A Modest Proposal

[Arkady]

I had plans to buy a new car. But since I insist on doing so in cash and I'm not quite where I want to be with emergency reserves, I've instead decided to postpone that purchase and get another year out of my existing car. It's already getting a little creaky, so I'll need to get it in for some routine maintenance. That is a good model for how we should handle the latest Obamacare reform implosion. It looks like we won't be getting that shiny new model any time soon, so it's time to do some routine maintenance on what we have. To do otherwise would be like refusing to even change the oil on your current car, in hopes it'll blow up and your wife will have to agree to replace it.

Donald Trump has vowed to give us an Obamacare replacement that will insure everybody, with no cuts to Medicaid, and no loss of coverage for anyone, so that nobody will be worse off financially. It'll be great, trust me! Three rushed attempts by the Republicans, all of which would have drastically reduced coverage and left a great many people in worse financial conditions, have failed. So, the Republicans should step back and take some time to come up with something that at least tries to make good on the promises. Actually debate the matter. Solicit good ideas. Come up with something that's actually an improvement. In the meantime, they should cooperate with the Democrats in tuning up the existing system.

Specifically, I'd recommend the following fixes:

(1) Raise the tax for those who don't get coverage, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying. This would stabilize the individual market in the few states where it isn't already stabilized, while lowering premiums (by moving more healthy people into the market). If Trump and the Republicans eventually come up with something even better than Obamacare, great, but in the meantime we have a decent and stable system.

(2) Alter the laws that prevent the negotiation of drug pricing by the government. Right now drug prices in the US are much higher than in other wealthy nations. That's a pretty easy fix and it's something Democrats want to see and that Trump called for during the campaign.

 

[UPNYA2]

I had plans to buy a new car. But since I insist on doing so in cash and I'm not quite where I want to be with emergency reserves, I've instead decided to postpone that purchase and get another year out of my existing car. It's already getting a little creaky, so I'll need to get it in for some routine maintenance. That is a good model for how we should handle the latest Obamacare reform implosion. It looks like we won't be getting that shiny new model any time soon, so it's time to do some routine maintenance on what we have. To do otherwise would be like refusing to even change the oil on your current car, in hopes it'll blow up and your wife will have to agree to replace it.

Donald Trump has vowed to give us an Obamacare replacement that will insure everybody, with no cuts to Medicaid, and no loss of coverage for anyone, so that nobody will be worse off financially. It'll be great, trust me! Three rushed attempts by the Republicans, all of which would have drastically reduced coverage and left a great many people with less coverage and worse financial conditions, have failed. So, the Republicans should step back and take some time to come up with something that at least tries to make good on the promises. Actually debate the matter. Solicit good ideas. Come up with something that's actually an improvement. In the meantime, they should cooperate with the Democrats in tuning up the existing system.

Specifically, I'd recommend the following fixes:

(1) Raise the tax for those who don't get coverage, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying. This would stabilize the individual market in the few states where it isn't already stabilized, while lowering premiums (by moving more healthy people into the market). If Trump and the Republicans eventually come up with something even better than Obamacare, great, but in the meantime we have a decent and stable system.

(2) Alter the laws that prevent the negotiation of drug pricing by the government. Right now drug prices in the US are much higher than in other wealthy nations. That's a pretty easy fix and it's something Democrats want to see and that Trump called for during the campaign.

One day, when a new car becomes the "right for all of the day" in the eyes of you libs, when you convince 50% of the people that they have a right to good dependable transportation, it isn't just for the evil rich who can afford to purchase it on their own, one day when THAT comes to pass you can just vote to have the government raise the tax for those who don't buy a car, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying for one on their own!

Oh happy days again!

 

[Arkady]

One day, when a new car becomes the "right for all of the day" in the eyes of you libs, when you convince 50% of the people that they have a right to good dependable transportation, it isn't just for the evil rich who can afford to purchase it on their own, one day when THAT comes to pass you can just vote to have the government raise the tax for those who don't buy a car, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying for one on their own!

Oh happy days again!

I get it. There's a fundamental difference of opinion about what the government's role should be. The majority of people in every wealthy nation on Earth believe the government should be making sure that people can afford decent basic health care. On the other hand, a vocal minority believe that if a laissez faire market would only provide that to the rich, then the government has no business interfering merely to save countless lives.

For now, the former group is winning. But while that debate is happening, we should at least make sure that the system we have is well-maintained. In the same sense, even if you're someone who thinks that if God had wanted people to have cars, we'd have been born with wheels, it still doesn't make sense to drive around with under-inflated tires. As long as you're going to be using a car, anyway, it should at least be kept in good repair. And for as long as Obamacare is the law of the land, we should try to keep it running like a well oiled machine.

 

[Capitalist]

I had plans to buy a new car. But since I insist on doing so in cash and I'm not quite where I want to be with emergency reserves, I've instead decided to postpone that purchase and get another year out of my existing car. It's already getting a little creaky, so I'll need to get it in for some routine maintenance. That is a good model for how we should handle the latest Obamacare reform implosion. It looks like we won't be getting that shiny new model any time soon, so it's time to do some routine maintenance on what we have. To do otherwise would be like refusing to even change the oil on your current car, in hopes it'll blow up and your wife will have to agree to replace it.

Donald Trump has vowed to give us an Obamacare replacement that will insure everybody, with no cuts to Medicaid, and no loss of coverage for anyone, so that nobody will be worse off financially. It'll be great, trust me! Three rushed attempts by the Republicans, all of which would have drastically reduced coverage and left a great many people with less coverage and worse financial conditions, have failed. So, the Republicans should step back and take some time to come up with something that at least tries to make good on the promises. Actually debate the matter. Solicit good ideas. Come up with something that's actually an improvement. In the meantime, they should cooperate with the Democrats in tuning up the existing system.

Specifically, I'd recommend the following fixes:

(1) Raise the tax for those who don't get coverage, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying. This would stabilize the individual market in the few states where it isn't already stabilized, while lowering premiums (by moving more healthy people into the market). If Trump and the Republicans eventually come up with something even better than Obamacare, great, but in the meantime we have a decent and stable system.

(2) Alter the laws that prevent the negotiation of drug pricing by the government. Right now drug prices in the US are much higher than in other wealthy nations. That's a pretty easy fix and it's something Democrats want to see and that Trump called for during the campaign.

Why don't you to the environmentally responsible thing and buy a Prius?

Think about your children.

 

[Drumcollie]

I had plans to buy a new car. But since I insist on doing so in cash and I'm not quite where I want to be with emergency reserves, I've instead decided to postpone that purchase and get another year out of my existing car. It's already getting a little creaky, so I'll need to get it in for some routine maintenance. That is a good model for how we should handle the latest Obamacare reform implosion. It looks like we won't be getting that shiny new model any time soon, so it's time to do some routine maintenance on what we have. To do otherwise would be like refusing to even change the oil on your current car, in hopes it'll blow up and your wife will have to agree to replace it.

Donald Trump has vowed to give us an Obamacare replacement that will insure everybody, with no cuts to Medicaid, and no loss of coverage for anyone, so that nobody will be worse off financially. It'll be great, trust me! Three rushed attempts by the Republicans, all of which would have drastically reduced coverage and left a great many people with less coverage and worse financial conditions, have failed. So, the Republicans should step back and take some time to come up with something that at least tries to make good on the promises. Actually debate the matter. Solicit good ideas. Come up with something that's actually an improvement. In the meantime, they should cooperate with the Democrats in tuning up the existing system.

Specifically, I'd recommend the following fixes:

(1) Raise the tax for those who don't get coverage, and pad the subsidies for those who have trouble paying. This would stabilize the individual market in the few states where it isn't already stabilized, while lowering premiums (by moving more healthy people into the market). If Trump and the Republicans eventually come up with something even better than Obamacare, great, but in the meantime we have a decent and stable system.

(2) Alter the laws that prevent the negotiation of drug pricing by the government. Right now drug prices in the US are much higher than in other wealthy nations. That's a pretty easy fix and it's something Democrats want to see and that Trump called for during the campaign.

You make two important points

1. Punish those who do not agree with you

2. Collude with drug companies.

Not sure I can agree with either. After 8 years of Obama and we still have the same damned problems. I certainly would not be listening to the liberal who says we need to keep this crap because fixing it would mean actually helping people.

 

[Arkady]

Why don't you to the environmentally responsible thing and buy a Prius?

Think about your children.

I have a Prius. Another one is one of the options I'm looking at.

 

[Drumcollie]

I get it. There's a fundamental difference of opinion about what the government's role should be. The majority of people in every wealthy nation on Earth believe the government should be making sure that people can afford decent basic health care. On the other hand, a vocal minority believe that if a laissez faire market would only provide that to the rich, then the government has no business interfering merely to save countless lives.

For now, the former group is winning. But while that debate is happening, we should at least make sure that the system we have is well-maintained. In the same sense, even if you're someone who thinks that if God had wanted people to have cars, we'd have been born with wheels, it still doesn't make sense to drive around with under-inflated tires. As long as you're going to be using a car, anyway, it should at least be kept in good repair. And for as long as Obamacare is the law of the land, we should try to keep it running like a well oiled machine.

No you don't get it...You never have. The majority of people in every wealthy nation? Which nations are these and what surveys say so? You just make up stuff to fit your narrative and have no real sustainable argument for making your point.

 

[Arkady]

You make two important points

1. Punish those who do not agree with you

2. Collude with drug companies.

No. This has nothing to do with whether or not someone agrees with me. People are free to agree or disagree all they want. But it is about internalizing the costs associated with those who would game the system by refusing coverage until they get sick and then taking advantage of the rule against pre-ex exclusions.

Also, this is the opposite of collusion. It would be an open and adversarial relationship.

After 8 years of Obama and we still have the same damned problems.

Actually, as a reminder, nearly all the problems that predated Obama diminished on his watch. I won't go through the full list yet again (falling unemployment, rising stock values, falling crime, etc.), but I will point out that includes healthcare-specific issues. The share of Americans without health insurance has dropped to the lowest point in American history, and the rate of health care inflation is down considerably. We've also inched our way back up the international rankings when it comes to life expectancy.

 

[Arkady]

No you don't get it...You never have. The majority of people in every wealthy nation? Which nations are these and what surveys say so? You just make up stuff to fit your narrative and have no real sustainable argument for making your point.

The US, for one:

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/327267-poll-obamacare-has-majority-support-for-first-time

Or Canada:

https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/new-poll-shows-canadians-overwhelmingly-support-public-health-care/

Or the UK:

http://www.businessinsider.com/british-satisfied-with-nhs-2013-9

Generally speaking, countries where the government takes a strong roll in ensuring decent basic coverage get positive marks for the system in polls of citizens about healthcare.

 

[Constitutional Sheepdog]

Proposal

 

[Constitutional Sheepdog]

The US, for one:

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/327267-poll-obamacare-has-majority-support-for-first-time

Or Canada:

https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/new-poll-shows-canadians-overwhelmingly-support-public-health-care/

Or the UK:

http://www.businessinsider.com/british-satisfied-with-nhs-2013-9

Generally speaking, countries where the government takes a strong roll in ensuring decent basic coverage get positive marks for the system in polls of citizens about healthcare.

Don't you think you've done enough damage to our healthcare system?
Go away.

 

[marvin martian]

I have a Prius. Another one is one of the options I'm looking at.

Why do you need two? That seems very greedy.

 

[Capitalist]

I have a Prius. Another one is one of the options I'm looking at.

Heh. I knew it!

 

[Constitutional Sheepdog]

Why do you need two? That's seems very greedy.

Yep share the wealth or we'll take it.

 

[Drumcollie]

I have a Prius. Another one is one of the options I'm looking at.

The Prius is bad for global warming...Making batteries for hybrids/electrical vehicles pollute the environment way more than do gasoline engines.

Pollution Caused By Building a Hybrid Car



Toyota admits that the production of its lightweight Prius requires more energy and emits more carbon dioxide than the production of its gas-only models [source: Williams]. The major reason is because hybrids like the Prius include more advanced components than a conventional car, including a second electric motor and heavy battery packs.

Unfortunately, both nickel-hydride batteries and the newer lithium-ion batteries rely on the mining of nickel, copper and so-called rare earth metals. The production of lithium-ion batteries account for 2 to 5 percent of total lifetime hybrid emissions and nickel-hydride batteries are responsible for higher sulfur oxide emissions, roughly 22 pounds (10 kilograms) per hybrid compared with 2.2 pounds (about 1 kilogram) for a conventional vehicle [sources: Samaras and Burnham et al

There are additional environmental concerns related to those rare earth metals, like those used in the magnets of hybrid batteries. In recent years, rare earth metals like lithium have been imported almost exclusively from China, which was able to lower its prices enough to monopolize the industry [source: Strickland]. One of the reasons China could sell lithium so cheaply was because it widely ignored environmental safeguards during the mining process. In the Bayan Obo region of China, for example, miners removed topsoil and extracted the gold-flecked metals using acids that entered the groundwater, destroying nearby agricultural land

http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/does-hybrid-car-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits1.htm

 

[Capitalist]

Why do you need two? That's seems very greedy.

Why doesn't he just ride a bike?

 

[Drumcollie]

Heh. I knew it!

He walks down to the health food market buys green weeds that are churn into his daily drink and looks at someone drinking a Dr. Pepper and says I mam better than you.

 

[Drumcollie]

Why doesn't he just ride a bike?

Because he is too important. You did not see Obama take a 45 minute car ride when he could use Air Force One.

 

[Drumcollie]

The US, for one:

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/327267-poll-obamacare-has-majority-support-for-first-time

Or Canada:

https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/new-poll-shows-canadians-overwhelmingly-support-public-health-care/

Or the UK:

http://www.businessinsider.com/british-satisfied-with-nhs-2013-9

Generally speaking, countries where the government takes a strong roll in ensuring decent basic coverage get positive marks for the system in polls of citizens about healthcare.

1.

marking the first time the law has gained majority support since Gallup began tracking public opinion on it in 2012.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/327267-poll-obamacare-has-majority-support-for-first-time

2. Canada...three out of the 21 that is not a majority

3. Great Britain....Who is letting the death panel kill baby Charlie.

Britain's Top Court Won't Let Dying Baby Go to US
www.newser.com/.../britains-top-court-wont-let-dying-baby-go-to...

You have proven nothing.

 

[Arkady]

Don't you think you've done enough damage to our healthcare system?
Go away.

As a reminder, the improvements to the healthcare system during the Obama years resulted in a record-high number of people being covered by insurance, a significantly slower rate of health care cost growth, and is generally believed to have saved thousands of lives. It took a while for people to warm to the change, but recent polls show the majority of Americans support Obamacare. We can do even better, though. With a few minor tweaks, we can have Obamacare running to optimal efficiency, while we debate bigger changes down the road, in line with the president's promise to give us a system that will insure everyone.