How much more child-like can you possibly get? President Obama had his very own, âNanny-nanny-boo-booâ moment when the crowd at University of Maryland basketball game greeted him with boos. from Daily Mail: His approval ratings are at an all time low, and there is no getting away from it for the President. An Oregon basketball crowd greeted Barack Obama and the first family with boos last night as they watched Oregon State take on the University of Maryland. Itâs a yearly ritual for the Obama family to watch the Oregon State Beavers play a Washington-area team because Michelleâs brother Craig Robinson coaches the menâs team. And while some fans cheered for the President as he took his seat, the leader of the free world put his hands his ears amid competing boos. His approval ratings hit an all-time low last week as the continued problems with the health care roll out have forced him to apologize once again for his administrationâs mistakes. A poll by Quinnipiac University revealed on Tuesday that 54 per cent of Americans disapprove of President Obamaâs job performance while only 39 per cent approve.... <iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HbRd49chSxQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I think the inevitable result of Obamacare will be the destruction of itself. You're right, people cannot afford it and thus most young people (the ones the insurance companies need to keep premiums from getting much, much worse) will bail on it and pay the penalty in taxes. Hell, when I was in my early 20s and worked in bars, I didn't have coverage. If you had told me I could get coverage for $300 a month or pay $95 a year, which do you think I'd have chosen? When all of the young, low-risk people elect not to sign up, the only people who will be pushing for it is the high risk pools. That will quickly see insurance companies going "whoa! we have to reprice policies, as there's no way we can pay for this." Then, viola, ACA dies. You're right, you have to address medical costs. Tort reform is a start. Putting hospitals in competition with each other, creating private doctor "pools" (where you pay a flat rate each month for unlimited access to the doctor) is a possible second. One thing I can be sure of, getting the government the hell out of that part of the economy is a start.
Me three. Fix the corrupt healthcare and insurance cartels, promote healthy eating and activity, get rid of government subsidies for corporate farms. Fix those and the healthcare problem is fixed or at least affordable. Hey Tao none of the solutions you mentioned will happen without the government getting involved.
Perhaps I should have said "Federal Government". Let the states police and run the insurance industry. Then you'll see shit get fixed real quick as competition will force them to get their house in order.
Corn, soybeans and milk. if the government is going to be in farm business our money needs to be spent promotion growing healthy foods and animals.
Regarding competition .. 6 years ago I had a small lipoma removed. The surgeon told me he'd do the procedure at Hospital X. I called to get an estimate on hospital charges .. this was 30 minute procedure and with recovery time I would be at the hospital 2 1/2 hours. The hospital said it would be about $12,500. This excluded the anesthesiologist and the surgeon fees .. just facility cost. I called the surgeon and said "let's forget it". He told me to call Hospital Y and see what their cost would be. They came back with just under $6000, so more than 50% less expensive. As far as getting the government out of this ... who the hell are they to tell me (and everyone else) what they must have in their coverage. This is the most outrageous thing to me. I want a 'product' that meets my needs, not what some dumb govermental agency thinks I need.
I'd propose that clients of insurance agencies get refunds/rebates at the end of the year if they had expenses of less than "x", where that variable could be any number. If people had incentives to be healthy they might be less of a slob (for those who are that way). And this could be accomplished without government involved. It's an optimization problem that one could do mathematically. My auto insurance gives me a dividend check each year which is basically a refund of premiums.
I understand what you're talking about buying for your needs. The problem is the insurance industry has a reputation of screwing its customers, regulation helps keep them honest, kinda. The ideal solution is a set of minimum requirements that will benefit most people and protect the consumer. An individual has no power against an insurance company.