TheProgressiveLiberal Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I'm not an expert on what the failed Congressional Republican plan would have done. Before Obamacare it was easy for children or the disabled to get on Medicaid. For an able bodied adult you had to be dirt poor. Obamacare gave states the option to extend coverage to able bodied adults up to 138% of the poverty line. My state did this. I personally know of three people who've recently told me they would lose their health insurance if the Republican bill had passed. 1. My girlfriend is on Medicaid because of the expansion. A repeal of Obamacare would not affect her kids. She has a preference to flexible hours which allow her to be a mother first rather than taking a job which would provide health insurance. In addition, when she worked in nursing homes previously she hated it. She prefers working with sick children. She isn't sick and her normal interaction with the medical system is a yearly checkup. She didn't vote and doesn't really care about politics. She'd have voted Trump if forced to choose. 2. I have a coworker delivery driver at the Chinese place. He needs a second part time job with flexible hours because he's a dj and has events around the middle east coast. He's in his early 30s. I'm pretty sure he makes over the Medicaid amount, but lies about his income. I have no idea how much he makes as a dj, but it it's so little that he can't get over the limit based on what I know he makes at his other job then he needs to do something that makes more money with his time. I think he takes prescription meds for mental health issues. He voted for Trump and is a conspiracy theorist type. 3. The girlfriend of a buddy of mine was worried that she'd lose the coverage she gets from her parents. Obamacare extended the time you could stay on your parents insurance to 26. She's 20. She is not in school and works 30 hours per week at a bookstore because that's a job where she can go to work stoned. I have zero insight into her health situation. She likes Bernie and voted for Hillary. I can't say for sure if any of these people are correct in saying they'd lose coverage, but I'm just relaying stories to give you a feel for the type of people I know who think they might be hurt and the positions they are in. I do know that some of the scaremongering facts about people losing coverage are inflated because they include people who would willingly stop purchasing insurance even though they have the money to pay. Whether you think it's ok for people to make this choice is a matter of debate, but I think we should agree that they shouldn't be included in the number that gets thrown around regarding who would be hurt by the Republican plan. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheProgressiveLiberal Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 (edited) 16 hours ago, welshbairn said: It could easily by done by the private sector, it doesn't even need active Government intervention, other than requiring everyone to be insured. If young, healthy people who expect to be immortal don't bother contributing, then of course it's going to be expensive. The GOP's plan takes away the mandatory element, but retains the rule that insurance should not be refused to people with pre-existing conditions. That's just bat shit crazy, and unaffordable unless you're going to hike premiums up for your over 55's to 1/3 to 1/2 of average income. Old fashioned American pragmatism is what's needed, not cold war hysteria about "socialized medicine". I actually think if Rand Paul had a serious chat with sane Democrats they could work out a better deal by keeping the party leaders and conventional politics out of it. Awhile back I read an article in National Review which said that both Obamacare and the Republican plan were trying to copy the Swiss healthcare model. I remember when Obamacare was passed this was a topic often brought up. The Swiss had recently shifted from a non-universal system to a system where everyone was forced by law to purchase approved insurance from private companies, and subsidies would be available for certain income levels. I assume they already had government programs for the elderly, disabled, and poor, like the US. Reports said that everyone there loved their program. Even the conservatives who opposed it were now in agreement that is was great. The NR article said that the reason the Swiss model will never work in the US is that in Switzerland everyone deals personally with their insurance company. The employer based model in the US would have to be removed, which would basically require making it illegal for an employer to directly provide insurance. (The US employer model is an accidental result of companies trying to get around New Deal regulations regarding wage ceilings during the Great Depression.) Realistically, almost no politician on either side is going to go near removing employer based health care. The fact is that while Americans might bitch about our overall system, when asked if they like their personal health care coverage Americans give high marks compared to most other countries. I'm not sure how you go about rationally fixing the health care problems we have, but I do believe that getting rid of employer based care would probably be included. The best we can realistically hope for is probably something like splitting Obamacare in two with one group of healthy people and one group of people with preexisting or chronic conditions who can be subsidized out of general taxes. The problem is that would require raising taxes generally rather than just making insurance companies jack up prices on the healthy group. Not sure the politicians are going to go for that. Edited August 6, 2017 by TheProgressiveLiberal 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Swampy gonnae Swampy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetterlund Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 If only there was a way to cut other areas of the budget to fund a less ridiculous healthcare system. Spoiler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 On 05/08/2017 at 00:05, Cerberus said: I see that Trump has thrown support behind the RAISE Act which plans to change the Green Card system to make it more harder for people to qualify. He wants remove the family based immigration, cap refugees, get rid of the Green Card Lottery completely and tighten up the merit based system by adding in mandatory English speaking skills. Brexiteers will be slabbering at the thought of it. If you're looking for one, you'd better apply p.d.q. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 How long till he makes a racist or homophobic comment and gets banned? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTillEhDeh Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 Isnt he banned after the last time he was on? Previous two (at least) incarnations are banned.He's going for the hat-trick. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheProgressiveLiberal Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 17 hours ago, Zetterlund said: If only there was a way to cut other areas of the budget to fund a less ridiculous healthcare system. Hide contents Don't disagree, but just so we are clear on how much the US government already spends on health care compared to that $618.8 billion on military: Medicare - $590 billion Medicaid - $385 billion Obamacare subsidies - $51 billion Children's Health Insurance Program - $15 billion This is according to the Congressional Budget Office website. Couldn't find the exact cost of Veteran's health care, but it looks like it's somewhere around $60-70 billion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheProgressiveLiberal Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Well, if this is anywhere near correct and these views hold, multiculturalism is going to end up a long term disaster for democracy. Polling of 14-18 year olds here. I have read a couple articles about the support Trump enjoys among white boys across America. Apparently MAGA hats are great sellers on middle school trips to DC. Tales abound of horrified parents in rich areas of the country watching as a diverse group of kids pour out of the school bus and every single white boy has the red hat on. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Was Yank Mike actually banned? What for? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 25 minutes ago, NotThePars said: Was Yank Mike actually banned? What for? Racism and being swampy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainspotter Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 3 hours ago, TheProgressiveLiberal said: I have read a couple articles about the support Trump enjoys among white boys across America. Apparently MAGA hats are great sellers on middle school trips to DC. Tales abound of horrified parents in rich areas of the country watching as a diverse group of kids pour out of the school bus and every single white boy has the red hat on. Or have you just been watching re-runs of Family Ties? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael W Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Trump currently suffering from a prominent departure of his crainium of Twitter. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 2 minutes ago, Michael W said: Trump currently suffering from a prominent departure of his crainium of Twitter. The 4 times draft dodger having a go at somebody who served in the Army during Vietnam, just not actually in Vietnam. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 The 4 times draft dodger having a go at somebody who served in the Army during Vietnam, just not actually in Vietnam. Wow.That's him on 'Vacation' as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiG Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 I see we've now got a Trump News Station belching out pro Trump news broadcast from Trump Tower. Definitely no potential for fake news there!http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-real-fake-news_uk_598805a2e4b08b75dcc7bd50 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 1 hour ago, RiG said: I see we've now got a Trump News Station belching out pro Trump news broadcast from Trump Tower. Definitely no potential for fake news there!http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-real-fake-news_uk_598805a2e4b08b75dcc7bd50 https://en-gb.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/videos/10159619784950725/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 Washington's getting upset over innuendos over health care. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/345590-hatch-on-gops-obamacare-repeal-push-they-shot-their-wad-on-health-care Meanwhile Mitch McConnell apologises for getting off at Haymarket. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgarusQPFC Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, RiG said: I see we've now got a Trump News Station belching out pro Trump news broadcast from Trump Tower. Definitely no potential for fake news there!http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-real-fake-news_uk_598805a2e4b08b75dcc7bd50 To be fair, apart from Fox news is there any media group's that would be willing to broadcast news of him doing something right? (assuming he ever does) Love or hate the guy there's no denying the majority of the media out there are full on Trump hating for every minor or major transgression. Edited August 7, 2017 by EdgarusQPFC -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 What's worse though? Trump dodging the draft or McCain going over there and immediately surrendering to the Viet Cong? Tough call IMO. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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