Health Care Hither and Yon: An Invitation to Scream about Socialism

 

Almost all advanced countries, if not all, have national medical care. It is telling that in the debate over Obamacare, few looked at systems in other countries to see how well what worked. The reason seems to have been a mixture of the classic American  arrogance and lack of interest in anything beyond the borders. Characteristically, discussion usually turned on the evils of socialism–for some reason, Europe is thought to be socialist–and who was going to make money.

The results are what one would expect. Study after study has shown that American health care is of poor quality compared with that of other First World nations, and way more expensive.

Recently I encountered a casual friend–he was dancing in a local club–whom I had not seen for a while. Where ya been, I asked? In Guadalajara for cardiac surgery, he said, double bypass and valve replacement. The replacement valve was from a pig so we made the mandatory jokes about did he say oink-oink, and parted.

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CHART OF WHY TRUMP IS WINNING

It really doesn’t get any clearer than the chart below. The average working stiff brings home $100 less per week in real terms than they did in 1972. Meanwhile, the price of everything they need to live their daily lives (rent, home prices, cars, food, energy, medical, tuition, taxes, clothing) has gone up exponentially. The ruling class (bankers, politicians, corporations, oligarchs) have convinced millions to utilize their easy money debt to make up the difference. Replacing earnings with borrowing is good for the establishment and bad for you. It seems millions are starting to awaken from their stupor and are pissed off at the perpetrators of this crime. They are flocking to Trump, not because he’s like them or has a clear plan to help them, because they believe he is the destroyer of their enemy establishment. Whether Trump can reverse the chart below is yet to be seen.


WHEN THE SHEET HITS THE PLAN

Guest Post by Stilton Jarlsberg

 

obama, obama jokes, political, humor, cartoon, conservative, hope n' change, hope and change, stilton jarlsberg, obamacare, blue cross

Not long ago we reported on the absolutely nightmarish process of trying to get a new insurance policy through Healthcare.gov after Blue Cross Blue Shield killed our existing plan and – in a letter to the medically homeless – specifically blamed Obamacare.

But we eventually did get a crappy, overpriced HMO policy on Healthcare.gov, and on Monday our proof of insurance cards arrived. Which is when the trouble started.

The two cards (one for each of the senior Jarlsbergs) had the names of two different PCP physicians on them (in an HMO, your “PCP” is the alleged doctor who becomes the gateway to either allow or deny all other healthcare services). Despite the fact that we’d named another doctor during the application process – indeed, we were required to pick a doctor – the new physicians were complete strangers whose names indicated they “weren’t from around here,” nudge-nudge wink-wink.

A quick online search showed that both doctors had pretty dismal reputations. One of them only had office hours two days a week, and only for five hours each of those days. Good luck getting an appointment! The other doctor required a 45-minute drive and ran a combined “family practice and low-cost lasik surgery” center in a strip mall.

A panicked call to Blue Cross put us on hold for 50 minutes before ever speaking to a human. Finally,  we were told that we could absolutely change our PCP doctors because the ones shown on our cards were “dummy doctors.”

Say what?!

Continue reading “WHEN THE SHEET HITS THE PLAN”

OBAMACARE ADDS $1.1 TRILLION TO THE NATIONAL DEBT & INCREASES TAXES BY $800 BILLION

The CBO, whose estimates are as accurate as a Tim Tebow pass, shows that Obamacare increases deficits by a total of $1,156 billion over its first 10-year period.  This is supposedly offset by cost savings of $879 billion (predominately $802 billion saved in Medicare) and unrelated tax increases of $631 billion (predominately $346 billion in investment income surcharges). These government accountant weenies always underestimate the costs and overestimate the savings. The cost of Obamacare will soar past $2 billion. The States are already being overwhelmed by the increase in Medicaid enrollees, far above the estimates made by the Obamanistas. This bloated abortion of a healthcare plan will accelerate the destruction of our economy.

problem

Everyone of these taxes will be passed along to you in the form of higher prices. I thought Obamacare was supposed to save every family $2,500 per year. I’m still waiting. How about you?

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Continue reading “OBAMACARE ADDS $1.1 TRILLION TO THE NATIONAL DEBT & INCREASES TAXES BY $800 BILLION”

THOSE DAMN FACTS

It must be those dastardly tea baggers sabotaging the Savior’s glorious, well conceived, well executed, cost saving, life saving healthcare plan for America. Of course a 2,400 page law written by healthcare industry lobbyists, with 11,000 pages of rules and regulations, managed by thousands of government drones, enforced by the IRS, impacting 19% of the U.S. economy, and rolled out on a computer system that doesn’t work, was sure to improve the lives of all Americans. More government in our lives is exactly what we need. Now please bend over and await your Obamacare rectal exam. The $2,500 savings check is in the mail. But be warned, we are depending on another government organization losing $19 billion per year to deliver that check, so it might be awhile.  

…Individuals in most states will end up spending more on the exchanges. It is true that in some states, the experience could be the opposite. This is because those states had already over-regulated insurance markets that led to sharply higher premiums through adverse selection, as is the case of New York. Many states, however, double or nearly triple premiums for young adults. Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, and Vermont see some of the largest increases in premiums.

…The Obama Administration is desperate for younger people to enroll to prevent an adverse selection death spiral.

…Our findings confirm that younger populations see larger percentage increases in premiums. A state that exhibits this clearly is Vermont, where the increase for 27-year-olds is 144 percent and the increase for 50-year-olds is still 60 percent, but far less. All states exhibit this relationship.

Heritage Foundation

 

“If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health-care plan, you will be able to keep your health-care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.”

“For people with insurance, the only impact of the health-care law is that their insurance is stronger, better, and more secure than it was before. Full stop. That’s it. They don’t have to worry about anything else.”

“If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums. That will be less.”

“I want to be very clear: I will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade.”

“Health care reform will cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.”

 

Source:

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/