn't fix it either. As others have pointed out, PPACA mostly ignored the provider side of the problem.

 

Health care is one of the few areas where I just don't know that for-profit entities are the best way to go. Their interests simply run counter to the needs of consumers in too many ways, and the bar for entry of competitors is too high for practical competition.

 

[bmags]

Health care is one of the few areas where I just don't know that for-profit entities are the best way to go. Their interests simply run counter to the needs of consumers in too many ways, and the bar for entry of competitors is too high for practical competition.

 

I don't know if this is it as much as it doesn't feature a rational consumer due to the stakes involved.

[NorthSideSox72]

I don't know if this is it as much as it doesn't feature a rational consumer due to the stakes involved.

Well that's a model problem - there is no consumer choice, in reality. Costs are an absolute roll of the dice going in. That, plus what I mentioned, means consumer-driven change is basically impossible, rendering the positives of a capitalist market zero.

 

[StrangeSox]

Kenneth arrow won a Nobel for his work on Healthcare economics showing that it doesn't function like a normal market and fundamentally can't.

 

Eta agree on your first two points though, obamacare is helping to bend the cost curve downward, but it's still growing too quickly.

Edited November 4, 2015 by StrangeSox

[southsider2k5]

Well that's a model problem - there is no consumer choice, in reality. Costs are an absolute roll of the dice going in. That, plus what I mentioned, means consumer-driven change is basically impossible, rendering the positives of a capitalist market zero.

 

I'll bet a large part of it is local monopoly's on care in many areas of the country.

[Iwritecode]

Just got an email from the boss. Premiums and coverage will remain the same.

 

I've only been here one year but apparently this is the 5th year in a row they haven't changed. It's under $130 per pay period for medical, dental and vision.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Iwritecode

[StrangeSox]

[StrangeSox]

New Kentucky tea party governor will follow through on his promise to dismantle the Kentucky exchange.

https://politicalwire.com/2016/01/12/bevin-...acare-exchange/

[StrangeSox]

For comparison, the new Democrat governor of Louisiana will be expanding Medicaid in that state.

http://news.yahoo.com/louisiana-governor-p...--business.html

[StrangeSox]

Some not so great news for the exchanges:

 

Aetna Backs Off Plans to Expand Its ACA Business

Health insurer’s moves underscore concerns about stability of insurance marketplaces

[StrangeSox]

The EpiPen, a Case Study in Health Care System Dysfunction

 

Three times in the last two weeks, people — a patient, a colleague and my wife — told me stories about how out of control the price of EpiPens were. Monday, my New York Times colleagues recounted in detail how expensive the devices have become in recent years. All tell the tale of how much even basic health care can cost in the United States.

 

But by digging a bit further, the story of EpiPens can also explain so much of what’s wrong with our health care system.

 

The EpiPen isn’t new; it has been in use since 1977. Research and development costs were recouped long ago. Nine years ago, it was bought by the pharmaceutical company Mylan, which then began to sell the device. When Mylan bought it, EpiPens cost about $57 each.

 

Few competitors existed, and for various reasons, that has remained the case. The device actually worked and saved lives. People needed it. Mylan raised the price. It also began to raise awareness.

 

Unfortunately, epinephrine is inherently unstable. Research shows that it degrades pretty quickly over time, and it’s recommended that EpiPens be replaced every year. When my friends ask me if they can take an expired over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, I shrug and nod. If they don’t get a full dose, it’s usually not a big deal. But epinephrine is no joke. People in anaphylaxis need a full dose every time. They therefore need to replace all their EpiPens every year, again and again

 

Kids need them in many places. They need them at home. They need them at school. They need them at camp. They may even want to stash one at Grandma’s house. So people often need to buy quite a few.

 

More revenue for Mylan. And it raised the price.

 

Then in 2010, federal guidelines changed to recommend that two EpiPens be sold in a package instead of one. Studies showed that about 10 percent of children who received epinephrine from an EpiPen needed more than one dose. Better to be safe than sorry.[...]Mylan stopped selling individual EpiPens and began to sell only twin-packs.

 

It also raised the price.

 

In 2013, the government went further. It passed a law that gave funding preferences for asthma treatment grants to states that maintained an emergency supply of EpiPens. As the near sole supplier of the devices, Mylan stood to make even more money.

 

That year, Mylan raised the price again.

 

These setbacks, all in the last year, have once again left Mylan with a veritable run of the market. It raised the price of EpiPens again. As of this May, they cost more than $600 a pack. Since 2004, after adjusting for inflation, the price of EpiPens has risen more than 450 percent.

 

But those are unsatisfactory arguments. Epinephrine isn’t an elective medication. It doesn’t last, so people need to purchase the drug repeatedly. There’s little competition, but there are huge hurdles to enter the market, so a company can raise the price again and again with little pushback. The government encourages the product’s use, but makes no effort to control its cost. Insurance coverage shields some from the expense, allowing higher prices, but leaves those most at-risk most exposed to extreme out-of-pocket outlays. The poor are the most likely to consider going without because they can’t afford it.

 

EpiPens are a perfect example of a health care nightmare. They’re also just a typical example of the dysfunction of the American health care system.

Edited August 24, 2016 by StrangeSox

[Jenksismyhero]

Yeah that's pretty f***ed up. I wonder, after taking into account insurance adjustments, how much those pens really cost. The stated price and the real price are often dramatically different.

[StrangeSox]

Sure, but as he points out, that still leaves the people that can least afford to pay the sticker price and who are also the least likely to have insurance/good insurance in a bind.

 

The EpiPen is a high-profile case, but this is the same garbage that that Martin Shkrelli was pulling and that happens all the time under the radar. Something similar happened a couple of years ago when albuterol inhalers had to change their propellants--all of a sudden, a couple of drug companies were able to re-patent the medication and jack prices through the roof as generics were forced out of the market.

[Balta1701]

Want to read the exact same story about insulin?