I Thought Obamacare Was Going to Lower Costs?

[Greenbeard]

Healthcare inflation was tracking higher then normal inflation, Obamacare was suppose to lower that, it didn’t

Since 2010, prices paid to health care providers have matched general inflation (and in fact have lagged it for the past four years or so).

 

[struth]

Since 2010, prices paid to health care providers have matched general inflation (and in fact have lagged it for the past four years or so).

So who’s getting all the extra money if the providers aren’t getting paid for their services?

 

[Greenbeard]

So who’s getting all the extra money if the providers aren’t getting paid for their services?

There isn't "extra money." As explained in numerous posts above, health care spending growth has been at all-time lows in the ACA era and excess cost growth has averaged roughly zero.

 

[alang1216]

That's how the law was written. Period.

Wrong, there was an additional tax for not having health insurance but it was not a fine.

 

[struth]

There isn't "extra money." As explained in numerous posts above, health care spending growth has been at all-time lows in the ACA era and excess cost growth has averaged roughly zero.

Excess cost to who??

 

[Greenbeard]

Excess cost to who??

"Excess cost" means growing faster than society's resources (e.g., GDP or personal income) are growing. If everyone's income doubles and so does health care spending, it's exactly as costly to people as it was before. Indeed, that's pretty close to what's happened.

The problem historically has been that health care, as you pointed out, used to grow significantly faster than the economy and people's incomes. That's the "excess" part. That largely stopped after 2010.

 

[struth]

"Excess cost" means growing faster than society's resources (e.g., GDP or personal income) are growing. If everyone's income doubles and so does health care spending, it's exactly as costly to people as it was before. Indeed, that's pretty close to what's happened.

The problem historically has been that health care, as you pointed out, used to grow significantly faster than the economy and people's incomes. That's the "excess" part. That largely stopped after 2010.

So it didn’t include how much federal dollars went into covering it?

 

[DonGlock26]

Wrong, there was an additional tax for not having health insurance but it was not a fine.

Of course, people who decline insurance available to them must pay a fine. That's the "individual mandate" about which you've heard so much. But the penalty is relatively small in the first year—either $95 or 1 percent of income, whichever is greater and up to the cost of a typical "bronze plan."

Burn Your Obamacare Card, Burn Yourself

By now, you may have heard of the campaign to undermine Obamacare that the conservative group FreedomWorks is running. I

web.archive.org

 

[Mashmont]

Yes, make it better.

Why the **** doesn't he?

You can't whine like a little MAGA ***** about Obamacare when Trump and Republicans have never done a ******* thing to try to improve health care.

Heathcare was great and much cheaper in the private sector before 0bama screwed it up.

 

[DonGlock26]

Heathcare was great and much cheaper in the private sector before 0bama screwed it up.

That is an undisputed fact.

 

[alang1216]

So someone on the internet referred to the tax as a 'fine' and you think that carries any weight?

 

[JohnDB]

Medicare needed fixing desperately before trying to actually extend government health benefits to everyone else...

And Medicare is currently rife with money going everywhere except for the benefit of senior citizens. Scammers and screamers are raking in billions to trillions of dollars already....

But yet somehow we needed Obama care so urgently that we didn't have time to fix Medicare and Medicaid first?

But good luck trying to get the manure back in the horse.

How about instead of fixing Obamacare we abandon all of it until we at least TRULY fix Medicare. Then branch out beyond.

 

[Greenbeard]

So it didn’t include how much federal dollars went into covering it?

Future federal spending obligations for health care spending have been falling considerably as the overall national cost curve has bent.

You can see it very clearly by looking at how the CBO's Long-Term Budget Projections have evolved over the last decade and a half. Their 2009 estimates for federal health spending costs were before the ACA, so they 1) were based on pre-ACA cost trends, and (2) do not include new spending required under the ACA (i.e., premium tax credits and Medicaid expansion) since those weren't law yet.

In the years after 2009, we added new federal health care programs under the ACA yet tens of trillions of dollars in future federal health care spending obligations have melted away as the cost curve bent. As you can see, the slowdown in health care cost growth has afforded us an extra 1.5% of GDP worth of budgetary space this year alone, which is worth ~$450 billion just this year.

 

[DonGlock26]

So someone on the internet referred to the tax as a 'fine' and you think that carries any weight?

"Do I still have to pay a penalty if I don’t have health insurance?


You don’t have to pay a penalty if you don’t have health insurance in 2019 or any year after that.

Through the end of 2018, the ACA required all U.S. taxpayers to have health coverage that met a minimum standard (called the “minimum essential coverage” requirement) unless they qualified for an exemption due to certain life events, financial status, or other factors. This meant that if you had affordable health coverage options, but chose not to buy health insurance, you would have to pay a fee when filing your taxes. This fee was known as an individual shared responsibility payment. It was also sometimes called the “penalty,” “fine,” or “individual mandate.”

Congress changed this part of the law for plans starting in 2019 and after. The individual shared responsibility payment no longer applies starting in plan year 2019.

Note: If you didn’t have coverage or an exemption in 2018, you may still have had to pay a fee when you filed your 2018 taxes in 2019.

Learn more about exemptions on the HealthCare.gov website"

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and your VA health care coverage | Veterans Affairs

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)—also known as the health care law—was created to expand access to coverage, control health care costs, and improve health care quality and care coordination. Find out what you need to know about the ACA and your health coverage.

www.va.gov

 

[Nostra]

Because of the filibuster. Are you new to this planet?

Why didn’t Schumer nuke the filibuster?

 

[LAUGHatLEFTISTS]

What did he lie about? And who cares?

At least the Democrats tried to improve health care....they get credit for trying. That's a lot more than Trump and your traitor Repug Party will ever do.

And all dishonest little MAGAts like you can do is cry like a little *****.

Nope. Democrats invented a massive healthcare crisis to get the Kenyan elected.

 

[Nostra]

There's no "if." Excess health care cost growth in the half century before the ACA was nearly 3% per year. Excess health care cost growth in the ACA era since 2010 has been just a hair above zero.

Lies.

 

[Nostra]

Catastrophic plans are great if you can afford the routine care not covered. Many people couldn't and were essentially not covered.

They are, or were, perfect for young healthy people.

What happened to “If you like your plan you can keep your plan”?

 

[Greenbeard]

What happened to “If you like your plan you can keep your plan”?

Millions of Americans are about to have cause to ask why the GOP is taking away their plans, for sure.

 

[Nostra]

Since 2010, prices paid to health care providers have matched general inflation (and in fact have lagged it for the past four years or so).

Cuz Tater had massive inflation, Simp.