The coronavirus

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  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,867
    mrussel1 said:
    Poncier said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    Biden made a good point today....if they dismantle the ACA then insurance companies could make Coronavirus a pre-existing condition and not cover future effects or treatments.
    In the real world, every insurance company has waived all patient cost share for covid testing and treatment. Biden is fearmongering.
    Because powerful companies and corporations never go back on their word Especially powerful groups like the insurance cartels?  Not to mention the people that lose healthcare when they lose their job because they can’t afford out of pocket insurance or ridiculous COBRA costs. I 
    The first half is just cynicism. If we're trying to discern what health insurance companies will do, it's more useful to look at what they've done to date rather than relying on rhetoric from a politician. If that doesn't fit an anti-corporate narrative, I don't know what to tell ya.

    (And I reiterate: the federal government-run option *is the one still making people pay*)

    The second half of your point is a legitimate concern and *that* is the best pro-ACA argument. "Keep the ACA alive and thriving as a safety net." That is a much more honest and compelling pitch for Biden than trying to scare people with highly unlikely hypotheticals. Whether he's uninformed or cynical is for someone else to decide.
      For profit health insurance companies running the actual healthcare system is the real problem in my view.  If care (not insurance) was affordable there would be no problem. 
    Absolutely. My premiums have more than tripled since Romneycare (predecessor to Obamacare in Massachusetts) kicked in. Just got notice today of an 11% premium jump as of July 1. And with that co-pays for specialists are also jumping. Before the mandated coverage under Romneycare (then the ACA) went into effect, had no deductibles and virtually no out of pocket expenses. Now have a deductible with a max annual out of pocket cost of $11,100.00 (on top of a monthly premium that just jumped to $2,750.20) That's $33K a year. Company under law pays 1/3. Its now $22K annually out of my paycheck.
    I'd be better off with no coverage and paying for doctor visits out of pocket. It's a brutally flawed system.
    Really should change the acronym to the UCA, cause for the average middle class family, its unaffordable.
    I don't know that it's related to "Romneycare" or Obamacare.  Remember that Obamacare are plans for those that don't have insurance through work.  Health insurance has been outpacing inflation for 25 years plus for those of us on private plans through work.  I can't speak directly for MA, but for me insurance has been rising unabated and dramatically since I first got insurance in 97.  
    Before mandated insurance for all here (Romneycare, 2006), premiums would rise, but not anything close to the level that they have risen since its implementation. Mandating that all citizens carry insurance, then allowing private companies to be the ones who provide that insurance and set the rates for it has been an unmitigated disaster from a premiums standpoint.
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,935
    edited June 2020
    PJ_Soul said:
    "It's like the flu"

    Do you catch the flu in summer?
    I've had the flu in the summer.... Not that I think covid is like the flu.


    Lab-confirmed influenza?
    No, but very obviously the flu. It really couldn't have been anything else IMO. Every single typical symptom. When we have the flu, we generally know it, you know?
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    Who gets lab tested for flu? Never done that myself.

    I've never had a "lab-confirmed flu".   I know sometimes food born illness is mistakenly called "the 24 hour flu", but its not the flu.  When I've had the flu, it's typically a 5 to 7 day affair (sometimes longer for recovery) and it's obviously the flu. 


    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,608
    Poncier said:
    mrussel1 said:
    Poncier said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    Biden made a good point today....if they dismantle the ACA then insurance companies could make Coronavirus a pre-existing condition and not cover future effects or treatments.
    In the real world, every insurance company has waived all patient cost share for covid testing and treatment. Biden is fearmongering.
    Because powerful companies and corporations never go back on their word Especially powerful groups like the insurance cartels?  Not to mention the people that lose healthcare when they lose their job because they can’t afford out of pocket insurance or ridiculous COBRA costs. I 
    The first half is just cynicism. If we're trying to discern what health insurance companies will do, it's more useful to look at what they've done to date rather than relying on rhetoric from a politician. If that doesn't fit an anti-corporate narrative, I don't know what to tell ya.

    (And I reiterate: the federal government-run option *is the one still making people pay*)

    The second half of your point is a legitimate concern and *that* is the best pro-ACA argument. "Keep the ACA alive and thriving as a safety net." That is a much more honest and compelling pitch for Biden than trying to scare people with highly unlikely hypotheticals. Whether he's uninformed or cynical is for someone else to decide.
      For profit health insurance companies running the actual healthcare system is the real problem in my view.  If care (not insurance) was affordable there would be no problem. 
    Absolutely. My premiums have more than tripled since Romneycare (predecessor to Obamacare in Massachusetts) kicked in. Just got notice today of an 11% premium jump as of July 1. And with that co-pays for specialists are also jumping. Before the mandated coverage under Romneycare (then the ACA) went into effect, had no deductibles and virtually no out of pocket expenses. Now have a deductible with a max annual out of pocket cost of $11,100.00 (on top of a monthly premium that just jumped to $2,750.20) That's $33K a year. Company under law pays 1/3. Its now $22K annually out of my paycheck.
    I'd be better off with no coverage and paying for doctor visits out of pocket. It's a brutally flawed system.
    Really should change the acronym to the UCA, cause for the average middle class family, its unaffordable.
    I don't know that it's related to "Romneycare" or Obamacare.  Remember that Obamacare are plans for those that don't have insurance through work.  Health insurance has been outpacing inflation for 25 years plus for those of us on private plans through work.  I can't speak directly for MA, but for me insurance has been rising unabated and dramatically since I first got insurance in 97.  
    Before mandated insurance for all here (Romneycare, 2006), premiums would rise, but not anything close to the level that they have risen since its implementation. Mandating that all citizens carry insurance, then allowing private companies to be the ones who provide that insurance and set the rates for it has been an unmitigated disaster from a premiums standpoint.
    But if you're on private insurance,  that means you're in a different risk pool than Romney or Obama.  How would that drive up your premiums? And if you work for a large company,  they're typically self insured and pay an Aetna or Cogna to administer. 
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Posts: 12,845
    PJ_Soul said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    "It's like the flu"

    Do you catch the flu in summer?
    I've had the flu in the summer.... Not that I think covid is like the flu.


    Lab-confirmed influenza?
    No, but very obviously the flu. It really couldn't have been anything else IMO. Every single typical symptom. When we have the flu, we generally know it, you know?
    Several other viruses have symptoms similar to influenza, and if it was summer in the Northern Hemisphere it was more likely to be one of them. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    Man, woman, child!  I'm tellin' ya!  The thing is starting to pound California again.  Gotta dig my borrow a bit deeper.

    Let's see
    The Bad
    -Stuck at home too much.
    -Hot, humid weather with lots of haze/ shitty air (yes, I'm in the foothills but all the shit blows up from the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area INCLUDING all the dust that blow here all the way from China (which is a lot).
    -Fire season is on the horizon
    -Annie when she's being a little shit and wakes me up early.  Whatever early is.

    The Good
    -My wife.
    -Made some progress with fire safety around the house.
    -Annie the Cat (except when she's being a little shit, in which case see "The Bad" above.
    -Got food, got green, got beer, got records, got hand sanitizer, got masks.

    I guess we'll live (until we don't). 
    One day at a time.

    How are you all doing?

    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • wndowpaynewndowpayne Posts: 1,469
    Florida  9,000 NEW cases yesterday,,cant imagine why,,
    httpssabcnewscomimagesUSflorida-01-as-gty-200627_hpMain_16x9_992jpg

    Charlottesville 2013
    Hampton 2016

  • nicknyr15nicknyr15 Posts: 8,403


    I know for a fact that it’s his fault. 
  • wndowpaynewndowpayne Posts: 1,469
    nicknyr15 said:


    I know for a fact that it’s his fault. 
    He may be the only one thats not as guilty
    Charlottesville 2013
    Hampton 2016

  • JimmyVJimmyV Posts: 19,163
    Florida  9,000 NEW cases yesterday,,cant imagine why,,
    httpssabcnewscomimagesUSflorida-01-as-gty-200627_hpMain_16x9_992jpg

    And 9,500 more today. 
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • wndowpaynewndowpayne Posts: 1,469
    Seriously, How is the line so clear cut at the Canada Border..Its like the PJ tour map and WV..
    Charlottesville 2013
    Hampton 2016

  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    So many young people think, "This is no big deal.  I won't get it, it's no problem."  But then...


    The age profile of new infections in the coronavirus pandemic appears to be younger following resurgences in countries such as the United States, Israel and Portugal linked to greater social contact among under 40s following the loosening of restrictions.


    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • g under pg under p Posts: 18,190
    Please everyone give a listen to this couple who traveled to Jamaica. They give a comparison between the US and Jamaica and WHY they were according to them 10 deaths on the island.

     I want to go there its probably its probably safer there than here in South Florida.

    https://youtu.be/vOwOzrRQVJg

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 29,608
    nicknyr15 said:


    I know for a fact that it’s his fault. 
    He may be the only one thats not as guilty
    That has to be South Beach
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    g under p said:
    Please everyone give a listen to this couple who traveled to Jamaica. They give a comparison between the US and Jamaica and WHY they were according to them 10 deaths on the island.

     I want to go there its probably its probably safer there than here in South Florida.

    https://youtu.be/vOwOzrRQVJg

    Peace

    Personally, I am no way going to travel right now.  But if I were to, that is what I would want.  Good job, Jamaica!  Listen up, rest of the world! 
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • SpunkieSpunkie Posts: 6,628
    edited June 2020
    brianlux said:
    Man, woman, child!  I'm tellin' ya!  The thing is starting to pound California again.  Gotta dig my borrow a bit deeper.

    Let's see
    The Bad
    -Stuck at home too much.
    -Hot, humid weather with lots of haze/ shitty air (yes, I'm in the foothills but all the shit blows up from the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area INCLUDING all the dust that blow here all the way from China (which is a lot).
    -Fire season is on the horizon
    -Annie when she's being a little shit and wakes me up early.  Whatever early is.

    The Good
    -My wife.
    -Made some progress with fire safety around the house.
    -Annie the Cat (except when she's being a little shit, in which case see "The Bad" above.
    -Got food, got green, got beer, got records, got hand sanitizer, got masks.

    I guess we'll live (until we don't). 
    One day at a time.

    How are you all doing?

    Hey. Briguy,
    Things are almost normal around here with the low numbers.

    The Bad
    - Hmm nothing comes to mind... Ok... Well...PJ's first DotC performance was physically distanced to the extreme. 
    - I still can't get a dentist appointment.
    - I miss my Mom who is in her 2 person bubble. 

    The Good
    - My child made amazing progress in her reading last term. Spending so much money on books was money well spent. A big thank to people like you Bri, for the books.
    - School re-opening went well part-time Mondays and Tuesdays. 
    - We are in phase 3 re-opening here: first was restaurants, then schools, now BC tourism for residents.
    - After BC provincial parks cancelled out of province reservations, I researched new spots a bit further from home. I persevered during booking and I scored the three lakefront camp sites I hoped for. 
    - We love our new covid puppy, Milkshake, that got us out for daily walks during the first 60 days at home.
    - Trying new things: cycling instead of skiing when the ski hills called it quits a month early.
    - Less travel = less environmental damage.
    - More gratitude for the little things: Bella cried a little when she finally got an ice-cream cone from a small business.

    Post edited by Spunkie on
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    tish said:
    brianlux said:
    Man, woman, child!  I'm tellin' ya!  The thing is starting to pound California again.  Gotta dig my borrow a bit deeper.

    Let's see
    The Bad
    -Stuck at home too much.
    -Hot, humid weather with lots of haze/ shitty air (yes, I'm in the foothills but all the shit blows up from the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area INCLUDING all the dust that blow here all the way from China (which is a lot).
    -Fire season is on the horizon
    -Annie when she's being a little shit and wakes me up early.  Whatever early is.

    The Good
    -My wife.
    -Made some progress with fire safety around the house.
    -Annie the Cat (except when she's being a little shit, in which case see "The Bad" above.
    -Got food, got green, got beer, got records, got hand sanitizer, got masks.

    I guess we'll live (until we don't). 
    One day at a time.

    How are you all doing?

    Hey. Briguy,
    Things are almost normal around here with the low numbers.

    The Bad
    - Hmm nothing comes to mind... Ok... Well...PJ's first DotC performance was physically distanced to the extreme. 
    - I still can't get a dentist appointment.
    - I miss my Mom who is in her 2 person bubble. 

    The Good
    - My child made amazing progress in her reading last term. Spending so much money on books was money well spent. A big thank to people like you Bri, for the books.
    - School re-opening went well part-time Mondays and Tuesdays. 
    - We are in phase 3 re-opening here: first was restaurants, then schools, now BC tourism for residents.
    - After BC provincial parks cancelled out of province reservations, I researched new spots a bit further from home. I persevered during booking and I scored the three lakefront camp sites I hoped for. 
    - We love our new covid puppy, Milkshake, that got us out for daily walks during the first 60 days at home.
    - Trying new things: cycling instead of skiing when the ski hills called it quits a month early.
    - Less travel = less environmental damage.
    - More gratitude for the little things: Bella cried a little when she finally got an ice-cream cone from a small business.


    Nice list of positives, Tish! 
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • SmellymanSmellyman Posts: 4,524
    brianlux said:
    So many young people think, "This is no big deal.  I won't get it, it's no problem."  But then...


    The age profile of new infections in the coronavirus pandemic appears to be younger following resurgences in countries such as the United States, Israel and Portugal linked to greater social contact among under 40s following the loosening of restrictions.



    Florida is not agist though.  it is all ages stupid.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    Smellyman said:
    brianlux said:
    So many young people think, "This is no big deal.  I won't get it, it's no problem."  But then...


    The age profile of new infections in the coronavirus pandemic appears to be younger following resurgences in countries such as the United States, Israel and Portugal linked to greater social contact among under 40s following the loosening of restrictions.



    Florida is not agist though.  it is all ages stupid.

    I have friends who live in FLA.  It must be exasperating for them to live there.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • Spiritual_ChaosSpiritual_Chaos Posts: 30,490
    Björn Olsen: "A fucking ruckus
    Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases at Uppsala University, thinks the warning (that sweden is a high risk area) is "totally reasonable".

    - On the basis of a swedish viewpoint it may not very reasonable, but on the basis of a WHO viewpoint, which are fully objective, you can say that it is totally reasonable. The classification is made by WHO and WHO officials. They are objective and they are good, Olsen tells Sweden's Radio Ekot.

    The professor thinks that the Swedish reaction (to the WHO warning) is strange:

    - It's strange to say, on one hand, that you trust WHO's assessments of a variety of things during the pandemic. But as soon as you get a slap on your own nose, a fucking ruckus starts.
    "Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,612
    edited June 2020
    NJ and CT announced school reopening plans for Sept and NY soon to follow.

    I Read up on the NJ plan and it seems to be 100 pages of “trust us and we will socially distance your kids.” How that is done with kids under 13 is confusing. And zero specifics about how many people will be allowed in a building nor what the percent of capacity would be.

    Considering the spike in cases in the US and these 2 states are supposed to be among the best at handling covid, this plan is horrifying.

    edit, from CT

    ”... Districts should plan for buses to operate close to capacity.”

    are they out of their minds? It’s like trump is running CT?
    Post edited by Lerxst1992 on
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,405
    This is a nightmare damn we should be at the top of list of countries with good containment policies and yet we are an abismal failure as a country on any containment!
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • Halifax2TheMaxHalifax2TheMax Posts: 38,948
    edited June 2020
    Did you see where the Tejas Medical Center removed Covid data from their website after reporting that their ICU beds were full? Keep the populace uninformed and pretty soon deaths will be down to zero. Good luck with that.

    Edited to reflect it was a medical center and not their DOH. My bad.
    Post edited by Halifax2TheMax on
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  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    Did you see where the Tejas Department of Health removed Covid data from their website after reporting that their ICU beds were full? Keep the populace uninformed and pretty soon deaths will be down to zero. Good luck with that.
    Our Governor’s job is to make Trump look good not look out for Texans.
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 41,946
    Did you see where the Tejas Department of Health removed Covid data from their website after reporting that their ICU beds were full? Keep the populace uninformed and pretty soon deaths will be down to zero. Good luck with that.

    Wow- talk about denial!  The Tejas DoH must be in cahoots with Trump.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,431
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    Biden made a good point today....if they dismantle the ACA then insurance companies could make Coronavirus a pre-existing condition and not cover future effects or treatments.
    In the real world, every insurance company has waived all patient cost share for covid testing and treatment. Biden is fearmongering.
    Because powerful companies and corporations never go back on their word Especially powerful groups like the insurance cartels?  Not to mention the people that lose healthcare when they lose their job because they can’t afford out of pocket insurance or ridiculous COBRA costs. I 
    The first half is just cynicism. If we're trying to discern what health insurance companies will do, it's more useful to look at what they've done to date rather than relying on rhetoric from a politician. If that doesn't fit an anti-corporate Inarrative, I don't know what to tell ya.

    (And I reiterate: the federal government-run option *is the one still making people pay*)

    The second half of your point is a legitimate concern and *that* is the best pro-ACA argument. "Keep the ACA alive and thriving as a safety net." That is a much more honest and compelling pitch for Biden than trying to scare people with highly unlikely hypotheticals. Whether he's uninformed or cynical is for someone else to decide.
    The ACA is a disaster.  For profit health insurance companies running the actual healthcare system is the real problem in my view.  If care (not insurance) was affordable there would be no problem. I definitely pay more for a workplace plan in a year than I use If at all and still have copays.  Currently due to being sidelined by the corona I have no insurance so at least that is one less bill.  Take the insurance companies and their price inflation out of the picture and Care would be much more affordable.  
    As for government healthcare, look at Canada government healthcare can work.

    The first half of my original statement isn’t cynical, it’s based on years of witnessing corporate malfeasance and broken promises. if these types of situations were the exception and not the rule, then I could see how the statement could be taken as cynicism,
    Facts on the ground today - If you're hospitalized for covid, your out of pocket costs will be:
    $0 if you have private insurance 
    $1,408 if you have only Medicare 

    There might be some random private plans still charging hospital copays, but I haven't seen one yet.
    Fair enough.  What do the facts on the ground say about monthly premiums for private insurance vs monthly premiums for Medicare?  
    Medicare is $144/month per individual, more if you have higher income. Plus whatever you've paid in Medicare taxes throughout your life before you become eligible and enroll.

    Private is all over the map. My family premium is less than that per person. Some people pay less, some people pay a lot more.
  • g under pg under p Posts: 18,190
    *THINGS NEED TO BREATHE*

    ONLY in Florida and my county Palm Beach. These are citizens of PBCounty who are anti-maskers raging at *devils laws* mandate. Please give a watch of what this woman says within the first minute. UNBELIEVABLE! 

    https://youtu.be/9CmTSRAI0Ks

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    Biden made a good point today....if they dismantle the ACA then insurance companies could make Coronavirus a pre-existing condition and not cover future effects or treatments.
    In the real world, every insurance company has waived all patient cost share for covid testing and treatment. Biden is fearmongering.
    Because powerful companies and corporations never go back on their word Especially powerful groups like the insurance cartels?  Not to mention the people that lose healthcare when they lose their job because they can’t afford out of pocket insurance or ridiculous COBRA costs. I 
    The first half is just cynicism. If we're trying to discern what health insurance companies will do, it's more useful to look at what they've done to date rather than relying on rhetoric from a politician. If that doesn't fit an anti-corporate Inarrative, I don't know what to tell ya.

    (And I reiterate: the federal government-run option *is the one still making people pay*)

    The second half of your point is a legitimate concern and *that* is the best pro-ACA argument. "Keep the ACA alive and thriving as a safety net." That is a much more honest and compelling pitch for Biden than trying to scare people with highly unlikely hypotheticals. Whether he's uninformed or cynical is for someone else to decide.
    The ACA is a disaster.  For profit health insurance companies running the actual healthcare system is the real problem in my view.  If care (not insurance) was affordable there would be no problem. I definitely pay more for a workplace plan in a year than I use If at all and still have copays.  Currently due to being sidelined by the corona I have no insurance so at least that is one less bill.  Take the insurance companies and their price inflation out of the picture and Care would be much more affordable.  
    As for government healthcare, look at Canada government healthcare can work.

    The first half of my original statement isn’t cynical, it’s based on years of witnessing corporate malfeasance and broken promises. if these types of situations were the exception and not the rule, then I could see how the statement could be taken as cynicism,
    Facts on the ground today - If you're hospitalized for covid, your out of pocket costs will be:
    $0 if you have private insurance 
    $1,408 if you have only Medicare 

    There might be some random private plans still charging hospital copays, but I haven't seen one yet.
    Fair enough.  What do the facts on the ground say about monthly premiums for private insurance vs monthly premiums for Medicare?  
    Medicare is $144/month per individual, more if you have higher income. Plus whatever you've paid in Medicare taxes throughout your life before you become eligible and enroll.

    Private is all over the map. My family premium is less than that per person. Some people pay less, some people pay a lot more.
    Just trying to figure out if the average expense of Medicare + covid fee is less than or equal to private insurance companies premiums that are waiving fees for covid treatment at the moment.
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,431
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    static111 said:
    pjl44 said:
    Biden made a good point today....if they dismantle the ACA then insurance companies could make Coronavirus a pre-existing condition and not cover future effects or treatments.
    In the real world, every insurance company has waived all patient cost share for covid testing and treatment. Biden is fearmongering.
    Because powerful companies and corporations never go back on their word Especially powerful groups like the insurance cartels?  Not to mention the people that lose healthcare when they lose their job because they can’t afford out of pocket insurance or ridiculous COBRA costs. I 
    The first half is just cynicism. If we're trying to discern what health insurance companies will do, it's more useful to look at what they've done to date rather than relying on rhetoric from a politician. If that doesn't fit an anti-corporate Inarrative, I don't know what to tell ya.

    (And I reiterate: the federal government-run option *is the one still making people pay*)

    The second half of your point is a legitimate concern and *that* is the best pro-ACA argument. "Keep the ACA alive and thriving as a safety net." That is a much more honest and compelling pitch for Biden than trying to scare people with highly unlikely hypotheticals. Whether he's uninformed or cynical is for someone else to decide.
    The ACA is a disaster.  For profit health insurance companies running the actual healthcare system is the real problem in my view.  If care (not insurance) was affordable there would be no problem. I definitely pay more for a workplace plan in a year than I use If at all and still have copays.  Currently due to being sidelined by the corona I have no insurance so at least that is one less bill.  Take the insurance companies and their price inflation out of the picture and Care would be much more affordable.  
    As for government healthcare, look at Canada government healthcare can work.

    The first half of my original statement isn’t cynical, it’s based on years of witnessing corporate malfeasance and broken promises. if these types of situations were the exception and not the rule, then I could see how the statement could be taken as cynicism,
    Facts on the ground today - If you're hospitalized for covid, your out of pocket costs will be:
    $0 if you have private insurance 
    $1,408 if you have only Medicare 

    There might be some random private plans still charging hospital copays, but I haven't seen one yet.
    Fair enough.  What do the facts on the ground say about monthly premiums for private insurance vs monthly premiums for Medicare?  
    Medicare is $144/month per individual, more if you have higher income. Plus whatever you've paid in Medicare taxes throughout your life before you become eligible and enroll.

    Private is all over the map. My family premium is less than that per person. Some people pay less, some people pay a lot more.
    Just trying to figure out if the average expense of Medicare + covid fee is less than or equal to private insurance companies premiums that are waiving fees for covid treatment at the moment.
    I'm not sure how you'd begin to get to that. How much money does the average person pay in to Medicare before they even receive the first dollar of benefit?
  • pjl44pjl44 Posts: 9,431
    Oh, and that Medicare premium doesn't include a drug plan. So tack another $40/month on for a basic plan.
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