francoHFW
Diamond Member
states. Amazing alternate universe...
BBC News - Obamacare in Kentucky: The luxury of seeing a doctor
BBC News - Obamacare in Kentucky: The luxury of seeing a doctor
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Only Pub hater bs and racism is against Obamacare. See Kentucky and the South/ red s
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francoHFW
Diamond Member
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Sizemore is one of 421,000 people in Kentucky who've signed up since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, came into force last October.
Like many, she now qualifies for Medicaid, the government programme that pays for health care for the poorest Americans. Under the new law, the federal government offers states money to expand Medicaid so that many more people on very low wages, like Liberty Sizemore, are covered.
There are also federal funds for new state insurance exchanges where Americans can shop for private plans. Some plans are heavily subsidised by the government, depending on the applicant's income level.
Kentucky is one of a minority of states - and the only one in the South - to have taken Washington's money and embraced all the reforms.
But it has done it without embracing the man after whom they are named.
"The president is not all that popular in the state," says Democratic Governor Steven Beshear, pointing to Mr Obama's 34% approval rating in Kentucky (eight points below the latest national figure reported by Gallup). "So we don't talk about Obamacare," he explains.
Instead, officials talk enthusiastically about Kentucky's own insurance exchange, Kynect.
The governor believes the strategy has paid off. "They came in droves to sign up on the first day and it's been that way ever since."
And yet, misgivings about the biggest health reform in the US in 50 years persist - even among some of those who have benefitted most.
Hairdresser Sadie Smith has enrolled but, she hopes, only as a temporary measure. Her family's insurance disappeared when her husband lost his job. (Most Americans with health insurance get it through their job, with the employer and the worker sharing the cost.)
Sadie Smith
As she puts the finishing touches to a customer's hair at her small salon in Manchester, Kentucky, Smith says she is grateful for Obamacare. But she is uneasy. "It scares me. The government wants to control everybody - their finances, their insurance, it all comes back to control."
Similar sentiments about government control are behind objections to another Obamacare rule: everyone must have some form of health insurance or risk being fined.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
They've caused more people to lose their insurance than they helped gain”
Robert Stivers
Kentucky state senator
Others are angry that private insurance plans they were happy with are being withdrawn because they do not meet Obamacare standards. New rules say insurance plans must cover a broader range of care, including many preventative tests.
"They've caused more people to lose their insurance than they helped gain," says Robert Stivers, the Republican President of Kentucky's state Senate. Senator Stivers believes insurance premiums are going to go up dramatically "because of these mandated coverages".
He also worries about the long-term cost to the state. The federal government is picking up the bill for the subsidised parts of Obamacare at the moment. But Kentucky will have to start contributing up to 10%, starting in 2017.
Unlike many of his Republican colleagues in Kentucky and Washington DC, Senator Stivers is not calling for outright repeal of Obamacare. "What we are looking for is a reasonable alternative," he says. That includes rolling back the expanded Medicaid coverage and subsidies, and eliminating all the mandates.
But governor Steven Beshear thinks that's unlikely. "We now have 421,000 Kentuckians who are also voters signed up for the law and liking what they are getting," he says.
And the Governor suggests opponents of Obamacare face a predicament. "They want to be critical of the president and his administration, but at the same time they want those 421,000 votes," he says, "so they're not going to take away that coverage from those folks."
Benita Adams may be one of the people the Governor has in mind. The 62-year-old grandmother lives on the edge of the rolling Appalachian Mountains in eastern Kentucky. She owns her home but works two jobs as a dental assistant to make ends meet. She did not vote for President Obama.
Adams has had no health insurance since her divorce 30 years ago. A recent heart operation left her with a $67,000 bill. Although the hospital waived around half of that, she still pays $50 a month to clear the rest.
"I used to say, if I get hurt just let me be killed because I can't afford to pay any more hospital bills," she says.
BBC News - Obamacare in Kentucky: The luxury of seeing a doctor
Like many, she now qualifies for Medicaid, the government programme that pays for health care for the poorest Americans. Under the new law, the federal government offers states money to expand Medicaid so that many more people on very low wages, like Liberty Sizemore, are covered.
There are also federal funds for new state insurance exchanges where Americans can shop for private plans. Some plans are heavily subsidised by the government, depending on the applicant's income level.
Kentucky is one of a minority of states - and the only one in the South - to have taken Washington's money and embraced all the reforms.
But it has done it without embracing the man after whom they are named.
"The president is not all that popular in the state," says Democratic Governor Steven Beshear, pointing to Mr Obama's 34% approval rating in Kentucky (eight points below the latest national figure reported by Gallup). "So we don't talk about Obamacare," he explains.
Instead, officials talk enthusiastically about Kentucky's own insurance exchange, Kynect.
The governor believes the strategy has paid off. "They came in droves to sign up on the first day and it's been that way ever since."
And yet, misgivings about the biggest health reform in the US in 50 years persist - even among some of those who have benefitted most.
Hairdresser Sadie Smith has enrolled but, she hopes, only as a temporary measure. Her family's insurance disappeared when her husband lost his job. (Most Americans with health insurance get it through their job, with the employer and the worker sharing the cost.)
Sadie Smith
As she puts the finishing touches to a customer's hair at her small salon in Manchester, Kentucky, Smith says she is grateful for Obamacare. But she is uneasy. "It scares me. The government wants to control everybody - their finances, their insurance, it all comes back to control."
Similar sentiments about government control are behind objections to another Obamacare rule: everyone must have some form of health insurance or risk being fined.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
They've caused more people to lose their insurance than they helped gain”
Robert Stivers
Kentucky state senator
Others are angry that private insurance plans they were happy with are being withdrawn because they do not meet Obamacare standards. New rules say insurance plans must cover a broader range of care, including many preventative tests.
"They've caused more people to lose their insurance than they helped gain," says Robert Stivers, the Republican President of Kentucky's state Senate. Senator Stivers believes insurance premiums are going to go up dramatically "because of these mandated coverages".
He also worries about the long-term cost to the state. The federal government is picking up the bill for the subsidised parts of Obamacare at the moment. But Kentucky will have to start contributing up to 10%, starting in 2017.
Unlike many of his Republican colleagues in Kentucky and Washington DC, Senator Stivers is not calling for outright repeal of Obamacare. "What we are looking for is a reasonable alternative," he says. That includes rolling back the expanded Medicaid coverage and subsidies, and eliminating all the mandates.
But governor Steven Beshear thinks that's unlikely. "We now have 421,000 Kentuckians who are also voters signed up for the law and liking what they are getting," he says.
And the Governor suggests opponents of Obamacare face a predicament. "They want to be critical of the president and his administration, but at the same time they want those 421,000 votes," he says, "so they're not going to take away that coverage from those folks."
Benita Adams may be one of the people the Governor has in mind. The 62-year-old grandmother lives on the edge of the rolling Appalachian Mountains in eastern Kentucky. She owns her home but works two jobs as a dental assistant to make ends meet. She did not vote for President Obama.
Adams has had no health insurance since her divorce 30 years ago. A recent heart operation left her with a $67,000 bill. Although the hospital waived around half of that, she still pays $50 a month to clear the rest.
"I used to say, if I get hurt just let me be killed because I can't afford to pay any more hospital bills," she says.
BBC News - Obamacare in Kentucky: The luxury of seeing a doctor
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Mad Scientist
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Reads just like all those Illegal Alien sob stories you read in the WSJ:
"Pedro took the long and dangerous trek to El Norte not for himself, but for his family that he had to leave behind because Americans are such racists.
If only Congress could pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform he could be reunited with his loved ones but all that is on hold because The Republicans just want to see Pedro and his family die a horrible death and then drink their blood!"
And that's supposed to make you feel bad and have sympathy for the Illegal Alien Invaders who's sole purpose is to drive down wages even further for Corporations while YOU pick up the tab for all the social costs.
"Pedro took the long and dangerous trek to El Norte not for himself, but for his family that he had to leave behind because Americans are such racists.
If only Congress could pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform he could be reunited with his loved ones but all that is on hold because The Republicans just want to see Pedro and his family die a horrible death and then drink their blood!"
And that's supposed to make you feel bad and have sympathy for the Illegal Alien Invaders who's sole purpose is to drive down wages even further for Corporations while YOU pick up the tab for all the social costs.
R
rdean
Guest
Unfortunately, too many Republicans feel these people should just go ahead and die. And many of those they want to die are they themselves Republican. Go figure.
If they feel this way about fellow Republicans, is it any wonder they feel this way about the little children seeking asylum here?
If they feel this way about fellow Republicans, is it any wonder they feel this way about the little children seeking asylum here?
Mad Scientist
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The fat girl in the story should lose some weight but she'll never do it the right way: Not eating ice cream and candy, drinking sodas.
No. What the "Health Provider" will say is that there are Medications they can give her for her Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol that are directly related to her porr eating habits. The American Medical Industrial Complex now has an interest in keeping you sick and out of shape so their friends at Big Pharma can put ypu on as many drugs as they can.
No. What the "Health Provider" will say is that there are Medications they can give her for her Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol that are directly related to her porr eating habits. The American Medical Industrial Complex now has an interest in keeping you sick and out of shape so their friends at Big Pharma can put ypu on as many drugs as they can.
Ibentoken
Don't Tread on Me
You're still alive. Must be a mistake.
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I have this conversation every year with a Nurse who claims to be a Vegetarian but is obviously over weight. She can't believe I eat what I do and my blood work is so good for a guy my age (50) or any age for that matter.
Her: "You must watch your fat and caloric intake!"
Me: "Nope. I just don't eat candy, cakes, bread, sugar and anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. I don't count calories either".
Her: "Really? What do you eat then?"
Me: "Beef. Fish. Pork. Chicken. Bacon. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus 2-5 eggs every day".
Her: What? How can you eat all that fat and not be fat?"
Me: "Fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar and processed carbs make you fat".
Her:"...."
Her: "You must watch your fat and caloric intake!"
Me: "Nope. I just don't eat candy, cakes, bread, sugar and anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. I don't count calories either".
Her: "Really? What do you eat then?"
Me: "Beef. Fish. Pork. Chicken. Bacon. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus 2-5 eggs every day".
Her: What? How can you eat all that fat and not be fat?"
Me: "Fat doesn't make you fat. Sugar and processed carbs make you fat".
Her:"...."
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Franco, when I was born in 1963 my Dad said the Hospital bill was $20. He then made an arrangement with the Hospital to pay $5 a month until it was paid off.
Tell us how it went from that cheap to 10's of Thousands of Dollars per child birth in 50 years?
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Next time you see your Doctor ask him how many classes on Nutrition he had in Med School. I can tell ya': Zero. That's what MY Doctor told ME.
Why would I listen to him about preventive medicine when he has no idea how to prevent anything?
Mad Scientist
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No. How bout not getting Kidney Failure in the first place by eating right?
What? Regulation, written by Big Agra and Passed by Government is what caused the Processed Foods and Big Feed Lots to become a big part of our food supply.
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American Doctors are great when you have multiple injuries from a car crash.
Everything else? Not so much.
Everything else? Not so much.
francoHFW
Diamond Member
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O-care and Dems are adding nutritionists and a LOT of information about good eating- if you want more, tell your disgraceful Pub representatives. GREAT, cheap investment. Pub doctors/cronies/insurers have been a disgrace since about 1963. Finally there's now some oversight, regulation, transparent competition....the only problem is the tidal wave of PUB BS and a health dose of Pub induced racism and hate. Period.
francoHFW
Diamond Member
- Thread starter
- #20
They're ALREADY paying for this care, just in the stupidest, cruelest, most expensive way possible, abortions, welfare, all that comes with unwanted children. There IS no cost to free birth control, only savings.
The same goes with all health care. YOU'RE ALREADY PAYING. More than you will will preventive medicine, chumps of the greedy rich/big health/pharma...
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