Originally Posted By: maczrool

There is none of that yet. Obama and the rest have said that's what they want and that this is just the beginning. They've definitely laid the groundwork to make this happen all on its own with all the onerous regulations and profit squeezing.

How on Earth is telling a company that provides *insurance* that they can't take away a policy as soon as they are required to pay out a claim on it "onerous regulation?" How is insurance "insurance" if it's rescinded as soon as it's needed? The standard free market answer to this is that insurers who don't do right by their customers will lose market share -- but again, with so few competitors in any given market, that doesn't happen. The health insurance industry is a complete failure of the free market, and you can't explain that away by complaining about onerous regulations when those regulations are the only thing keeping the companies from paying out on any claims at all.

Quote:

I think the insurance industry needs to get back to actual insurance and doling out payments for the truly unexpected rather than paying for routine office visits and minor medical procedures.

So, your solution to skyrocketing medical costs involves making preventative care less affordable? Really?

Quote:

Tort reform needs to be in place to reduce defensive medicine

Jury awards and defensive medicine account for less than 2% of medical costs. Show me a state that's implemented tort reform that has significantly decreased medical costs. The idea that lawyers are pushing up costs is just not borne out by the facts.

Quote:

and we need to nationalize the insurance market rather than limit it to state by state offerings.

Right, then they just move to the states that does the least regulation, the way credit card companies are all in South Dakota and Delaware. Because we all know the credit card companies are doing such a good job of serving customers...

Quote:
You know I've never been that great at math, but using your assumption is roughly a 10th of the advertised cost of this bill.


Are you saying math is wrong? $1 trillion / 30 million uninsured / 10 years is about $3400. I know you're trying to make a distinction between what the experts at the CBO say it will cost versus what you think it will cost, but I don't get what you're saying about my assumption being 1/10th of the cost.

Quote:
I've never paid that for private insurance.


The average cost for individuals on the non-employer market is around 3 grand a year. At worst, this bill costs a little more than that per uninsured person, but it's also reforming the system for the hundreds of millions who do have insurance. Your original statement that this amount of money could pay for everyone's care is just false, Stu, and vague accusations about how it will really cost more than that aren't persuasive if you don't have supporting evidence.

Quote:
The clinic was funded patially by the state and partially with federal grants. One of these was called the Ryan White grant.

Okay, that's one program in Louisiana for people with a specific condition. Do you really believe if programs were available for every condition, that people wouldn't take advantage of them? And how about people who are sick but haven't been diagnosed with a specific condition yet? Generally, the piecemeal programs for specific illnesses are designed to fill gaps in our system. I don't think they're a legitimate answer for health-care overall.

Quote:

And last I checked, this BBS' residents not withstanding, the majority of people are against this bill. They voted for reform but like this.

The Republicans did a great job sowing doubt and misunderstanding of the bill, with their "death panels are going to kill your grandma" rhetoric. Despite that, opinion prior to passage was just barely in opposition to the bill, but in favor of all of the individual provisions. Post-passage, public opinion favors the bill.

Quote:
This may surprise you, but not all doctors share its position.

Let's be real here... Is the AMA in the business of favoring policies it thinks will harm physicians, or that aren't supported by a majority of its members?
_________________________
- Tony C
my empeg stuff