Posted on 07/18/2010 6:59:12 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Under President Obama’s new health-care law, regulators gained a radical power: the ability to define “unreasonable” premiums and reject them on state-level insurance exchanges.
Massachusetts, which has already been the model for the national health-care overhaul, recently gave its regulators the authority to strike down excessive rate hikes—and the result was a nearly 90 percent rejection rate.
If the same blunt approach is applied nationally, insurers may pull out to focus on more profitable market segments—and the promise of universal access could crumble.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Hope so. The greates Democommunist fear is a conservative house with cepina power. They will do anything to prevent it..anything.
“The concept of American exceptionalism will die if we don’t reverse course soon.”
No, it will not - not for the folks who are exceptional.
The only way to make “healthcare for everyone” cheaper is to provide less of it.
The folks who want something better will pay for it - either here, or abroad.
Exceptionalism dies when people think that they don’t have to pay for things that they get. That’s our present system.
Obama and his soul-less minions are going to make the exceptional among us more independent of government, not more dependent.
The concept of American Exceptionalism has to do with the country in general. Not just a few individuals.
We need to regain our freedom, so that exceptionalism is widespread.
“You will not be able to buy high deduct ins. because it is outlawed.”
Again, health insurance is not health care.
For those who are willing to pay for their health care it will be available. For those who can’t or won’t, it will be rationed.
Yes, I agree, it will hurt old folks, and those with chronic illess who do not have the ability to pay for their health care. Too late for them, unfortunately - and that is horrible that they must be left to their fate by a big government system.
“The concept of American Exceptionalism has to do with the country in general. Not just a few individuals.”
The exceptionalism of America is not that every American is exceptional, rather that the exceptional among us are allowed to make the most of it to the benefit of everyone.
Exceptionalism IS the realm of a subset of individuals, nobody can say otherwise (and be right).
Once that’s accomplished to rest = Once that’s accomplished the rest
“No, people want the government to pay for it.”
You are correct - but by not getting what they want under a government system, some will change their minds.
“Willing to pay for it will not resolve the current situation with the government trying to destroy private insurance and force people to go on to a government run system”
Yes it will. The private insurance industry is doomed. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but all that will be left is for people to pay for the health care they want.
I am belaboring the point - but health insurance is not health care.
“Not if the government has its way. And what do you do with the 60 million on Medicaid and the 50 million on Medicare? Many do not have the funds to pay for what they want or need?”
If they do not have the funds to pay for what they want or need they will not get what they want or need. They may get part of what they want or need from a government system - but they will not get all of it, unless they are willing to pay for it.
The government option will fail - and we cannot (and should not want to) go back to the system we had before.
In the meantime - folks that want it and want to be in control will have to pay for their health care - either here in the US - via the black market, if need be (and there WILL be a black market) or they will have to go outside the US.
“The preferred solution is to put the power back into the patient’s hands using vouchers and allowances. Right now, people don’t care what something costs because they are not paying the bills. There is no incentive to save money or do comparison shopping.”
No, the preferred solution is for people to pay for the health care they want.
One hopes that the charitable among us will help those who truly cannot get what they need. It cannot be a government requirement or it will fail.
“No, people want the government to pay for it.”
That’s the money quote. People that don’t earn and don’t pay taxes have no concept that these things are paid for by someone. To them the government is off in D.C or their state capital and they have money. Much like that idiot on youtube talking about Obamas stash they have no idea that the government gets that money from someone.
The insurance companies won’t go bankrupt,they will simply offer other products. Their earnings will probably be hurt until they can figure a new way to make back the lost income.
“Under President Obama’s new health-care law, regulators gained a radical power: the ability to define “unreasonable” premiums and reject them on state-level insurance exchanges.”
The law provided the authority for price controls. The term unreasonable is just window dressing. Price controls are a great election tool. They have some intended impact in the short run. In the long, they are disaster. The left never tires of spinning new terms for old failed solutions. Many economists aligned with the left spin yarns about the virtues of government control in the health care sector as though the health care sector can disregard basic economic laws. Price controls will reduce the supply of medical care. Global budgets will lead to rationing. Strangling and complex regulations will lead to less innovation in health care services. These are immutable economic laws.
Retainer fee medicine can cost as little as $250 per month and offer personal attention to care on a 24/7 basis with extended coverage available for specialist care.
Under retainer fee medical practices doctors make a good living and provide decent wages for their clinic employees by having a panel of only 2000 patients. Patients benefit greatly as doctors no longer operate an assembly line of medical care and have much more time for patients.
In effect the doctors take back a role of contracting on retainer, and paying side contracts to specialist clinics. Cuts out all the middlemen including insurance companies.
http://www.medicineandtechnology.com/2008/04/boutique-practices-retainer-fees.html
That said it is a natural tendency for doctors as a group to hire a local administrator to service the retainer contracts but the difference is that doctors are put back in charge of their practices and affirm the patient-doctor relationship.
As it is now, local health administrators have doctors work for them because they are supported by large insurance administrations and government via medicare and medicaid.
Historically, doctors had a retainer fee arrangement with their patients but it has gone off track as a result of WWII effects and later medicare effects.
With wage freezes in WWII, employers were left to offer only pension, insurance and health benefits as incentives to their top employees. This caused an unholy alliance between employers and medical administrators. Doctors at first were often employed by the company and setup a clinic office on company premises.
Medicare injected government into the mix and suddenly doctors found themselves working for government rather than patients.
In both cases government policy skewed the medical delivery markets to disruptive and dysfunctional regulation and frayed if not severed the patient-doctor relationship.
Medicare/Medicaid is bankrupt as are gold-plated union healthcare plans. The present healthcare act of Congress is nothing but a power grab and tax program to prop up failed government programs and union overreach. This is the historical progression.
There is a solution.
Repeal the 16th Amendment, enact the FairTax and reform the Federal Reserve by federalizing it. This sounds like a tall order but there is no economically sound way to get $250 per month into the hands of every qualified American for the purpose of their choosing a doctor and putting medical care on retainer.
“Retainer fee medicine can cost as little as $250 per month and offer personal attention to care on a 24/7 basis with extended coverage available for specialist care.”
Exactly - people willing to pay for their health care tend to get it.
The health care debate really has two camps - those that can and will pay for their health care, and who get it, and those who will stand in line taking what they are given by the government.
There are many complicated and heart wrenching stories in between - but in the end it’s those who are willing to do what they need to do to pay for their health care that will get it.
Private payment will not be allowed in the US. Maybe Mexico or the Bahamas.
“Private payment will not be allowed in the US. Maybe Mexico or the Bahamas.”
It will be available in the US, regardless of what is allowed - but it may be easier for some folks to go abroad.
And that is exactly what will happen.
Not in Hospitals.
“Not in Hospitals.”
You mean “Hospitals that are allowed to remain open” don’t you? How many will close? 50% 60%? I guessing that will be a good ballpark figure.
I think we’ll all be surprised how and where health care will be available for those willing to pay for it.
Under the FairTax (http://www.fairtax.org) I and any qualified American will not pay taxes on life’s essentials (essentials include medical).
HOW A GRANDMOTHER SURVIVES ON MINIMUM SOCIAL SECURITY, PAYS FOR A RETAINER FEE MEDICAL CONTRACT (no medicare) AND HAS A LIFE!:
Current 2009 Poverty Level is $10830 or about $900 per month.
Grandmother receives $1150 monthly in Social Security (if she had paid annuity premiums during her work life or her husband left her with life insurance, she would be very well off).
Under the FairTax granny will pay 23% of any amount spent on a monthly basis that exceeds $900 (the poverty level or what I like to call “the living essentials”).
For example, after granny gets her SS check of $1150, she saves $50 every month and spends $1100. She is taxed 23% of $1100 - $900 = $200 or 23% x $200 = $46.
Her monthly budget on a $1150 SS Check:
Savings 50
Food 300
Housing 400
Medical 275 (incl. extended specialist care)
Monthly bus pass 65
Church Donation 10
This granny is at the bottom of the economic strata but all her basic needs are met. Everyone else who has more income will of course do much better.
“The exceptionalism of America is not that every American is exceptional, rather that the exceptional among us are allowed to make the most of it to the benefit of everyone.
Exceptionalism IS the realm of a subset of individuals, nobody can say otherwise (and be right).”
No, I believe American exceptionalism, to most people, refers to the exceptional aspects of our founding, constitution, individual freedom and responsibility, limited federal government, and economic opportunity. These aspects apply to all citizens. What any individual does with those things is, as you correctly point out, what makes that individual exceptional.
You’ve defined it best. We agree.
“This granny is at the bottom of the economic strata but all her basic needs are met. Everyone else who has more income will of course do much better.”
who pays for her cable TV and internet?
(kidding)
Many people pay much more than $275 for cable, cell, and internet service.
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