More Obamacare fuckups

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IMO the issue isnt guns and never has been.

There is no personal accountability in our society anymore.

Smokers sue cigarette manufacturers because they got cancer from something that made them cough their lungs out the first time they tried it.

A morbidly obese man sues McDonalds because their food MADE him fat.

A student sues her parents for college tuition after choosing to break their rules and move out.

No one wants to earn anything any more, instead they feel they should be entitled to it with almost zero effort on their parts.

The problem is, theres always a cost for everything, even if we cant see it immediately.

Im not condoning or excusing the actions of crazy people taking the innocent lives of strangers by any means, but given the examples above is anyone surprised that this happened at all?

These people were taught by society thats its okay to blame someone else for their own problems and when they reached a breaking point innocent lives were lost for no reason at all other than our own stupidity.

Blaming guns for senseless killings is like blaming a car for a death caused by a DUI or blaming a spoon for making you fat and are very much akin to treating the side-effects of a disease instead of the disease itself.

[Ravenwood]

I'd prefer my cousin with schizophrenia be unable to have the gun he owns, medication or not. I'd also rather like my other cousin who had depression to not have been as easily able to acquire the weapon he killed himself with.

In non mental health situations, I'd agree with you.

Ive lost friends to suicide as well but I think youre misplacing blame in this example.

Committing suicide is one of the most selfish acts someone can ever commit IMO.Its even more tragic when mental health issues are the cause and its often easier to blame the weapon or instrument of death than it is to blame a loved one or friend, especially when they are afflicted with something as insidious and debilitating as a mental illness that precludes reason and self preservation.

I feel for your loss, I truly do but weapons arent to blame here. And neither is your cousin...at least not fully.(Im sorry for my earlier comment, since edited, that claimed he was) sometimes our own personal demons, whatever they may be, end up being stronger than we are.

Instead of blaming guns, I think this country would have been better off instituting a national mental health care program as a precursor to Obamacare ever being implemented.

Not only would it have provided a smaller working model with much less sweeping and drastic impact on our economy but the benefits to individuals and society could have been HUGE.

Also theres another glaring hole in the ACA that could have been addressed in a similar manner.

Dental care is woefully underrepresented by Obamacare. Which makes me question the motives and wisdom of government to begin with. Most Doctors and Dentists will tell you that healthy teeth and gums are absolutely critical to our continued good health and well being. We've all seen the commercials and heard this our entire lives during health classes in primary and secondary school.

Why isnt it included and even highlighted if the health of this countries citizens is the ultimate goal of the ACA?

Something to think about at least.

[cwolff]

Maybe I spoke too soon.

But the 2012 murder rate — 4.7 murders per 100,000 people — was significantly higher than in most other wealthy nations.

The comparable rate is 0.4 in Japan, 0.8 in Germany, 1.0 in Australia 1.1 in France and 1.2 in Britain, according to figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Among nations assessed by the Paris-based club of market economies, only Brazil, Estonia, Mexico and Russia had higher murder rates.

However, when looking only at the rate of people assaulted or mugged, the United States had a lower rate than any country except Canada and Japan, according to the same OECD index.

[Jarvan]

Sounds like Ashliana has a pretty good grasp of this thing. He/she's not freaking out over it. Recognizes it's benefits and challenges and is pretty ok with it to date but wants to see it get better. Seems pretty reasonable actually.

LOL. Cat Boy knows nothing about it either.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ally-dropping/

Healthcare increase has slowed, but you can't really point at one thing and say that was the reason. In general, Healthcare costs always outpace the economy. 2011 was an outlier. Once reason why 2011 may have seen a drop tho, IS the ACA. How it decided that hospitals were getting paid to much under Medicare/Medicaid, and slashed their reimbursement. That's a good thing, right?

No.. Not really. Hospitals will look to recover that lost revenue somewhere. Contracts for private insurance can't be changed right away.

The only part of the ACA that lowers healthcare costs at all, is the part where they basically say that the Government won't pay Dr's or Hospitals for certain things, or lower their rates. If the Fed tells a Hospital that 500$ is the max they will pay for a tonsillectomy, that does not become the default amount for all of them.

Reading that article, the worst thing that should scare you and everyone else here.. is the lack of new technologies. What company is going to want to invest several billion into something when the fed can decided that 12.95 is a suitable price to pay for it, when before they may have gotten 34.95. Then we do have the other end, MRI and CAT scans are old hat now. They used to be state of the art. Costs for them have come done. (Pittsburgh in 2008 had more MRI machines in the city, then Canada had) We still prescribe them way to often.. but that's another matter.

All things taken together, there really was nothing "affordable" about the ACA. I wouldn't call a plan that costs me 210 a month, and where I have to pay a 5k deductible very "affordable". Not to mention the Government keeps scaling back what is covered and not. (I am still surprised the women on these boards are not up in arms over Breast Cancer Screenings)

[Jeril]

Maybe I spoke too soon.

That is an interesting statistic. Our growth rate is also a good bit higher then theirs, 1.5% compared to .212%.

[cwolff]

LOL. Cat Boy knows nothing about it either.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ally-dropping/

Healthcare increase has slowed, but you can't really point at one thing and say that was the reason. In general, Healthcare costs always outpace the economy. 2011 was an outlier. Once reason why 2011 may have seen a drop tho, IS the ACA. How it decided that hospitals were getting paid to much under Medicare/Medicaid, and slashed their reimbursement. That's a good thing, right?

No.. Not really. Hospitals will look to recover that lost revenue somewhere. Contracts for private insurance can't be changed right away.

The only part of the ACA that lowers healthcare costs at all, is the part where they basically say that the Government won't pay Dr's or Hospitals for certain things, or lower their rates. If the Fed tells a Hospital that 500$ is the max they will pay for a tonsillectomy, that does not become the default amount for all of them.

Reading that article, the worst thing that should scare you and everyone else here.. is the lack of new technologies. What company is going to want to invest several billion into something when the fed can decided that 12.95 is a suitable price to pay for it, when before they may have gotten 34.95. Then we do have the other end, MRI and CAT scans are old hat now. They used to be state of the art. Costs for them have come done. (Pittsburgh in 2008 had more MRI machines in the city, then Canada had) We still prescribe them way to often.. but that's another matter.

All things taken together, there really was nothing "affordable" about the ACA. I wouldn't call a plan that costs me 210 a month, and where I have to pay a 5k deductible very "affordable". Not to mention the Government keeps scaling back what is covered and not. (I am still surprised the women on these boards are not up in arms over Breast Cancer Screenings)

The article you linked is pretty positive about health care costs.

It will take a few years to know which side had the right prediction. As for the agency that actually gathers all this data, Medicare actuary Foster says that he thinks both narratives might pan out. Health-care costs will probably go up, he says, but perhaps not as quickly as they have in prior years.

Affordable is a big part of ACA. I think if you look at it overall you will understand. If you've not been able to afford insurance, now you can. That's a big deal. It also gives pooling power to self employed people who haven't always had the luxury of buying insurance with a group the way employees of large corporations have. People who are sick or have pre-existing conditions or lose their job can now afford insurance and before some of them couldn't get any coverage. People can get preventive care now. They also don't have to rack up ER bills for the flu. And you're right about being young and healthy and paying more. That's true. You're protecting weaker citizens with that money and someday the next generation will protect you.

[Wrathbringer]

The article you linked is pretty positive about health care costs.



Affordable is a big part of ACA. I think if you look at it overall you will understand. If you've not been able to afford insurance, now you can. That's a big deal. It also gives pooling power to self employed people who haven't always had the luxury of buying insurance with a group the way employees of large corporations have. People who are sick or have pre-existing conditions or lose their job can now afford insurance and before some of them couldn't get any coverage. People can get preventive care now. They also don't have to rack up ER bills for the flu. And you're right about being young and healthy and paying more. That's true. You're protecting weaker citizens with that money and someday the next generation will protect you.

Just like SS, right? lol

[Warriorbird]

Just like SS, right? lol

That issue was more with Congress sucking.

[Wrathbringer]

LOL. Cat Boy knows nothing about it either.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ally-dropping/

Healthcare increase has slowed, but you can't really point at one thing and say that was the reason. In general, Healthcare costs always outpace the economy. 2011 was an outlier. Once reason why 2011 may have seen a drop tho, IS the ACA. How it decided that hospitals were getting paid to much under Medicare/Medicaid, and slashed their reimbursement. That's a good thing, right?

No.. Not really. Hospitals will look to recover that lost revenue somewhere. Contracts for private insurance can't be changed right away.

The only part of the ACA that lowers healthcare costs at all, is the part where they basically say that the Government won't pay Dr's or Hospitals for certain things, or lower their rates. If the Fed tells a Hospital that 500$ is the max they will pay for a tonsillectomy, that does not become the default amount for all of them.

Reading that article, the worst thing that should scare you and everyone else here.. is the lack of new technologies. What company is going to want to invest several billion into something when the fed can decided that 12.95 is a suitable price to pay for it, when before they may have gotten 34.95. Then we do have the other end, MRI and CAT scans are old hat now. They used to be state of the art. Costs for them have come done. (Pittsburgh in 2008 had more MRI machines in the city, then Canada had) We still prescribe them way to often.. but that's another matter.

All things taken together, there really was nothing "affordable" about the ACA. I wouldn't call a plan that costs me 210 a month, and where I have to pay a 5k deductible very "affordable". Not to mention the Government keeps scaling back what is covered and not. (I am still surprised the women on these boards are not up in arms over Breast Cancer Screenings)

I don't think people are going to be up in arms until they've had time to try and use the "coverage" they bought and are unable to do so. I also expect that when the fines start getting handed out, we'll hear more complaining from those people who opted out but didn't adjust their withholdings in order to protect themselves. I expect it will be quite the stink.

[Wrathbringer]

This message is hidden because Warriorbird is on your ignore list.

I did get your lame neg rep though. Can't ignore those, I guess.