The Terrifying Stakes Of Repealing Obamacare Without A Clear Replacement

[Tennis]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiesol.../#29c6b26aa5d0
@breadisfunny what do you think?

The GOP is well on the way to repealing Obamacare through a series of votes taking aim at budgetary measures. Republicans haven't revealed a replacement, although President-elect Donald Trump claims replacement will happen “simultaneously.” House speaker Paul Ryan's plan calls for lowering the cost of premiums and introducing health savings accounts

Obamacare changed the healthcare industry, which makes up one-fifth of the economy. Repealing it could jeopardize the millions of jobs, as well as basic access to medical care. The following statistics show how serious that impact could be.

Critics on both side of the aisle have warned that repealing the law without offering a clear alternative could throw insurance markets into chaos and leave millions of Americans without health insurance. That said, all Republican senators voted for repeal, with the exception of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.

Urban Institute researchers studying mortality before and after the Massachusetts healthcare reform on which Obamacare was based found that for every 830 adults insured, one fewer died annually. Before Obamacare, one American died as a result of lacking coverage every 24 minutes, according to the Urban Institute.

The GOP plans to repeal the tax credits that help Americans buy health insurance, and the federal payments that covered Medicaid expansion. Researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health predict this will reduce healthcare revenues. That could have a knock-on economic effect.

Authors Leighton Ku, Erika Steinmetz, Erin Brantley and Brian Bruen predict that almost one million health care jobs could be lost in 2019. That would have a domino effect on local businesses, driving the loss of another 1.5 million jobs in industries like construction and retail.

People are gonna lose their lives over this. It really boggles the mind that these politicians were voted in.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

Trump's not in office yet, but I hope he has a plan to replace.

He just can't leave nothing. It's 2017.

[Buckeyenut88]

I'm interested in what they plan on replacing it with. But I bet it will favor the insurance companies and hospitals and not the consumers or physicians. Smart people would just fix what is broken with the damn law and to waste time repealing it.

[TZucchini]

I recent read this analysis from the Tax Policy Center. It basically states that, "in general, repealing the health reform law would, on average, cut taxes for the rich and raise them for low-income households."

It is indeed mind-boggling that people voted the way they did.

[I Push Buttons]

Hopefully before they repeal it they pass something that, at the very least, keeps the law preventing insurers from denying coverage/increasing the rates of people with pre-existing conditions.

I know my having had cancer and being in a wheelchair makes me a dirty blood sucking leech drain on society welfare queen who deserves death according to many right wingers here (even though I work and buy my own insurance), but the above law is what allows me to get insurance right now.

[Tinykong]

It is indeed mind-boggling that people voted the way they did.

Is it though?

These are the people who think Obummercare is just more evil gubmint intervention into their lives, intruding on their privacy and taking away their doctor.

Most of those people can't even understand what the ACA is (or was...) and how far reaching and complex the law is. The net investment tax being repealed is a nice little side effect ( ) for all those campaign contributors who elected these idiots.

[Phookah]

I'd imagine a lot of the people who voted against it are like this gentleman

[Tennis]

Hopefully before they repeal it they pass something that, at the very least, keeps the law preventing insurers from denying coverage/increasing the rates of people with pre-existing conditions.

I know my having had cancer and being in a wheelchair makes me a dirty blood sucking leech drain on society welfare queen who deserves death according to many right wingers here (even though I work and buy my own insurance), but the above law is what allows me to get insurance right now.

What about when the law is repealed. The Repubs look like they're gonna repeal it asap.

[cubby]

I recent read this analysis from the Tax Policy Center. It basically states that, "in general, repealing the health reform law would, on average, cut taxes for the rich and raise them for low-income households."

It is indeed mind-boggling that people voted the way they did.

They were sold a bill of goods. Lies and deceit along with "fake" news and "media bias" are the watchwords of the new GOP. MAGA!

[zenkai]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiesol.../#29c6b26aa5d0





People are gonna lose their lives over this. It really boggles the mind that these politicians were voted in.

No one is going to lose their lives over this, that's just a scare tactic used on ignorant people.

[Aoyi]

This is what critics don't understand. Forget the "The ACA is fine, but get rid of Obamacare" memes that have been going around. Lives are going to be endangered if this gets repealed. The insurance industry isn't around because they care about the health of our country. They are a for profit business. The second the ACA is repealed, the "can't discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions" portion of all of our healthcare plans will go away. That means those who need the insurance most will once again be unable to get it.

I'm one of the people who'll be screwed. I've been fighting cancer now since November of 2015. I'm considered a high risk investment for the insurance company and they'd love to kick me off their plan. Prior to the ACA, that kind of thing happened all the time. Hell, when I worked in the industry, I had to explain to a family in person why we couldn't insure the applicant who was in his 30s because, as a teenager, he had cancer (15+ years prior). That's 15 years without any signs of it coming back and we still wouldn't insure him. I'm honestly scared of what will happen. I don't want to die because I can't afford my treatments. I HAVE insurance now and I've still had 2 fundraisers just to help with my medical expenses. I've seen 3 different doctors this week alone (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). I have another 2 appointments next week and 3 the week after (so far). What am I going to do if I can't get insurance?

[Edge-]

No one is going to lose their lives over this, that's just a scare tactic used on ignorant people.

Except for people who need medications or urgent treatment (surgeries etc.) who are currently covered through the ACA and will lose their coverage, leaving them uncovered and potentially unable to pay for the treatments they need to save their lives.

Except that.

[Willias]

I recent read this analysis from the Tax Policy Center. It basically states that, "in general, repealing the health reform law would, on average, cut taxes for the rich and raise them for low-income households."

It is indeed mind-boggling that people voted the way they did.

People are okay with that though. People want rich people to have minimal taxes and people who are povert to suffer as much as possible.

And that's because people want to be wealthy, and want those that are beneath them to suffer as much as possible because those people apparently deserve nothing and are gigantic wastes of human potential.

Why? I have no idea, but I get the feeling you can blame the extremely wealthy for pushing us in this direction culturally.

[I Push Buttons]

What about when the law is repealed. The Repubs look like they're gonna repeal it asap.

No clue.

My insurance company wouldn't legally be required to sell me insurance at the same rates, so no idea what they would do. They could tell me to pay more, leave it the same, or just drop me all together. I would assume they would do whatever is best for the bottom line, since they are a business, which is drop me all together.

[zenkai]

Except for people who need medications or urgent treatment (surgeries etc.) who are currently covered through the ACA and will lose their coverage, leaving them uncovered and potentially unable to pay for the treatments they need to save their lives.

Except that.

And how did they manage before Obamacare?

[Narwal]

First, Republicans have said that no one will lose their Healthcare plans... so you have to take them at their word on that. If you believed Obama when he promised people they wouldn't lose their plans when Obamacare came into play, then it's only right that you believe Republicans now.

Second, the same arguments being made here about the cost to the healthcare industry to "change" to fit new laws, are the exact same arguments made against Obamacare originally. If you felt it was right to ignore those arguments when approving of Obamacare, then it's only right that you give the Republicans plan the same treatment.

There are so many doom and gloom people here not listening to what Republicans are saying. They are saying they are looking to keep much of the provisions and protections that Obamacare brought in. They've specifically mentioned keeping the children on parents plans until 26, and not turning people away due to pre-conditions.

The difference and problem Republicans have with Obamacare is that it's not fixing healthcare cost. Obamacare did nothing to really reduce the cost, it was a law designed to make more money go into the insurance industry such that they could give free healthcare to the poor. They did this by trying to force young healthy adults to pay in, and by giving taxpayer money to the insurance industry. It did not improve competitiveness, it did not lower the cost for hardly anyone. It simply was a mechanism to get the poor free insurance plans. It's astonishing to me that in 2000+ pages of legislation that is Obamacare, that there wasn't anything in there to break the monopolization of insurance in states by allowing to buy acrossed state lines.

[Crissi]

And how did they manage before Obamacare?

Go to hospital, not pay cause cant pay, declare bankruptcy and then raise prices for those who can pay.

[TZucchini]

Is it though?

I mean, I think it is, yeah. Everyone has a computer in their pocket. We can access literally the entirety of human knowledge with a few clicks. So there really isn't a good reason to be misinformed on something as important as health care. I guess I'll just never get over the rampant stupidity that seems to afflict so much of our electorate. Blame it on the education system, I guess.

[Tinykong]

Except for people who need medications or urgent treatment (surgeries etc.) who are currently covered through the ACA and will lose their coverage, leaving them uncovered and potentially unable to pay for the treatments they need to save their lives.

Except that.

And except for the low income children who lose coverage from CHIP when the Medicaid expansion is repealed, who wind up not going to the doctor. And except for the elderly people who fall back into the Medicare donut hole. And except for the people who are deemed to have preexisting conditions. And except for the people who hit the life time maximum of their insurance policy.

[unfilteredJW]

And how did they manage before Obamacare?

Died rather than going into debt.

Not very woke, are you?