Thread: What is the alternative to Obamacare?

1. Tax benefits that exceed Major Medical Coverage
2. Modify the HSA program to allow that which exceeds the deductible of the major medical plan rolls over into a retirement savings account (IRA, Roth IRA, or even a 401K)
3. Allow people to change plans by not allowing preexisting conditions to be excluded if coverage gaps do not exceed 3 months in the past 12.
4. Limit liability to a formula based on an individuals income/net worth.

Originally Posted by lizzie

As I've said time and time again, we need to have the choice to buy catastrophic coverage insurance (the kind of insurance that we all had prior to the mid-70's and congressional mandates on HMO type coverage). Those of us who don't want or need comprehensive coverage could afford that much more easily, and those who desire to have their drugs and Dr office visits covered can pay extra for that coverage.

Lizz, a thousand likes!

Originally Posted by samsmart

(10) Create a universal single-payer system.

yes, the consumer should be the only payer for non financially catistropic health care needs.

Originally Posted by Bob Blaylock

Very worst case that I can see, after this law is struck down, is a return to the status quo before it was passed.

Before the law was passed, my wife and I were just barely on the verge of being able to afford health insurance. One open-enrollment period came, and we couldn't quite afford it. Over the following year, my wife went to a great deal of trouble to manage our finances in such a way that next time around, we would be able to afford it. It was during that year that Obamacare passed, and as a result, by the time open enrollment came around again, the cost we would have had to pay for health care insurance had doubled, leaving us still unable to afford it. Once Obamacare is struck down, and the industry recovers, it seems very likely that my wife and I will finally be able to afford health coverage, that Obamacare was forcing beyond our reach.

As far as I am concerned, what you call “incredible turmoil” is going to be a major improvement over the current mess.

You really should consider a low cost high deductable major medical plan and open a Health Care Savings account at your local bank. Each month I deposit my insurance savings into my HSA and now I have plenty of money to cover any deductables or regular doctor visits.

Just a few months ago I had a minor surgery, I paid for it by writing a check out of my HSA. It was a nice feeling to know that I didn't have to worry about copays and deductables and fighting the insurance company or filing any claims or forms. And all that money in my HSA, that's really money that I am preventing the insurance companies from stealing.

Originally Posted by lizzie

I'd personally like to see caps on lifetime benefits for the government healthcare programs, just as we see in private benefit packages. This is another one of the reasons our health care expenses are going up.

I'd be fine with that too.

Originally Posted by Harry Guerrilla

There are lots of alternatives to ObamaCare.
The problem is getting passed people's biased beliefs in order to get the right legislation, without all the loaded crap.

Yup. I believe that's the correct answer.

Originally Posted by ksu_aviator

1. Tax benefits that exceed Major Medical Coverage
2. Modify the HSA program to allow that which exceeds the deductible of the major medical plan rolls over into a retirement savings account (IRA, Roth IRA, or even a 401K)...

I believe that HSA's already can be withdrawn from without penalty at age 65, just like an IRA. Essentially, they become an IRA.

A few years ago there was a bill in congress which would have created a new type of tax free or tax derfered account, I can't remember the name of the account, but it was essentially a one size fits all account. There were about a dozen good reasons that one could withdraw money without penality. I can't remember all of them but healthcare was one, a downpayment for ones first house was another, I believe to use it for education of oneself or a dependant was another, and of course for retirement. I thought it was a good idea when I read about it, but the bill seemed to disapear.

public option / single payer is my preference. and in no way connected to place of employment.

Originally Posted by Helix

public option / single payer is my preference. and in no way connected to place of employment.

Exactly! I know why it came about that insurance resides with employers, but surely, moving forward, it would make more sense to take it out off their shoulders and out of their profits. It's a drain on companies to have to manage negotiating coverage and then accounting for employees and their choices.

Originally Posted by CriticalThought

I strongly suspect the Supreme Court will strike down the entire Affordable Healthcare Act in June.

What then is going to be the alternative?

When they do strike it down there is going to be incredible turmoil in the health care and insurance markets. Millions of people will still be without health insurance, costs will still be rising astronomically, and people with preexisting conditions will once again face the fear of a lifetime of cost prohibitive health insurance, assuming they could even get health insurance. It is not a cheery forecast.

It is also unlikely that anything will change between June and November. The GOP will stall any attempts to pass new health care legislation until they get a man in the White House. The entire presidential election will be a debate about health care. Neither Romney nor Obama have presented any alternative ideas of what they would do or even what they could do.

I do have an alternative idea.

Make $1,000 deductibles mandatory on health insurance policies. For those who can't afford $1,000 (below a certain income threshhold), the government will either pay THEM the $1,000 or pay it to their healthcare provider if they use the service.

Medicaid still provides coverage just as it does now, but people have an opportunity to put the thousand in their pocket instead of spending it on useless healthcare they don't need.

If people are actually have to pay $1,000 out of pocket for their healthcare before insurance kicks in, we won't see so many trips to ERs, we won't see so many visits to doctors for colds, etc., etc. And people will actually care what their doctor charges them for office visits.