Biden vows to bring back Obamacare's individual mandate penalty for not having insurance

[Voltaire2]

Joe Biden, former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, said Friday he would bring back the individual mandate, the penalty for not having health insurance, which was a pillar of the Affordable Care Act.
"Yes, I'd bring back the individual mandate," Biden said in an interview on CNN. The individual mandate would be popular now, "compared to what's being offered," he added.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/05/joe-biden-vows-to-bring-back-obamacare-individual-mandate-penalty.html

[Mach1miles]

1. Obamacare was not the solution then or now.

We need a viable plan. The individual mandate to force people to buy a policy on which they can never afford the deductible payment is only a win for the insurance company. As a small business owner for 34 years, I can’t believe this is still an issue.

[Blues Heron]

2. It's not fair to your fellow citizens to not have health insurance

Makes it more expensive for all. It's definitely still an issue and will continue to be one until we get health coverage for all like other countries, Canada for example, or France.

[treestar]

8. exactly, every one has to pay in

to make it worth it to cover people when they need it. It's just reality.

Even with single payer, there are going to have to be increased taxes.

[Mach1miles]

11. Yet many who pay have nothing under the plan...

...because they can’t afford the deductible. Their premium goes to support those who have more. This is a fact. Obamacare, a watered down version of health care is not an answer. We need better. We have had 10 years to come up with a solution. As a small business owner we paid hundreds of thousand s of dollars and still had to pays and deductibles and would have lost all with a catastrophic illness. We have people on federal plans, both low and high incomes, folks who have insurance through their employers and then there were those who were forced to pay premiums that were still too high and then were forced to pay fines because they could not afford Obamacare.

We have to think of the big picture.

[treestar]

9. The subsidies are supposed to make it affordable

insurance always has deductibles. It's better than owing the entire amount for the treatment. Even a single payer plan would have to be paid for and everyone in that case would be required to pay the taxes for it.

[Mach1miles]

12. Yes...but what we had did not work for many.

Do the research.

[Autumn]

36. Who pays for the subsidies for the ACA?

[brush]

28. That is not what to go back to. Biden should've promised a public option.

Why give repugs a gift issue. something people have to pay for or get penalized.

We can't keep going back in history. I'm starting to wonder if...?

[shanny]

29. I hear you.

Back to the future == progress.

[SMC22307]

31. "Why give repugs a gift issue."

Seriously, I see the election flashing before my very eyes. Stupid answer, "Middle Class" Joe, stupid answer.

[SMC22307]

30. Obamacare killed us in 2010... Democratic losses since were staggering.

And Biden proposing this individual mandate will kill us in 2020.

Gerrymandering, voter suppression, stacked courts, Roe v. Wade, unbelievable damage... GET IT TOGETHER, DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

[blueinredohio]

3. My grandson said he had to pay this year for not having insurance.

So evidently they still have the mandate.

[Hoyt]

4. I get the reason for mandate, but this won't sit well with voters unless subsidies

are increased and out of pocket costs reduced. Otherwise, people affected feel like they are being forced to buy insurance they can’t use because of high deductibles.

[Hortensis]

6. All depends on who runs Congress,

and of course the state governments.

[Hortensis]

5. Appropriate.

[Voltaire2]

7. It was one of the worst features.

I suspect the same people here attacking MFA over abolishing private insurance, claiming that ‘voters’ love their crappy ass health insurance, will ignore that ‘the mandate’ is an at least equally easy target for disinformation campaigns.

Biden appears to only look backwards. We desperately need a candidate who has a forward looking vision.

[Hortensis]

10. Imo it's for the worst people, not the worst part.

All the people who refuse to buy coverage even though they’re able to know that hospitals and emergency services are manned 24/7/365 for them. And many of them plan to walk away from any bills they might run up and leave them for everyone else to pay, running up their premiums and taxes.

Universal healthcare has to be paid for. No to free rides so people can have nicer cars and better vacations.

If we don’t allow some to tremendously underpay their share this way, but at least contributing somewhat, we will hit them another way because it has to be done and should be.

[Voltaire2]

13. I'm fine requiring everyone to pay in,

but at least let’s make sure the system they have to pay for isn’t carving out 20-30% off the top for profits.

[Hortensis]

16. It's a 20% ceiling, and we could have

“Made sure” By building on the ACA start by simply voting Democrat in 2016, couldn’t we have? All that was required was the commitment to this issue that so many claim but devastatingly proved they really lacked.

We have another chance in 2020 to produce that a commitment. It may be our last for a couple generations at least if just a few percent fail again.

Talking about how awful the ACA is not a good sign for the future. I suggest looking right and realizing where grave danger lies. Smart is a survival skill. They intend to destroy Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and much else if they win.

[Vegas Roller]

18. The same people who are complaining about Biden

probably voted for Jill Stein .. or worse …. Dotard Trump.

It was to give their savior messiah a second shot.

[Hortensis]

21. Some no doubt. It's clear some don't

Realize, even now, that the choice isn’t between a pair of very similar national healthcare systems but between continuation of our progressive liberal democracy or takeover by oppressive RW authoritarian government serving an antita, anti regulation ruling class. And of course whatever healthcare we can secure on our own.

[George II]

23. Do you know what the profit margin is for the healthcare insurance industry?

[George II]

33. I'll help you, the profit margin of the healthcare insurance industry is 3-5%, a far cry from 20-30%

[Voltaire2]

15. I posted the article without comments.

Why do you think posting Biden’s public position on healthcare is an attack?

[Vegas Roller]

17. As a traffic cop would say

"Tell that to the Judge"

[Voltaire2]

19. That's not an answer.

I’ll try again: why is posting Biden’s public statements an attack on Biden?

[Vegas Roller]

20. The motive.

M-o-t-i-v-e

noun
noun: motive; plural noun: motives

a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.
"a motive for his murder"
synonyms:
reason, motivation, motivating force, rationale, grounds, cause, basis, occasion, thinking, the whys and wherefores, object, purpose, intention, design

[Voltaire2]

22. You might consider a different candidate

If Biden is so vulnerable that his own statements posted as reported without commentary constitute an attack, he is doomed.

[guillaumeb]

27. This is certainly not an attack.

At what point did posting actual information and actual quotes become attacking?

This is a discussion board after all.

[George II]

24. Interesting how all those going after Biden are "undecided"!

[Bradical79]

25. Where's the criticism? -nt

[guillaumeb]

26. As long as the US system is set up so insurance company profits

are the top concern, the US will have substandard healthcare access for many.

[George II]

34. Except that insurance company profits are not the "top" concern. Ins. Co. profits are very low.

[guillaumeb]

35. Incorrect.

Insurance companies are hugely profitable.

[Autumn]

37. Also thieves. A friend had Obamacare in 2017. He got a job in April and signed on to his work

insurance so he dropped Humana in May. In 2018 when he did his taxes Humana had collected a full year of subsidies. IRS made him pay back that money. He still hasn't been reimbursed what he paid the IRS for that 7 months of subsideis.

[guillaumeb]

38. A nice point.

And insurance companies are massively profitable.

[Autumn]

39. If someone uses that "I'll restore the mandate" I doubt he'll bother

voting for that person. He's still mad about that.

[progressoid]

32. YAY! That should go over really well.

Especially since the first time around it was met with such a warm reception.