Isn't it true that Obamacare is patterned after the Heritage Foundation model introduced in 1989 and then that model was used by Mitt Romney?
Help me out here, there seems to some confusion with your opinion versus historical facts.
Romney??
Massachusetts????
1. 50 days to see a doctor in BostonÂ…Is MassachusettsÂ’ universal coverage laws the cause?
June 9, 2009 in Current Events, Health Insurance, Supply of Medical Services, Wait Times
From the USA Today, here are the wait times to see a doctor in the following cities:
• Boston: 49.6
• Philadelphia: 27
• Los Angeles: 24.2
• Houston: 23.4
• Washington, D.C.: 22.6
• San Diego 20.2
• Minneapolis: 19.8
• Dallas: 19.2
• New York: 19.2
• Denver: 15.4 days
• Miami: 15.4 days
The first thing that jumps out from these numbers is that Boston has by far the longest wait to see a doctor. Is this caused by the universal health coverage enacted in Massachusetts? The answer is maybe. Physician supply adjusts slowly (i.e., it takes a long time to finish med school). On the other hand, Massachusetts decision to increase insurance coverage lead to a spike in the demand for medical services. Thus, universal health care may have caused the run up in wait times, Â…
50 days to see a doctor in Boston?Is Massachusetts? universal coverage laws the cause? « Healthcare Economist
2. "..., insurance premiums have been increasing at nearly double the national average: 7.4 percent in 2007, 8 percent to 12 percent in 2008, and an expected 9 percent increase this year. Health insurance in Massachusetts costs an average of $16,897 for a family of four, compared to a national average of $12,700.
The Massachusetts plan incorporates a system of middle-class subsidies called Commonwealth Care to help pay for insurance for families with incomes up to 300 percent of poverty level ($66,150 for a family of four) and also expanded eligibility for Medicaid.
The costs to the taxpayers are rising, too, and one tax increase has not satisfied the appetite of the hungry plan. The prospect of huge deficits has elicited discussion of cuts in reimbursements to providers and the imposition of a "global budget," which is a euphemism for rationing."
Massachusetts Health Care: A Model Not to Copy
3. More people are seeking care in hospital
emergency rooms, and the cost of caring for ER patients has soared 17 percent over two years, despite efforts to direct patients with nonurgent problems to primary care doctors instead, according to new state data. Visits to Massachusetts emergency rooms grew 7 percent between 2005 and 2007, to 2,469,295 visits.
ER visits, costs in Mass. climb - The Boston Globe
Brilliant guy that Obama.
And his supporters?????
Priceless.