Trump threatens to end health care 'bailouts' for insurers, lawmakers

[JGalt]

Insurance bailouts? I heard Rand Paul talking about this last week. He said the insurance companies made 4 billion last year, and he doesn't want to give them a penny. However, it's a game of chicken. The insurance companies have the freedom to walk away if they are not making enough money in a state or a particular county. If the government doesn't make up the difference, how many insurers will we have left? We would have to hope the insurance companies actually want to provide the insurance and would go ahead without getting "subsidies." Game of chicken.

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

 

[Desperado]

Good, everyone should have to play by the same rules.
Politicians should not be a separate class of citizens

 

[BULLDOG]

Insurance bailouts? I heard Rand Paul talking about this last week. He said the insurance companies made 4 billion last year, and he doesn't want to give them a penny. However, it's a game of chicken. The insurance companies have the freedom to walk away if they are not making enough money in a state or a particular county. If the government doesn't make up the difference, how many insurers will we have left? We would have to hope the insurance companies actually want to provide the insurance and would go ahead without getting "subsidies." Game of chicken.

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Pretty sure Trump never read The Art of the Deal. He certainly didn't write it. The windbag hired someone else to write it, and then slapped his own name on it.

Take a MIdol and settle down. Obama already proved how big taxpayer-funded government bailouts don't work. We bought an Obama-era GM bailout Chevy in 2013 and the stupid thing didn't even make it to 150,000 miles.

What's that got to do with my response about the book Trump had ghost written?

 

[JGalt]

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Pretty sure Trump never read The Art of the Deal. He certainly didn't write it. The windbag hired someone else to write it, and then slapped his own name on it.

Take a MIdol and settle down. Obama already proved how big taxpayer-funded government bailouts don't work. We bought an Obama-era GM bailout Chevy in 2013 and the stupid thing didn't even make it to 150,000 miles.

What's that got to do with my response about the book Trump had ghost written?

So he paid some schmuck writer to write a book about him, do I care? Only if his name wasn't "Bill Ayers" and he wrote "Dreams From My Father" for Obama too. Then I'd have a big problem.

 

[OldLady]

Insurance bailouts? I heard Rand Paul talking about this last week. He said the insurance companies made 4 billion last year, and he doesn't want to give them a penny. However, it's a game of chicken. The insurance companies have the freedom to walk away if they are not making enough money in a state or a particular county. If the government doesn't make up the difference, how many insurers will we have left? We would have to hope the insurance companies actually want to provide the insurance and would go ahead without getting "subsidies." Game of chicken.

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Pretty sure Trump never read The Art of the Deal. He certainly didn't write it. The windbag hired someone else to write it, and then slapped his own name on it.

Take a MIdol and settle down. Obama already proved how big taxpayer-funded government bailouts don't work. We bought an Obama-era GM bailout Chevy in 2013 and the stupid thing didn't even make it to 150,000 miles.

Take a Viagra and go have yourself a little party of one. I'm sick of hearing that from you.

 

[OldLady]

Insurance bailouts? I heard Rand Paul talking about this last week. He said the insurance companies made 4 billion last year, and he doesn't want to give them a penny. However, it's a game of chicken. The insurance companies have the freedom to walk away if they are not making enough money in a state or a particular county. If the government doesn't make up the difference, how many insurers will we have left? We would have to hope the insurance companies actually want to provide the insurance and would go ahead without getting "subsidies." Game of chicken.

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

Sure. But before Obamacare, when competition was the rule, premiums were rising even faster than they are now and insurers were refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, etc. etc. 40% of bankruptcies were due to catastrophic medical expenses. So I'm not sure I trust that the "free market" is going to give us equally good healthcare coverage as we have now if we once again give them free reign.

 

[Desperado]

Or the insurance companies will raise rates. Chaos would ensue. This is just tough talk, they won't go through with it.

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

Sure. But before Obamacare, when competition was the rule, premiums were rising even faster than they are now and insurers were refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, etc. etc. 40% of bankruptcies were due to catastrophic medical expenses. So I'm not sure I trust that the "free market" is going to give us equally good healthcare coverage as we have now if we once again give them free reign.

Even before ObamaCare there was no "Free Market". If it was a "Free Market" people would have been able to buy heath insurance over state lines and not limited to the insurance available only in your state.

 

[OldLady]

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

Sure. But before Obamacare, when competition was the rule, premiums were rising even faster than they are now and insurers were refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, etc. etc. 40% of bankruptcies were due to catastrophic medical expenses. So I'm not sure I trust that the "free market" is going to give us equally good healthcare coverage as we have now if we once again give them free reign.

Even before ObamaCare there was no "Free Market". If it was a "Free Market" people would have been able to buy heath insurance over state lines and not limited to the insurance available only in your state.

Honestly, I don't understand what that is about. I heard once that actually some insurers have had that option for awhile and have not taken advantage of it. I'm not sure if that's true. It was someone on tv.
Anyway, it would seem as if the ability to form huge group insurance plans for all credit union and bank employees, for instance, or all restaurant workers, or whatever, in the country, that it would help make it affordable? But maybe not, since Obamacare IS a huge group insurance plan, right? And it's still not affordable.

 

[Desperado]

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

Sure. But before Obamacare, when competition was the rule, premiums were rising even faster than they are now and insurers were refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, etc. etc. 40% of bankruptcies were due to catastrophic medical expenses. So I'm not sure I trust that the "free market" is going to give us equally good healthcare coverage as we have now if we once again give them free reign.

Even before ObamaCare there was no "Free Market". If it was a "Free Market" people would have been able to buy heath insurance over state lines and not limited to the insurance available only in your state.

Honestly, I don't understand what that is about. I heard once that actually some insurers have had that option for awhile and have not taken advantage of it. I'm not sure if that's true. It was someone on tv.
Anyway, it would seem as if the ability to form huge group insurance plans for all credit union and bank employees, for instance, or all restaurant workers, or whatever, in the country, that it would help make it affordable? But maybe not, since Obamacare IS a huge group insurance plan, right? And it's still not affordable.

It is not affordable because the people that could afford health insurance before now have to pay for people who could not afford it before.

 

[Tehon]

I agree. If you read the linked article, all it actually says is that this administration won't give permanent approval to the subsidies. But they will continue to pay them.

Don't hold your breath! You ever read Trump's art of the deal? It's in the book.

Fury, if this administration stops paying the subsidies, insurers may raise their rates obscenely. This will not be a popular move by our President/Republican Congress, because it will mean premiums flying through the roof. Again. Don't forget, we've still got the individual mandate. Obamacare stands.

Have you never heard of "competition"?

Sure. But before Obamacare, when competition was the rule, premiums were rising even faster than they are now and insurers were refusing to cover people with pre-existing conditions, etc. etc. 40% of bankruptcies were due to catastrophic medical expenses. So I'm not sure I trust that the "free market" is going to give us equally good healthcare coverage as we have now if we once again give them free reign.

Even before ObamaCare there was no "Free Market". If it was a "Free Market" people would have been able to buy heath insurance over state lines and not limited to the insurance available only in your state.

Can't win with you people. The federal government allowed states to regulate their own markets and that's not a viable situation for you.

 

[Lewdog]

Oh yeah what a perfect thing for Trump to do! Force insurance companies to raise their rates and fuck over citizens of the country. Trump is the most vindictive man I've ever seen. He wants to wipe Obama out of history so bad, including Obamacare, that he is will to hurt whomever it takes to do it.

I'm surprised he doesn't have scientist trying to clone Bin Laden and bring him back to life just so he can say that Obama didn't really kill him. Trump is a sociopath.

 

[Jonesy Rose]

I guess it was due to Divine providence that I am able to avoid Obamacare. I have been disabled for some time and have Medicare along with drug and supplemental insurance that I simply purchased. There were no penalties or other issues with all this. I'm not sure I understand why this is not still the "normal" means of having health insurance. Why should the government be responsible for this in a capitalistic country? If you want something, you should earn the money and buy it. Our tax dollars should be available for those who simply will die without being helped...the frail and the young.
I think the quagmire that is health care is the major stumbling block to the government trying to pay for it. There are few consistencies in the costs of medical treatment. A broken leg might cost a thousand dollars in Memphis, and five hundred dollars in Biloxi. Premium priced doctors are not going to be found in a small town. Prescription drugs vary from drug store to drug store. The idea of containing all these variables is mind-blowing.
This government is not equipped to bring all this under control, and I think if anything has to be done, that the states should take on the responsibility, and that co-ops could be put into place through businesses or churches, etc., so that group rates could be created.

 

[task0778]

To the OP's point about bailouts for the insurance companies and carveouts for Congress and their staff, screw that. I'm tired of special deals, we have to come up with a better system where that kind of crap isn't needed. This particular issue is too damn big to solve from one side only, it looks to me like both parties are trying to get political solutions that work for them rather than the best practical solutions that work for us.

 

[Care4all]

Insurance bailouts? I heard Rand Paul talking about this last week. He said the insurance companies made 4 billion last year, and he doesn't want to give them a penny. However, it's a game of chicken. The insurance companies have the freedom to walk away if they are not making enough money in a state or a particular county. If the government doesn't make up the difference, how many insurers will we have left? We would have to hope the insurance companies actually want to provide the insurance and would go ahead without getting "subsidies." Game of chicken.

What is interesting about this though, is that those same companies who have lobbied the Democrats to obstruct and resist changes will now potentially face bankruptcy since Obamacare hasn't been adjusted and they are forced to offer services. This in turn will place major heat on the Democrats.

Of course they will blame Trump for wanting to fix Obamacare and for actually wanting to be fiscally responsible. The $10 trillion added to Americas debt in eight years which threatens Americas sovereignty and economic strength was never a concern for far too many, this has to change.

He's not trying to fix Obamacare, he's trying to kill it and kill millions of Americans who are sick and on the exchange insurance plans that the government helps them buy.