White House aiming to scrub medical debt from people’s credit scores, which could up ratings for mil

I'm not sure why you went off on a tangent about illegal immigrants. Yes, they get free (emergency) healthcare, but why don't you want free care for yourself and everyone if they do? The only one holding it back is you.

Meanwhile, I know people (yes, citizens of the USA) who used to be on Medicaid, but they made too much to qualify, and now they've decided to go without insurance because it's cheaper to just pay their way with cash and pharmacy benefits instead of buying insurance. But that's not even affordable anymore. Prices are increasing on medication, and what used to cost $40 now costs over $100. It's unsustainable.

Universal healthcare would prevent someone from going over an arbitrary line and ending up making too much to afford Medicaid benefits but not enough to afford the regular cost of ordinary health insurance.

 

See my post #51 for an example of people making too much for Medicaid but not enough for regular insurance. Universal healthcare solves this problem.

Besides, when Obamacare was being debated I remember everyone saying it was an impossible system to wean the American public off of an insurance-based healthcare system, it was designed to fail, and we'd be getting Hillary(Clinton)-care to save the day when she was elected in 2016. Well, obviously that didn't happen.

 

Ah yes, the only real republicans are the ones that fall in lock step with dear leader.

 

The only “fix” will be a national program, a combination of what Canada and Scandinavian nations do would likely be the best fit.

 

No it is not the "only" option and until you are ready to tax the lower incomes at much hugher rates as in those countries and give up availability of newer treatments and even being able to get them you will never have such a system.

Again

Why on earth do you think government flunkies would be better at supplying you all your healthcare, keeping you trapped there with NO choice and NO alternative, than the smarter more capable people in the private sector. I never understand why some assert that our best and brightest all work in the government and NOT in the private sector.

 

How does it pay for it? Get a job that provides health insurance and what hallened to Obamacre supposed to be paying for it are you admitting it is a failure so you want MORE of it?

Oh what a GREAT plan what idiot came up with that? But then it reminds me of how Biden doesn't care how much we suffer as long as he can get his "green" energy and shut down oil and gas.

 

When there is medical debt, there is generally no credit check whatsoever. So, how is the lender punished if no credit check is not used? Second, if a credit check is used, then that interest rate and the amount per month generally satisfy any risk they incur. Those interest rates is not just about the amount of debt, but even in your scenario, both are credit-worthy given the debt-to-income ratio, which is also used to determine whether you get that personal loan, car loan, mortgage, credit card, etc. Finally, medical debt is generally something that is done when a person has a medical emergency or has a serious medical condition. Hospitals treat people based on sickness, not who they are or how much money they have in their accounts.

 

This is really not about the ACA. Prior to the ACA, out-of-pocket expenses outside of the insurance payments and copays, except for Medicaid, is highest among the OECD countries. And that is where the problem goes. Furthermore, I had a friend, a medically retired veteran, who lived in Louisiana and had problems with hospitals still charging him beyond what Tricare and VA benefits charged or accepted, even though the hospital accepted such coverage. If you ever had a medical issue and look at your medical bill, you would notice a couple of things: first, the charge, the insurance adjustment, the amount the insurance paid, and your responsibility for paying the remaining charge. But in Louisiana, they still wanted you to pay the amount of the insurance adjustment beyond what your responsibility was. And in the Bush Administration, that was eliminated.

ACA did not change how out of pocket expenses changed. It was primarily, at first, universal health coverage, and second, reducing the amount long term medical inflation on procedures.

 

Obamacare was a huge success... for the poor, the chronically sick, and the disabled. In states that expanded Medicaid.

The middle class was hit harder, and many have foregone getting health insurance. Not wise, but they are pinching pennies.

 

That was not Obamacare. That was the 2008 law that GWB signed which allows pharmaceutical companies to change their prices without any justification. We saw a proposed increase of 5000% of epi-pens for asthma, insulin, and so forth. We have seen cancer drugs cost $60k to $100k per month for a new drug that was not much better than the previous drug and attempted to bribe, coerce, or other means for doctors to use that drug instead of other drugs.

 

If you believe this then you are not paying attention to overall tax rates and costs for the US vs other nations.

First, they charge the wealthy way more than we do with fewer deductions.

Second, when you take the total costs of taxes (including sales tax, income tax, fuel tax, etc) as well as the cost of insurance (co-insurance, premiums, deductibles, employer contributions, minimums) out lower incomes already pay more than their overseas counterparts.

I will answer your why with a question:

Which nation has the highest cost of healthcare, sometimes as much as 50 times higher, but each year drops in life expectancy compared to the rest of the world? Childhood mortality falls in this as well. As does healthcare access and satisfaction.

I don’t expect you to answer so don’t feel as if you need to deflect or dodge.

But to directly answer your question, as long as the party that purposely seeks to destroy government from the inside has any power such a system will never work. Hopefully Americans wake up that maybe the shouldn’t be electing people that campaign on destroying the nation.

 

Well thank government wage and price controls which ushered it in. The company you work can change if the employees are not getting good service from the insurance company.

Obamacare mandates on private insurance lowered the coverage people could afford at the higher prices and higher deductibles. Obama and the Dems pulled a total sham promising the moon to get it passed.

 

No I pay attention to all taxes paid by all tax payers at all levels and if you want that goevernment single payer healthcare taxes will go up across the board and hugely else yiu don't have the money tonpay for it even after cutting services.

Why don't you just answer with an answer since I have already asked twice?

Why on earth do you think government flunkies would be better at supplying you all your healthcare, keeping you trapped there with NO choice and NO alternative, than the smarter more capable people in the private sector. I never understand why some assert that our best and brightest all work in the government and NOT in the private sector.

I don’t expect you to answer so don’t feel as if you need to deflect or dodge.

Dodge.and deflection noted as expected.

 

The company I work for can change for whatever reason it wants. As with any company the bottom line is...well..the bottom line.
The company I work for has very little incentive to get a plan that is very expensive. We are a small company, we don't get the large discounts of someone like a Wal-Mart. So I pay a bunch for my part of the premiums...my company pays a lot for their part of the premiums....and I still have to pay out of pocket expenses.

 

How much did private insurers make last year? How much would be saved on directly negotiating with pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers? How much do insurance coders cost medical offices?

All of that could be eliminated or if not severely brought down.

Because it isn’t logical — no other nation on Earth has the issues we do, they are cheaper and more efficient especially when looking at the parts that work and improving the parts that don’t.

All of the systems I mentioned still give the individuals options, they receive a base level of care and then can seek private insurance if they choose. How do you not know this?

I don’t have to dodge anything because I have a basic comprehension of what is being discussed. My only mistake was expecting all parties to do so. I directly answered your question while you have remained unable to even address mine, much less actually answer them.

 

of which it did neither.

The ACA is the basis of our broken system. The Republicans didn’t help matters either with their eight years of ‘We have a plan’ which they did not. The repeal of the individual mandate is said to have gutted the ACA but in reality, most of the young people (who were supposed to be the benefactors of “affordable “ healthcare “) decided to pay the penalty rather than the ridiculous premiums and copayments. If insurance companies are to blame, it’s because of the way the law was written.

 

Well, it did control long-term healthcare inflation. With the ACA, up to 2018, we had that insurance requirement or possibly to face a penalty. Hence, universal health care coverage was done to one extent or the other, with some exceptions.

Our healthcare system is market-based, from drugs to procedures to elective surgeries. We have more doctors on a per capita basis than any of the OECD countries. Our problem is that we don't do well with preventative health measures, we have an obese society that produces long-term health issues for our population, and we, as a society expect the pop a pill to solve most of our health concerns, as evident on the advertising on TV, social media, and other places.

 

I don't know how much did government rake in? How many new drugs and devices will we not have when government refuses to oay the cost? Hiw much better will it be when the people who run it know they can't be fired and can just tax more to cover their cost and their customers have nowhere else to go?

A pipe dream scroll back to my link abiut cost and service under Obamacare.

And cannot provide the services or treatment we can and are going broke and having to privatize more and more.

More and more are turning to privatize and allow more private because they can'tnprovide adequate service.

So you really do think our most capable do work in government and they can better run your life?

 

The price increases I mention started on January 1, 2015. When I called to find out what happened I got the same response every time: Due to recent changes in healthcare laws….

 

So, then lenders will just adjust their loan criteria or just raise rates to accommodate the added risk.

 

It doesn’t matter how good a drug is if it is off limits due to cost — furthermore, just because we stop allowing companies to profiteer off illness doesn’t mean all investment would stop.

Have you ever heard of insulin or epipens?

Do you comprehend the difference between mandating private insurance vs a public option? Because this statement makes me think you don’t.

we are already privatized, that’s the problem. We are already going broke under your system.

What?
Are you saying more people are moving to private insurances (that cover less) because the Republican plan adopted by the Democrats did nothing to address the actual reasons why healthcare is so absurd in this nation?

Versus a private company that is beholden to its shareholders? Absolutely (as long as Democrats and Independents run it together and Republicans are omitted in leadership roles)

 

From 2013 (the year before most of the ACA's insurance requirements took effect) to last year, per enrollee spending for employer-based coverage, which the vast majority of privately insured people have, went up on average 2.7% per year.

The reality is, health care cost growth has been historically low since the ACA passed, despite tens of millions of people gaining coverage.

 

And if that coverage is nowhere near affordable? Or only covers a fraction of the costs?

I agree, bills must be paid, but that isn't the issue here. The issue is that falling behind on paying the ridiculously high costs of health care should not negatively impact your credit score.

 

The ACA did not even look at lowering medical costs. It didn't even attempt it. All it looked at was who was going to pay the bills. Those that could not get insurance got a deal. Those that had insurance got higher bills to cover those that got a deal. I personally know 5 people that had to go back to work after an early retirement because Obamacare increased their insurance costs so much.
The Dems could have at leased looked at lowering costs instead of playing 3 card monte

 

Well, it did make a very pathetic attempt, by increasing funding and incentives for preventative care. But that could have rather easily been done without the whole massive structure of the ACA.
The attempt to increase preventative care was maybe only 5 percent of what the ACA was actually mostly about (in my view).