The US Healthcare Mass Debate

[Tero]

Healthcare mandate was a Republican idea:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-crusade- ... 25364.html

[Animavore]

This is what you want, but worse.

[JimC]

A nation tearing itself apart...

[Tero]

Waste
Experts estimate the U.S. health care system wastes $765 billion annually — about a quarter of all the money that is spent. Of that, an estimated $210 billion goes to unnecessary or needlessly expensive care, according to a 2012 report by the National Academy of Medicine.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-sho ... cu-overuse

[Tero]

Trump allowing groups to buy association plans sidestepping Obamacare rules
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/ ... lan-324021

[Tero]

You are 75, in the nursing home and use a walker to get to lunch or dinner. Not so fast! It's time for your 4 hour shift as Wal Mart greeter! And no more opiates for you! if there are drugs in you, no Medicaid!
You are working two shifts of shitty part time jobs with no health insurance plan, so you use Medicaid. Now you need to fill out paperwork.

Trump poised to take action on Medicaid work requirements
The guidelines will set the conditions for allowing states to add work requirements to their Medicaid programs for the first time, putting a conservative twist on the health insurance program for the poor.

In a speech in November hinting at the coming changes, Verma criticized ObamaCare for expanding Medicaid to “able-bodied” adults, and said that group of people should be expected to work.
Many experts expect Kentucky will be the first state approved.

Other states have proposed additional conservative changes to Medicaid beyond work requirements. Wisconsin, for example, is applying to require drug testing of Medicaid recipients.

[Scot Dutchy]

What a country!

[Forty Two]

Um, the elderly are not on Medicaid. The elderly are on Medicare, which does not and will not have work requirements for retired people.

Medicaid is for the needy, so there doesn't seem to be any real problem with having them look for work. That's how you get out of your situation, if you're not disabled and can work, then shouldn't you be looking for work anyway? Not sure what the problem is with this....

Most countries do have requirements for health benefits. For example, the Netherlands, which will provide a health allowance if you make below a certain income level. That's like Medicaid. If you make low income, you can get the Medicaid allowance. However, if you make over the level, you have to buy your own. Zorgtoeslag.

.....whether or not you’re entitled to receive healthcare allowance will depend on your income. The Dutch tax authorities make a distinction between being single and having a household with two incomes.

If you don’t have a fiscal partner (toeslagpartner, see further down for explanation) your gross income may not exceed 27.012 euros per year (2016 guidelines). If you have a fiscal partner, your combined annual income cannot be more than 33.765 euros.

The healthcare allowance goes down as your salary increases. To see how much you may be entitled to receive back on a monthly basis see the Dutch tax office page on healthcare allowance monthly payments.

https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutc ... e-benefits

[Scot Dutchy]

Another load of bollocks written an ex-pat who has not got a clue.

[Forty Two]

To receive healthcare benefit [Netherlands] in 2017 you must:

be 18 or older (benefit is paid from the first day of the month following your 18th birthday);
have Dutch healthcare insurance;
have earned no more than €27,857 in 2017 if you are single or no more than €35,116 jointly if you have a partner.
be a Dutch national or have a residence permit (your benefit partner must also be a Dutch national or have a residence permit);
have assets no greater than €107,752 (for a single person) or joint assets no greater than €132,752 (for partners).

https://www.government.nl/topics/health ... re-benefit

Yes, the expat doesn't have a clue, it was 35,116 for couples, not 33,000.... he was off by about 2,000...such a clueless bastard....

so....Dutchy, can you correct the Netherlands government website for us?

[Scot Dutchy]

The people defined by those thresholds get compensation when paying their health insurance otherwise you have to pay at least for the basic packet which is about €100 a month. So what are you beefing about. Very few qualify for that benefit.

[Forty Two]

I'm not "beefing" about it. It's fine. It's simply a requirement to get your healthcare allowance. You said the expat was bollocks, when in fact he was dead on, correct.

I agree that in the US the costs have become outrageous. In 2010, I could have gotten basic health coverage for me for about $110 to $150 per month (about 100 euros), but now, I have no choice but to pay $1300 per month, because I'm paying what amounts to a massive tax to cover other people's insurance. That's what Obamacare gave me. Even for my entire family, in 2013, before Obamacare kicked in, I could buy insurance for four people for about $480 per month. That was my premium then. That's about -- brace for it --100 euros per month per person -- not too bad, looking back. And, the coverage was great. Small copays, but usually wound up only being a few hundreds out of pocket per year (like in Netherland where you pay some out of pockets up to about 400 euros, right?).

Obamacare fucked so many of us, it's not even funny. You sit there bitching about our system, when the costs just a few years ago were pretty much what you have. And, people who made low income could get Medicaid.

Obamacare just made the change that we all needed to buy health insurance, and then it made sure that the middle class got fucked up the ass by premiums which tripled.

I'll tell you -- my premiums went up 20% from 2017 to 2018. So, now I'm officially paying more for health insurance than I am for my mortgage (principle, interest, taxes and homeowners insurance combined). And, that's all thanks to Obamacare.

Yes, the system is fucked. But it was mostly fine before, and could have been tweaked to help the needy. But, instead they upended the whole thing and fucked most people in the ass, hard, no grease, and no kiss on the cheek.

I am still waiting for Trump to get a handle on this and do something about it. Something needs to be done, because I am getting crushed by this Obamacare shit.

[Scot Dutchy]

You are beefing about something that affects very few people. It is normally only the unemployed that qualify for that benefit. Everybody is required to have health care and the insurance companies cant refuse anyone. This year insurance did not rise and even some companies have reduced the monthly payments because of the healthy financial situation we are in.

[Tero]

Um, the elderly are not on Medicaid. The elderly are on Medicare, which does not and will not have work requirements for retired people.

....

I have news for you. The elderly must use up all their cash and property and pay the Medicare not covered part of the nursing home. After they use up all savings, they go on Medicaid.

AARP: About 65 percent of nursing home residents are supported primarily by Medicaid,and Medicaid pays for 45 percent of the total nursing home bill (see figure 2).Medicare does not pay for long-term care, but the program covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing home care per benefit period, After 20 days, ...
https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/fs10r_homes.pdf

[pErvinalia]

Um, the elderly are not on Medicaid. The elderly are on Medicare, which does not and will not have work requirements for retired people.

Medicaid is for the needy, so there doesn't seem to be any real problem with having them look for work.

Apart from the problem of there being multiple more job seekers than job vacancies.