The US Healthcare Mass Debate

[Scot Dutchy]

”It's amazing that people still believe that there is some magical IT solution to our healthcare cost problem”
Twitter comments:
https://mobile.twitter.com/MaxJacobsEdi ... frame.html

I would not like to be in a Amazon hospital.

[Tero]

NPR
GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act were repeatedly thwarted in the Senate last year, even though Republicans used a parliamentary move that would have allowed them to pass a bill with a simple majority. The Trump administration has tried to undermine the ACA in a variety of ways: shortening the enrollment period, discontinuing advertising to promote signing up, temporarily halting cost-sharing subsidies to insurance companies, and effectively ending the “individual mandate” that requires most Americans to obtain health insurance. Despite those efforts, the Kaiser Family Foundation found individual insurance markets stabilizing in most of the country. And despite the truncated enrollment period, nearly 9 million people signed up for Obamacare coverage in 2018.


Scott Horsley
NPR White House Correspondent

[Scot Dutchy]

How many are still without health care?

[Tero]

The usual number given is 28 million

[Scot Dutchy]

Still a fair number then. You have a total of 350 million. So roughly 8% with totally none.

[Hermit]

insurance premiums never went up as fast as they have in the last 3-4 years. That's a fact.

Is it now?

I looked up the 2015 Employer Health Benefits Survey undertaken by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. At the bottom of that page is a button, which, if you click on it, gives you the full 254 page report (unfortunately in PDF format). It's chock-a-block with data.

On pages 88-90 the following charts can be found:

• Average Monthly Worker Premium Contributions Paid by Covered Workers for Single and Family
  Coverage, 1999–2015
• Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Single
  Coverage, 1999–2015
• Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Family
  Coverage, 1999–2015

I stuffed the data from those charts into a spreadsheet and got the following results concerning average year-on-year increases:

Average Monthly Worker Premium Contributions Paid by Covered Workers for Single and Family Coverage
2000-2009: 9.4% for single, 8.7% for family
2010-2015: 4.7% for single, 5.1% for family

Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Single Coverage
2000-2010: 8.2% Total
2010-2015: 3.7% Total

Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Family Coverage
2000-2010: 8.8% Total
2010-2015: 4.0% Total

[Tero]

Obamacare premiums have fluctuated. This came about by insurance companies having to insure actual sick people.

The employee based system allows the employer to fire someone who is off sick for more than 6 months. Problem removed. In the old days they had nowhere to go. Now they can go to Obamacare.(With no income they can’t afford Cobra).

[Hermit]

Unable to edit my previous post, here it is again. This time I used a more up do date report from the same source and fixed a mistake in a spreadsheet formula I used in four cells.

insurance premiums never went up as fast as they have in the last 3-4 years. That's a fact.

Is it now?

I looked up the 2015 2016 Employer Health Benefits Survey undertaken by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. In the top right corner of that page is a button, which, if you click on it, gives you the full 274 page report (unfortunately in PDF format). It's chock-a-block with data.

On pages 88-90 the following charts can be found:

• Average Monthly Worker Premium Contributions Paid by Covered Workers for Single and Family
  Coverage, 1999–2016
• Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Single
  Coverage, 1999–2016
• Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Family
  Coverage, 1999–2016

I stuffed the data from those charts into a spreadsheet and got the following results concerning

average year-on-year increases:

Average Monthly Worker Premium Contributions Paid by Covered Workers for Single and Family Coverage
2000-2009: 9.4% for single, 8.7% for family
2010-2016: 5.5% for single, 6.0% for family

Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Single Coverage
2000-2010: 8.2% Total
2010-2016: 4.2% Total

Average Annual Worker and Employer Contributions to Premiums and Total Premiums for Family Coverage
2000-2010: 8.8% Total
2010-2016: 4.5% Total

[Tero]

Amazon ready!
https://www.theonion.com/amazon-warehou ... 1822604236

[Scot Dutchy]

Amazon ready!
https://www.theonion.com/amazon-warehou ... 1822604236

The thought is just horrifying.

[Tero]

I had a physical at Kaiser health in CA in 1080. You were herded in a line with a number in hand to do the various tests. "Pee in a cup over there, bring it to the desk capped".

[Scot Dutchy]

In 1080? God how old are you?

[Tero]

1980

In 1080 they just gave us leeches for ailments.

[laklak]

And they weren't even decent English leeches, not since 1066.

[Tero]

In 1080 they just gave us leeches for ailments.

Dr of 1080: Are you eating enough red meat?
Yes
Onions?
Yes

Well then, take these leeches and use them on in the morring and one at bedtime to suck out bad blood.