Here's why republicans are in an impossible spot re ACA

First and foremost, the "ACA" is "Obamacare", there's seems to be some confusion on the part of many Trump voters on this, so I wanted to make this clear.

Politically speaking, one almost has to feel for Republicans as they have ZERO choice but to at least pass a serious change to Obamacare. It's the #1 issue they've used to rally their base for 8 years, and now that they control everything, they might literally face violent revolt if they side-stepped the issue.

BUT...the truth is Obamacare was created by a right wing think tank back in the 90's as a republican plan to counter universal healthcare. In other words, the truth is obamacare already is based on right wing principles, ESPECIALLY the individual mandate requiring that everyone must buy their own private insurance plans (Individual accountability).

Fact is, the reasons Obamacare is so flawed is BECAUSE it's a hand out to the insurance and big pharma companies. Because it's still using the for profit, private insurance and healthcare systems. Again, this was a republican plan (there's a reason Mitt Romney instituted the plan when he was governor....yeah that happened folks).

So now, naturally, Republicans are screwed. They never thought they'd gain complete control of the gov like this, and now that it's happened their own base will, as I said earlier, literally violently revolt if they don't do away with....wait for it....their own plan!

Consider the Republican position. No matter what, they have to get rid of the individual mandate. That's the one thing they used to convince their base it was "tyranny".

But meanwhile, without the mandate requiring healthy people to buy insurance to offset the elderly and sick, there's literally no way any plan they put forth will NOT end with massive problems.

In other words, since they MUST get rid of the mandate, there is literally no plan they can pass that won't result in people losing their insurance and costs rising!

Here's the bottom line, and there is no denying this reality. Without the individual mandate, there is literally no plan Republicans can pass that won't result in the number of insured Americans decreasing and costs rising.

In short, republicans are screwed on this issue. They've known it since the day after Trump won.

 

If Obama Care actually worked, the Republicans would be in big trouble. It didn't work, that's the problem. Outrageous deductibles and sky high yearly out of pocket costs as well as huge increases in premiums doomed it to an unsavory death along with the Democrats who voted for it. Obama's lie of the year for 2013 was "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, if you like your plan, you can keep your plan". Of course his claim we would save $2,500 a year.

 

If ObamaCare is so great, then why have the Democrats lost over a thousand seats at the Federal, State, and local levels since 2010????

And if it is so great, then why have my premiums and deductibles skyrocketed and insurance companies continue to bail out of the ObamaCare exchanges?????

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

If it's so awful then why not pass full repeal?

 

You're correct that there's a certain logic to the ACA. We have all these mandates insurance companies have to cover, so how are we going to pay for it? Easy, make the healthy and young buy health insurance. If there's anything left over, that will probably go toward lowering premiums!

But-- that didn't work. Republicans could get rid of the pre-existing conditions mandate and also the individual mandate and that would result in lower costs.

It is true that you can't keep the pre-existing conditions mandate without having an individual mandate without costs going sky-high. Then again, that's happening anyway because it's cheaper for people to pay the penalty than to purchase health insurance.

 

That's what I'd like to know!

 

The problem with healthcare is the healthcare system itself. I fail to understand how medical treatment can be so outrageously expensive.

 

I and the conservative GOP want to repeal the whole thing. It's the GOPe RINO's like Paul Ryan that don't.

Do you understand now???

 

It's a canard that republicans hands are tied somehow because the original plan for the ACA came from a conservative think tank decades ago. It was the democrats that took that model and then rammed it down the public's throats on a strictly bipartisan fashion and they are responsible for all the lies that were used to sell it to the public (unpopular though it was).
The right never bit on that plan.

 

And that is the trillion dollar question that Republicans refuse to address by repeatedly citing the word "competition" 3 times and clicking their heels. If one takes a serious look at healthcare costs as a whole, one would come to understand that no amount of faith in capitalism alone could explain it. From a consumer point of view, it will remain FUBAR til it gets worse.

 

The law is awful. I don't know very many people who disagree. The law has served a purpose, IMO.

We needed to have the conversation. We were ignoring a huge problem. Millions were using ER dollars for primary care. Costs were already skyrocketing out of control. It was already getting exponentially worse. Nobody talks about how much better or worse it would have been had we done nothing.

A very close friend got diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer early last year and given days to live. Two months ago, she was declared cancer free. She got there because of healthcare she had only because of the ACA.

Almost everyone has a story like this, or knows a story like this. Whereas this was largely undiscussed, most Americans now understand that this is a BFD. (it's in the urban dictionary.)

 

It is going to come down to 50M not having Insurance and that is exactly what the TEA party Republicans want, what most of the hard conservatives on here want and what those to Obtuse to see past THEIR OWN situation want. A guy like Rush Limbaugh will preach, let them get a job, buy insurance if you need or want it BLAH BLAH... They have not an ounce of compassion for the family of 5 with one working parent, the other sick, and 3 hungry kids.
Their response : Shouldn't have had 3 kids, go back to school and get a degree, stop using a cell phone, turn off your cable, etc. Not knowing, that even if you do all those things, you still cant afford Insurance, or even access it because you have no computer. Explain to them this situation and they will say, how many are there. 10 of these ? No 10Million of these types, or 20 million. They will then play the 3 monkeys...
They dont care, lets face it, they are in my book... TURD Republicans... Can't see past their over bloated stomachs full of Burgers and Beers... Too much TV watching Duck Dynasty... And this is just one section of them, you also have the very rich who just ignore it and will flat out tell you, not my problem and they should have done better. I think that is worse, in my opinion, to shut down your workers, take their benefits to make more for yourself, throw them out on the street to pinch your pennies, then want praise when you donate to the Audubon society, or to open a horse ranch and offer free riding lesson... for other rich kids... Yea, you donate alright, right back into your friends pockets...
Hate to say it, but not Sure the Bill and Linda Gates foundation is doing anything more than offering poor people money Back after helping take it from them in the first place.
We are screwed as a society and are going to fall hard over the next 100 years, worry for my grandchildren and all of I think each time I see some lady in a POS minivan full of kids is : OOOO you poor bastards...

 

You got that right

 

Ever since the government decided to stick their fat grubby hands into the free market healthcare system way back in 1966 by implementing Medicare and Medicaid and then compounding the mess by ramming down the people's throat the 2000 page unread unconstitutional tax and regulate mandatory ObamaCare in 2010, the healthcare cost have risen at an exponential rate...

 

ObamaCare has been out for a few years now and there are still an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans. How can that be? I thought ObamaCare was going to make sure everyone is FORCED to have insurance.

And who's going to pay for it?

We have a $20 trillion debt.

Over 60% of Federal spending is already going toward social programs (Social Security, Medicare, Welfare, unemployment, disability, etc).

The top 50% of income earners pay 96% of ALL Federal taxes.

The labor force participation rate is at a 28 year low.

So, who's going to pay for it?

 

Wow, look at that...a fancy graph...impressive, except it doesn't mean much, nor does it support your contention.

So, since you appear to be opposed to Medicare and Medicaid, is it fair to assume your solution to healthcare if you cannot afford it is, hurry up and die?

 

So you think it has nothing to do with the RIch Doctors who are now millionaires, or the Super Rich biotechs way way way overcharging for prescription meds... ? It is the Gov't fault ? If the Gov't had real control over the issue they would regulate it like in Canada... A doctor couldn't just charge whatever he wanted. Or a one night stay in the Hospital wouldn't cost 10K. Give me a break already. It is the deregulation of everything that allows things to get out of hand. All you have to do is look at the housing bust to see the plain and simple truth. It wasn't one or two bad seeds, it was the entire banking community taking advantage of the system (deregulation) pushed through ever since Reagan took over, and yes, that includes both Bush's Obama and Clinton... You can NOT have unregulated anything ! When you do, people work the loopholes, or take advantage of it. Most people are good at heart, but many are fill with good hearts for family and Greed for their family too... To them, if it is legal and walks the line of unscrupulous, so be it.
Do you want to strip the medicaid and medicare from all that have it ? Who is going to pay for the guy with diabetes in a wheelchair with no feet ? His second cousin ? You, me ?

 

Answer to your first question, gerrymandering after the 2010 census.

The second, because now instead of Health insurance company's being able to take all your money then deny you payment when you actually get sick...(not abuse them like A fancy AARP plan that covers daily check-ups) they actually have to cover you.

 

The problem is people's myopic view of free markets and government intervention. Once health insurance companies and big pharma new that government would be there to bail the people and them out, the prices of healthcare and drugs skyrocketed.

It's the same with college tuition. When the colleges realized that the government was there to bailout the students with low interest loans no matter who you are, college tuition's skyrocketed.

Government is not the solution. It is the problem.

 

See post #19.

 

What are you talking about? The Democrats were in control of most everything in 2010.

 

The president you cheerlead for likes this Obamacare 2.0 bill

 

2010 was the year of the tea party take over of congress...and many state legislatures

 

I have to make sure you understand that the BOLD section shows a lack of what the real problem is today, you understand that right ? That if 99% of the people made NO money at all and the top 1% made it ALL, that they would then pay 100% of all taxes. It shows that their is a huge divide in income equality and is the real driver behind all the financial problems we have today. This is why these types of problems did not exist until the late 80s or after Reagan changed the TAX code for the RICH... You are one of those guys that still preaches a FAIR and Equal % for all. That doesn't work as we can see... You really should try to think PAST what is simple statements COPY AND PASTE and understand how things get to the quotes you post. As in, if the Bottom half of the population made 50% of the money, then they would pay 50% of the TAX. You can understand this, correct ?

 

Not being Ignorant, but you do understand that not everyone is in Good working shape like you, that not everyone makes a good income, that not everyone saves, not everyone lives where there is jobs, and all the other variants in the Country... You can always look at things from WHAT YOU see and read, but look and read elsewhere too... Being locked into Rush Limbaugh, or the SUPER LIBERAL side isn't good for anyone. We all have ot read and understand how we got here, not just that we are here and state something like WHO PAYS the taxes because it is posted on some conservative talk show, or website...
I can tell, you have worked hard for what you got and where you are. Not everyone has done that, has the education to do it, or some are super rich and dont want to give back, Some are starving and can't get out of the getto... You can't walk out if it is all you know. Watch your mother raise you and 5 siblings on welfare, sell drugs for a living, go to jail 5 times and then tell that guy. You need to stop... He can't, he doesn't know how, just because you think he should doesn't mean he can...
Good Luck to buddy and congrats on being a hard working American, just understand, not everyone is you or wants to be you just because you think they should.