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Healthcare Content (Protest Instructions) >>>>>

Started by sophist, August 06, 2009, 09:48:07 AM

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runawayjimbo

Quote from: Hicks on March 29, 2017, 05:00:47 PM
Yeah I did kinda co-mingle QE and the deficit my bad, although now that I think about it, we'll just do another QE and this time we'll make the banks service US debt, genius! 

You joke but some super serious people argued during QE3 just that: gov't should borrow long at historically low rates, fund infrastructure spending, and have the Fed pay kick the printers into overdrive to fund the debt. It's a tempting (if extremely shortsighted) proposition for sure, but it's led to ruin every other time it's been tried. Which is the logical conclusion; there's no other possible outcome of trying to pay for something with nothing.

Quote from: Hicks on March 29, 2017, 05:00:47 PM
As for some other currency replacing the dollar as the dinero fraca, I just don't see that happening anytime soon, who's gonna do it, the Euro? (lol!)

Not anytime soon, but in our lifetimes? Yeah, I think we will see that. And no, I don't think it'll be the Euro, but rather the yuan (China is set to overtake our economy in the next 15-30 years) or possibly a basket of currencies as a world benchmark.

Quote from: Hicks on March 29, 2017, 05:00:47 PM
Low interest rates were a very small piece of mortgage backed security shitstorm and let's be honest, those wolves would've underwritten shitty loans regardless of the rates and in fact many of the ARMs they sold did become outrageously high.

I'm not saying rates were the sole or even primary cause of the crisis; there's plenty of blame to go around and I don't think any one factor contributed more than the other. I was just disagreeing with your point the monetary policy "didn't really have anything to do with it." Monetary policy was the fuel (or at least one component of it); greed and the over-financialization of the economy (among other things) was the match.

Quote from: Hicks on March 29, 2017, 05:00:47 PM
I think a single payer system is the only real solution to the problem we face, and that's the system I would like to see our government pump money into. Oh surely there would be massive waste, but I have to believe it would be an improvement from the parasitic insurance industry literally sucking the life out of the populace.

As I've said, I think single payer is wrong and your view of the insurance industry obviously hyperbolic. However (to bring it back around to where we started), I would prefer single payer to the ACA. The system is broken and needs a full scale overhaul. Single payer would do that, so would elimination of tax favored/employer provided health care (which I favor). The ACA tries to put 1,000 band-aids on it and call it a day. Obviously a total upending of the existing system would be extraordinarily difficult/impossible. But that's the only way you get back to some semblance of sanity IMO.

Quote from: PIE-GUY on March 30, 2017, 09:12:21 AM
Quote from: DoW on March 30, 2017, 08:33:39 AM
I'll go on record and say that I want the government involved as little as possible in healthcare.
hell, wait and see what medicare is like 10 years from now.

I'll go on record and say that I want the grubby hands of the insurance industry involved as little as possible in healthcare. I've seen what the last 50 years of their bullshit has done to the cost trying to stay healthy.

50 years you say? Hmmm, what other monumental shift in health care happened around then? Can't quite place my finger on it. Oh well, it's probably nothing.
Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

sls.stormyrider

#691
We'll see what the CBO says, but it seems like the AHCA is a big win for rich, healthy people.
If you have a chronic illness (or get one in the future) you may be fucked.
"toss away stuff you don't need in the end
but keep what's important, and know who's your friend"
"It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

mbw

Quote from: slslbs on May 05, 2017, 08:36:13 AM
We'll see what the CBO says, but it seems like the AHCA is a big win for rich, healthy people.

I'm shocked.

VDB

QuoteWe'll see what the CBO says

- Republican lawmakers


jk
Is this still Wombat?

rowjimmy

"New" (same) bill comes out in the morning.
Keep your eye on the ball and make your voice heard.

sls.stormyrider

Senate bill fails
Repeal only has already died
ACA remains intact (for now)
Trump says he's disapointed and will just let Obamacare fail

The problem, Donald, is that you don't know the 1st thing about health care policy, and you really don't give a shit. You just want to reverse and erase anything associated with Obama

/rant
"toss away stuff you don't need in the end
but keep what's important, and know who's your friend"
"It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

sls.stormyrider

https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/sen-collins-statement-health-care-vote

QuoteSenator Susan M. Collins

Statement on Health Care Reform

July 27, 2017



Few issues are as important or personal to the American people as health care, which is why this debate has been so fervent and ignites such passion.



On the one hand, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has allowed millions of individuals and families to obtain health insurance for the first time.  It has also brought important patient protections like those for people with pre-existing conditions and prohibitions on annual and lifetime limits on insurance payments for needed care.



On the other hand, too many Americans face skyrocketing premiums and unaffordable deductibles coupled with mandates that give them few, if any, choices.  Some insurance plans have become so restrictive that families find they can no longer go to the doctor or hospital of their choice. In addition, the ACA's employer mandate discourages businesses from creating jobs or giving their workers more hours, while its tax credits and subsidies are designed so poorly as to cause "wage lock" – where working harder to get ahead can instead make some Americans fall further behind.



Despite President Obama's campaign promise that his health care plan "would save the average family $2,500 on their premiums" per year, the opposite has happened as premiums are increasing in nearly every state, with an average increase of 25 percent nationally last year.  And today, despite the implementation of the ACA, 28 million Americans remain uninsured.



These problems require a bipartisan solution.  The Democrats made a big mistake when they passed the ACA without a single Republican vote.   I don't want to see Republicans make the same mistake.



Earlier this week I voted against proceeding to health care reform legislation – the American Health Care Act of 2017 – that passed the House of Representatives last May without a single Democratic vote.  For many Americans, this bill could actually make the situation worse.  Among other things, the bill would make sweeping changes to the Medicaid program – an important safety net that for more than 50 years has helped poor and disabled individuals, including children and low-income seniors, receive health care.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the number of uninsured Americans would climb by 23 million under this bill.



Senate Leaders, recognizing that the House bill did not have sufficient support, advanced their own substitute proposal that would make similar structural changes to the Medicaid program, as well as many other changes.  CBO estimates that this plan would reduce the number of people with insurance by 22 million, cause premiums and other out-of-pocket costs to soar for Americans nearing retirement, and shift billions of dollars of costs to state governments.  It also would undermine the financial stability of rural hospitals and long-term care facilities and likely lead to the loss of important consumer protections for many Americans, while doing virtually nothing to address the underlying problem of escalating health care costs.  Earlier this week, this body struck down that proposal by a vote of 43 to 57.



A separate proposal that would simply repeal the ACA without a replacement also failed, by a vote of 45 to 55.   That legislation, according to CBO, would result in 32 million people losing their insurance, bringing the total number of uninsured Americans to 60 million a decade from now.  Clearly, that is going in the wrong direction.



In a final effort to reach consensus, Republican Leaders have pieced together a plan that would repeal key portions of the ACA while punting on many of the more difficult questions.  While I support many of the components of this plan, this approach will not provide the market stability and premium relief that is needed.  In fact, a bipartisan group of Governors wrote Senate Leaders this week urging rejection of this so-called "skinny" plan, which they say "is expected to accelerate health plans leaving the individual market, increase premiums, and result in fewer Americans having access to coverage." I ask consent that the letter be entered into the record.



Also included in all of these plans is a misguided proposal that would block federal funds, including Medicaid reimbursements, from going to Planned Parenthood.  Millions of women across the country rely on Planned Parenthood for family planning, cancer screening, and basic preventive health care services.  Denying women access to Planned Parenthood not only runs contrary to our goal of letting patients choose the health care provider who best fits their needs, but it also could impede timely access to care.



If Planned Parenthood were defunded, other family planning clinics in Maine, including community health centers, would see a 63 percent increase in their patient load.  Some patients would need to drive greater distances to receive care, while others would have to wait longer for an appointment.



Let me be clear that this is not about abortion.  Federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk.   



This is about interfering with the ability of a woman to choose the health care provider who is right for her.  This harmful provision should have no place in legislation that purports to be about restoring patient choices and freedom.



We need to reconsider our approach.  The ACA is flawed and in portions of the country is near collapse.  Rather than engaging in partisan exercises, Republicans and Democrats should work together to address these very serious problems.  In their letter to Senate Leaders, the bipartisan group of Governors correctly notes that, "True, lasting reforms can only be achieved in an open, bipartisan fashion."



Health care is extraordinarily complex, and we must work together systematically in order to "do no harm" and improve our health care system.  In developing legislation, our focus should be on the impact on people, premiums, and providers.



We're dealing with an issue that affects millions of Americans and one sixth of our economy, and we need to approach reforms in a very careful way. That means going through the regular process of committee hearings; receiving input from expert witnesses such as actuaries, governors, advocacy groups, and health care providers; and vetting proposals with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle.  It needs to be a much more deliberative process, and I am pleased that Chairman Alexander has expressed a willingness to begin hearings in the Senate Health Committee.



Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, and we must work together to put together a bipartisan bill that fixes the flaws in the ACA and works for all Americans.


:clap:
"toss away stuff you don't need in the end
but keep what's important, and know who's your friend"
"It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

PIE-GUY

The only thing I'll say is Republicans LOVE to slam the Dems for passing the ACA with zero Repub votes, but it was a bipartisan bill that they just didn't vote for for partisan reasons.
I've been coming to where I am from the get go
Find that I can groove with the beat when I let go
So put your worries on hold
Get up and groove with the rhythm in your soul

sls.stormyrider

yes, they forget that the initial ideas came from a GOP think tank in the 90s, got incorportated into Romney care, and the so called "death panel" (actually ethics panel) came from a GOP Senator
"toss away stuff you don't need in the end
but keep what's important, and know who's your friend"
"It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."

PIE-GUY

So this is interesting... everyone was pissed at McCain this week for voting yes on Tuesday but I think he knew what he was doing. Seems to me, he's legacy shopping (don't want to forever be remembered as the guy who introduced Palin to the country).

I've been coming to where I am from the get go
Find that I can groove with the beat when I let go
So put your worries on hold
Get up and groove with the rhythm in your soul

ytowndan

#700
^^^ I saw that earlier, and it definitely makes sense.  I wasn't aware of all the details of the rules. 

I'm glad he did it, no matter his reason(s).  He'll be remembered for many things, especially elevating that simpleton to the national stage, but he will definitely be remembered for this, too.  And he deserves credit for it.
Quote from: nab on July 27, 2007, 12:20:24 AM
You never drink alone when you have something good to listen to.