Surgical Strikes vs. Obamacare

[Chrs]

The US healthcare system pre-ACA had a few major issues:

• Lack of healthcare access to people who don't have the money to pay for it (and people going bankrupt due to healthcare bills )
• Really, really expensive.

The reason for both is because it's run for profit by a load of individual companies:

• Because of the profit motive there's no reason to provide care for those who can't pay you (and no, the ER doesn't count.)
• Because of the fact that each company/organisation/etc individually negotiates costs with providers, it's harder for them to leverage their purchasing power to reduce costs. Procedures, drugs, etc cost a lot more in the US than they do in, say, the UK because of the individual organisations negotiating with suppliers rather than one single organisation doing it. (Also, profit being taken out.)

Burn it to the ground, rebuild it as single payer :P

[Cow Poke]

Meh. I'm one of the folks who can support the ACA only by holding my nose. Frankly, the ACA stinks. _But_ it's definitely better than what we had before, and it is better than just about all of the alternative suggestions I've researched.

I would love to whole-heartedly support single-payer ... but I can't. A single-payer plan basically guts the entire insurance industry. While I have no particular desire to hold onto an industry just because it's established (I didn't vote for buggy whip subsidies either), that's going to have an economic impact. I've yet to see any kind of economic projections for what will happen if that sector of industry is eliminated.

As far as I'm concerned, looking for a solution is a choice between a lot of really bad options. Something needed to be done. The ACA was not a good thing to do. BUt it was better than doing nothing, and better than most of the alternatives.

You have a false dichotomy here --- "doing nothing" or "Obamacare". (yeah, I know -- you're using "ACA" and I'm demonizing it with it's more popular name. -- although it's fun to see the liberals who EMBRACED the term "Obamacare" now correcting themselves and saying "ACA")

WISDOM would have chosen to implement the parts of Obamacare that make sense, and phase them in. Then Obama wouldn't need to be constantly delaying and changing the rules of this wonderful new solution.

[Outis]

You have a false dichotomy here --- "doing nothing" or "Obamacare".

Nope, I'm also considering the other options offered. It's right there in my post.

WISDOM would have chosen to implement the parts of Obamacare that make sense, and phase them in. Then Obama wouldn't need to be constantly delaying and changing the rules of this wonderful new solution.

Now you're asking for WISDOM from DC? You should become a comedian.

[Cow Poke]

That's from a long time ago, CP, and the political landscape can change rapidly. Got anything more recent?

EXACTLY that's from a long time ago -- that was the point --- it WASN'T just because trial lawyers have suddenly rushed to the support of the Democrats. One of the main issues with conservatives has been "tort reform". Find me a trial lawyer* who's in favor of that.



*I mistyped that as "trial liar"... ooops

[Cow Poke]

Nope, I'm also considering the other options offered. It's right there in my post.

Yeah, I started to say "false trichotomy"... it's a given that you don't like "other" plans, so I was stipulating that.

Now you're asking for WISDOM from DC? You should become a comedian.

Just a TEENSY WEENSY SMIDGE?!?!?!?!

[Outis]

EXACTLY that's from a long time ago -- that was the point --- it WASN'T just because trial lawyers have suddenly rushed to the support of the Democrats. One of the main issues with conservatives has been "tort reform". Find me a trial lawyer* who's in favor of that.

Here's a more recent report. Yeah, it's really heavy on the Democrat side.

*I mistyped that as "trial liar"... ooops

Maybe your fingers are trying to call a spade a spade....

Yeah, I started to say "false trichotomy"... it's a given that you don't like "other" plans, so I was stipulating that.

Hey, I gave REASONS.

Just a TEENSY WEENSY SMIDGE?!?!?!?!

You're so cute when you're irrationally optimistic.