2016 Election
#3016
Now if there were dirt on Cruz, that would be lovely !
Last edited by Steerpike; Jan 13th 2016 at 4:31 am.
#3018
Banned










Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,035
From: california











Your position would have more credibility if, for example, the Republicans "repeal and replace" of Obamacare actually had a "replace" component. It doesn't. It merely consists of voting ad nauseam to scrap the ACA. The lack of an alternative illustrates that opposed to being a credible opposition they are merely interested in opposing Obama as opposed to coming up with credible alternative solutions to real problems. "Opposition" is about more than shouting "no".
#3021
About the Democrats regaining control of the Senate? McClatchy has the full article on the subject:
Landscape shifts: Democrats could take control of Senate | McClatchy DC
In short, the Rs have to defend 24 seats, seven of them in states that Obama carried in 2012. The Ds only 10, and only one of theirs is in danger. Six of the R seats are in danger and the Dems only have to win a net of 4 seats. McClatchy thinks Toomey is not in bad shape, but living in Pennsylvania, I think he may well lose.
Another poster suggested that the Rs should offer a reasonable bill to replace Obamacare if they want to override a veto. Ryan said the same thing. There are probably as many ideas on replacing it as there are proponents of replacing it. It doesn't matter what they come up with now, the Ds in the Senate will filibuster it to death and/or Obama would veto it to protect his signature ACA. Any replacement will have to await a Republican president with a majority in the Senate. Even then, any replacement programme would probably be filibustered to death.
I believe the only thing that can realistically be done with Obamacare is to amend and tinker it until it works. Same thing has happened with the NHS over the decades.
Landscape shifts: Democrats could take control of Senate | McClatchy DC
In short, the Rs have to defend 24 seats, seven of them in states that Obama carried in 2012. The Ds only 10, and only one of theirs is in danger. Six of the R seats are in danger and the Dems only have to win a net of 4 seats. McClatchy thinks Toomey is not in bad shape, but living in Pennsylvania, I think he may well lose.
Another poster suggested that the Rs should offer a reasonable bill to replace Obamacare if they want to override a veto. Ryan said the same thing. There are probably as many ideas on replacing it as there are proponents of replacing it. It doesn't matter what they come up with now, the Ds in the Senate will filibuster it to death and/or Obama would veto it to protect his signature ACA. Any replacement will have to await a Republican president with a majority in the Senate. Even then, any replacement programme would probably be filibustered to death.
I believe the only thing that can realistically be done with Obamacare is to amend and tinker it until it works. Same thing has happened with the NHS over the decades.
#3022
As for the silly remark, there's an equally silly saying that if you're young and voting Republican you have no heart, but if you're old and still voting Democrat you have no brain.
With my wife going through cancer treatment, I've been in a lot of waiting rooms for the past year and the people in them are constantly complaining about Obama - but I don't think they are "spewing hatred." (Yesterday the TV in the waiting room for the chemo center was tuned to the news, they were showing Obama's SotU address and this kicked off lively and universally negative responses from the patients.) I've also yet to hear ANY doctors, among them PCPs, cancer and cardiac specialists, say anything supportive about Obamacare. Ask your PCP or specialist, in a neutral way please, whether he or she thinks Obamacare has improved things for doctors and patients and listen carefully to what he or she says.
Last edited by FlaviusAetius; Jan 13th 2016 at 6:09 am.
#3023
Seniors aren't on Obamacare.
As for the silly remark, there's an equally silly saying that if you're young and voting Republican you have no heart, but if you're old and still voting Democrat you have no brain.
With my wife going through cancer treatment, I've been in a lot of waiting rooms for the past year and the people in them are constantly complaining about Obama - but I don't think they are "spewing hatred." I've also yet to hear ANY doctors, among them cancer and cardiac specialists, say anything supportive about Obamacare. Ask your specialist, in a neutral way please, whether he thinks Obamacare has improved things for doctors and patients and listen carefully to what he or she says.
As for the silly remark, there's an equally silly saying that if you're young and voting Republican you have no heart, but if you're old and still voting Democrat you have no brain.
With my wife going through cancer treatment, I've been in a lot of waiting rooms for the past year and the people in them are constantly complaining about Obama - but I don't think they are "spewing hatred." I've also yet to hear ANY doctors, among them cancer and cardiac specialists, say anything supportive about Obamacare. Ask your specialist, in a neutral way please, whether he thinks Obamacare has improved things for doctors and patients and listen carefully to what he or she says.
#3024
Banned










Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,035
From: california











Seniors aren't on Obamacare.
As for the silly remark, there's an equally silly saying that if you're young and voting Republican you have no heart, but if you're old and still voting Democrat you have no brain.
With my wife going through cancer treatment, I've been in a lot of waiting rooms for the past year and the people in them are constantly complaining about Obama - but I don't think they are "spewing hatred." (Yesterday the TV in the waiting room for the chemo center was tuned to the news, they were showing Obama's SotU address and this kicked off lively and universally negative responses from the patients.) I've also yet to hear ANY doctors, among them PCPs, cancer and cardiac specialists, say anything supportive about Obamacare. Ask your PCP or specialist, in a neutral way please, whether he or she thinks Obamacare has improved things for doctors and patients and listen carefully to what he or she says.
As for the silly remark, there's an equally silly saying that if you're young and voting Republican you have no heart, but if you're old and still voting Democrat you have no brain.
With my wife going through cancer treatment, I've been in a lot of waiting rooms for the past year and the people in them are constantly complaining about Obama - but I don't think they are "spewing hatred." (Yesterday the TV in the waiting room for the chemo center was tuned to the news, they were showing Obama's SotU address and this kicked off lively and universally negative responses from the patients.) I've also yet to hear ANY doctors, among them PCPs, cancer and cardiac specialists, say anything supportive about Obamacare. Ask your PCP or specialist, in a neutral way please, whether he or she thinks Obamacare has improved things for doctors and patients and listen carefully to what he or she says.
#3025
Lost in BE Cyberspace










Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 13,212
From: San Francisco











Most doctors have the commonsense not to get involved in "political" discussions with their patients. And the ones that do engage probably say stuff they think their patient wants to hear.
Last edited by Giantaxe; Jan 13th 2016 at 7:35 am.
#3026
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2

One certainly would like a Bernie scheme. Nobody likes the current system, one has decided to give it up, too much hassle.
#3028
I've recently transitioned from a Group Health plan (employer provided) to a private / individual plan that is ACA 'compliant'. The ACA plan is about the same cost as the Group plan was under Cobra, but the deductibles are way worse/higher.
Pre-ACA, people transitioning from Group plans were hit with either complete denial of coverage (due to pre-existing conditions), or sky-high premiums, so it was really shitty before. ACA hasn't magically fixed all that, but at least now, you can't be denied and the plans cover a basic set of needs. Logically, ACA was a tolerable 'first pass' and - if the Republicans would 'play ball' - should have been tweaked and improved incrementally since it first came out, but the Republicans are so hell-bent on complete failure for it that they won't participate in meaningful, constructive efforts to improve. So we are stuck with it as it was out of the gate.
But the bigger reality is - the vast majority of Americans are still covered by Group-style plans from their workplace, and don't have any real insight into how individual coverage was, or is, provided. I think most people are listening to the sound-bites put out by Faux Noise.
Pre-ACA, people transitioning from Group plans were hit with either complete denial of coverage (due to pre-existing conditions), or sky-high premiums, so it was really shitty before. ACA hasn't magically fixed all that, but at least now, you can't be denied and the plans cover a basic set of needs. Logically, ACA was a tolerable 'first pass' and - if the Republicans would 'play ball' - should have been tweaked and improved incrementally since it first came out, but the Republicans are so hell-bent on complete failure for it that they won't participate in meaningful, constructive efforts to improve. So we are stuck with it as it was out of the gate.
But the bigger reality is - the vast majority of Americans are still covered by Group-style plans from their workplace, and don't have any real insight into how individual coverage was, or is, provided. I think most people are listening to the sound-bites put out by Faux Noise.
#3029
I've recently transitioned from a Group Health plan (employer provided) to a private / individual plan that is ACA 'compliant'. The ACA plan is about the same cost as the Group plan was under Cobra, but the deductibles are way worse/higher.
Pre-ACA, people transitioning from Group plans were hit with either complete denial of coverage (due to pre-existing conditions), or sky-high premiums, so it was really shitty before. ACA hasn't magically fixed all that, but at least now, you can't be denied and the plans cover a basic set of needs. Logically, ACA was a tolerable 'first pass' and - if the Republicans would 'play ball' - should have been tweaked and improved incrementally since it first came out, but the Republicans are so hell-bent on complete failure for it that they won't participate in meaningful, constructive efforts to improve. So we are stuck with it as it was out of the gate.
But the bigger reality is - the vast majority of Americans are still covered by Group-style plans from their workplace, and don't have any real insight into how individual coverage was, or is, provided. I think most people are listening to the sound-bites put out by Faux Noise.
Pre-ACA, people transitioning from Group plans were hit with either complete denial of coverage (due to pre-existing conditions), or sky-high premiums, so it was really shitty before. ACA hasn't magically fixed all that, but at least now, you can't be denied and the plans cover a basic set of needs. Logically, ACA was a tolerable 'first pass' and - if the Republicans would 'play ball' - should have been tweaked and improved incrementally since it first came out, but the Republicans are so hell-bent on complete failure for it that they won't participate in meaningful, constructive efforts to improve. So we are stuck with it as it was out of the gate.
But the bigger reality is - the vast majority of Americans are still covered by Group-style plans from their workplace, and don't have any real insight into how individual coverage was, or is, provided. I think most people are listening to the sound-bites put out by Faux Noise.
I recall talking to a friend way back when I lived in NYC. The MTA subway drivers were threatening to strike, some of their demands were outrageous in terms of healthcare etc. The friend worked for the NY public library system and her husband worked on broadway, both heavy union jobs. They were utterly shocked to hear how much my group insurance cost, thought I was making it up.



