buffalo Loc: Texas

Remember when repubs accused the dems of rushing and ramming the ACA through Congress? With hypocrisy on display once again, with no holding of hearings, or giving the Congressional Budget time do do their analysis, the House repubs passed the AHCA that is, once again, going to hurt the elderly, the poor by gutting Medicaid and most of all those with pre-existing conditions, while giving the rich another tax break by nearly $300 billion over 10 years by repealing a payroll tax increase and a tax on their investment income imposed by the ACA.

Once again the private, for profit health INSURANCE is the big winner and premiums are going to continue to be ridiculously unaffordable to poor and moderate income Americans. One amendment allows states to ignore provisions in the ACA that bar health INSURANCE corporations from discriminating against Americans with pre-existing conditions and forcing them to pay higher premiums.

As unpopular as the ACA was with repubs it leaves the basic framework of Obamacare in place....hmmm

As only 20 repubs voted no to the ACHA, take a look at that group of wealthy men with guaranteed GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED HEALTH CARE (as Federal employees) as they laughed and celebrated as they took healthcare away from 24 million Americans. When I see this adoring puppy look in Paul Ryan's eye, my stomach immediately reacts violently. It may be a biological miracle, but there is a man without a spine.

The majority of Americans (58%) support single payer health care. A recent survey from the Economist/YouGov found that a majority of Americans support “expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American.”

It is time for the DC monkeys for their corporate organ grinders to start looking out for their constituents interest instead of their corporate masters!

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

I find it a bit discomforting that I am agreeing with you more often, Buffalo. But, that is the case again, with this post. :

vernon

How can you raise a payroll tax on the rich?If the rich were paid wages they wouldn't be rich the rich don't work for wages.I agree with you Ryan should be dumped.
I don't know where you got the 58% i don't think it's any where that number.
I agree with your assessment of every one on k st they should be run out of town.

buffalo Loc: Texas

Medical CARE in the US needs to be made more accessible to the poor and middle working classes, especially the millions that have "pre-existing" health conditions instead of "insuring" the private, for profit health INSURANCE corporations continue their $500 BILLION in annual profits raping of the US health CARE system. The majority of Americans favor the expansion and improvement of Medicare to cover everyone.

What is laughable is the posters here that enjoy benefits of the Medicare system that working people pay taxes into and the elderly pay premiums for and then scream that they don't want the government involved in their health CARE. Medicare is not and would not be free. And it is not socialized medicine. Socialized medicine is what the VA is. The doctors and medical personnel work for the government and the VA hospitals are all government owned, THAT is socialized medicine.

95% of taxpayers would save money with a Medicare for All system instead of paying ridiculously high health INSURANCE premiums the equivalent of 3 car payments and a deductible the size of a down payment on a house.

buffalo Loc: Texas

Make ALL incomes like capital gains, dividends, earned and unearned subject to the payroll and medicare taxes. That is how make the rich help fund for a Medicare for All system.

Depending on the poll, it varies.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/191504/majority-support-idea-fed-funded-healthcare-system.aspx

Even the numbers of Trump voters supporting single payer is high.

http://www.dailywire.com/news/15177/poll-how-many-trump-voters-want-single-payer-hank-berrien#

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/229959-majority-still-support-single-payer-option-poll-finds

Ricko Loc: Florida

Buffalo-agree!! Under no circumstances should the taxpayer be subsidizing the profits of insurance companies.
Unfortunately the ACA subsidized them to the tune of one trillion while the new plan subsidizes them at 500 billion. Neither should be the case. Realize that this plan is only a starter and that it will be totally revamped in
the Senate. However, as long as insurance company profits are included , along with the high cost of medical procedures/devices, we will not be able to provide needed health care to everyone. Looks like Single Payer is
becoming more attractive as these plans unfold. I am on medicare and with Tricare for Life as a supplement
and it works fine with few copays (primarily for prescription drugs). What makes it work is price negotiation. Example: MRI billed at $`1800.00 , Medicare approved $360.00 paid 80% and TFL paid balance. Recognize that they recover some of that by charging someone with private insurance the full $1800.00. However, if that price were negotiated down to $600.00 for everyone the provider still can make money without ripping off the end user. We have to understand that if everyone were on medicare the lines will be longer and it will be more
difficult to get needed surgeries in a timely manner. Works half way good in Canada-pop 34mil, and Australia-pop 24 mil but America is looking at 330mil so the administration would be a giant task. America First!!!

DASHY

Here is a simple example of "return on investment" for health care insurance:

MEDICARE: Cost to me - $100.00 per month. Benefit - 80% of my medical costs are paid for

PRIVATE SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE:

Cost to me - $200.00 per month. Benefit - 20% of my medical costs are paid for and a portion of my payment goes to increase insurance company profits.

buffalo Loc: Texas

Like Ricko's example above, a Medicare supplement does not pay the balance of a medical procedure it just pays 20% of what Medicare pays. If Medicare paid $360 on an MRI then his supplement only paid $72. A Medicare supplement is a rip-off that the private, for profit health INSURANCE corporations figure out another way to profit. My 88 yo Dad had heart stents in 2013. The operating facilities and overnight stay in the hospital bill ws over $82,000 and the doctor's bill was over $22,000. His Medicare with NO supplement paid the hospital $7800 and the doctor $2300. He never got a bill for anything. He pays $187/month for his Medicare.

I asked my doctor brother what the deal was that he never got a bill for what Medicare didn't pay and he said hospitals and doctors write off that difference as a loss and use it to reduce their income tax liabilities.

DASHY

The hospital and Doctor billed the patient $104,000. The Medicare negotiated price paid was $10,100. The billers come up short $93,900. This is the mystery number.
Two possible answers to this mystery: (1) Medicare has great leverage when negotiating price. Insurance companies cannot compete. (2) Hospitals and Docs must greatly inflate their bills to cover their losses for treating poor uninsured and under insured patients. What all medical care customers would love to know is: What the hell is the REAL unmanipulated price of healthcare services? Our first step should be to take the mystery out of pricing practices.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

I suspect that 58% will rise sharply, when the GOP finally, actually, for realz - passes a new healthcare bill, instead of talking about passing one. Of course, I'm assuming that the new bill won't be Obamacare with a new name. Wouldn't it make more sense to fix the errors of the ACA, and call THAT the AHCA? You know, rebranding.

Who am I kidding - asking for common sense from the Congress. My bad.

buffalo Loc: Texas

My doctor brother (he is an ER doctor) says they write it off their taxes as losses and pay little to no income tax.

buffalo Loc: Texas

If passed as the House version then old people and the poor are going to be thrown under the health CARE bus and the rich are going to get another tax cut.

No fixing the ACA. Private, for profit health INSURANCE corporations need to be eliminated for the US health CARE loop.

Who am I kidding? Politicians are just monkeys for the K Street organ grinders.

Sassy Lass

This is not even close to what the final bill will look like. I wouldn't get too excited about it.

buffalo Loc: Texas

I am willing to wager that whatever the final bill looks like will be less of a protection of the medical CARE needs and rights of the poor and middle working classes and more of a protection of the profits of private, for profit health INSURANCE corporations.

buffalo Loc: Texas

I am willing to wager that whatever the final bill looks like will be less of a protection of the medical CARE needs and rights of the poor and middle working classes and more of a protection of the profits of private, for profit health INSURANCE corporations.