sir_eccles

Hillary Clinton's Emails: The Real Reason the FBI Is Reviewing More of Them

None of the new emails are even to or from Hillary.

Wintersong

Don't be ridiculous - nobody cares what the truth of the matter is. They heard "Clinton", "emails" and "FBI" and went to fetch the pitchforks.

scrubbedexpat099

morpeth

My post was to focus on the thrust of what could reform the system. Dropping the medical costs 10% over two years, regulating the industry, would address the main problem- costs. Private insurance would remain. Medicaid in state I am in is delivered through private insurance companies and one has a choice which insurance provider is selected. Yes you are correct some would choose public system as individuals ( here individual policies outside of work largely cost-prohibitive for many anyway) but lowering costs for everyone is a benefit. Perhaps the 1% tax not enough, maybe companies would be required to provide insurance or if not pay premiums on government plans.Increasing coverage of seniors through Medicare does reduce costs to insurance companies, thus hopefully reduce insurance premiums.

Complicated systems like Hillarycare and Obamacare that do not serous take control of costs are ultimately doomed to failure yet a complete single-payer system has some flaws not least too much opposition. And simply as Repoublicans propose letting medical insurance companies cross state lines doesn't address costs.

Steerpike

Hey, anyone got quick advice on how I can deal with early voting/voting by mail, at this late stage in the game?

I'm registered to vote in CA and had every intention of being there to vote, but a situation has arisen that forces me to be in AZ on Nov. 8. Can I, at this late stage, get a mail-in option, or do 'early voting', or something? I'm only going to have a couple of days in CA between now and Nov 8.

ETA - looks like Nov 1 is the deadline for vote-by-mail applications ... reading more now ... looks like I can apply in person after that date at my county office. I'll be in town Mon/Tue, Oct 31/Nov 1 only ...

Looks like I can also vote early at the same location; but I can't see a date when this starts. I'm hoping maybe I can vote early on Mon or Tue at the county office.

scrubbedexpat099

I was reading yesterday about how a treatment that cost $300,000 a year per person has recently been approved. It seems that the claims for it are at best marginal.

Now if someone les is paying, well why not, to what extent as a society it makes any sense is very debatable.

The problem is that the amount that can be spent is limitless, OCare is an example in that it mandated cover for things that should be out of pocket.

The only way that a common system works is where there is some realistic expectation as to what can be paid in and what can be paid for.

Colorado has a proposal going at the moment for what I will simplistically describe as a NHS equivalent.

The big factor not taken into account is that like the MJ situation there will be unattended consequences, anybody sick and not wealthy will move to Colorado.

NHS will go under for similar reasons, worked for its time but that was a long time ago.

Steerpike

Perhaps you can provide a link to this 'procedure' ... it sounds like you were reading a 'hit piece' on the system, based on the comment 'marginal at best'.

People don't just up and move states when they are sick; if they have friends and family nearby, they won't leave that local safety net for a remote state just because something is covered.

My 87 year old mother (in UK) just had breathing problems this week; ended up in the hospital within an hour, and was kept in overnight. She said she was seen by four doctors and countless nurses, all of whom treated her with respect and made her feel good. That doesn't sound like a system that is 'going under'.

scrubbedexpat091

They just need to place residency requirements on the plan so people can't just up and move to get the benefit right away.

Even in Canada most if not all provinces have a waiting period from arrival in the province and until health coverage starts.

Wintersong

Early voting in CA is already underway. You should be able to vote in person at your county office if your county is on the list here - Early Voting and Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations | California Secretary of State

scrubbedexpat099

With a mobile population how does that really work, what do you do about people who are waiting to join, let them die?

How do you prove residency in one part of a country.

Leslie

If you are in San Francisco County it looks like you can vote at City Hall. Early voting has already started and they will be there for these 2 last weekends before the election.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Department of Elections

Important Election Dates and Deadlines | Department of Elections

scrubbedexpat091

Same way you prove residency for other government services. X amount of time living in the state, drivers license, registered to vote etc.

Put in a 90 day waiting period.

if Canada can figure it out, I am sure the folks of Colorado can.


If a true emergency, services would be provided at the ER but you bill the patient if they don't have the appropriate coverage/residency.

scrubbedexpat099

Not sure it is needed to vote in CA, think Hillary gets the nod automatically.

Giantaxe

Perhaps? Let's say you reduce costs by 10% over two years. That will bring expenditures down to about 16% of GDP. You want to fund "Medicaid for anyone who wants it" with a 1% tax. It just doesn't add up - why would anyone buy insurance for many multiples of the cost of your 1% Medicaid tax?

Oh, and even though "Medicaid is delivered through private insurance companies" in some states, it's still totally funded through taxes.

A mandate in exchange for heavily regulated insurance really isn't that "complicated". It's the basis for health access in many other western countries. But you are right that combining that with no regulation of prices isn't going to work, nor is having such a weak mandate.

scrubbedexpat099

Not sure there are other Government services...Anyway I can see many issues with this, I know there are issues with people registering vehicles in different areas within the State because of the cost factor and that is miniscule.

But I can see a business model catering to long term sick looking to move to Colorado if this comes into force, well even other States wanting to pay for such people to move here. Perhaps they would cover the forst 90 days?