Originally Posted by Giantaxe

Pre-ACA there was no mandate to provide insurance to workers. And, according to this study, there has been no increase in part time workers post-ACA:

Obamacare had little effect on part-time employment: Study

So I'm not convinced that the provision of insurance is what causes companies to use a lot of part time temporary workers; I suspect they'd be doing so regardless just as is the case in the UK. Similarly, the UK has seen its manufacturing jobs decimated too, despite the fact that health insurance isn't an equivalent issue there.

Originally Posted by morpeth

I can speak for the area I live in and that "study" certainly doesn't address this area, and defies any common sense or logic.

I know of several businesses which are quite open about keeping employees under so many hours to avoid having to pay health insurance. If a business was paying an employee full time say $1,500 a month, why would they pay an extra $800 for health insurance when they could employ two people part time but not have to pay for health insurance ? Of course depends on the type of work and skills needed. In fact I know of one institution that requires employees to sign a letter saying they will not go over 29 hours a week. First hand I have seen fast food places convert to more part time workers over the past 3 years. I don't know situation in UK, but here where I am that is just the way it is.

As far as cost of medical insurance hurting competitiveness and being one of factors prompting companies to move overseas, that is just common sense and logic. I know from two industries where I participated in an analysis of such factors that the cost of medical insurance, let alone regulation, did effect the decision making. Of course productivity is a factor so not all industries will have the same situation.

Why wouldn't higher costs effect the decision-making of a business ?

Originally Posted by Giantaxe

Pre-ACA there was no mandate to provide insurance to workers. And, according to this study, there has been no increase in part time workers post-ACA:

Obamacare had little effect on part-time employment: Study

So I'm not convinced that the provision of insurance is what causes companies to use a lot of part time temporary workers; I suspect they'd be doing so regardless just as is the case in the UK. Similarly, the UK has seen its manufacturing jobs decimated too, despite the fact that health insurance isn't an equivalent issue there.

Originally Posted by morpeth

Well, for those communities portrayed in that video are suffering, and many are voting for Trump as they believe 8 more years continuing the trends of the past 16 years will only make things worse.

High corporate taxes, cost of regulations, high medical premiums , all contribute to companies moving overseas, as well as lower wages- but companies when one considers cost of medical insurance and complying with regulations have salary costs above what they would be otherwise.

If a factory has a starting wage of $2,100, but pays $1,000 for medical premiums, So what do a lot of factories do ( at least in part of country I live in) ? They use temporary workers making barely above minimum wage, so they don't have to pay the medical insurance. Less full time factory jobs, means more people stuck in temp jobs.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

There is one very clear advantage of the ACA that Republicans ought to be touting, but of course they won't. Thanks to the ACA, I was able to quit full-time employment at age 55 and start my own company, knowing that I could get 'quality' health insurance at a predictable price on the exchanges that would not be affected by pre-existing conditions/etc.

Many people were previously locked in to working for a company due to the availability of predictable / affordable insurance through 'group policies'. Now, ACA brings the same benefits of 'group policies' to the individual market.

This ought to be hailed by Republicans, as they are the champions of small businesses.

Originally Posted by morpeth

"At worst" 8 more years of decline in parts of the country where people are hurting, and more mess in the Middle East. Maybe not bad for people who live in California. Trump is such a wild card who knows what on earth would result from his presidency. Two bad candidates in my opinion. And worse seems country will be hard to govern- I doubt "stronger together' means considering views of Trump supporters, And Trump, well he doesnt seem to be the most forgiving person to any perceived slights.

And I dread after a Clinton victory the Republicans spending millions investigating a bunch of emails.

Originally Posted by morpeth

You are completely correct that the ACA did in some instances help people to be able to start businesses, and definitely helped people with pre-existing conditions. And the Republicans can be severely faulted for complaining about Obamacare without proposing a serious alternative, or a plan to control medical costs.

That doesn't change the fact that out of control medical costs and high medical insurance premiums are hurting many businesses and individuals who cant afford even Obamacare premiums or whose medical premiums have risen due to Obamacare.

Originally Posted by morpeth

You are completely correct that the ACA did in some instances help people to be able to start businesses, and definitely helped people with pre-existing conditions. And the Republicans can be severely faulted for complaining about Obamacare without proposing a serious alternative, or a plan to control medical costs.

Originally Posted by morpeth

That doesn't change the fact that out of control medical costs and high medical insurance premiums are hurting many businesses and individuals who cant afford even Obamacare premiums or whose medical premiums have risen due to Obamacare.

Originally Posted by Boiler

The Justice Department official in charge of informing Congress about the newly reactivated Hillary Clinton email probe is a political appointee and former private-practice lawyer who kept Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta “out of jail,” lobbied for a tax cheat later pardoned by President Bill Clinton and led the effort to confirm Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Peter Kadzik, who was confirmed as assistant attorney general for legislative affairs in June 2014, represented Podesta in 1998 when independent counsel Kenneth Starr was investigating Podesta for his possible role in helping ex-Bill Clinton intern and mistress Monica Lewinsky land a job at the United Nations.

“Fantastic lawyer. Kept me out of jail,” Podesta wrote on Sept. 8, 2008 to Obama aide Cassandra Butts, according to emails hacked from Podesta’s Gmail account and posted by WikiLeaks.

Kadzik’s name has surfaced multiple times in regard to the FBI’s investigation of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for using a private, homebrewed server. After FBI Director James Comey informed Congress on Thursday the FBI was reviving its inquiry when new evidence linked to a separate investigation was discovered, congressional leaders wrote to the Department of Justice seeking more information. Kadzik replied.

“We assure you that the Department will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resources and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible,” Kadzik wrote on Oct. 31.

DOJ official who penned letter on Clinton probe represented her campaign chairman | Fox News

OK it is Fox but looks like this one may be interesting.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

The underlying problem for all of this is the rising cost of healthcare delivery - the cost of the doctors, hospitals, medicine, etc. Early iterations of the ACA attempted to address this but those provisions had to be stripped as part of compromises needed to get the bill passed. Costs are out of control and no one seems to have the political will to address them. I'm not convinced that Trump's magic solution of removing state barriers will have more than a microscopic effect on costs.

Originally Posted by dakota44

Sadly the whole election has become a fetid sewer.

Originally Posted by dakota44

On a different note...the woman who is suing Trump for allegedly raping her when she was 13 is scheduled to speak publicly today. Should be interesting. Sadly the whole election has become a fetid sewer.