Trump - How long will he last?
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keeptheodds
Veteran
What the hell? How hard can it be to write a health care bill that works? Where do these guys come up with this crap? Unreal. I think the stupidity of DC is contagious.
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jimntx
Veteran
One of the news stations said that the GOP health care plan to replace the ACA was going for availability, but not affordability. ????? The street price for the 4 days I spent in the hospital last year following surgery was almost $50,000. We already have available health care. What is needed is affordable health care.
KCFlyer
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Yep...Over Memorial Day, I went over the handlebars on my bicycle...ER visit had an MSRP of $8,000
I think that the keyword everybody needs to watch is "access". Anybody will have "access" to insurance...if you have the money great. If you don't have the money, well, it sucks to be you. But....you had access.
Dog Wonder
Veteran
And if you are Jason Chafettz, with taxpayers (not Trump) paying for your health insurance and Iphone, you can ***** about choices others have to make.
jimntx
Veteran
Had dinner tonight with a self-employed friend. According to him, his I-phone costs him about $150/mo. His health insurance runs about $600/month and he is a disgustingly healthy 40 year old. What does a person my age (72) have to give up to fund my health insurance...a roof over my head? I'm not really into outdoor camping. Never was.
jimntx
Veteran
Well, it's at least as hard as knowing the difference between write and right. 😉
keeptheodds
Veteran
You got me. It really is simple though, I don't know why they make this so difficult. The Medicare platform is there just use it and expand on it. The money is easy with out giving people tax credits that's not going to spend it on health care any way. I really was expecting something revolutionary not a stripped down Obama plan. Very disappointed.
jimntx
Veteran
It gets difficult because one party wants everyone to have insurance. The other party wants to make sure that the wealthy get a tax break out of a health insurance plan. So, they're going to give tax credits instead. Problem with tax credits is unless you owe at least as much as the tax credit, they are not of much value to you.
Now, according to what I heard yesterday, my age will provide me a $6000 tax credit. But, if I only owe $2000 to the IRS, the tax credit does NOT give me an extra $4000 with which to purchase my insurance. It covers the $2000 I owe (and I will take it, thank you) and gives me an additional $2000 with which to purchase insurance. Problem: No one my age will be able to purchase insurance for only $6000/year, much less for only $2000.The premium for someone my age in an unregulated market (that deregulation is important to the insurance companies and the Congressmen in their pockets) will approach $1000/ month. That would be approximately 20% of my estimated monthly retirement income (and that's assuming that part of this fiasco will not involve cutting Social Security benefits).
No retirement plan and no Social Security was ever intended to be your only source of income in retirement, and I have saved diligently to prevent that happening. But, if 20% of my spendable income has to go to pay for just my health insurance, it will hardly be worth it for me to retire. To keep my home, I will have to keep working until I just can't anymore. Then I will have to sell my home, and let's hope that doesn't happen during one of our famous real estate market "adjustment" periods.
In case you were wondering, yes, I'm scared as all get out about where all this is leading. It's already been made clear that 90% of the planned tax cuts will go to the top 1% of incomes in this country--the group that needs the tax cut the least. The average tax cut for the majority of taxpayers will be around $400/year. That's about $33/mo. At last, Mother can have that operation!
Now, according to what I heard yesterday, my age will provide me a $6000 tax credit. But, if I only owe $2000 to the IRS, the tax credit does NOT give me an extra $4000 with which to purchase my insurance. It covers the $2000 I owe (and I will take it, thank you) and gives me an additional $2000 with which to purchase insurance. Problem: No one my age will be able to purchase insurance for only $6000/year, much less for only $2000.The premium for someone my age in an unregulated market (that deregulation is important to the insurance companies and the Congressmen in their pockets) will approach $1000/ month. That would be approximately 20% of my estimated monthly retirement income (and that's assuming that part of this fiasco will not involve cutting Social Security benefits).
No retirement plan and no Social Security was ever intended to be your only source of income in retirement, and I have saved diligently to prevent that happening. But, if 20% of my spendable income has to go to pay for just my health insurance, it will hardly be worth it for me to retire. To keep my home, I will have to keep working until I just can't anymore. Then I will have to sell my home, and let's hope that doesn't happen during one of our famous real estate market "adjustment" periods.
In case you were wondering, yes, I'm scared as all get out about where all this is leading. It's already been made clear that 90% of the planned tax cuts will go to the top 1% of incomes in this country--the group that needs the tax cut the least. The average tax cut for the majority of taxpayers will be around $400/year. That's about $33/mo. At last, Mother can have that operation!
jimntx
Veteran
I find that level of naivete refreshing in someone your age. 🙂 All the Republicans have talked about and run for office on for the past 7 years has been Repeal Obamacare and Replace. They voted what? 60 times in the House of Representatives to repeal the ACA (it's real name). Yet, in all that time they never were able to come up with the Replace portion of that battle cry. And, you think they could do it in less than 2 months? They can't even get a plan that THEY all agree to, and they are going to need some Democratic votes in the Senate to get a bill they can send to the White House. This is NOT going to be a slam dunk.
Whether we like to admit it or not, there are a number of people we have elected to Congress that believe that if someone is poor, it's their own fault. That philosophy does not generate legislation that can get past the compassionate. There was a time that the poor could turn to the churches for help, but even the churches are more interested in building the "whited sepulchres" referred to in the Bible (Matthew 23:27). It's more important to them to be able brag that their church sanctuary seats more people than yours.
Cynical? Moi? How could you say such a thing?
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keeptheodds
Veteran
Tax credits are useless and a waste of money.
jimntx
Veteran
Not to the wealthy they aren't. Oh, you're not wealthy? Well, why not? If you can't make use of a tax credit, it's obvious that it is your own fault for not being rich.
keeptheodds
Veteran
LOL, you're a funny guy. I am by no means naive. I was simply expecting to see something that's from way out of the box that's all. What can I say other than he blew it. No it can not be done in one slamdunk but a reasonable plan can be formulated along with a means to fund it. There is not a doubt in my mind that I could have working health plan up and running within ninety days. I don't know what these clowns are doing.
jimntx
Veteran
Yes, but could you do it and give massive tax breaks to the wealthy (which are obviously more important than health care) at the same time? Oh, and do all that without jacking up the deficit even further? I think not.
Also, there is the issue of the current political climate (as demonstrated on this bulletin board) that each side has the philosophy that "I am absolutely, and at all times, right. You are absolutely,and at all times, wrong." Democratic republics, such as the USA, can not function in that sort of climate. There must be an agreement on both sides that we will work to find a compromise point that we both can live with--even though it is not the best to your mind--and I can live with it also--even though it is not the plan, bill, issue of my dreams,either. Then, and only then, can Congress accomplish something other than namecalling and blaming the other side for the failures to get anything meaningful done.
Also, there is the issue of the current political climate (as demonstrated on this bulletin board) that each side has the philosophy that "I am absolutely, and at all times, right. You are absolutely,and at all times, wrong." Democratic republics, such as the USA, can not function in that sort of climate. There must be an agreement on both sides that we will work to find a compromise point that we both can live with--even though it is not the best to your mind--and I can live with it also--even though it is not the plan, bill, issue of my dreams,either. Then, and only then, can Congress accomplish something other than namecalling and blaming the other side for the failures to get anything meaningful done.
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keeptheodds
Veteran
Of course it can be done. Very easily actually, it would take a bit of additional law writing but over all it's still a relatively simple concept to write a health program and fund it. Especially since you already have Medicare and Medicaid platforms to build off of. The majority of the money is already there.
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