The coronavirus

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

Gern Blansten 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.

PJ_Soul said:

tempo_n_groove 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?

brianlux said:

nicknyr15 said:

Bentleyspop said:

https://twitter.com/carlquintanilla/status/1276485159378997250?s=19

you could pull a similar clip from every and any politician, including dr Fauci. Not defending him at all. But there’s literally a clip like that for every “leader”

Not unless they are faked.  Not governors Cuomo and and Newsom.  No way.

Cuomo was initially downplaying it as well and thought de bilasio was wrong when calling for a stay at home order.  Let's not revise history.  He did a good job once he started doing his job.

Poncier said:

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

Gern Blansten 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.  

oftenreading said:

PJ_Soul said:

tempo_n_groove 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?

Poncier said:

mrussel1 said:

Poncier said:

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

static111 said:

pjl44 said:

Gern Blansten 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.