American Health Care Act

[Ben]

So, goodbye Obamacare, hello American Healthcare Act (or possibly Obamacare Lite). I haven't delved deeply into it yet, but from the executive summary, I think I like it (at least for something they could expeditiously get through).

Part of that is selfishness. It appears a couple of the "benefits" directly benefit Ben. Instead of subsidies by income, they are doing tax credits by age. It looks like I won't be able to take advantage of them for a couple of years, but when I get things squared away to where I'm making <$48K AGI*, it will be a nice help between now and 65. Though I do realize a tax credit vs deduction is still something of a handout. The other "plus" is what looks like doubling the HSA cap. From what it sounds like, people my age can move an extra $4K/yr into tax deferred income.

They kept the "26 and under" clause. They also kept the "pre-existing condition" clause. I realize the latter is not really "free market", but IMO, it was the right thing to do.

The Dems are going ballistic (as expected). Rand Paul is not happy (as expected). Whether fair or not, it does look to me like the R's have changed things to benefit those that were "lost" in the Obamacare fiasco - that is, people who have to pay for their own healthcare, but while not by any means wealthy, not qualified for subsidies, and in fact having their insurance premiums bumped up to pay for the subsidy people. I'm hoping that this will have a side benefit of reducing people's premiums from Obama's artifical rate spike.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/06/house-republicans-release-obamacare-replacement-bill.html
https://housegop.leadpages.co/healthcare/


* The $48K is for other tax purposes. This Act puts, it looks like, a $75K/yr cap on tax credits.

[Ben]

Oh, just caught one other negative. No buying insurance across state lines. That's going to make reducing premium prices a lot more difficult.

[Hawkmoon]

If both the Demoncrats and Rand Paul hate it, it can't be too bad. Apparently some of the RINOs also don't like it, so it must be an improvement.

[DittoHead]

The new individual mandate (but don't call it that) is interesting to say the least.

individuals will get a 30 percent penalty, i.e. a fine, if they do not keep insurance. That is the individual mandate in all but name. In fact, this is actually of questionable constitutionality because the government imposed fine would be paid to the insured person’s previous insurance company when they subsequently try to buy a new policy.

Unfortunately it's necessary if you're mandating coverage of pre-existing conditions, and once you've got those two things then you've pretty much given up on a free market.

[Pb]

Sounds like garbage to me.  The republicans are keeping everything that makes Obamacare so expensive.

I support federalism in health care.  Every state should make its own rules.

[Monkeyleg]

I wish we could just go back to the pre-ACA days. There were an estimated 60 million Americans without health insurance, roughly 50% of whom were young people who didn't buy it because they didn't think they needed it. I think we could have found a way to provide health insurance for 30 million Americans without changing the lives of the other ~300,000,000.

[Ben]

I wish we could just go back to the pre-ACA days. There were an estimated 60 million Americans without health insurance, roughly 50% of whom were young people who didn't buy it because they didn't think they needed it. I think we could have found a way to provide health insurance for 30 million Americans without changing the lives of the other ~300,000,000.

I'd be happy with that if they just tweeked it to be able to deduct 100% of your health care costs, regardless of income. The deduction limitation has always been a burr under my saddle, especially since not even the R's have ever pushed for a better deal. If you care about "working class" Americans that don't have employer provided insurance, that should be a no-brainer.

[lupinus]

It's not perfect but I'll take an improvement over Obamacare that is a step in the right direction. I'd really like to remove anything even remotely resembling a mandate and adding insurance across state lines, as well as mobility between jobs, those being the big ones that jump immediately to mind.


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[makattak]

It's not perfect but I'll take an improvement over Obamacare that is a step in the right direction. I'd really like to remove anything even remotely resembling a mandate and adding insurance across state lines, as well as mobility between jobs, those being the big ones that jump immediately to mind.

It's two steps toward socialism and one step back.

It's crap.

26 years old on their parent's insurance?

Yes, LET'S continue to encourage young people not to be self-sufficient. Brilliant.

It's now pretty clear that we're going to be a European socialist state. At about the same time that all of them collapse because of their own stupidity.

Nice to see we're learning.

[MechAg94]

It's not perfect but I'll take an improvement over Obamacare that is a step in the right direction. I'd really like to remove anything even remotely resembling a mandate and adding insurance across state lines, as well as mobility between jobs, those being the big ones that jump immediately to mind.


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You could greatly improve the mobility between jobs by making everyone get their own health insurance/coverage with an income tax deduction for it rather than employer pre-tax withholding.  Then it is yours and not tied to your employer. 

If everyone was buying their own, I think you would see health insurance commercials competing with car insurance commercials for TV air time. 

[Jim147]

State lines are in the works for part two or three. This is just part one of the plan.

[KD5NRH]

If everyone was buying their own, I think you would see health insurance commercials competing with car insurance commercials for TV air time.

And insurance companies actually competing for customers.  In the mostly-employer-provided model, they only had to convince the employers, which is a lot different from having to draw in the individual consumer.

[lupinus]

You could greatly improve the mobility between jobs by making everyone get their own health insurance/coverage with an income tax deduction for it rather than employer pre-tax withholding.  Then it is yours and not tied to your employer. 

If everyone was buying their own, I think you would see health insurance commercials competing with car insurance commercials for TV air time. 

This would be even better.

It's a step in the right direction, but far from perfect. Course it'll probably get royally *expletive deleted*ed with amendments.


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[Fly320s]

If there is a mandate to buy insurance, then it is junk.

[Ben]

It's a step in the right direction, but far from perfect. Course it'll probably get royally *expletive deleted*ed with amendments.

Herb Cain said this morning, "It will be a workable plan if the Republicans don't mess it up." So I guess it won't be a workable plan. 

[Ron]

I don't think Trump ever said he was going to give us a libertarian free market plan to replace Obamacare. He didn't run on that, promise that and I'm not aware of any time he said that was his preference.

We'll get a marginally better (maybe), government dictated solution, with a few more market realities taken into consideration.

The Republicans in congress are mostly big government guys and Trump can be something of a big government guy himself.

That's what we have and so far it's been better than the alternative.

[Ben]

I don't think Trump ever said he was going to give us a libertarian free market plan to replace Obamacare.

Personally, I think that libertarian free market plan is about as likely as a write-in vote getting elected president. It would be nice to have that theoretical perfect plan, just like it would be nice for everyone to have their theoretical perfect candidate. Just not gonna happen.

There are things I like in the new plan that other people hate. There are things I hate in the new plan that other people like. In some ways I feel sorry for the politicians in that there is simply no way for them to create a universally (or heck, even majority) accepted plan. That's for either side of the aisle. The country is simply too split for single payer to get accepted for the one side, or free market for the other side.

[mtnbkr]

You could greatly improve the mobility between jobs by making everyone get their own health insurance/coverage with an income tax deduction for it rather than employer pre-tax withholding.  Then it is yours and not tied to your employer. 

Every place I've worked, the insurance was partially paid by the employer.  The only way your plan would work is for that to stop AND the money spent on your behalf put into your pay.  That ain't gonna happen. 

Chris

[MechAg94]

Every place I've worked, the insurance was partially paid by the employer.  The only way your plan would work is for that to stop AND the money spent on your behalf put into your pay.  That ain't gonna happen. 

Chris

Some employers pay below market wages already.  It would still be better in the long run. 

[Hawkmoon]

Every place I've worked, the insurance was partially paid by the employer.  The only way your plan would work is for that to stop AND the money spent on your behalf put into your pay.  That ain't gonna happen. 

Chris

You haven't been in the job market for awhile, have you? There are fewer and fewer employers every day who offer health insurance.

[mtnbkr]

You haven't been in the job market for awhile, have you? There are fewer and fewer employers every day who offer health insurance.

My employer pays a big chunk of my healthcare plan with United.  Just a couple weeks ago, I finished my benefits election.  Company pays 2/3 of the total monthly cost.

Chris

[MillCreek]

I am senior enough that I am at the top end of the salary cap for the past two years and I get no more raises.  I am bringing home less per month than I did two years ago: my salary has remained essentially the same but the monthly health insurance premiums have increased over that time, resulting in lower take home pay.

[Ron]

My employer pays a big chunk of my healthcare plan with United.  Just a couple weeks ago, I finished my benefits election.  Company pays 2/3 of the total monthly cost.

Chris

I've hardly noticed a change in my health insurance costs (through my employer) since Obamacare was instituted as well. I pay a little more for a little less.

We are mistaken if we conclude everyone has had the same experience though.

If we on the right make that mistake we may get another "surprise" like Donald Trump except with a candidate that holds a less favorable view of our ideas about the country. Think Obama v2 or the return of Hillary (whether in the flesh or spirit).

The folks that flipped to Trump can just as easily flip back to the Democrats.

Pragmatism dictates we don't abandon them to "market forces". We shouldn't take away what they think the Democrats have given them.

There needs to be better options available that cause government mandated options to die on the vine.

 

[KD5NRH]

It's a step in the right direction, but far from perfect. Course it'll probably get royally *expletive deleted*ed with amendments.

Make doctors work for $3/hour plus tips.  Healthcare becomes affordable and bedside manner gets a hell of a lot better.

[Fly320s]

In some ways I feel sorry for the politicians in that there is simply no way for them to create a universally (or heck, even majority) accepted plan.

And therein lies the problem.  The government shouldn't be trying to make everyone have health insurance.  The government should set the standards and laws for everyone to follow and let the people decide what they want.