Today in Trump's 1st term as President

[Take Down Sicko]

Before the so call obummer "affordable care"i paid 25 for a Dr visit. After obbumer care i pay 140 for Dr visits. Real affordable! Also they dont cover any expense until after i have spent 2,000 on medical expenses in a year. Cant wait for it to be trashed.

[EastTexasRancher]

Curious: Regarding the most recent immigration order, when does this president wise up and tell a lower court judge that he (the judge) is over-reaching, and tell enforcement officials to do what he (the president) has instructed them to do? And, can he do that?

It seems this whole "resist" movement has now boldly moved into an arena of lawlessness in the courts...and that could take forever to untangle???

I am just so fed up. They lost, now move out of the way!!!

And is this now the future of our democracy??? Obstruct at all costs?

[TexasJohnBoy]

Curious: Regarding the most recent immigration order, when does this president wise up and tell a lower court judge that he (the judge) is over-reaching, and tell enforcement officials to do what he (the president) has instructed them to do? And, can he do that?

It seems this whole "resist" movement has now boldly moved into an arena of lawlessness in the courts...and that could take forever to untangle???

I am just so fed up. They lost, now move out of the way!!!

And is this now the future of our democracy??? Obstruct at all costs?

You literally can't do that. And the day that a president forces a law enforcement agency to ignore a judicial order, we have a serious problem problem. The next thing is to ignore the legislature because it doesn't suit him.

Remember, Supreme Court nominee hearings start on Monday. Appealing all the way up might happen after Gorsuch is sat, if it goes that far.

[mojo84]

I can't speak for anyone besides myself. The insurance lobbies, have corrupted so many politicians over the years, that they have created mini monopolies. Can anyone give me a logical reason that we cannot purchase health insurance from another State? Is there another consumer product that is so limited?
We can even buy guns from out of State vendors.
I can order wine, beer, and so many other things from out of State vendors, but the insurance carriers have grabbed lawmakers, by the short hairs and, determined that insurance must be sold only within the state that a person lives.
Just food for thought.

Here's the crux of the issue regarding selling across state lines. Do not take this as me agreeing with or endorsing this. Insurance was seen as an industry that is better served being regulated by the state's rather than federal government. Each state has enacted their own insurance laws and they have their own insurance commissioner. Therefore, insurance companies have to be licensed in the state in which they do business. In order to comply with the states laws, many companies set up individual companies for each state or region. They also have to set up provider networks for each. Keep in mind, insurance companies can choose in which state's and counties they sell and most try to cherry pick the healthiest. There are additional reasons, some of which I can't think of off the top of my head.

Even if selling across state lines passes, it will have a marginal effect. Here is something to ponder. Insurance rates have been climbing each year at the rate of 15-50% for years now. Obamacare capped the insurance companies operating expenses and profit at 20% of total premiums collected. If that twenty percent were to go away, the cost of care would still be outrageous and unaffordable.

As popular as it is to hate the insurance company and its lobby, they have already been hammered. That is evidenced in the fact they are losing money on individual healthcare insurance and they arevpullibg out of the market. If they were making a bucket load of money like many think, they wouldn't be pulling out.

Medical costs are 5-10 times what they should be. An MRI costs $600-$2500. That's ridiculous. I was charged $1300 for annual blood work. When I told them that was ridiculous and it would be a cold day before they got that much from me for blood work it was refilled for arpund $200. My GP bills insurance companies $150 for a simple visit and $185 for complex. When I told him I am a self pay patient he said the charges would be $65 and $95 respectively. These stories are endless.

Bottom line, we are all wasting our time griping about insurance and trying to reform insurance when the cost of care is the issue. You can look at the links I provided and it will be obvious what the real issue is.

It's like trying to zero in a scoped rifle but the gunpowder in the casing is wet.

Let's start hammering the gov about FDA and CMS. While we are at it, we need to focus on hospitals, docs, medical equipment manufactures, pharma and all of their lobbies.

[Lambda Force]

Costs go up when buyers pay with OPM.

Look at higher education. The main accomplishment of government subsidized student loans was to enable tuition to rise much faster than inflation.

Look at the housing bubble caused by the government requiring banks to loan money to bad risk customers.

Look at hotels business travelers choose when paying with the corporate expense account compared to when it comes out of their pocket.

[mojo84]

This explains some of what Trump and congress need to address.

https://www.prnewschannel.com/2016/03/1 ... e-pricing/

A sample

Predatory pricing is the reason that the USA is suffering from health cost misery. The healthcare industry has entirely eliminated real prices for hospitals, physicians and labs.

Ask the price of anything and the answer is always the same: What insurance do you have? Patients are blocked from shopping for fair value. The part of the Affordable Care Act which was supposed to control insurance costs, perversely, incentivizes insurers to pay higher, not lower costs. Under the Affordable Care Act, premiums and profits are legally permitted to rise only as health costs rise. In short, when it comes to pricing, nobody is watching the store and citizens cannot shop to protect themselves from medical price gouging.

This former hospital president says that because billing rates are not set, the health industry is able to prey on patients at their most vulnerable. And if you are out of network or uninsured, you pay the highest rates.

Healthcare pricing has been rigged by the industry that dumps, by far, the most cash into Washington. The industry spends more on lobbying than the defense, aerospace, and the oil and gas industries combined.

Lobbyists built the current system to guarantee that health provider pricing, already outrageous, continues to skyrocket. The widely discussed concept of price transparency will not come close to solving the health cost crisis. Healthcare is the only product or service sold in the U.S.A. without any real pricing and it is not coincidental that it is the one industry imposing overwhelming financial burdens on citizens.

From an editorial he wrote.

Healthcare reform is difficult because the industry spends more on lobbying than the defense, aerospace, and the oil and gas industries combined

[Abraham]

Jusme,

I like the way you think.

Plus, you state your opinions without being obstreperous or condescending.

Doing so is much appreciated in this current air of so many board members seeming ready to blow a gasket over even a tiny amount of disagreement on a wide variety of subjects.

Now, I'm going to go kick the dog...nah, I'm not.

[mojo84]

Jusme,

I like the way you think.

Plus, you state your opinions without being obstreperous or condescending.

Doing so is much appreciated in this current air of so many board members seeming ready to blow a gasket over even a tiny amount of disagreement on a wide variety of subjects.

Now, I'm going to go kick the dog...nah, I'm not.

Is this not condescending?

[

Now, it seems many are obsessed with health care to the point of nuttiness...

I don't mean to sound flippant, but to a degree this whole mantra of agonizing about health care seems slightly OCD-ish.

My take: Go without healthcare. If you get sick, go to a doctor and pay as you go. It'll be wayyyyyyyy less expensive overall. If you must go into the hospital, those charges can be negotiated immensely.

This philosophy isn't for those with current, dreadful disease or conditions, just those who're relatively healthy.

Yeah, I know some of you will do the "the sky is falling" when considering going bare, but life isn't without risk and it seems to me everyone wants some sort of guarantee while claiming: "hey man, I hate socialism, ah, ahem, unless it's a good deal for me....

For the record, I have chosen to go bare for the last couple of years. Fortunately, I'm in a position to do so. Not everyone is. I have even discontinued selling individual health insurance because of it lack of economic sense. Even though I do not sell it or get paid for it, I still assist people in aquiring it if they need assistance.

As an agent, I cannot advise anyone to do as I am doing.

Considering I make a substantial portion of my livelihood from health insurance, you can say I am somewhat obsessed with reforming the system so that all that participate will benefit.

[Abraham]

mojo84,

No, on this subject it seems like we're both saying essentially the same thing.

You are one of the ones on the board constantly in some form of uproar about....everything.

Pick a subject, any subject and you're ready to do battle.

A Yosemite Sam of the board, rootin, tootin, gun shootin...yeehaw!

[mojo84]

mojo84,

No, on this subject it seems like we're both saying essentially the same thing.

You are one of the ones on the board constantly in some form of uproar about....everything.

Pick a subject, any subject and you're ready to do battle.

A Yosemite Sam of the board, rootin, tootin, gun shootin...yeehaw!

Just more condescension and insults without adding any substance to the discussion.

[Abraham]

Lighten up - a little humor goes a long way.

If you don't recognize, of late, you seem to be angry about everything.

That's an observation, not condescension.

[mojo84]

Lighten up - a little humor goes a long way.

If you don't recognize, of late, you seem to be angry about everything.

That's an observation, not condescension.

There was no humor in your comment. Don't try to whitewash what you said.

Don't confuse passion and confidence for anger. I see first hand what our healthcare system is doing to hardworking people. Those of you that are enjoying Medicare and Medicaid will not continue to have the coverage you have if we do not get something done about lowering the cost of care for all. This president is our best chance to get this done.

I suspect if you took a significant hit in income, lost your coverage and saw first hand the burden this mess has placed on people, you would probably be concerned and passionate about it also.

President Trump needs to get something done to lower cost of care in this term or he will not have another term to try.

[bblhd672]

mojo84,

No, on this subject it seems like we're both saying essentially the same thing.

You are one of the ones on the board constantly in some form of uproar about....everything.

Pick a subject, any subject and you're ready to do battle.

A Yosemite Sam of the board, rootin, tootin, gun shootin...yeehaw!

Perhaps a review of Forum Rule #2 is in order:

2. No personal attacks on other members - NONE! We can be respectful even in disagreement. If you're talking about the person rather than the issue, then the post will be deleted.

[Abraham]

OK, I recognize when someone declares they'll hold their breath until they turn blue...but do consider that constant anger comes with health concerns...and I fully expect you to reply with something caustic.

I'd love to see the return of guy I once knew here...

[bblhd672]

OK, I recognize when someone declares they'll hold their breath until they turn blue...but do consider that constant anger comes with health concerns...and I fully expect you to reply with something caustic.

I'd love to see the return of guy I once knew here...

Perhaps a review of Forum Rule #2 is in order:

2. No personal attacks on other members - NONE! We can be respectful even in disagreement. If you're talking about the person rather than the issue, then the post will be deleted.