Fixing ACA is EASY!!!

[eniwetok]

I'm not a fan of ACA because on some level it's unconscionable to force us to buy a product from a private company or face a fine. But if one wants to fix the ACA, that's easy... just offer that Public Option that was SUPPOSED to be part of the original bill. At that point the insurance companies can't hold certain counties or state markets hostage. They WILL have competition.

Of course fixing ACA will NOT fix health care in the US. ACA was, after all, was a GOP approach that PRESERVED most of the inefficiencies in the private market.

The bottom line is this: Canada spends HALF of what we do per capita and covers everyone... that's comparable dollars not a percentage of GDP. We piss away TWICE as much to leave tens of million un- and under-insured.

WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? The reasons we can't fix our health care system boils down to this 1: the US has an antidemocratic system that allows ultra-tiny minorities to block needed reform... 2: the GOP and some corporate Dems have become the lapdogs of the private sector that is milking the current system, and 3: the political system has no real defense against corporations buying influence in DC.

[roamer65]

1. Let people buy into Medicare. No age restriction.

We will effectively be on single payor within 5 years if it were to happen.

[eniwetok]

2. maybe yes... maybe no....

I don't believe Single Payer alone can wring the corporate waste out of our system... but the entire intent of the Public Option was TO KEEP THE PRIVATE INSURANCE SECTOR HONEST....

Elimination of 'public option' threw consumers to the insurance wolves

When members of Congress caved to demands from the insurance industry and ditched their plan to establish a “public option” health plan, the lawmakers also ditched one of their favorite talking points, that a government-run plan was necessary to “keep insurers honest.”

https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/02/16/16766/elimination-public-option-threw-consumers-insurance-wolves

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. Without regulating health care COSTS

nothing will really be fixed. Switzerland requires that everyone have private health insurance, but it regulates the cost of health care and medications, as well as the cost of the insurance. It has subsidies for low income individuals and maximum out of pocket costs that won't kill you. Their health care is ranked #2 in Europe. They spend 11% of their GDP for everyone to be insured. We spend 17% of our GDP for only 90% to have coverage and that's with outrageous deductibles and co-pays.

[regnaD kciN]

4. And, when it comes to the public option, let's place the blame where it belongs...

Not on the Republicans (except incidentally), but on Holy Joe and the "Blue Dog" Democrats, who threatened to join the Republican filibuster of the whole bill unless assured there would be no public option. Thus it was that, despite sixty Senate seats and a large House majority, we had to settle for a Republican-lite plan. For their efforts, almost all the DINOs got swept out of office by real Republicans the next election, but their damage was set in stone by then.

[eniwetok]

5. Sure... Lieberman is to blame... but so is....

As this 2015 article reminds us sabotaging the Public Option threw consumers to the wolves...

https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/02/16/16766/elimination-public-option-threw-consumers-insurance-wolves

[Egnever]

6. Not easy

And States are allowed to offer public options and even single payer solutions under the ACA . Several States are working on various plans to do just that.

Hawaii Colorado and Washington all are working on plans I believe.

[eniwetok]

7. my point simply was...

The rise in premiums is due to two main reasons... companies dropping out of counties and/or states leaving those who remain free to gouge customers... and the sabotage of the risk corridors where those companies facing large losses could largely make them up through an internal swap mechanism with those companies that were making out like bandits. The original idea was to have a national public option but the backup plan was to allow states to create their own with 1332 waivers.
http://obamacarefacts.com/2016/07/02/state-based-obamacare-alternative-sec-1332-waiver-for-state-innovation/
Having state based Public Options would not help much with non-cooperative states but the national Public Option would have ended these companies ability to play these games.