Ignorance of how Health Insurance works is how the Health Insurance industry has doubled the cost of health care. America pays about $2 trillion a year for health care, $1 trillion for health care and $1 trillion is Insurance company profit.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) threatens to dramatically reduce Insurance company profit. That is the key to the argument.
GOP immediately launched a disinformation campaign against this law. Funding for this is buried under anonymous donors behind PAC’s.
GOP disinformation includes, to list only a few:
- Spin the law as “Obamacare”, claiming it was his idea.
- Obamacare is the government takeover of health care.
- Obamacare creates death panels.
- Obamacare is unconstitutional.
- Obamacare will double the cost of insurance.
- Obamacare has driven up the cost of insurance.
- Obamacare is destroying America.
#1: Don’t give Obama so much credit. Give Obama credit for making it a priority and Congress the credit for passing it. Beginning with President Carter’s recognition that the health care system is broken and needs reform, the debate continued through the administrations of Reagon, GH Bush, Clinton, and GW Bush. The concepts were developed by many people over a period of some 30 years. Health care reform was passed at the state level in Massachusetts. This worked so well that Mitt Romney bragged about it. The people in Massachusetts loved it. In short, it was not Obama’s plan.
#2: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a private sector solution. No private hospitals or clinics are bought by the government and no government hospitals or clinics are created. Doctors and other private sector health care workers are not suddenly employees of the government. Private health care insurance companies still collect the premiums and pay the benefits. Private hospitals and clinics still higher their employees and pay their salaries set their policies. What is private stays private.
#3. “Death Panels” refers to the insurance company practice of refusing certain care for the certain patients. Example: A 94 year old is not considered for heart and lung transplant. Such decisions have always been made by teams of Doctor’s and under the ACA nothing is changed.
#4. The constitutional challenge was made at the Supreme Court level. Remember that, according to the constitution, the constitution says what the Supreme Court says it says. The challenge failed. The ACA is constitutional.
#5. Health insurance Exchanges increase competition between insurance companies. This competition has not existed in the past. In the exchanges, insurance companies are required to offer similar policies thus making it possible for people to compare rates. In NY, the yet to be implemented rates are about %50 lower than currently available. Since Insurance is regulated at the state level, savings will be different in different states.
#6. The ACA has not yet been implemented. Increase in rates since the passing of the law about 3 years ago is the private sector insurance companies decision to further gouge the consumer. The beginning of the competitive market is still about 3 months away. In states like NY and CA where the state government has moved forward, the exchanges show extremely low rates compared to states that refuse to act.
#7. Let the sick suffer and die, unless your rich? Is that what America stands for? The ACA is an attempt to do better.
Prior to the election of Obama in 2008, the GOP claimed the ACA as their idea. Here is a list of GOP ideas to make health available to all citizens since 2008: ” “. Shortest book ever written.
Destroy America and blame it on Obama.
Angus Croix 
Well, I figure since you spent time commenting on what I wrote, I would check out what you have written. I am glad I chose this particular entry.
I have had conversations with people about ACA, both prior to and since the election, and what you wrote here is what I have tried to get across to them. On your point #3, I had almost the same discussion this past summer with a lung surgeon, and he and I both agreed that, using your example, a 94 year old would not be the best candidate for an insured lung transplant.
Thank you. I also thank you for the chastisement about my inappropriate comment to you earlier.
I appreciate the info you gave and the examples you gave on mine, it really helped.
I have another entry scheduled for this evening about a poll that was conducted on who Lousiana Republicans blame for the response to Hurricane Katrina. Good stuff (I think).
Ok, I will read it. My first thought: “you can fool some of the people all the time”.
oh this is really funny people commenting on things they know nothing about your little one page example comes nowhere close to explaining the full scope of this law and unless you have read the thousands of pages and are also qualified to understand them i would suggest you leave these matters to people with the education to understand them and you obviously do not have the back ground or the full knowledge you need to understand this law. the secret to health care is to work get a job and pay your own way.
lol, that what the system is.