Obama & Healthcare

[ladeedah]

I read with interest all of the responses so far. I have never understood why the USA is the only industrialized country that does NOT provide Universal healthcare to it's citizens. I've talked to several of my Canadian friends about their healthcare system and they all feel blessed that they don't have to worry about their healthcare. They've reassured me that the negative things that I have read about their healthcare system were things that they never experienced. Thank you, Cesco, for letting us know that you appreciate that your country provides Universal Healthcare. Thank you, Cindylou, for your insightful response (to which I agree with) ... and Tobit for correctly pointing out that the term "Socialized Medicine" is just being used as a scare tactic by politicians who want our healthcare system to remain a "For Profit" system.

All I know is that my husband has had to choose his employment based on the insurance that they offer. We are lucky that he is employed or our family would be uninsured (since I am self-employed we could not afford the high premiums and my daughter has CF so the premiums would be even higher IF they would insure her at all). I have always believed that the USA should provide it's citizens with Universal Healthcare (we pay our taxes and I'd rather see that money spent on USA healthcare than the endless wars that we have been involved in).

So far, President Obama' s changes has allowed our adult daughter to remain insured until she is 26 ... then, hopefully, she will NOT be denied insurance because of her pre-existing condition (IF she would even be able to afford to purchase private health insurance ... since they are For Profit, I'm sure they would charge a small fortune).

 

[cindylou]

Ladeedah, probably something that you and your daughter (I'm not sure how old she is) will want to be doing research on as early as possible is how she will have insurance once she does turn 26. NO private insurance will EVER (at this point) take somebody with CF. (If the bill does all go into effect in 2014, this should be easier to work around.) The only private insurance that a CFer can get are state-mandated insurance plans. I'm not sure how they are in most states, but when I got married in Idaho and was looking into the state-mandated insurance there, it was a huge joke - they would only have paid 50%. And really, between paying $40k and $80k on a hospitalization, there's not much difference, since both would have ended up with my hubby and I living in a cardboard box! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">

She can get insurance through an employer (hers or a spouse's) plan. Also, if she is living on her own and not working (or not working much), she could potentially qualify for Medicaid.

(Sorry to hi-jack the thread - my husband and I went through purgatory trying to get insurance for me when I got married at age 20, so I have a soft spot in my heart for young adult CFers who need insurance!!! If you do have more questions or your daughter does, feel free to PM me.)

 

[mamerth]

I am enrolled in one of those state mandated health insurance plans. Something it covers well and most things it doesn't cover at all. Without it I would without coverage. We want to move states but if we do I will back where I started from..... no insurance.

My husband is self employed so any other coverage is out of the questions.... for now.

We will see what happens.

 

[Anomie]

It just seems like everyone who is against the healthcare bill is under the false assumption that the government is going to be providing them health insurance and making decisions about their medications based on budget cuts. We already have government health care programs for people who can't afford their own private insurance. I think this bill will go more towards regulating the insurance companies so they can't deny people treatment for stupid reasons like if they have a chronic illness and need to switch providers. Anytime the democrats try to implement new policy all the right winged weirdos scream socialism. Well just remember that when Bush supported the bailouts nobody was calling him a communist. Some government intervention is necessary to get economies out of a recession and the bailouts were proof of that. Nobody likes having the federal government tell them what to do but is it really fair when people's outrageous medical bills leave their families in the poor house while the CEOs of these insurance giants own 90 million dollar mansions that they ony live in six months out of the year.

 

[kwcf50]

I am surprised to see CFers against the ACA (Affordable Care Act, aka Healthcare Reform). Please, let's not call it Obamacare. It is NOT socialized medicine. The government won't be taking over hospitals, doctors, or even health insurance companies. It IS regulation of the health insurance industry. For far too long the health insurance industry has been discrimminating against those with chronic illness and pre-existing conditions by denying coverage and care. From my experience, a CFer that does not have employer provided health insurance, through their own job or a spouse, will find it near impossible to get health insurance coverage. The growing salaries of the big insurance company executives while at the same time sick people are being denied coverage and care is evidence that the health insurance industry was being steered by greed. The ACA requires nobody can be turned down for coverage and rates must be in line for the age group of that person. The ACA removes lifetime limits and let's young adults stay on their parents policy longer. From a CF perspective - this is all good IMHO. The "socialized medicine" is a phrase being used to create FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). We need to use our heads and read the bill and not react to these scare tactics. For many of our brothers and sisters with CF the ACA is a God-send.

 

[Printer]

KWCF50:

God bless you. I hope everyone here reads your words of wisdom.

Bill

 

[RebeccaRose]

Thank you so much Cesco for your explanation!

 

[ladeedah]

"kwcf50" I like your response. I am also surprised to see CFers who are against ACA, for all the same reasons you so clearly stated. Thank you for saying what I was also thinking.

"Cindylou" thank you for your concern about my 24 year old daughter. I actually currently have her in an "insurance safety net" because when she was a college student she was in and out of the hospital so often that it qualified her to receive SSI and medi-Cal. And here in California we are fortunate to have GHPP (Genetically Handicapped Persons Program). CF adults can apply for this low or no cost State coverage on an annual basis. So if you are a CF adult in California and are not enrolled in GHPP you may want to look into it. It is a great "safety net" even if you have other insurance and if you lose your insurance you will still have some coverage through GHPP. Yes, the state of Calif is in a financial mess but so far they are still financing this program.

Sorry, for getting off topic but wanted to take the opportunity to mention GHPP for anyone in CA who might not be aware of it .... now back to healthcare opinions ....

 

[Tobit]

I agree with kwcf. I like a lot about the healthcare reform, and I don't buy the doom and gloom predictions that it's going to ruin our country. However, one glaring omission from the law is the lack of cost control measures. Almost everything that the law does seems to increase costs, or at best have no effect. With health care prices already rising over twice as fast as inflation, I don't really believe there's anything "affordable" about the law. It may make insurance more affordable, at least temporarily, for some people, and definitely increases access to health insurance, but I believe that it will drive up the cost of care (and therefore premiums) more than they have been rising in the past. I think there are fundamental problems with our healthcare system that keep prices high. Part of the problem is the fact that we have so many different insurance companies, each which have their own filing procedures, policies, etc. It takes an army of billers just to make sure a health care provider gets paid. Another issue, one that I think is even more important, is the lack of transparency in health care pricing. In France, if you go to a doctor, the cost of an exam or a procedure is posted on the wall. In America, you're lucky if they will give you a ballpark figure if you ask for it. Most likely, they will tell you that they won't know how much it will cost until they bill your insurance. Health care providers also all over-bill to collect what they really want to get. So if they decide they need $175 from an office visit, they will bill the insurance company $300, knowing that the insurance will pay around 60% of the claim. This is an issue by itself, but becomes more of an issue when you don't have insurance, since you don't have the negotiating power of the insurance company to keep prices lower. So not only are you paying out of pocket, you also pay more than an insurance company pays.Sometimes our insurance companies pay way too much. For example, my prescription plan is Express Scripts, which also fulfills prescriptions by mail order. I get one prescription on a regular basis through the mail order system. When Express Scripts bills my health insurance, they charge almost $4 per pill for this generic drug. I can jump online and, with a quick Google search, find the same drug for as low as $0.30 a pill. Express Scripts is charging OVER 10 TIMES what I can find the drug for, with 10 seconds of effort.All this leads to a serious lack of competition amongst health care providers, which means prices will continue to rise. I worry that, without a fundamental change to our healthcare system, a majority of Americans will soon be priced out of the system. I just hope we are able to make those changes without losing all the benefits that the ACA has given us.

 

[Printer]

The reason that you must wait for an appointment with a Doctor, in the US or anywhere else, is not because all the Doctors are out playing golf. It is because we have a worldwide shortage of doctors, and the number of medical students is controlled (read limited) by the medical profession.

Just think of how many first class universities don't have a Medical School. It is not because there not enough appiclicants. Open up the Universites and we will have more Doctors and shorter waiting times. (Supply & Demand 101)

Bill

 

[drdanika]

Bill:
What first class university did you go to that didn't have a medical program? I think we have different definitions of what a first class university is.

 

[Tobit]

If you define "first class university" as one that has a medical school, I think you're missing something crucial in your assessment.
Just a few off the top of my head: MIT, UC Berkeley, BYU, Princeton...

 

[drdanika]

Its not really about whether the university is first class or not. Its about the reputation of the med school. The University of Washington is not a particularly hard school to get into but their medical program is and they have a reputation as as being one of the best programs in the country. While MIT does focus on science and technology, you can enroll in med school there however you get the bulk of your degree through harvard medical school even though you are still enrolled at MIT and return there to recieve your doctorate. Berkely has a medical program too called UCSF which was designed to facilitate Berkely's med school program. Princeton doesn't have a med school but thats because they're a research university and they don't have law or business schools either. All the other ivy league schools do have a medical program. There are plenty of places to earn a medical degree in this country its just a matter of people not wanting to spend that long in school and the price of it in this country is unaffordable to most middle class students.

 

[Printer]

Drdanika:

If that is the case why do we have so many American students having to go to out of country schools and why do we have so many Doctors who are "foreign Doctors" practicing here. Just wondering.

Bill

 

[musclemania70]

Americans do not get accepted to the universities here because they have certain 'guidelines' they have to use to prove they are being DIVERSIFIED. Americans are passed over to allow for foreign students to take away their shot at medical school.

Why do we as people want MORE regulation? I will never understand why people want MORE gov't hands in everything. Medicare is a mess. They never intended people to live into their 90s when it was created. We don't need more government putting their control over more things they can't keep up with.

 

[Anomie]

There is genuine concern that the potential for a government takeover of the healthcare system could happen since the governments plan will be available to people making up to $90,000 a year and if insurance companies can't compete with it then employers will stop offering health benefits and will just expect the entire middle class to get on the government plan. This is why the upper crust is so opposed to it. It does nothing for them and they're gonna end up picking up most of the $900 billion dollar tab since they pay the highest tax rates. Obama even acknowledges these concerns and fully understands that measures must be taken to prevent a large number of insurance companies from failing. However, if you have serious health issues then this plan will hugely benefit you especially since you'll be able to get medicaid as a chidless adult. I think that everyone on this website would be wise to vote for Obama.

 

[Tobit]

Anomie - I'm curious what "government plan" you are referring to. There is no public option in the current healthcare law. There will be tax credits available for a family of four making up to $90,000 that they can use when purchasing their own insurance, but that's not the same as a government healthcare option. Medicaid will only be available to those under 133% of the poverty level.

I don't believe that Obama is the only one that would keep the healthcare law in place. I would be very surprised if Romney fought to repeal it, because it is so very similar to what he did in Massachusetts, and I think he recognizes that undoing what has been in motion for 3 years would have a very detrimental effect. Santorum, on the other hand, I believe would do his worst to get it off the books.

 

[Printer]

Tobin:

Romney will be suprised to hear that he won't relpeal Obamacare. He has said, over and over again, that he will repeal it on day one. There is hope however, as someone from Massachusetts, I can tell you Romnen could change his mind.

Bill

 

[Tobit]

He HAS to say he'll repeal it to get the republican nomination. That having been said, you are right that he has stated many times he will repeal it, and being that he's already dogged with flip-flop charges, he would be in a tough spot if he changed his tune in the general election.

 

[LReyome28]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Printer</b></i> Tobin: Romney will be suprised to hear that he won't relpeal Obamacare. He has said, over and over again, that he will repeal it on day one. There is hope however, as someone from Massachusetts, I can tell you Romnen could change his mind. Bill</end quote>

I am also from Mass also and because of "RomneyCare" we can no longer get the incentive bonuses offered by drug companies such as Z Points and now only limited CFCareForward stuff, we only qualify for the nutritional supplements, not the Creon discount or the multivitamins. Hopefully he does not decide to take his "RomneyCare" national.

Sad thing is our state government can't even be bothered to attempt to repeal it.