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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 18:49:32 GMT
The thing is even with the large deductibles many things are covered 100% without it. Preventative care, such as annual physicals, immunization, Pap smears, mammograms, prostate exams, chest X-rays, birth control, annual blood work, well child visits etc. We shouldn't overlook that. Again it is far from perfect but there have been positive changes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 18:52:03 GMT
So now the deductible is 12K and we have to pay 20% after the deductible is met. And our premiums are much higher. Ok that is so generous of them /sarcasm. An additional 20% is not good coverage. That could still cost you several thousand dollars if your husband got hurt out on the farm. In Japan I had 70% coverage of anything and everything except obstetrics. (that isn't covered but you get $3000 back when you deliver a baby and that covers everything). My ex-husband had 90% coverage through work and really that meant when he had to have surgery he owed a whole 800 yen (we'll say less than $8 US out of pocket). That included all discharge medications and everything. Fascinating.
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Post by gale w on Jun 25, 2015 19:24:26 GMT
The thing is even with the large deductibles many things are covered 100% without it. Preventative care, such as annual physicals, immunization, Pap smears, mammograms, prostate exams, chest X-rays, birth control, annual blood work, well child visits etc. We shouldn't overlook that. Again it is far from perfect but there have been positive changes. Speaking of pap smears-I had an abnormal one about 20 yrs ago so I had to get them every 3 months (not counting when I was pregnant) for a while, and then every year. I prefer to keep getting them every year (because I'm paranoid like that) but the new recommendations are every 3 yrs. I asked my dr if I could get them every year anyway, and pay for the 2 yrs it isn't covered, and they won't even do them. Not sure if that's a practice policy or due to the new insurance laws. I think he said at age 65 they don't recommend them at all. I guess I'm not considered high risk since my abnormal one was so long ago. With our old insurance we paid for all preventive care ourselves. We probably paid about $1000 total for the year-not even 2 months worth of the increased amount in premiums we are paying now.
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
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Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
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Post by scrapaddie on Jun 25, 2015 19:41:22 GMT
Just curious-how many people can now afford the insurance but not afford to go to the doctor due to high deductibles with many of these policies or can'r find a doctor willing to accept their policy? You hear stories all the time about these issues and just wonder if it's only a few people relating their story or if it as widespread as some would like you to believe. That would be me
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 19:45:44 GMT
The thing is even with the large deductibles many things are covered 100% without it. Preventative care, such as annual physicals, immunization, Pap smears, mammograms, prostate exams, chest X-rays, birth control, annual blood work, well child visits etc. We shouldn't overlook that. Again it is far from perfect but there have been positive changes. Want to know what I used to pay for annual routine care? $20 - $25. Want to know how much I used to pay for birth control? $10 - $20.
So YAY that they're "free" now...but at what cost? $10,000 a year. Yay! What a bargain.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 19:47:31 GMT
The thing is even with the large deductibles many things are covered 100% without it. Preventative care, such as annual physicals, immunization, Pap smears, mammograms, prostate exams, chest X-rays, birth control, annual blood work, well child visits etc. We shouldn't overlook that. Again it is far from perfect but there have been positive changes. Want to know what I used to pay for annual routine care? $20 - $25. Want to know how much I used to pay for birth control? $10 - $20.
So YAY that they're "free" now...but at what cost? $10,000 a year. Yay! What a bargain.
Well you are lucky. We paid much much more than that before.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 19:54:24 GMT
Want to know what I used to pay for annual routine care? $20 - $25. Want to know how much I used to pay for birth control? $10 - $20.
So YAY that they're "free" now...but at what cost? $10,000 a year. Yay! What a bargain.
Well you are lucky. We paid much much more than that before. So as long as it's someone else paying, you're okay, right?
ACA has simply shifted your skyrocketing medical costs to me. Cool.
It's a fix for you, for sure...but what about me.
Again, I'm glad people like you, and millions of others now have access to quality health care. I just don't think it should be on the back of middle class America to absorb an extra $10,000 per year to pay for it.
ACA is NOT a fix for out of control health care expenses for Americans. ACA has done absolutely nothing to curb the skyrocketing costs of quality health care.
They've simply shifted the demographics of who is getting screwed.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 25, 2015 19:55:56 GMT
Did I hear correctly that if you received a subsidy, then have more income coming in, that you have to repay part of the subsidy? It doesn't affect me because we're on Medicare but I swore I heard someone complaining about this.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 19:57:41 GMT
Does this mean that for the average family where Obama said premiums would go down by $2,500 year goes into effect? Because my premium went UP by $2,500 so it would be nice if it went down now by $5,000 so my average American middle class family receives what we were promised. Unfortunately - even Obama knew he was lying about a stinking pile of manure. It's why it took so many backdoor palm greasing to get enough votes to pass it. It's why Nancy Pelosi said we have to pass it to know what's in it...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 19:57:59 GMT
Well you are lucky. We paid much much more than that before. So as long as it's someone else paying, you're okay, right?
ACA has simply shifted your skyrocketing medical costs to me. Cool.
It's a fix for you, for sure...but what about me.
Again, I'm glad people like you, and millions of others now have access to quality health care. I just don't think it should be on the back of middle class America to absorb an extra $10,000 per year to pay for it.
ACA is NOT a fix for out of control health care expenses for Americans. ACA has done absolutely nothing to curb the skyrocketing costs of quality health care.
They've simply shifted the demographics of who is getting screwed.
If you read my posts I've already said that there is much more that needs to be fixed. But this is a start. The first real change in decades. And I do truly wonder at how we who are middle class can find a reasonable rate but others can't. We are w single income now but are still middle class. I have a feeling a lot of it is to do with the different state marketplaces etc. We only have the federal one or open market. But our premiums are fair and deductibles are as well. We've always had a higher deductible though so that is nothing new. The ACA doesn't set the prices though.
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Post by foolana on Jun 25, 2015 19:58:02 GMT
Well you are lucky. We paid much much more than that before. So as long as it's someone else paying, you're okay, right?
ACA has simply shifted your skyrocketing medical costs to me. Cool.
It's a fix for you, for sure...but what about me.
Again, I'm glad people like you, and millions of others now have access to quality health care. I just don't think it should be on the back of middle class America to absorb an extra $10,000 per year to pay for it.
ACA is NOT a fix for out of control health care expenses for Americans. ACA has done absolutely nothing to curb the skyrocketing costs of quality health care.
They've simply shifted the demographics of who is getting screwed.
I wish people would understand that the ACA does not set prices. The insurance companies are free to charge whatever they'd like and they do. The ACA is a list of rules regarding coverage but controlling prices that for-profit corporations charge for premiums is not one of them.
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Post by foolana on Jun 25, 2015 20:00:04 GMT
Does this mean that for the average family where Obama said premiums would go down by $2,500 year goes into effect? Because my premium went UP by $2,500 so it would be nice if it went down now by $5,000 so my average American middle class family receives what we were promised. Unfortunately - even Obama knew he was lying about a stinking pile of manure. It's why it took so many backdoor palm greasing to get enough votes to pass it. It's why Nancy Pelosi said we have to pass it to know what's in it... Typical partisan nonsense. Why don't you blame Republicans for letting corporations get away with charging whatever the hell they want and paying no taxes? It's easier to make stuff up and blame Obama.
ETA: By corporations, in the post, I mean health insurance companies who make more in profits by charging more and denying health care.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:03:48 GMT
Elaine...I admit to clicking on that picture to make it even larger...she is so CUTE! I know your family will enjoy her. In regards to ACA, I too don't think it should be overturned...or even go so far as to say I don't want it overturned. It has helped people that have needed the help and I'm thankful for that. I just wish it didn't have to happen with such a negative financial impact to me. I don't think it's cool that I'm shelling out an additional $10,000 every year...money I had not shelled out in the past (even with normal premium increases that have been happening forever) Most middle income, typical American families are not going to be able to find an additional $10,000 per year...so eventually, this dam is going to burst. In addition, what's going to happen when more and more young and healthy people figure out that it's cheaper to pay the tax penalty than to get insurance? This law was a trainwreck from the beginning. The train is still off the tracks. This law did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to combat the high cost of healthcare in America. It's simply shifted the high cost and inability to find care that you can afford to the middle class...the same people that had no trouble in the past having insurance and paying their medical bills. GAJenny - I think ultimately that was the ideal. They never wanted it to reduce costs, they never wanted it to actually work and be sustainable. They wanted it to be a financial burden on enough people so that Single Payer would be enacted. It was a ploy by the government to take away our health care choices.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:05:11 GMT
Elaine...I admit to clicking on that picture to make it even larger...she is so CUTE! I know your family will enjoy her. In regards to ACA, I too don't think it should be overturned...or even go so far as to say I don't want it overturned. It has helped people that have needed the help and I'm thankful for that. I just wish it didn't have to happen with such a negative financial impact to me. I don't think it's cool that I'm shelling out an additional $10,000 every year...money I had not shelled out in the past (even with normal premium increases that have been happening forever) Most middle income, typical American families are not going to be able to find an additional $10,000 per year...so eventually, this dam is going to burst. In addition, what's going to happen when more and more young and healthy people figure out that it's cheaper to pay the tax penalty than to get insurance? This law was a trainwreck from the beginning. The train is still off the tracks. This law did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to combat the high cost of healthcare in America. It's simply shifted the high cost and inability to find care that you can afford to the middle class...the same people that had no trouble in the past having insurance and paying their medical bills. Everyone should be able to have healthcare in the U.S. It doesn't help if we simply shift those who can't access healthcare from the poor to the middle class. The only ray of hope is that the middle class is more powerful in terms of voting and political power than the poor and children, and will hopefully vote in politicians (or scare those who are already in office) who will insist on changes that don't punish the middle class. Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to get out of The Pharmaceutical Industry's pocket and a serious smack down needs to happen in terms of reigning in their obscene charges and profits. I'd be interested in seeing the percentage of actual profit made on prescriptions in the Pharmaceutical company. They are so regulated that their overhead is astronomical, it's why drugs are so much more expensive here than in the rest of the world.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 20:06:07 GMT
So as long as it's someone else paying, you're okay, right?
ACA has simply shifted your skyrocketing medical costs to me. Cool.
It's a fix for you, for sure...but what about me.
Again, I'm glad people like you, and millions of others now have access to quality health care. I just don't think it should be on the back of middle class America to absorb an extra $10,000 per year to pay for it.
ACA is NOT a fix for out of control health care expenses for Americans. ACA has done absolutely nothing to curb the skyrocketing costs of quality health care.
They've simply shifted the demographics of who is getting screwed.
If you read my posts I've already said that there is much more that needs to be fixed. But this is a start. The first real change in decades. And I do truly wonder at how we who are middle class can find a reasonable rate but others can't. We are w single income now but are still middle class. I have a feeling a lot of it is to do with the different state marketplaces etc. We only have the federal one or open market. But our premiums are fair and deductibles are as well. We've always had a higher deductible though so that is nothing new. The ACA doesn't set the prices though. The ACA may not set the prices, but with insurance companies being required to provide all of this "free" stuff, how else should it be paid for? Premiums HAVE to go up to pay for all the "free" stuff.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 20:08:19 GMT
If you read my posts I've already said that there is much more that needs to be fixed. But this is a start. The first real change in decades. And I do truly wonder at how we who are middle class can find a reasonable rate but others can't. We are w single income now but are still middle class. I have a feeling a lot of it is to do with the different state marketplaces etc. We only have the federal one or open market. But our premiums are fair and deductibles are as well. We've always had a higher deductible though so that is nothing new. The ACA doesn't set the prices though. The ACA may not set the prices, but with insurance companies being required to provide all of this "free" stuff, how else should it be paid for? Premiums HAVE to go up to pay for all the "free" stuff.
But the companies are still making money and tons of it. In fact we were given back money three times last year due to them making our premiums too much and their ratio being too high. So I don't buy this one bit. We have to have basic coverage for every citizen. It should be one of our top priorities.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:13:00 GMT
Unfortunately - even Obama knew he was lying about a stinking pile of manure. It's why it took so many backdoor palm greasing to get enough votes to pass it. It's why Nancy Pelosi said we have to pass it to know what's in it... Typical partisan nonsense. Why don't you blame Republicans for letting corporations get away with charging whatever the hell they want and paying no taxes? It's easier to make stuff up and blame Obama.
ETA: By corporations, in the post, I mean health insurance companies who make more in profits by charging more and denying health care.
Businesses making profits...how wrong...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 20:17:43 GMT
Typical partisan nonsense. Why don't you blame Republicans for letting corporations get away with charging whatever the hell they want and paying no taxes? It's easier to make stuff up and blame Obama.
ETA: By corporations, in the post, I mean health insurance companies who make more in profits by charging more and denying health care.
Businesses making profits...how wrong... I'm personally very uncomfortable with health insurance companies making the profits that they do. It's obscene and we have no control or choices. Health care to me is something that every single person should have regardless of income.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2015 20:19:08 GMT
I'm another one who has benefited greatly. I've said this before --- we'd be in the poor house with my husband's pre-existing conditions. We could never have gotten insured anywhere else but our home state, so no chance that we would ever be able to move anywhere else.
In our case, we pay 100% of the cost our plan with no subsidies from the company, so I'm able to do a comparison of the total cost. This year the company switched insurance carriers and the cost went down by 20% for the exact same coverage. We're upper middle class, and we're definitely not a horror story.
I'm also glad to see the cost of free and reduced care being upfront and really covered, instead of buried in hospital charitable care.
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Post by foolana on Jun 25, 2015 20:23:12 GMT
Typical partisan nonsense. Why don't you blame Republicans for letting corporations get away with charging whatever the hell they want and paying no taxes? It's easier to make stuff up and blame Obama.
ETA: By corporations, in the post, I mean health insurance companies who make more in profits by charging more and denying health care.
Businesses making profits...how wrong... Businesses who make decisions about our health care? Businesses who have the authority to override our doctors about what is best for our life and health? Why should any corporation make money by refusing medications and treatments that our doctors want us to have but refuse because it doesn't fit into their business model? Why should people DIE because Anthem/Cigna/USHealthcare et al care more about the almighty dollar than they do about their customers? Making profits by refusing life-saving care is despicable and disgusting. There is truly something wrong with you if you think that's okay, jonda1974. Holy sh!t.
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Post by beebee on Jun 25, 2015 20:25:24 GMT
I am not a fan of the vast majority of the ACA. I really feel it was poorly done. But in this case, I agree with lucyg that this particular decision was one of common sense. I think Congress meant for all persons in the US to receive subsidies, if needed, not just those who's states actually set up their own exchange. I do not think this decision was the time or place to debate the merits or drawbacks of the ACA and I don't see this decision as an endorsement of it either. This was just allowing all Americans to have the same privileges under the law regardless of whether or not their own state set up their own exchange. As I said, I am not a fan of this law at all. I do believe it put unfair burdens on the middle class. With that said, I am glad that people with preexisting conditions can get healthcare. That's the one good thing I can recognize has come out of this law. I don't think we'll see it repealed at all, but I am hoping that we can see it tweaked and some of the burden that was put on the middle class can be alleviated. I would really love to see healthcare costs addressed too and think that's where I would have preferred to see legislation focused. I agree with what you wrote. But my question is where would the money come from for the subsidies if not from the middle class?? If we are going to have this law, then the middle class has to pay for it. I see no other way.
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Post by foolana on Jun 25, 2015 20:25:29 GMT
Businesses making profits...how wrong... I'm personally very uncomfortable with health insurance companies making the profits that they do. It's obscene and we have no control or choices. Health care to me is something that every single person should have regardless of income. Don't waste your breathe @scrappower. It's apparent that jonda1974 is either a troll or someone who doesn't have an ounce of compassion in their whole being. I'm shocked by his comment and it takes a lot to shock me around here.
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Post by betty on Jun 25, 2015 20:25:44 GMT
We usually had a premium increase each yr and once copays went from $25 to $35 for specialists...Never did we have the huge deductible increases (thousands of $) until last November. I agree with others that the increased cost of insurance is cutting into our spending on other things. That with no wage increase for us this year is a hefty burden on families that make just above the limits to recieve any freebies.
Taking $18K off of our income ( premiums, deductibles, copays,RX costs for year) would put our family into the EBT, school lunch, etc guidelines. That $18K has to come from somewhere as mentioned up thread...no vacations, no a/c except on very hot days, no restaurant meals, one car, no cable TV, etc. whatever a family has to do to get by.
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Post by foolana on Jun 25, 2015 20:27:38 GMT
I am not a fan of the vast majority of the ACA. I really feel it was poorly done. But in this case, I agree with lucyg that this particular decision was one of common sense. I think Congress meant for all persons in the US to receive subsidies, if needed, not just those who's states actually set up their own exchange. I do not think this decision was the time or place to debate the merits or drawbacks of the ACA and I don't see this decision as an endorsement of it either. This was just allowing all Americans to have the same privileges under the law regardless of whether or not their own state set up their own exchange. As I said, I am not a fan of this law at all. I do believe it put unfair burdens on the middle class. With that said, I am glad that people with preexisting conditions can get healthcare. That's the one good thing I can recognize has come out of this law. I don't think we'll see it repealed at all, but I am hoping that we can see it tweaked and some of the burden that was put on the middle class can be alleviated. I would really love to see healthcare costs addressed too and think that's where I would have preferred to see legislation focused. I agree with what you wrote to a point. But my question is where would the money come from for the subsidies if not from the middle class?? If we are going to have this law, then the middle class has to pay for it. I see no other way. Perhaps the rich could pay the same percentage of their money in taxes like the middle class does?
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Jun 25, 2015 20:28:42 GMT
Did I hear correctly that if you received a subsidy, then have more income coming in, that you have to repay part of the subsidy? It doesn't affect me because we're on Medicare but I swore I heard someone complaining about this. Yep, we got a $2,500 bill! I was very thankful that we could pay it. We had private insurance before, our insurance company pulled out of the market, so we had to shop for new. I did not want to use a subsidy, but our premium TRIPLED!!! Even with the subsidy, it is more expensive, and we got a bill for more.
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Post by elaine on Jun 25, 2015 20:33:00 GMT
Everyone should be able to have healthcare in the U.S. It doesn't help if we simply shift those who can't access healthcare from the poor to the middle class. The only ray of hope is that the middle class is more powerful in terms of voting and political power than the poor and children, and will hopefully vote in politicians (or scare those who are already in office) who will insist on changes that don't punish the middle class. Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to get out of The Pharmaceutical Industry's pocket and a serious smack down needs to happen in terms of reigning in their obscene charges and profits. I'd be interested in seeing the percentage of actual profit made on prescriptions in the Pharmaceutical company. They are so regulated that their overhead is astronomical, it's why drugs are so much more expensive here than in the rest of the world. I was married to a pharmaceutical rep. My first husband worked for Sandoz. Let me tell you, that company wasted and threw buckets of money at doctors and reps. Yearly vacation conventions for the reps. Electronics gifts. It was a real eye opener. The profits ARE astonomical. If you believe they aren't making money hand over fist, you have bought the huge cock and bull story they have fed you. The first and most important step, IMO, in making health care reasonable for all IS regulating pharmaceutical costs, because Big Pharm has proven they aren't willing to do it themselves.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:33:58 GMT
Businesses making profits...how wrong... I'm personally very uncomfortable with health insurance companies making the profits that they do. It's obscene and we have no control or choices. Health care to me is something that every single person should have regardless of income. Yet, it is the government through their regulations that created the health care monstrosity that we had before. They are the ones who through their attempt to control the economy (FDR and wage freezes) have had health care tied to employment, which is part of the problem. It is government regulations that cause prescription drug prices to be so high in the US. I don't disagree with everyone needing health care, and it needing to be affordable, but we just traded one monstrosity for another, and didn't even get to the heart of the problem at all which is the cost of health care. The government hasn't been able to make Social Security sustainable and its been what 60-70 years? I have no faith that they will make ACA sustainable any time soon. It is a bubble that will burst.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:36:49 GMT
Businesses making profits...how wrong... Businesses who make decisions about our health care? Businesses who have the authority to override our doctors about what is best for our life and health? Why should any corporation make money by refusing medications and treatments that our doctors want us to have but refuse because it doesn't fit into their business model? Why should people DIE because Anthem/Cigna/USHealthcare et al care more about the almighty dollar than they do about their customers? Making profits by refusing life-saving care is despicable and disgusting. There is truly something wrong with you if you think that's okay, jonda1974. Holy sh!t. Businesses who make decisions about our health care. Businesses who have the authority to override our doctors about what is best for our life and health. Government who makes decisions about our health care. Government who has the authority to override our doctors about what is best for our life and health. Its really trading one enemy for another, opposite sides of the same coin, and neither have the individual's best interest at heart.
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Post by jonda1974 on Jun 25, 2015 20:37:18 GMT
I agree with what you wrote to a point. But my question is where would the money come from for the subsidies if not from the middle class?? If we are going to have this law, then the middle class has to pay for it. I see no other way. Perhaps the rich could pay the same percentage of their money in taxes like the middle class does? Or cut government overhead and waste and agencies so no one's taxes need raised.
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Post by Regina Phalange on Jun 25, 2015 20:41:08 GMT
Elaine...I admit to clicking on that picture to make it even larger...she is so CUTE! I know your family will enjoy her. In regards to ACA, I too don't think it should be overturned...or even go so far as to say I don't want it overturned. It has helped people that have needed the help and I'm thankful for that. I just wish it didn't have to happen with such a negative financial impact to me. I don't think it's cool that I'm shelling out an additional $10,000 every year...money I had not shelled out in the past (even with normal premium increases that have been happening forever) Most middle income, typical American families are not going to be able to find an additional $10,000 per year...so eventually, this dam is going to burst. In addition, what's going to happen when more and more young and healthy people figure out that it's cheaper to pay the tax penalty than to get insurance? This law was a trainwreck from the beginning. The train is still off the tracks. This law did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to combat the high cost of healthcare in America. It's simply shifted the high cost and inability to find care that you can afford to the middle class...the same people that had no trouble in the past having insurance and paying their medical bills. GAJenny - I think ultimately that was the ideal. They never wanted it to reduce costs, they never wanted it to actually work and be sustainable. They wanted it to be a financial burden on enough people so that Single Payer would be enacted. It was a ploy by the government to take away our health care choices. Can I ask what you mean by "take away our choices?" What choices do we have?
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