Anian

Last year I got a statement from an old insurance company stating that they weren't going to pay any of a bill for something 3 years earlier. I have no idea what it was for or why it was produced out of the blue.

Just got a bill for something in January. $300 for someone to superglue a cut on my daughter (plus all the questions to make sure I wasn't abusing her!). At least I get all my normal prescriptions for free now.

mrken30

This is another reason HMO is nicer, no unexpected bills or having to deal with insurance companies. But many will vote for HDHP because of the HSA aspect.

bianalyst

What about the medical profession itself? Doctors are striking over pay in the UK but pediatricians in the US can own million dollar homes. The US medical profession is extremely lucrative and pays like no other country. Surgeons can earn $700k or more. The price of operations are not regulated by the government like in other countries.

Maybe this is the root of high costs? And also douchebaggery like this - http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politi...m-bill-bandage

This is basically crony capitalism. The free market has not worked here. I don't buy the equivalency between food and healthcare. By that logic national security should not be funded by the government either. The idea is that if something is completely necessary AND not affordable to most citizens, it should be subsidized by the government, like roads, police, national security, etc. I don't see how healthcare is different.

mrken30

There was a debate locally at State level on whether school nurses should be funded from the Education budget because it's not education. There is no child healthcare budget for schools.

robin1234

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/o...f=opinion&_r=0

An opinion piece in the New York Times today. Instead of the Obamacare Lite that Ryan and Trump have hitched their wagons to, simply provide a catastrophic care plan for all Americans. Then let people who want/need/can afford full insurance coverage, to shop around in an unregulated marketplace. (Or get their insurance plan from their employer, as now.) Obviously, the writer of this piece is a conservative, the suggestion seems to be a good starting point.

mrken30

Are they going to rename this as the American Health Catastrophe Act?

scrubbedexpat099

Obama patented that one.

There is actually some sense to that route, well more so than any other. How to get the vested interests noses out of the trough is the tricky one.

dc koop

It should be named as the Trump-Ryan Health care act

Giantaxe

Given the numbers projected to become uninsured, Don'tCare.

dc koop

If there's any good to come out of Repeal/Replace the ACA it will probably come about during the mid-term elections when those voters who placed their trust in Donald's "wonderful system you'll all love" will realize that they've been sold a bill of goods by the used car salesman and his cohort Ryan and vote for a Democrat who really has their health concerns in mind and the GOP will lose the majority in Congress and with even better luck the Senate and good riddance to Ryan and McConnell I say !

bartholemues

Do you really think that will happen though? I get the feeling many Trump voters are more worried about protecting their privilege than direct social welfare. They want the welfare they receive to be disguised and indirect so they can continue to feel superior to others that require government assistance. That's why they're apparently happy to support crony capitalism where taxpayers fund their uncompetitive jobs via subsidies but not happy to support universal healthcare.

This belief seems to be very strongly ingrained in the psyche of lower income Republicans so even if the healthcare bill hurts them I'm not sure they'll turn on Trump if he can bring back a significant number of low skilled jobs. If he fails at that then I can see them turning on him (or more likely the Republican party who he'll blame to absolve himself of his failure to deliver on his ridiculous claims).

mrken30

From the interviews I saw, the Trump supporters thought that Trump would provide top grade jobs that came with healthcare, therefore making healthcare less of an issue. However those jobs may not materialize.

Trump Tantrum looms on Wall Street if healthcare effort stalls

Steerpike

I can't wait to see what emerges out of this mess. I'm self-employed, and in my late 50s, and glad of the ACA as it provides predictable coverage and predictable rates. I really don't know what kinds of plans will be available for me next year. I had a 'possible heart attack' in 2014 (a 'scare' that amounted to nothing, but cost $30k in tests), and recently had some 'difficulty sleeping' and 'memory loss' visits to the doctor ... who knows what 'pre-existing conditions' the insurance co's will hit me with now!

I may have to re-enter the corporate workforce in order to get back on group coverage; not something I want to be doing at this stage in my life.

Oh well ...

dc koop

All that TrumpCare will amount to is that the sick and others with chronic health issues will be unable to afford the treatment they need while the young and healthy will be able to choose their HMOs and tailor the kind of health coverage that fits them.

civilservant

Well the vote got pulled, no surprise really.