GOP wrestles with soaring deductibles in #TRuMPcare bill

[riversedge]

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/343220-gop-wrestles-with-soaring-deductibles-in-healthcare-bill


GOP wrestles with soaring deductibles in healthcare bill
By Jessie Hellmann - 07/22/17 05:54 PM EDT


Trump to GOP senators: Cancel your recess

I seldom hear anything about these outrageous deductible in the news.


Senate Republicans have run into another problem in passing their ObamaCare replacement bill: it could increase deductibles by thousands of dollars, potentially alienating moderates who are already skeptical of the bill.

An analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that a single policyholder purchasing a standard benchmark plan under the GOP bill could face a deductible of $13,000 in 2026.

Under current law, an individual making $56,800 would have a deductible of $5,000, while someone making $26,500 would have an $800 deductible.

Higher deductibles is the tradeoff that Republicans made when they decided that lowering premiums would be a top priority for their legislation; plans with lower premiums generally have higher deductibles.

“The way we come together, the way we bring together senators all across the ideological spectrum, is focusing on lowering premiums,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Fox News Friday..........................................

[Docreed2003]

1. This is exactly why traditional insurance principles should not be used for healthcare

How many of us could afford a 13k plus deductible? I say that as a physician! If you or a loved one had a devestating injury, could you come up with 13k in a moments notice? A better analogy is this: do you have a chronic medical condition that requires monthly visits a to a physician? Are you prepared to pay over a thousand dollars a month each year just to receive the care you need? That's outrageous and it's obscene.

If we're going to call ourselves the "greatest country in the world, it's time we start putting our money where our mouths are. Defense spending does not equal greatness...

[J_William_Ryan]

2. This

is further evidence of the wisdom and efficacy of the ACA, and that the only ‘fix’ for the ACA is Medicare expansion (single payer).

Otherwise, there’s noting that Republicans can come up with that would work as well as the ACA – any ‘plan’ the GOP comes up with will fall short, taking from millions of Americans access to affordable healthcare.