The Affordable Care Act was never very affordable, and will be less so here in Pa. next year. The Pittsburgh Tribune reports that rates will go up an average of 30%. This is the result of Donald Trump's decision to stop payments for benefits provided to low-income policy holders. Insurance companies will collect this money by increasing the premiums of everyone with individual plans, as opposed to employer-provided health insurance.
This will impact about 85,000 small businesses and self-employed Pennsylvanians, and I suspect most of them voted for Trump.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Wednesday, October 18, 2017
41 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Are you tired of winning yet?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable. First, I know the alt-right commenters on your blog will retort, what about Obama, Hillary Clinton, etc..,etc..,etc..
ReplyDeleteYet, the orange man-child in the White House is an idiot. He is trying to start WWIII, isolate our country from the world and deny science is a real thing. Now he is totally screwing over millions of people with his pen. Healthcare is not a game, too many people have been and will be hurt by this nonsense. The man is an emotional and mental midget. Congress, meaning members of both parties have to grow up and fix this before he reduces us to a third world nation, with the most billionaires in the world. Healthcare is the absolute limit, please people we cannot screw around with peoples health.
I predict his action along with the nutty intransience of the right wing congressmen will result in a single payer system or national healthcare, is inevitable.
"I predict his action" - "will result in a single payer system or national healthcare"
ReplyDeleteBernie Sanders "burn down the house crowd" are orgasmic reading this post.
MAGA! hehe
Does anyone doubt that if we are alive as a nation in four years Donald Trump will be universally judged as the worst or the 45 United States Presidents. The man is a nightmare. What a disgrace and that is even with Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan in the mix!
ReplyDeleteHe is the john Brown of Presidents.
ReplyDeleteWhatever Trump does or doesn't do, try to remember "The story of the Chinese farmer".
ReplyDeleteThese unconstitutional payments were stuck down by the court, Now the congress will have to make the decision if they want to make them legal by voting them into law. Why not tell the whole story?
ReplyDeleteWe voted for Trump to get rid of Obamacare.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the reasons why
Why is anyone fixing Obamacare? It was a smashing success. We all kept our doctors and our plans and saved $2,500 per family - just like President Obama promised repeatedly. I'm puzzled by Democrats who've been screaming to "fix" it? There's nothing to fix. We all saved a load of money and 30 million are now covered. I don't understand what the problem is. Obamacare should be left as-is, and other more important issues should be tackled. Repeat: Obama already fixed health care.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Worst President in history.
ReplyDelete@6:17,
ReplyDeleteObama put the fix in alright. The insurance companies reaped the benefit. Now, changes in the ACA will reportedly result in insurance companies reaping another benefit. Basically, what the insurers are saying is that with or without the ACA, your premiums are going to be higher. The mandate portion of the ACA has no teeth, except to burden the middle class. People who have incomes below a financial threshold are exempt from the mandate, so those who were getting healthcare for free before the ACA continue to do so. If the government wants to save people money, repeal the mandate.
This is what Trump voters wanted !!1
ReplyDeleteSucks to be a trump voter now!!!!
ReplyDelete3:51 writes: "He is the john Brown of Presidents". Yes, you are so right and more importantly, Peg Ferraro shouldn't be sending out robo-calls requesting us to vote for him. It diminishes her and I will not make the same mistake again!
ReplyDeleteThank congress for this mess, Trump is only speeding the OBAMA care to a quicker death. These unconstitutional payments are being addressed. It is time for congress, once again, to finally stand up and do their jobs.
ReplyDeleteDie Obamacare Die. You cost me and my family good healthcare that I once had. Now I can't afford a damn thing and that is thru employer healthcare coverage. . Gotta luv that past President of ours, I mean yours. LOSER !
ReplyDeleteLET OBAMACARE DIE ON THE VICE MR.PRES.
Is it Trump's or Senate Ds' increase? Don't believe hysterical, partisan blog posts. Seek real news sources for the truth...
ReplyDeletePer Reuters this morning:
Schumer said the Alexander(R)-Murray(D) bipartisan plan has "broad support" among Senate Ds. Bernie Sanders said he'll support the plan. Moderate Rs voiced support. Trump indicated he'll support it.
Excuse me, but my source is The Pittsburgh Tribune, and the 30% spike is a direct result of Trump's attempt to make this even more unaffordable. Thde persons who will be paying more are small business owners and entrepreneurs. I know some who voted for Trump precisely bc he said he'd fix their problem. He has made it worse.
ReplyDelete"3:51 writes: "He is the john Brown of Presidents". Yes, you are so right and more importantly, Peg Ferraro shouldn't be sending out robo-calls requesting us to vote for him. It diminishes her and I will not make the same mistake again! "
ReplyDeletePeg is going to be the top voter, so why you are wasting your time attacking her is beyond me. Peg voted for the Republican nominee. She is a Republican. Did you think she'd be voting for Bernie?
Instead of attacking the Rs who are going to win, attack the ones who are vulnerable, like Vaughn and Geissinger.
That's what you get trump people
ReplyDeleteAnd the Pittsburgh Tribune is an objective unbiased deliverer of factual information?
ReplyDelete"Why is anyone fixing Obamacare? It was a smashing success. We all kept our doctors and our plans and saved $2,500 per family - just like President Obama promised repeatedly"
ReplyDeleteI opposed Obamacare. It was shoved down our throats without being properly vetted. It failed to focus on making health care affordable. It ids fraught with problems. Last year, before the election, small business owners and self-employed people received notices that their premiums were going to sky rocket this year. They understandably voted for Trump, who promised he would fix it. Trump's fix has just screwed them even more.
"And the Pittsburgh Tribune is an objective unbiased deliverer of factual information?"
ReplyDeleteInfinitely preferable to an anonymous comment in a blog.
People don't want to pay for comprehensive health care. They rather have a stripped down down plan that only covers the illnesses or injuries that they will get in the future and can deny coverage or be cancelled out right in the case of preexisting conditions. It goes without saying that there will be no reproduction health, substance abuse or behavioral health care. These are all immortal or indications of a lack of self discipline.
ReplyDeleteLet's be fare to the providers. Remove all requirements to provide care to the uninsured or those lacking in the necessary cash.
Now say after me "Our thoughts and prayers are with you ".
"And the Pittsburgh Tribune is an objective unbiased deliverer of factual information?"
ReplyDeleteHere's one hellva source-- The Insurance Commissioner's office itself which officially announced-- the approval of 2018 individual and small group health insurance rates."
Unless you think she's FOS too!
President Trump, and others, do not want the taxpayers to pay for the subsidies necessary to prop up the affordability of the premiums. The problem is within the architecture of the original ACA. It never really was "affordable". Like it or not, making insurance companies cover items which the companies normally would not, will cause the cost of coverage to rise. It is all a matter of how you look at it. Any real reform will require some "pain". Looking at it short term, yes, the premiums will increase even more than they would have. That is true. Looking at the issue longer term, without the benefit of taxpayer money (subsidies)the premiums would increase until the system would be not sustainable without a full "bailout". That would move us closer to single payer, government run healthcare. This is the direction the ACA was destined to go. It is really a philosophical difference in the purpose, size and scope of government. Government grows, in large part, because no one wants to "feel the pain" necessary for reform. Special interests, constituent groups, reelections, are all reasons theoretical reform does not or has not worked. Instead of working for the "good of the group", we have a “what can the government do for me?” mentality. We do not seem to have the guts, courage or selflessness for the real reform(s) necessary to make our government function efficiently. Is anyone willing to sacrifice anything for the common good anymore? We'd rather play the blame game and divide. The true "problem" is not political, but one of the heart and how we treat and/or converse with one another.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't the first double digit spike.
ReplyDeleteThe ACA is an insurance company scam.
BOH at 9:56am, from anonymous p*ssy/author of 7:58am:
ReplyDelete"Peg is going to be the top voter, so why you are wasting your time attacking her is beyond me. Peg voted for the Republican nominee. She is a Republican. Did you think she'd be voting for Bernie?
Instead of attacking the Rs who are going to win, attack the ones who are vulnerable, like Vaughn and Geissinger"- BOH
You consider what I said as an attack? Wow. I wrote that supporting brown diminishes her; that's all. I know she is going to win, she knows she is going to win, so why should she tarnish her reputation on some dotard.
If I really wanted to attack her, I'd go after her support of trump; as evidenced by her electoral college vote. When it came time, she did the wrong thing.
Obamacare docent need fixing. It is also self-funding. Leave it as the Democrats designed it.
ReplyDeletePeg is an uber partisan. The most partisan person running. She supported Brackbill and his dotard cabinet people which resulted in her loss in 1997.Now she blindly supports Brown. The common thread is they are Republicans. She is not independent and never has been. She plays on her sex and portrays an image that fools people.
ReplyDeleteIf you love total partisan politics in your government you should vote for Ferraro.
She does not blindly support Brown and proved that just 30 minutes ago when she sided against him on a reorganization of Domestic Relations. She will be the top vote getter and you are wasting your time going after her.
ReplyDelete3:12, she did the wrong thing by following the law? She was required by law to vote in accord with how her state voted. You are trashing her for following the law. By the way, this post is about Hayden, not Peg. You are hijacking this thread and will be deleted if you continue.
ReplyDeleteWrong. She is not obligated by law to vote for Trump. You know electors vote for their winner but they don't have to that by law. She could; also abstain like she frequently did on county council when she is afraid to take a stand.
ReplyDeleteShe supports Trump and Brown. If Brown wins and she is re-elected, she will follow his lead.
I stand corrected. They are not technically bound, but do vote on a winner-take-all basis. Now from this point you will be deleted.
ReplyDelete3:12: she did not do the wrong thing technically. her transgressions came later. as evidenced by supporting john brown.
ReplyDeleteTrump is the best salesman for a national healthcare system.
ReplyDeletethe folks that voted for donnie two scoops will get the trumpcare they deserve.
ReplyDeletetrump now owns the healthcare problems and he can fix it or suffer the wrath of the voters.
It's funny watching the left defend Romney care....
ReplyDelete@ 1:39: It's funny watching the left defend Romney care....
ReplyDeleteThis left winger states: If Romney was elected, we'd have national healthcare and there would no longer be any debate. But because some n*gger (your mentality) did it, all you hillbillies remain up in arms and are determined to destroy it. Haha very funny. #f*ckyou
2:02pm
ReplyDeleteI see, you are well skilled in the craft.
@ 10:00 PM: hypocrite! expose yourself, you crafty little W. Bush-wacker! I mean Anthony Weiner. #anotherdumbtrumpvoter
ReplyDelete