The Government Shutdown Countdown Lowdown MEGATHREAD

[merithyn]

I think the only counterpoint, if you think we should have a revamp of healthcare, is that the current law, as is, is to f'd up to actually be a good base to start making changes from. To be honest though, it all is a bit above my comprehension (outside my immediate interest) that I don't really know enough to say if that's true or not.

Also, though on a whole it is pretty abysmal, I did like the recent SNL sketch with Obama trying to bring out people to help everyone understand the new impact law.

There's good and bad to it.

The good:
* Everyone can get insurance now, something 25% of the population couldn't do before.
* Insurance is based on your age, where you live, and whether or not you smoke. That's it. No more 150% increase because you're a woman of childbearing years (whether or not you have a uterus anymore), nor 130% increase because you're a man over the age of 50.
* Insurance companies have to compete directly with one another for the individual person now, instead of just for lucrative contracts with companies, giving employees some more direct control over who insures them.

The bad:
* It's going to be expensive for the time being because there have been zero controls on insurance companies.
* It's going to cost the gubm't quite a bit in subsidies, and there doesn't appear to be much by way of paying those out of the budget.
* There are still far too many loop holes for private companies and insurance companies to "opt out" of certain requirements, making many of those requirements pretty much worthless.
* Younger folks pay less than older folks, but they still pay about 150% more than they did before ACA. That's too much, imo, if you want them to actually pay for insurance.

There are a lot more, but those are the obvious ones off the top of my head.

[merithyn]

Bushcare is the base from which Obamacare is making changes.  The problem is that the Right-wing Republicans are happy with Bushcare, with its 10+% per-year cost increases, because the folks who own the right-wing Republicans are the ones pocketing the change.

Personally, i think that the health care system that should be the basis of the US health care discussion is the German one.  It is cheaper per capita (whole country, not persons covered) than Bushcare or Obamacare are in tax dollars right now, covers more than twice as many people, has a significantly higher satisfaction rate, has a reasonable opt-out provision, and produces a superior outcome.  The only thing wrong with it is that it doesn't allow infinite profits for the health care industry.  it seems like such a no-brainer that, while I can understand Congress not getting it, I don't understand why others (like the White House) don't get it.

Abso-fucking-lutely. I've been begging Max to look into Germany as a possible place to relocate, primarily because of their healthcare program.

[Grey Fox]

But then, you'll have to live with Poles!

[derspiess]

I am amused that you think I do.

And I am amused by you breathlessly reporting on her twitter posting habits, like any of us possibly care (maybe CdM, but I expect he also follws her, and so already knew).

I don't want to discourage your Timmay-like reports on celebrity twitter usage, though.  They are, as I note, amusing.

[MadImmortalMan]

No Air Force-Navy game. 

[garbon]

But then, you'll have to live with Poles!

Maybe they'll be instrumental in founding the Polish-German Union.

[katmai]

No Air Force-Navy game. 

Last i heard that wasn't gonna be announced till thur noon EDT

[garbon]

I think the only counterpoint, if you think we should have a revamp of healthcare, is that the current law, as is, is to f'd up to actually be a good base to start making changes from. To be honest though, it all is a bit above my comprehension (outside my immediate interest) that I don't really know enough to say if that's true or not.

Also, though on a whole it is pretty abysmal, I did like the recent SNL sketch with Obama trying to bring out people to help everyone understand the new impact law.

There's good and bad to it.

The good:
* Everyone can get insurance now, something 25% of the population couldn't do before.
* Insurance is based on your age, where you live, and whether or not you smoke. That's it. No more 150% increase because you're a woman of childbearing years (whether or not you have a uterus anymore), nor 130% increase because you're a man over the age of 50.
* Insurance companies have to compete directly with one another for the individual person now, instead of just for lucrative contracts with companies, giving employees some more direct control over who insures them.

The bad:
* It's going to be expensive for the time being because there have been zero controls on insurance companies.
* It's going to cost the gubm't quite a bit in subsidies, and there doesn't appear to be much by way of paying those out of the budget.
* There are still far too many loop holes for private companies and insurance companies to "opt out" of certain requirements, making many of those requirements pretty much worthless.
* Younger folks pay less than older folks, but they still pay about 150% more than they did before ACA. That's too much, imo, if you want them to actually pay for insurance.

There are a lot more, but those are the obvious ones off the top of my head.

Thanks!

[Rasputin]

  still haven't missed the federal government

[Grey Fox]

still haven't missed the federal government

You hate history?

[MadImmortalMan]

Abso-fucking-lutely. I've been begging Max to look into Germany as a possible place to relocate, primarily because of their healthcare program.

Would you really move to a country primarily because of health care? I can see if you had a debilitating disease or something that required special care, but other than special cases like that I can't imagine it being even in the top ten reasons to do that.

[Razgovory]

still haven't missed the federal government

You hate history?

No, he has brain damage.  Randian Objectivist.  Poor bastard.

[merithyn]

Would you really move to a country primarily because of health care? I can see if you had a debilitating disease or something that required special care, but other than special cases like that I can't imagine it being even in the top ten reasons to do that.

I have one of those.

[Valmy]

still haven't missed the federal government

Again, what exactly do you do with the Feds that made you think them being shut down for a few hours was going to impact you personally?

[DGuller]

Bushcare is the base from which Obamacare is making changes.  The problem is that the Right-wing Republicans are happy with Bushcare, with its 10+% per-year cost increases, because the folks who own the right-wing Republicans are the ones pocketing the change.

I don't think that the motivation for Republicans, though.  I think what Republicans are really scared of is Obamacare working, or at least not crashing and burning.  It's a pretty insidious motivation if true, but there is a reason that psychopaths are over-represented in politics.