Republicans and the Affordable Care Act

[AmyNation]

The laws can be repealed in '16.

Unless Republicans can gain control of the Senate in 2016, I think it's here to stay.

Exactly.


Perhaps any question about fixing the ACA need to wait until after 2016, when the GOP's last hope of repealing it finally dies.

 

[emilynghiem]

Obama was reelected, and the ACA will stay. I would like to see the GOP start working to address the flaws in Obamacare since replacing it with RomneyCare is out( not that I was looking forward to that option either).

What do you think are the odds that they will work to amend it and stop wasting time and tax payer money trying to scrap it? Also, thoughts on what the 1st change to the ACA should be?

1. To opt into it. Where people who agree to fund it are free to do so. And people who believe in other options are free to fund that.

2. To give exemptions and tax breaks to business leaders for going after misspending on contracts by corporations including Iraq war. Where money collected on behalf of taxpayers can fund alternatives to the plans supported by Democrat Party leaders and members. Let GOP leaders take charge of administration over restitution programs for immigation and other criminal violations per state, to pay for health care and programs on either state or federal levels as appropriate.

3. have party leaders agree on an overall plan to work toward getting each state equally stable and independent of federal govt; and agree any steps taken in the meantime, including either the ACA or alternatives, are temporary for the purpose of working toward independence, not more dependence on federal govt to fix social problems and services.

 

[Koios]

Obama was reelected, and the ACA will stay. I would like to see the GOP start working to address the flaws in Obamacare since replacing it with RomneyCare is out( not that I was looking forward to that option either).

What do you think are the odds that they will work to amend it and stop wasting time and tax payer money trying to scrap it? Also, thoughts on what the 1st change to the ACA should be?

I'd say the odds are about 0%. Opposing Obamacare is political lipservice, akin to Republican opposition to Abortion, a political tool they're loathe to let go of. Great for winning elections and getting out the vote. Then once in office ... [crickets chirpping]

Obamacare will be the same, plus one other aspect: the mandate, which was orginally concieved by the conservative Enterprise Institute, and then made a key component of Romney's/Ted Kennedy's MA law (Romneycare of you will) is exactly what the GOP loves. It gets tax-payer dollars, and individuals, by mandate, buying insurance from the same folks who poured all the many Millions into buying Congress while the Public Option was being debated. It's a GOP and Insurance Lobby wet dream, and was only opposed because the GOP was against anything and everything Obama wanted, reflexively.

So bad-mouthing it on the campaign trail, I suspect, will continue. But actually do anything to repeal it? No chance. Just not seeing them actually doing anything on it, besides lipservice.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Make health insurance portable rather than tied to your employer so if you lose your job you don't lose your insurance too.

 

[emilynghiem]

2 pages now and not one actual thing listed about what they would change with the ACA. It's because they like it, but aren't allowed to like anything that Obama does.

Every time they post without listing even a single issue they have with the program only reinforces how right I am.

i'd change it all by getting rid of the whole bill......but you want some specific examples.....

get rid of the 20 new taxes created by Obamacare....
get rid of the IRS agents that are going to hunt down people....
get rid of the "Board" that will promote rationing to curb costs...
get rid of the long lines that are coming because doctors/hospitals are disappearing...
get rid of free life-ending drugs and costly life-promoting drugs...
get rid of the excessive paperwork burdens....
get rid of the excessive burden on small companies to provide it or pay a fine....
get rid of people being forced to join Medicaid...
get rid of the whole nanny-state mentality....

is that enough for you.....?

All this can be fixed by requiring people who voted for and support this program to fund it themselves and take responsibility for it; while others who prefer to take responsibility for health care in other ways are free to fund that instead.

 

[WillowTree]

Obama was reelected, and the ACA will stay. I would like to see the GOP start working to address the flaws in Obamacare since replacing it with RomneyCare is out( not that I was looking forward to that option either).

What do you think are the odds that they will work to amend it and stop wasting time and tax payer money trying to scrap it? Also, thoughts on what the 1st change to the ACA should be?

I don't expect them to work with democraps.. democraps demonized the Republicans and called them every single vile name under the book. Let the ACA alone. let's see it in all it's evil glory. But thanks for your admission that the democraps passed a bill they had not read and are now at the ready to "mend their idiocy" no.. you own it wear it with pride. it is the one thing that will bring this nation down. let's go.

 

[WillowTree]

There are PROBLEMS with the ACA?

You all were jumping for joy when it passed. Tell us what's wrong with it.

It doesn't do enough to bring down costs.

So let's revisit the idea of a public option.

public option won't work, you cannot afford it because 47% of this nation leech and do not pay a share.

 

[Meister]

I think that this will prove to be a big mess with the people when all the taxes are realized starting next year and the following year. People have forgotten that little bit of the ACA.

 

[AmyNation]

Page 3....still not one reason.

I'll bite.

I'm an either/or kind of guy when it comes to healthcare. Either we need full blown socialist/communist universal healthcare, or government needs to get completely out of it and back the fuck off. These half assed measures they keep vomiting out are only making the situation worse.

Personally, I support universal healthcare. I think it's bullshit that some one who plays by the rules, works hard, stays healthy, and pays for their own health insurance, can come down with a horribly debilitating disease and they loose everything.

I'm an either or person myself.

I think we need to either repeal the law Reagan passed that forces hospitals to care for the sick, even if they can't pay, and accept that if you get sick and can't pay you either die, or seek help from a charity.

Or we demand that every American buy their own insurance and be responsible for their own healthcare costs.

 

[AmyNation]

Make health insurance portable rather than tied to your employer so if you lose your job you don't lose your insurance too.

This needs repeated.

I could not agree more.

 

[WillowTree]

I think that this will prove to be a big mess with the people when all the taxes are realized starting next year and the following year. People have forgotten that little bit of the ACA.

The first casualties will be the medical device companies. They are going to be taxed an extra 2.3% which will add a hundred million dollars to their operating costs, a representative of these companies was just on Fox their plans are to lay off employees, put some on part time, and to move some jobs overseas.

 

[emilynghiem]

I'd say the odds are about 0%. Opposing Obamacare is political lipservice, akin to Republican opposition to Abortion, a political tool they're loathe to let go of. Great for winning elections and getting out the vote. Then once in office ... [crickets chirpping]...
So bad-mouthing it on the campaign trail, I suspect, will continue. But actually do anything to repeal it? No chance. Just not seeing them actually doing anything on it, besides lipservice.

Dear Koios: Yes and no.
1. I agree that GOP exploits the prolife vote and cannot really repeal prochoice. But the reason is because prochoice is constitutionally protected. You cannot impose arguments that depend on religious beliefs; the legislation would have to be independent of that, plus it also cannot penalize or burden the women more than the men responsible for the pregnancy.
So for Constitutional reasons, that is why we are left with crickets chirping as to what to replace Roe v Wade with which would be Constitutional instead of just banning bans.

2. As for the health care bill, the opposite is going on. The bill is not constitutional so it cannot stand unamended. The same problem exists as to what to replace it with, or how to amend it to get rid of the problem (same with amending the AZ bill that went too far).

The difference is that the prochoice position is constitutional and that is why it cannot be repealed. it is just as challenging to issue corrective legislation, but the health care bill is unconstitutional on its face; the lack of repeal is due to complications alone. The fastest way to fix it is to make it optional, so people have a free choice without fear of fines or penalties.

 

[Zoom-boing]

The bill is a clusterfuck and needs fixing. Anyone counting on it being repealed in 2016 IF the R's get back in are fooling themselves. By then the tentacles will be so far reaching there will be no repealing ... if they were ever going to repeal it to begin with.

2014 is when this thing kicks into high gear. What an interesting year that will be.

 

[WillowTree]

I am proud to remember that not a single Republican in the House or the Senate voted for this monstrosity and it intensely amuses me to see demoncraps begging Republicans to "fix it." Bake crow.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Page 3....still not one reason.

I'll bite.

I'm an either/or kind of guy when it comes to healthcare. Either we need full blown socialist/communist universal healthcare, or government needs to get completely out of it and back the fuck off. These half assed measures they keep vomiting out are only making the situation worse.

Personally, I support universal healthcare. I think it's bullshit that some one who plays by the rules, works hard, stays healthy, and pays for their own health insurance, can come down with a horribly debilitating disease and they loose everything.

I'm an either or person myself.

I think we need to either repeal the law Reagan passed that forces hospitals to care for the sick, even if they can't pay, and accept that if you get sick and can't pay you either die, or seek help from a charity.

Or we demand that every American buy their own insurance and be responsible for their own healthcare costs.

i think being "either or" is being pretty shortsighted.....all one really needs to do is look at Universal healthcare history in other countries similar to the U.S......Great Britain for example....

the U.S. has always taken care of the poor and sick....it is only since we have taken on the poor of the whole world we are having problems....and Obamacare is not going to solve that...

Great Britain represents all that is good and bad with centralized, single-payer health care systems. Health care spending is fairly low (7.5% of GDP) and very equitable. Long wait lists for treatment, however are endemic and rationing pervades the system. Patients have little choice of provider and little access to specialists.

Percent Insured. ~100%

Funding. Great Britain has a single payer system funded by general revenues. With any centralized system, avoiding deficits is difficult. In 2006, Great Britain had a £700 million deficit despite the fact that health care spending increased by £43 billion over five years.

Private Insurance. 10% of Britons have private health insurance. Private health insurance replicates the coverage provided by the NHS, but gives patients access to higher quality care, and reduced waiting times.

Physician Compensation. Unlike in the case of other single payer systems such as Norway, most physicians and nurses are mostly government employees. In 2004, the NHS negotiated lower salaries for doctors in exchange for reduced work hours. Few physicians are available at night or on weekends. Because of low compensation, there is a significant shortage of specialists.

Physician Choice. Patients have very little physician choice. However, under the experimental London Patient Choice Project, patients waiting more than six months for treatment will be offered a choice of four different treatment providers.

Copayment/Deductibles. There are no deductibles and almost no copayments except for small copayments for prescription drugs, as well as for optical and dental care.

Waiting Times. Waiting lists are a huge problem in Great Britain. Some examples: 750,000 are on waiting lists for hospital admission; 40% of cancer patients are never able to see an oncologist; there is explicit rationing for services such as kidney dialysis, open heart surgery and care for the terminally ill. Further, minimum waiting times have been instituted to reduce costs. “A top-flight hospital like Suffolk Est PCT was ordered to impose a minimum waiting time of at least 122 days before patients could be treated or the hospital would lose a portion of its funding.”

Benefits Covered. The NHS system offers comprehensive coverage. Because of rationing, care might not be as easy to get as advertised. Terminally ill patients may be denied treatment. David Cameron has proposed that the NHS refuse treatment to smokers or the obese.

Health Care Around the World: Great Britain « Healthcare Economist

 

[peach174]

Obama was reelected, and the ACA will stay. I would like to see the GOP start working to address the flaws in Obamacare since replacing it with RomneyCare is out( not that I was looking forward to that option either).

What do you think are the odds that they will work to amend it and stop wasting time and tax payer money trying to scrap it? Also, thoughts on what the 1st change to the ACA should be?

Even if they did, Sen. Reid will not allow the bills to come up for a vote in the Senate, just like he has been doing for the last two years.

 

[Koios]

There are PROBLEMS with the ACA?

You all were jumping for joy when it passed. Tell us what's wrong with it.

It doesn't do enough to bring down costs.

So let's revisit the idea of a public option.

public option won't work, you cannot afford it because 47% of this nation leech and do not pay a share.

It would actually save tax-payers, from a cost standpoint, for those whose policies will now be paid by the government, since they (we) have to buy insurance from the for profit sector. For those who would not qualify for government-paid insurance, it would merely be an option.

 

[Wacky Quacky]

Page 3....still not one reason.

I'll bite.

I'm an either/or kind of guy when it comes to healthcare. Either we need full blown socialist/communist universal healthcare, or government needs to get completely out of it and back the fuck off. These half assed measures they keep vomiting out are only making the situation worse.

Personally, I support universal healthcare. I think it's bullshit that some one who plays by the rules, works hard, stays healthy, and pays for their own health insurance, can come down with a horribly debilitating disease and they loose everything.

I'm an either or person myself.

I think we need to either repeal the law Reagan passed that forces hospitals to care for the sick, even if they can't pay, and accept that if you get sick and can't pay you either die, or seek help from a charity.

Or we demand that every American buy their own insurance and be responsible for their own healthcare costs.

Both of your options are the same thing.

So you support the option of: If you can't afford it and a charity won't help, you die.

 

[WillowTree]

It doesn't do enough to bring down costs.

So let's revisit the idea of a public option.

public option won't work, you cannot afford it because 47% of this nation leech and do not pay a share.

It would actually save tax-payers, from a cost standpoint, for those whose policies will now be paid by the government, since they (we) have to buy insurance from the for profit sector. For those who would not qualify for government-paid insurance, it would merely be an option.

bull malarkey

 

[DiamondDave]

The ONLY part work keeping is legislation revolving around pre-existing conditions and covering those with pre-existing conditions... all else is something I will never stand for.. and I will not vote for anyone that supports Obamacare.. no compromise...