Rick Weiland appears to be ready to make Medicare E—Medicare for Everyone—a centerpiece of his campaign for U.S. Senate. David Montgomery puts Weiland's advocacy for the McGovern proposal to allow anyone to sign up for Medicare, regardless of age, front and center in the Sunday paper:
“Medicare ought to be given the opportunity to compete by giving people (of all ages) an option ... about whether or not they want to enroll in Medicare or private health insurance,” Weiland said.
Weiland said that if elected, he’ll bring a bill to add a Medicare option into law. The idea is driven in part by his former role as South Dakota’s state director of AARP and a sense that Medicare is a program South Dakotans like and trust.
“People understand Medicare,” Weiland said. “It works, it’s efficient, and all this other stuff that they’re having now to focus on is extremely complicated and they don’t understand it” [David Montgomery, "Weiland Proposes Medicare Option for Health Care Reform," that Sioux Falls paper, 2013.11.17].
Republicans are running scared, because they know they will lose an argument about government-run health insurance if Democrats ground that argument in the efficiency and reliability of the government-run health insurance that senior citizens know and trust. They shout that a Medicare public option would kick millions off their current insurance, but that's a flat lie: changing one line in the law, lowering or eliminating the Medicare eligibility age, doesn't outlaw any private insurance plan. The only way Medicare E takes away anyone's insurance is the same way entrepreneurs take away business: by winning straight-up marketplace competition with better products at better prices. Medicare is so good that millions of Americans would choose that coverage, and private insurers would have to scramble to reduce their higher overhead to compete.
Thankfully, Douglas Wiken is around to talk some sense. He catches Howard Dean on the Sunday news and offers this riposte to the naysayers of government-run health insurance:
This morning on ABC, Howard Dean made the case for "Medicare for All". He correctly pointed out the problems with "Obamacare" result from Republican insistence that private insurance companies be injected into the mix at the well-panned Obamacare website. The complexity involved and the problems are a product of GOP pandering to the very rich medical and medical insurance industries. Howard Dean also noted he turned 65 and spent all of 10 minutes online getting signed up for Medicare [Douglas Wiken, "Weiland Makes Sense, Conservatives Go Nuttier," Dakota Today, 2013.11.17].
You want to really reform health care? You want to reduce the complexity and wait times on the current health insurance exchanges? Let Medicare compete. Allow all Americans to choose the best health insurance they can find... and accept the fact that a lot of them would choose the insurance that works best for their elders.
And sell them all AARP supplemental policies? You lost me as soon as you said AARP. Besides, the reality we need to face is we're broke. We have already spent 15 Trillion over the last 50 years or so on 80 (Eighty!) "poverty" programs and succeeded in creating a permanent underclass of nearly 50 million people. Everybody on Medicare? Sure, but how are we going to pay for it? Cut food stamps some more? Close the Dept. of Education? (Hey, that's not a bad idea...).
And here's another way to improve healthcare. Democrats seem to come up with the ideas.
How many have the Republicans come up with? Zero.
They are the party of no and of "How can we make Obama look bad?"
Only the ignorant have anything to fear from AARP or from Medicare for all. Medicare for all certainly does not mean that it is for free. Nope, just like Medicare presently, it is not free and the policy holder pays for this so called "entitlement" each and every month. The playing field is even though and the recipients are very happy with their coverage. Why not give us all the same opportunities? Aren't we all equals in this great American dream? Weiland is correct as is Howard Dean and the vast majority of Americans. Simple stuff and easy to put into play.
Now hear this, Cranky: We are not broke! And no matter how many times you parrot it, it still is not true.
It is always amusing that when there is a healthcare plan being promoted that will benefit all Americans, critics included, the first words out of the mouths of Republicans is "we can not afford it", followed by citing the national debt, they aren't talking too much about the falling deficit.
The question remains, why don't Republicans want all Americans to be healthy? Is it really about money or is their intent more sinister?
By Jove, I just might vote for this guy.
As Senator Thune said last week, we are spending 16% of our GDP on healthcare and it is unsustainable. Have you asked yourself why we are spending that much when 15 years ago we were spending less that 10%? That is not a 6% increase, it is more than 60% increase. Have you looked at the Avera campus at McKennan and its related increase in size in the past 20 years? How about Sanford and their related increase in size? Have you noticed that both have added clinics, that are as numerous as gas stations were back in the 1960s? If you go to any of the large insurance centers in our area, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, have you noticed how large their campuses have gotten? And that is just the ones in our area. When you add all of these things together and then realize that we as a country are less healthy than we were 20 years ago and that we have a larger percentage, (between 15 and 20%) of our citizens who are not covered by insurance for their healthcare, Senator Thune is correct, it is unsustainable, but Dr Weiland is even more correct, we need to do something drastic as Medicare E or better yet, pass Universal Single Payer Healthcare. It works for the rest of democratic societies on the planet and they are happy with it, so why not here?
Ah, yessss...and there's the scam: all the years that healthcare has been increasing in price, it has been tampered with by the Gubermint. These people have no bottom line, no incentive to not spend more than they take in. The UK has this kind of system and its "wonderful'-except its not. The money all disappears into the six figure salaries of the administrators and their office furniture and their computers and toadies, lackies and minions, while cancer patients are told they can't have medication as it is "too expensive". Governments are by their very nature corrupt, inept and criminal. How much government can you afford? How much can you stand? And yes, we are broke. We have been broke for years. Ever since The Trick took us off the gold standard and stiffed the French, we've been living on borrowed (irony intended) time. In the next few years the yuan will replace the dollar as the reserve currency of the world and our ass will be sucking wind. I think a country as large and prosperous as ours should be able to manage some sort of minimal safety net for its citizens but just like the "War on Drugs/Terror?Poverty" we don't appear to be able to actually bring it off. Once again, I say, that when you depend on politicans, you will only get political decisions. That is not working.
Cranky Old Dude, You should have watched some of the testimony on C-Span when they were debating the ACA a couple of years ago,like I did. I saw the then lady CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of California testifying. Her pay as CEO was 8 figures with the first digit a two. She also had 21 executives in her company with 7 digit salaries. Their company was asking for a 39% rate increase. You are correct too much of the cost of our healthcare is being eaten up by administrators but they are in the private for profit sector of the insurance industry. There is an old adage, if it ain't broke don't fix it. But as Senator Thune pointed out last week, it is broke and has been for over ten years.
Yep, Lanny has it right and you, Cranky, have it wrong. I'm guessing that more money is spent on health care than SNAP, housing subsidies, etc.
Just as Lanny says, the private insurance execs are making bucket loads of money. In MN, we have some monster-size health care companies, including United Healthcare, biggest in the country. The local paper has a feature they run called "Pay Watch." They list one CEO at a time. His pay is specified, including the sources. That means cash salary, stock options, when those stock vest, and various perks like auto, housing, company plane for personal travel, junior's education, etc. Then we get a grand total.
I look at those totals and think, "He should be ashamed. He's taking money he doesn't deserve at the expense of the people who actually do the day to day work and to the detriment of sick folks." We have seen numerous instances of CEOs getting big bonuses while their companies lay off hundreds of employees, lose value, even go bankrupt. Shameful.
Oh, those CEO totals? Routinely in 8 figures.
BTW, a subsidiary of United Health designed and built the ACA website. Of course the pressure on U.H. is very high. Bet the CEO gets a biiig bonus!
Last year U.H. got the DOD contract. Then they bungled it up pretty good. Just did manage to keep the billions+ deal. And the CEO? Uhuh. Biiig bonus, 8 digit income.
Doesn't sound like the public sector is sucking up our health care dollars. We can just think of ourselves as Big Pharma donors.
The American Medical/Industrial Racket needs more than the reform that Rick Weiland recommends.
It needs a revolution.
Th Gubermint needs not only to tamper with this racket, but to slay it and take over the whole business.
I'm a conservative old fuddy duddy, except when I'm not.
I don't want to die early because I cannot afford medical care while some medical industry CEO has to rake in eight figures in the dollars, paid for by our "insurance premiums."
Ahaa! There's the rub! Who do you think enables these evil healthcare companies to make their unholy profits(Including AARP, a closely held private firm that makes a lot more money, all tax free, from shilling Medicare supplemental policies than they do from "membership) in the first place ? It is your wonderful, all-caring, all-knowing, criminal government! They preach Socialism but practice Facism. That, of course, is the final resting place of Socialists, be it Hitler, Mussolini or Putin-they always end up in good old Facism. There is a subset of Anarchism that teaches that whatever possible good government may possess, the risk of it well outweighs those benefits. They might be right...
... and I could be wrong. In any case, I doubt that I'll live long enough to find out.
Cranky, it's your "wonderful, all-caring, all-knowing, criminal government!", too.
Surely you're not saying that manipulation and unholy alliances are limited to Democratic administrations only?
Regardless of which political party did what to whom, private healthcare in the U. S. of A. is a corrupt system that needs to be ended. Medicare For All would do the trick admirably. There are no 6 figure execs in Medicare.
When people are reduced to using words like, socialism. faciism, communism, or dictatorship, they need to look up the meaning of the words and come to the stark realization that we live in a Republic governed by a Democracy.
This is no longer the 40's or 50's and there is a fear people should have, it is how corporate America is purchasing the United States.
Continually supporting health insurance companies and the massive healthcare industries is a prime example of the fear we should have. These two industries will kill us faster than socialism or facism or any other "ism" you choose.
Don't forget the lawyers who sue the hospitals every time someone stubs a toe.
When I ask a conservative how they would reform healthcare, I usually get the same two answers:
1. The government can't afford to reform the healthcare system.
2. Tort reform with no explanation of how that will decrease insurance premiums or provide healthcare to those that can't afford it.
3. ?
http://www.amazon.com/Replacing-Obamacare-Institute-Health-Reform-ebook/dp/B008OX36LK
The tort reform is insignificant compared to other potential cost savings. Republican hacks keep hacking on it because trial loaders don't dump as much money into the RNC as they do to the DNC.
Obvious spelling error "loaders" should be "lawyers". New computer and new keyboard is not quite so fault tolerant as my old junker.
I checked out the book of fiction you speak of Bree S. It is typical nonsense about free market involvement. That is what is going on at present with Obamacare, free market between 3 insurance companies. It is clear that this is not the answer but the beginning of the answer to our health care dilemma. Medicare for all would really cinch the saddle on this horse so we can ride happily into our sunsets. No one in this great country should ever again be faced with financial ruin because of a lack of affordable healthcare. By the way, in that UK place, people do not suffer bankruptcy for lack of healthcare, nor do they in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Japan, Australia, Canada well, you name the country and they do not, only here, why is that? You all know that Medicare is not free as you must pay for the supplement that gives you doctor coverage and outpatient coverage from the "free market" and the prescription drug coverage that is again from that same market. Don't pity the insurance companies, they will be doing just fine no matter what.
Jerry,
The book being referenced, 'Replacing Obamacare: The Cato Institute on Health Care Reform' $3.49.
Sounds like a pretty cheap fix, huh?
I'm sure you checked out the book and read all 900 pages in 50 minutes, Jerry. Nice try. But thanks for erudite analysis. Liberal genius brought us Obamacare: I'm sure everything will work out fine.
Bree it's great you're hopeful that Obamacare will work out just fine. That's the attitude.
uhhhh 900 blank pages is not hard to read, even for me. I actually did that in much less than 50 minutes. There is nothing in that nothing that makes any sense whatsoever. If it would have made sense, The Heritage Foundation would have used it in the mid 90's Bree S when they wrote Obamacare in the first place. Those liberal genius folks at the Heritage are being thanked right now for getting this going. We should also thank Hatch and Grassley for their efforts.
Why don't you like it? All you have to do is cancel your group insurance and let your employees go to the marketplace to get some real insurance that will not break them. You and your sweety can do the same or even get yours differently as your income is such that you would not qualify for a subsidy. Simple stuff or you can set around and whine and pay for insurance that forces them to do the same. First thing is to get smart about what you are against. Second thing is that sometimes you may have to burn a book like that one. 4 bucks (rounding up) is a good investment to toss in the fire box, while chanting, burn baby burn in acappella of course.
Sure Roger. You've got your toes crossed right?
Jerry, you're a funny guy. Keep up the good work, my propaganda friend.
Yeah for Roger Cornelius. No fear mongering to that dude. He must have been around for awhile and is used to the other side pulling out the isms book whenever they want to scare us away from something. One thing that goes unnoticed in all of this, is that Rick Weiland's Medicare E is the same thing that President Obama suggested originally, the public option. The original meetings held here in Sioux Falls talking about the changes coming, focused on that public option, when those of us who were holding out for Universal Single Payer asked for USP. The President dropped the public option almost immediately, and at the time, I felt like he had been gotten to by the Insurance lobbyists.
Well Bree, since you seem to know all the answers, tell us what you do to make Obamacare better. You can't say you would scrap it and vote to repeal it. Just give us your insight. And please, no bullying me. I really would like to hear your input on this.
No Larry, there were no insurance lobbyists to speak of as they are gonna land on their feet no matter what. In each of the countries that have universal healthcare, they also have private insurance. Funny stuff.
What got to the sight of Obama was his own so called Democratic party. They would not support a universal health care, take a look at our own Stephanie, brave girl, could not see past her cute little blue dog nose for the good of all the people and she was just one of the many now retired blue dogs that were the same. We did have to cull the herd, but such is evolution.
Jenny, what a good question for Bree S. I cannot wait for this answer, so much so that I will forsake my bathroom breaks and eating in general, yes, my entire regime of good health, until we get the final word. Please Bree S, make it soon...
Jenny, an intelligent person should realize that changes to the health care system that effect more than a few hundred million people should be recommended by health care policy experts, brilliant people who have been studying the problems and finding workable solutions for years. I am not a health policy expert. One of the wisest things a person can realize is what they know, and what they don't know.
The problems with Obamacare including people not being able to sign up for it, millions of people losing their policies, rates increasing dramatically, the fact that everyone will not be covered as was claimed, certain population groups not signing up for Obamacare as was claimed they would, etc... are a good example of what happens when a group of arrogant people (politicians in this case) decide they know everything they need to know about something and institute sweeping changes to one of the largest industries in the United States while ignoring the warnings of health policy experts who have studied the industry and provided practical solutions for decades.
It is disingenuous of you to demand that I tell what I would do to improve the health care system, just as it is disingenuous for Democrats who wrote and passed the poorly thought out ACA bill to say that Republicans "don't have a plan" to fix it. The first and most obvious answer to that is that if Obamacare was repealed and replaced with NOTHING things would already be better for millions of Americans who have lost their health insurance and/or had their rates skyrocket to the point of being economically unfeasible and damaging to the family budget.
I have provided a link to the Cato Institute's compilation of papers written by national health care experts over a period of years on the subject of improving the health care system. This publication also evaluates and compares health care systems in different countries. It is some 900 pages long. It is the answer to the problems plaguing our health care system, including the stupidity and ignorance of uninformed unwise politicians. Obamacare should be repealed, and replaced with legislation drafted with the input of health policy experts (such as the experts who contributed to the Cato publication on the subject). Any intelligent changes that can be culled from the 2,000 pages of unicorn feces otherwise known as the ACA, can be rewritten into the new bill.
I'm disappointed in you, Bree. First off, I was not being disengenuous, and I really did expect a better answer from you, rather than typical partisan reply. I do agree that Obama has not been the best leader in regards to promoting the ACA, and not following recommendations from experts that the launch date wasn't ready. He's the disengenuous one not me. Where are you getting your numbers that millions of people have lost health insurance b/c of ACA? Reputable sites to your statistics please. Those are the predictions that are being thrown out there. If anything insurance companies will raise their rates which they've been doing for years. MN, as usual, (because we are not afraid to spend money when it comes to our people) has had fairly good results with its MN SURE launch. http://www.minnpost.com/political-agenda/2013/11/correction-mnsure-topped-90-percent-enrollment-goal-first-month
Well Bree S, this is it? This is your explanation of what you would do to change this law and make it better? Your day must be full of being around children that may have broken a toy or plate and you ask them to explain what happened to it. Geesh, I would get better answers from my ole alley cat. This idea that you are so against is a republican idea and has already proven itself in one state already, so there actually is a track record. I tell you this Bree S, more and more folks are lining up to get enrolled. Those are facts, you know, those pesky things that can be proven. In time, you will see that it will work for your employees as well. This will save them moolah and give them the freedom to choose a plan from some 30 plans offered to them. Or you can sit in a goose pit and watch the opportunities fly by. Okay, so I just gave it away that I like to hunt geese, but that is as far as it goes for confessions. One more thing, you have made the perfect argument for universal healthcare, and you didn't even know it. I saved this for last, devil that I am.
Jenny do you watch the news? Do I need to tell you about the "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan" fracas? Millions of Americans have had their insurance cancelled. If you think that's untrue, I suggest you take it up with every single news station in the country.
Jenny, are you disappointed in me because you think I am bullying you by calling you disingenous? What would you call it when I provide a link to a 900 page document on health care reform, and then you ask me what I would do to reform the health care system?
Get over your "poor me" victimization mindset, Jenny. You are a white girl in the richest country in the world. The Democrat Party will not survive much longer as the Party of Poor Me Victims.
Jenny did you just bring up RomneyCare as evidence that Obamacare will work? Oh boy. Do you read anything on a subject before you spout off on it? Rates went up. People are still uninsured. Time to visit the primary care physician increased significantly. Time to visit the emergency room increased significantly. They will have to raise taxes dramatically to cover the cost, even though they originally said they wouldn't have to. Why don't you do some research on the effects of RomneyCare in Massachusetts.
Ha Ha Minnesota - where the Governor just said "We will not adopt Obamacare fix" because guess what...
“Your letter makes clear that making the program changes offered by the president last week would be unworkable for your members and would likely cause more expensive health coverage for Minnesotans,” - Governor Dayton
Sorry Jerry lol. I thought I saw Jenny. You brought up RomneyCare, my mistake.
Bree, were you bullied a lot growing up? I realize you're from Chicago but you are always in attack mode. You still didn't give us ideas and thoughts on how you would make Obamacare better. It doesn't take healthcare experts for that.
We all know universal healthcare won't happen in our country. It's just not going to happen when the 1% salivate over how much money they can make from sick people, so if I ran the system I would advocate price controls on how much health insurance companies can charge for procedures, hospital stays, medications, etc. If they want to stay in the game, they can, but start playing fairly. Don't bankrupt a person for getting cancer or a life threatening injury.
We have a shortage of doctors in rural areas such as yours, Bree. I would have tuition free grants awarded to medical students in med school on the condition that they practice in rural areas like SD. They would have to put in a few years in those places. This is an idea for dental students also. It all comes down to why does everything in this country have to be about profit and profit at all costs? Not everything should be about profit all the time, and I just know we would have a better country and happier healthier people if healthcare was AFFORDABLE. Is that too much to ask for?
http://apps.startribune.com/top_100_exec_comp/topCeoView.php
Meanwhile, CEO United Health Stephen Hemsley sits on top of $34,000,000 (probably more) he made last year while a sick child lays dying while his parents have no insurance or struggling to pay the medical bills over this, not mentioning the pay lost from work. Can anyone tell me this is justifiable? How can he get up everyday knowing that he's bankrupted thousands of working Americans? Richest country in the world Bree? Really? Tell that to americans bankrupt for being sick.
I am not from Chicago. I roll my eyes at your tactic of completely ignoring my clear responses to your request, repeating the same disputed claim that I haven't answered your question, and then once again trying to claim that I am "attacking" or "bullying." Are you going to act like a real person interested in a valid debate, or do you just want to spew nonsense? I think you belong on the DWC.
Your statement:
"You still didn't give us ideas and thoughts on how you would make Obamacare better."
My earlier response:
"The first and most obvious answer to that is that if Obamacare was repealed and replaced with NOTHING things would already be better for millions of Americans who have lost their health insurance and/or had their rates skyrocket to the point of being economically unfeasible and damaging to the family budget."
and also:
"Obamacare should be repealed, and replaced with legislation drafted with the input of health policy experts (such as the experts who contributed to the Cato publication on the subject). Any intelligent changes that can be culled from the 2,000 pages of unicorn feces otherwise known as the ACA, can be rewritten into the new bill."
Um... I haven't provided any ideas on making Obamacare better because it should be REPEALED. And yes, Jenny, despite your statement:
"Well Bree, since you seem to know all the answers, tell us what you do to make Obamacare better. You can't say you would scrap it and vote to repeal it."
Why yes Jenny, yes I CAN say that. OBAMACARE SHOULD BE REPEALED AND REPLACED. Look at me saying something you told me I couldn't, isn't this amazing! OBAMACARE SHOULD BE REPEALED AND REPLACED. Heaven's to Betsy I said it AGAIN even though you told me I couldn't. Isn't that amazing?
But Bree, you're right - it is the richest country in the world. This country has trillions (hidden all over the world). The US is not really in debt.
Repeat after me Jenny:
"Bree believes that Obamacare should be repealed and replaced, and no matter what I Jenny say, no matter how I twist words and lie and obfuscate the matter, she is still going to say "OBAMACARE SHOULD BE REPEALED AND REPLACED."
My mind is my own, Jenny. Try your crap on someone else. It just annoys me.
"The US is not really in debt."
Jenny you crack me up.
You really are naive, Bree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States
Did you just say I was naive? I better believe it then.. since you told me to. Weak-minded amateur.
Anybody in America can walk up to a complete stranger in any place, and ask them how they would reform healthcare in this country and they will have an answer for you.
It maybe the right answer or the wrong the answer depending on perspective, but they would provide a answer.
Pray tell ms Bree S, what were those simplistic ideas that the Bruce Lee Institute came up with? Jenny asked and I have asked and I really do not feel like ponying up 4 bucks (rounding up) for shiny toilet paper, what do they say? Also, here are some facts about Massachusetts, where your boy put a health reform system in, courtesy of President Bush, a republican. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/01/227887992/lessons-for-the-obamacare-rollout-courtesy-of-massachusetts Keep in mind that the senate and house worked with Willard to make it work. Note to the orange man and blinking Mitch, let history be your guide.
This is not 900 pages so it should be an easy read for you. Here is the money quote at the end of this article
"There's a lot to like in Obamacare with the extended coverage and having kids on the insurance longer," he said.
"I wouldn't throw it out as a law," Marathas said. "But I'd really like it if lawmakers could sit down, re-think some of it and really work on cutting costs and making sure everyone is covered at an affordable price." http://www.cnbc.com/id/100723888
Well, there ya go Bree S, if we really want change to Obamacare, all the lawmakers are gonna have to work together on a bi-partisan basis to get'r done. In the meantime, we go on with the best we can do with them that brought us this far. As convoluted of a system as we have with this, it is a hell of a lot better than the corrupt system what we had.
I disagree with Weiland. I really don't think Medicare is great health insurance that should be expanded. A lot of doctors won't take it. I would rather do things that would bring more of a free market philosophy, as the libertarians suggest, into the health insurance market. That's my personal opinion.
Jerry, I don't want to change Obamacare, I want to get rid of it, and I don't think its better than the system we had before, despite inefficiencies and corruption in the health industry. I don't think Obamacare does anything to address these issues to increase efficiencies and competition so that rates go down and more people are insured.
Well I trust Gov Dayton more than I do Obama. He'll do what's best for Minnesotans. Ask Cory H about this country's so-called debt. He knows what I'm talking about, and could explain it to you. It's called the 1% - the people that run and own this country (welfare queens they are as we have bailed them). Ask him about the Federal Reserve.
Ruh oh Bree S, seems like Obamacare is gulp...SURGING across this great land of ours. Courtesy of the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obamacare-increase-20131119,0,6486939.story#axzz2l5OXuHTS
Holy schnikey, when will republicans pull their collective heads out and claim ownership? As concerned trolls they are, Darrell Issa and his other brother Darrel (John Bohner) should be convening congress as we speak. NOem should come out from wherever that dark and damp place she goes to hibernate to get back to doing the work of the people and make it even better. Hell, a lot of folks would forgive her for being such a dumb cluck (except for me). She could put that phone down and make some law, maybe even do that and get a FARM BILL passed, what a hoot.
I am well aware of Cory's opinions and that we disagree. Cory cannot convince me to change my mind, and he knows that. I cannot convince Cory to change his mind, and I know that. Our minds are our own, and we will change our viewpoint only upon a personal decision based on a rational thought process.
If you want to disagree with the government's numbers on the national debt go right ahead. Ask libertarians about the Federal Reserve. I don't need to have anything "explained to me." I think for myself.
I am done with that topic Jerry.
These aren't opinions, Bree, only facts on how the elites run this country and make their own laws.
And you want to give the country to them? How do you think Russia and China are run? What a surprise that Feminist activists think antibiotics cure a cold.
Nope didn't say any such thing, Bree.
Here is this for you all to check out. I think this may help you decide if an individual plan would work for yourself or your employees.
http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/
Don't forget to recharge it if you make changes. It is quick and to the point as an idea of what to expect.
ACA is working beautifully in the states that did the work to prepare for it. MN is not the only shining example.
In the states where Republican leadership worked extremely hard to sabotage ACA, they've been quite successful.
States where Republicans blocked funding, halted training, and pushed lies endlessly --- Well surprise, surprise! ACA is not working well in those states. There are 3 messages to take away from this:
1. ACA is effective when allowed to be.
2. Republican leadership is significantly more concerned about their standing with deep-pocketed backers than the citizens of their states.
3. Sabotage Works!
case in point: gop governor. http://kunm.org/post/obama-revises-aca-rules-effect-nm-unknown
MinnPost is an online MN news source. Reporters are seasoned pros, many of whom were laid off when the Strib and St. Paul Pioneer Press made big cuts in staff around 2006-7ish. It focuses on state and local news.
MinnPost has written a good article on ACA in MN. This particular article zeroes in on why Gov. Dayton changed his mind about instating Obama's fix in MN, and who the ACA "winners and losers" are in MN. The article is well-written and referenced. I recommend it as a source of information.
(Jenny, do you read MinnPost? Take a look if it's new to you.)
ACA is working "beautifully" in states that did the work to prepare it? Minnesota is a "shining example" of this? Lol. Don't get dizzy, Deb.
MN Sure is working well, Bree. Of course there are going to be computer issues, but they have been minor. I have followed it closely on MPR. Its main computer issue is getting connected to the federal exchange site. MN SURE operates on its own site. The state has hired more employees to address issues such as wait call times. This is a good problem to have, which shows that people are interested in MN SURE and want coverage.
The state has gotten a 41 million dollar federal grant to help with IT services and security which sounds expensive but when it comes to medical record privacy issues you have to put the money into it. Meanwhile, how has South Dakota fared with its healthcare exchange?
Yes Bree S, states that did the work to prepare for it seem to be doing just fine. Kentucky, a deep red state, for one is doing very well. California, New York and in particular California as it is our largest state, is really kicking out the numbers. You can kick and scream your widdle heart out, but the horse has left the barn and he ain't comin' back. The rest of the states including our own South Dakota, will also get'r done. Might be a little more of a slog, but it will happen. Don't believe me though, just look at the facts or as we call them, numbers. Or you can look at Fox news and they will tell you what it is you want to know. Don't like Obamacare, no problem, they will give you the fix you need to make your day. Wait until you get your rebate from the insurance companies for their overcharges and the 80% loss ratio, that may help sweeten the pot for you, but doubtful.
Deb, I didn't realize the MN Post was an online paper. I have mixed feelings on Dayton's decision to not extend health insurance coverage for another year. I just with our hope and change president would have been more on top of things regarding his ACA and held off until everything was completely ready. Either way, the GOP still would have gone into hysterics probably, though.
Wish (not with) our hope and change president
I didn't think Obamacare would go bad this fast. I thought it would take a few years for it to crash and burn and for people to wake up. The fact that Obamacare crashed and burned on day 1 (hilarious) is evidence that the country is run by people who shouldn't be entrusted with the task of cleaning lint from their own belly buttons.
Yeah, MinnPost is outstanding journalism, online or otherwise.
I'm okay with Dayton's decision. The old, Cover-Nothing policies will be replaced by new Cover-a-Lot policies.
The article includes a discussion of pluses and perceived minuses. I say 'perceived' because it is a change. We all know change brings stress, unease, and anxiety.
Revision:
"The old, Plan-I-liked policies will be replaced by new Unaffordable-Plan-Obama-likes policies."
I didn't think the F-35 would go bad this fast. I thought it would take a few years for it to crash and burn and for people to wake up. The fact that the F-35 crashed and burned on day 1 (hilarious) is evidence that the country is run by people who shouldn't be entrusted with the task of cleaning lint from their own belly buttons.
Ha Ha, Larry. I don't disagree with you there.
Santema has a good article up about all the problems with the military budget. Maybe you guys agree on something.
"I didn't think Obamacare would go bad this fast. I thought it would take a few years for it to crash and burn and for people to wake up. The fact that Obamacare crashed and burned on day 1 (hilarious) is evidence that the country is run by people who shouldn't be entrusted with the task of cleaning lint from their own belly buttons."
I'm going to sign up this week for insurance Bree. Without it I'll be paying $400 per month on Cobra. I can't get insurance because of a pre-existing condition. I'm going to school because I was laid off and needless to say that cost will be too much. Now if you've got a different plan or idea please let me know. No other conservative seems to have one.
found anyone competent enough to massage that perineum, bree?
Larry, are you discussing my lady-bits on a public blog? Lol. You're so cute when you get mad.
Owen: see the link at the top of the page to Amazon that I posted. It's a 900 page document on health care reform from the Cato Institute.
I'm confused Owen. If you qualify for Cobra, how can you not get insurance because of a pre-existing condition? Are you talking about "the way things used to be" before Obamacare? I can't remember if you had to have insurance within 6 months or a year for health insurance to be continuous, but I do remember that you had 6 months to sign up for Cobra after a job change.
Speaking of going to school, Owen, did you know colleges around the nation are cancelling students' insurance plans? Those plans aren't good enough apparently. Oh well. I guess no health care is better than some health care.
still haven't offered any ideas Bree. Which seems to be what consevatives do best. Saying no and offering no ideas
Sigh.
http://www.amazon.com/Replacing-Obamacare-Institute-Health-Reform-ebook/dp/B008OX36LK
Owen, if I might remind Bree, Obamacare is almost wholly a Republican product.
Right, Jana, a law passed entirely by Democrats, with every Republican voting against, is a "Republican product."
And Democrats reach a new level of crazy spin.
She does not care Jana, just let her go, she is on a roll and amuses me very much. Next after all is failed, she will bring out a taped recording of Newt and his support for this same healthcare that Obamacare is, phooey, I let the cat out of the bag. Oh well, lets just hide and see what comes up next.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupak%E2%80%93Pitts_Amendment
bree: why should doctors enjoy no-bid federal contracts?
Yeah, I'm sure lost somewhere amidst the 2,000 pages of The My Little Pony Manure Act are things Republicans like and have supported in the past. Of course, you'll have to hold your nose at the stench of rainbow-colored horse crap in order to find them.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/07/29/doctors-medicare-american-medical-association-editorials-debates/2598041/
I am not sure exactly what Debate Distraction you're referring to Larry, but "no-bid federal contract" doesn't sound good to me.
and still Bree I'm waiting to hear what the conservatives healthcare plan is.
Yes the Democrats all voted for it and the Republicans voted against Obamacare.
But the facts are that it's a Republican plan and the only reason they voted against it was because of Obama.
Owen, you just nailed it. There is no denying the Republican strategy from day one of the Obama Presidency.
Owen:
CONSERVATIVE HEALTH PLAN: SEE DIRECTLY BELOW
http://www.amazon.com/Replacing-Obamacare-Institute-Health-Reform-ebook/dp/B008OX36LK
Or maybe you'd be more interested in checking out the HR 3121, The American Health Care Reform Act of 2013.
http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=ee925341-c30f-4668-a162-3c916256be93
Define the phrase "scraping the bottom of the barrel of excuses."
"Obamacare is a Republican Plan."
"Everything would be working perfectly with Obamacare except for those dang Republicans obstructing us."
And you know, in combination, those two statements make perfect sense.
Mitch McConnell said in 2009 that his goal was to make Obama a one-tern President. To me that means he and his buddies were going to do everything that could to make Obama look bad.
Is that what we want in Washington? Don't think so.
Take some Paxil, Owen. You'll feel better.
the only thing depressing me Bree is the chance that I'll lose my insurance before I even get it. Thanks to the Republicans.
Besides I can't afford drugs.
I'd say we give it a rest folks. Apparently there is no conservative plan that is less than 900 pages. Smart aleck comments are not a plan. Reputable sources are reputable sources. People sometimes choose to believe whatever it is that supports their opinions, facts be damned. Hey, everyone gets to choose. Fine by me.
Bree the Republicans plan is no plan at all. NOem has spouted that before.
If you sell insurance across state lines you've got 50 different insurance commissions so how well will that work?
And of course tort reform, which I don't have a problem with. But will it really bring down costs? I doubt it and making healthcare more affordable and available trumps saving doctors money.
Hey Deb, The American Health Reform Act of 2013 is 181 pages long. Is that short enough to be "reputable?"
http://rsc.scalise.house.gov/solutions/rsc-betterway.htm
Huh. I didn't know the Cato Institute wasn't a reputable source. I like this Brave New World where we can just SAY THINGS and THEY'RE SUDDENLY TRUE. That would make my life so much easier.
"Tomorrow's forecast: 50% chance of mini-Hershey Bars."
Here's hoping.
New addition to the Democrat List of Lame Excuses:
"The Republican Plan introduced by the House isn't really a plan, so you lose, nanner-nanner."
Uh.. Owen.. if insurance companies can't sell insurance across state lines, how many insurance commissions does that require?
Deb, do you realize you made fun of a Conservative Plan that's 900 pages... when Obamacare is 2,000 pages? And we're talking a book that compares various health systems around the world.. and it's still less than half the length of the ACA.
Oh, the irony.
Bree, I don't know why you are even bothering. There's so much childish behavior from certain people here, is it really worth trying to get your points across? Most of them can't look at another point of view and maybe try to learn something or look at another perspective and see another view.
each state has its own rules for insurance. they vary from state to state. How are you going to resolve those differences? Unless you want the Federal Government to step in.........
http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm
Good news everybody, in fact Great news! The Affordable Care Act is law! Yep, it is a bona fide law upheld by the Supreme Court. So all that can be done is to complain and whine about it now. Buy books and such about how it is bad and listen to our silly neighbors say it is good. Geesh, who ya gonna believe, a bunch of for profit astro turf writers, or your neighbors that go to church with you and sell you hardware and gas and share pies with you and even share a story or two with you.
Paula, its the childish people who usually holler the loudest, they're used to bullying people into being quiet. They don't want regular, sane people giving their opinions. There has to be more of us Paula. More honesty, more rationality, and more people thinking for themselves and refusing to be bullied by loudmouths. We need to disagree as Americans with respect and honesty. We have to clean up both political parties (they're both a mess), clean up the government. We can't let crazy people tell us how things should be anymore.
Owen, each state has its own rules for insurance. That is exactly the point. That way if someone living in California thinks that South Dakota's rules are good enough for them, they can buy our policy because our policy is cheaper. If nobody buys California's policies anymore who cares. That would be Americans making their own decisions and deciding what health care coverage they need, instead of the government deciding we're not smart enough to think for ourselves and telling us what to do. Get it?
Good luck finding a network of providers for your scheme there Bree S. I am quite sure you really do not understand a thing about insurance and this proves it. Time to go read the Bruce Lee stuff some more. Don't forget the tort part, always good for a laugh.
For nearly a 100 years healthcare reform was talk, every health entity in the country has put forth plans or restricted them. Until ACA or Romneycare, lobbyist dictated what the status quo should be and inept politicians bowed to them.
We now have ACA, it is the law. It is by no means perfect and the website needs some serious tweeking, that does make ACA a failure, it makes the website a failure.
I have confidence enough to know that when the kinks are fixed and the hysteria has died down, ACA will work.
The Republicans will continue their attempts to repeal the law as many times as they possibly can in the next year or two and will get nowhere.
The real problem is Americans want everything perfect and they want it perfect now!
"The real problem is Americans want everything perfect and they want it perfect now!"
That's how we got Obamacared in the first place. People thinking they could mandate health care perfection.
Nobody, except Republicans, were fool enough to look for perfection in healthcare reform.
Maybe that's too harsh, lobbyist absolutely owned Republican votes, that was quite obvious in the clear political lines of the ACA vote.
Um, Democrats are the ones who think they can just wave a wand and mandate that everyone have insurance. 100% health care coverage is Democrats idea of "perfection in health care reform."
Um, lobbyists owned Republican votes? Really? I'm not saying Republicans don't get lobbied by special interests, but you're completely ignoring the fact that the ACA completely left out medical malpractice reform because lawyers lobby Democrats more, and the fact that Obama is playing favorites with Unions, giving them a waiver on the reinsurance tax. Come on Roger. I admit my party is far from perfect. Are you really going to claim that the Republican Party is "lobbyist..owned" with a straight face like your party is any different. Give me a break.
So the key to this is to go back to where we were. Back then, we had no rate increases, there were no cancellations there was no gender discrimination, kids could stay on their parents policy until they were 18 or in school full time with proof from school. Of course this is not how it was and that is why there was healthcare reform. That is why it is the law of the land. Important stuff.
Bree,
Of course my most recent post was made with a straight face, just as your posts were likely made with a straight face.
You don't know that Roger. I could making all sorts of funny expressions right now.
Awhile back, didn't I hear a "regular sane person" that is "more honest' and has "more rationality" say "nanner nanner"?
It was in quotes, implying someone else would say it. I, of course, would not stoop to the unintelligible level of "nanner nanner" in my own conversation.
Thune and NOem jump the shark and go full government sponsor on their personal healthcare and for their staff as well. Good deal that they finally support Obamacare at the 100% that I knew they would do. Yes, these two pesky rascals were just fooling you all with their government shutdowns and the like. It was all in fun that the ranchers got screwed in the Atlas blizzard with the offices shut down and no help in sight. No problems for these two and they hoped like hell no one would find out. South Dakota needs a complete house cleaning of all the rip raff that we have accumulated over the years. Start with these two yahoo's and move on to the former governor and present one along with the rest of the crooks and liars. Out the door. Here, you can read all about it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/12/09/whats-congress-doing-about-its-own-health-care/