Just wondering

[BA Deere]

Yes, it was "expensive" before obamacare, but doesn`t your news tell of all the premium increases of 60% here????  60% increase of expensive equals damned more expensive in anyone`s book.

[hardnox]

FWIW, a 25% annual increase in premiums was a key and regular feature of the old system for individual and small group policies. The difference was that if you still didn't have a significant illness you could move to a new policy that was assembling a new clean risk pool, before they began the process of doing it over again. If you were sick you needed to stay on the old one until they finally got premiums high enough to dump you on the state high risk pool.

Republicans had a couple decades to fix that if they didn't want a national health insurance program, but that wasn't the point, as I'll get to.

About couple million people got their insurance through the exchanges but didn't qualify for subsidies. Fewer yet were in states where the exchange market didn't work. That problem wasn't hard to fix with a public option but it misses the point. They didn;t want to fix it.

The most threatening thing about ACA was that it bent the overall healthcare cost curve down, far below what was the average during the preceding decade. And in particular really shored up the soundness of Medicare, which, along with repealing estate taxes, is the #1 target of the right- they desperately want it to be declared failed so they can turn it over to the same donors who are raising rates 25% on exchange policies.

The White Christian Gun Phalanx has been enlisted in the effort but they're the biggest bunch of rubes around. They're going to get rolled by the smart guys and they're going to be very slow to recognize it.

[hardnox]

BTW, I regard the universal access to decent medical care as a basic right of any citizen or legal alien in our wealthy country, period.

Anyone can easily arrive at that viewpoint from either a Christian or humanist direction if they merely quit trying to find reasons why it isn't.

[BA Deere]

Between you and me, I hope no one else is reading this...Obamacare was designed to fail to bring about a single payer socialized plan.  The only monkey wrench was Hillary losing the election.  But Johnathon Gruber designed this to happen and it would`ve worked if not for that meddling Trump and that GOP!

[hardnox]

And Hillary was going to seize your guns, and worship Satan in the WH (now known as the Playboy Mansion on the Potomac, for Jesus).

It wouldn't have been easy to get done but Sanders would have beat Trump by 10 on a single payer platform.

[gurly3801539]

As far as knowing what you are voting for goes remember the ACA was passed into law to see what was in it

[Canuck_2]

sw363535; Probably none keep 100% but I think we all accept that things happen sometimes to cause that but we do expect them to keep almost all and to make a BIG effort to keep them not to just make promises during an election and then ignore them after they are elected.

So here is a site that is tracking how the Federal Liberal party is doing after 1 year in power

https://www.trudeaumetre.ca

How do you think they are doing?

373 days in office   219 promises

Not started yet    95 or 43%

In progress         64 or 29%

Acheived        34 or 16%

Broken        26 or 12%

If in progress we could say they will likely be carried out so that would make 45% acheived or on the way after just 1 year.

Now what promises did Trump make and will he have that many carried out in 1 year?

Let me know but of course you have to look at IF the promises carreid out are good or not like getting rid of your health care plan with no plan on how to provide health care for everyone.

Of course according to Trump supporters here they will be happy to go back to the old system where many millions in your country did not have health care and went broke when a member of their family got sick.

I guess if it makes you happy to sell off all your assets to get care for a member of your family then you will be happy but a lot of people would like to still have a roof over their heads when they get out of the hospital.

But almost as many people wanted the old system as the new so by your electoral system the minority get their way.

[OKdon]

are killing the healthcare system. WE have parents with children that can't handle the deductable and their kids are not taken to the doctor until they are really sick. My son and son inlaw are fiscally responsible with good jobs but you have three or four kids will different ailment seach and ever year. The result being they try their damnest to avoid another office call.

Insurance is suuposed to protect a family from a medical catastrophe but $20K ougt of pocket after $15K premium is a catastrophy in itself.

Single payer is the right way. They don't send anyone a huge bill but all citizens contribute to ahuge insurance pool and they don't wory about someone getting care when you need nothing. You participate willingly because if you or your parent aof children need it. it is there for all comers. They spread the tax burden on various items and it is likely not punitive for anyone. Quit worrin about the small stuff. A few pennies  added to you imput cost will be remarkble painless when compared to what the insuance industry is offering. Get the capitalists out of the health insurance business and medical costs willl drop significantly!