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Trump Ramps Up Obamacare Sabotage With Huge Cuts To Enrollment Programs

Then I guess by that reasoning the automobile manufacturing business is a government monopoly too -- since the government sets standards. You are not "free" to buy a car that does not have the equipment to meet government air quality standards; one that lacks seat belts; one that doesn't have padded dashboards, airbags, safety glass, and about 1,000 other mandated items.

Apples and oranges. Does the government ADVERTISE those things?
 
Yes, I understand that. It just mandates the coverage. And if the free market were at work, as it is with Medicare supplement plans, for instance? There would be PLENTY of marketing being done by that free market. The Federal government doesn't promote Medicare supplements. The insurance companies, the free market, INUNDATES consumers with enrollment deadlines. It's not the government's job to promote. If insurance companies were incentivized? They'd be hustling up a storm.
Obamacare IS a free market. It is private individuals buying private insurance from privately owned insurance companies.
When the public policy objective is to try to get as many Americans to have health insurance as possible, it's the government's job to promote it.
 
Obamacare is collapsing, anyway. The sooner it collapses, the sooner we can get rid of it.

Wrong. Yet again.

[h=1]Obamacare Is Not Collapsing, Imploding or Exploding[/h]


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/opinion/obamacare-collapsing-imploding-trumpcare.html?mcubz=1
 
Apples and oranges. Does the government ADVERTISE those things?
Advertising is not the criteria, according to what you wrote in post #22. You said that you, "call it a monopoly is because the gvmt has set the standards." If that's your criteria, then everything in which the government sets standards is a monopoly.

By changing it to advertising, you are moving the goal post.
 
It's been out for awhile, why do they need to keep "advertising "? $100 million to advertise!! I think there could be a better way to spend that much money. IMO if Obama care was so great they wouldn't need spend THAT amount of money to push it. Good business move.

Barack Obama and his Family has Government backed Insurance ... it's Trump Supporters who will get Screwed, along with the rest of American Citizen who will be the product of a Sabotage.
 

I think what has happened, happening is proof that neither party can go it alone on healthcare. Either both parties have a stake in it or the other party will try to destroy whatever the other party did. Trump and the Republicans have no stake whatsoever in the ACA. Only one political party does. The ACA isn't like medicare or social security when both parties voted for it absent some who didn't. A comparison:

Social Security votes in Congress – Over 65% of the American Public was in favor of Social Security before it was introduced to congress.
House - Democrats 284 AYE 15 NAY – Republicans 81 AYE 15 NAY
Senate – Democrats 60 AYE 1 NAY – Republicans 16 AYE 5 NAY

Medicare votes in Congress – Over 60% of the American Public was in favor of Medicare before it was introduced to congress.
House – Democrats 237 AYE 48 NAY – Republicans 70 AYE 68 NAY
Senate – Democrats 57 AYE 7 NAY – Republicans 13 AYE 17 NAY

Obamacare votes in Congress – Only 35% of the American Public was in favor of Obamacare and 58% against it before it was introduced to congress.
House – Democrats 220 AYE 36 NAY – Republicans 0 AYE 179 NAY
Senate – Democrats 60 AYE 0 NAY – Republicans 0 AYE 39 NAY

Republicans aren't about to help the ACA because they have no stake or reason to do so. It was and is a purely Democratic Party Plan. Just like the Democrats have no stake in repealing it or passing the AHCA, in whatever form. Either there is a meeting of the minds between our two major parties, they both come up with a compromise solution that works and if not, that both parties will work to fix. As long as one party tries to do healthcare by itself, the other party will fight it tooth and nail.

Folks it has to be both like in social security and medicare or we're stuck between a political partisan battle between political parties.

For Democrats to expect Republican help is asinine. For Republicans to expect Democratic is just as asinine. Either together or nothing get accomplished.
 
Advertising is not the criteria, according to what you wrote in post #22. You said that you, "call it a monopoly is because the gvmt has set the standards." If that's your criteria, then everything in which the government sets standards is a monopoly.

By changing it to advertising, you are moving the goal post.

It is not mandatory that you buy a car. Car manufacturers are free to enhance their cars to their heart's content. Not so with the ACA. If it were truly a free market, the INSURANCE companies would be doing the advertising. A$100 million governmental budget to advertise ACA coverage is wasteful. It's mandated. Insurance companies don't inundate us with advertising on ACA because they're hanging on by their fingernails.
 
I agree with e everything you stated except that incredible insult to pigs everywhere...
 
Barack Obama and his Family has Government backed Insurance ... it's Trump Supporters who will get Screwed, along with the rest of American Citizen who will be the product of a Sabotage.
That's a good point. The people who will get hurt are the down-on-their-luck Trump voters, like those in KY and WV, that have 1/3 of the people on expanded Medicaid. The guy gets elected as a populist and his first big proposal is taking away health insurance from millions -- and when he fails to do that, he tries sabotage with no goal other than spite.
 
It is not mandatory that you buy a car. Car manufacturers are free to enhance their cars to their heart's content. Not so with the ACA. If it were truly a free market, the INSURANCE companies would be doing the advertising. A$100 million governmental budget to advertise ACA coverage is wasteful. It's mandated. Insurance companies don't inundate us with advertising on ACA because they're hanging on by their fingernails.
Insurance companies can offer ANY improvements and features that they want, with the provision that they meet minimum standards.
 
You make some excellent points.

The reason I call it a monopoly is because the gvmt has set the standards. Insurance companies are not free to offer lesser coverage in order to save insurers money. Minimal deductibles, etc. You want insurance? You're buying into the ACA.

That's correct, but that's not a monopoly any more than the car industry is a monopoly because we have tons of minimum standards on autos these days. And there are excellent reasons why the ACA had EHBs, among them million had products that were called "insurance" but would fail (no guessing needed) them when they got really sick, and because minimum standards are necessary to have any chance at solving the problem of those with pre-existing conditions.

As to your saying no one likes the idea of an alternative, the vote was only shy by a few. So I'm doubting that's true.

Sure, Senators voted yes because they made promises, but I can't recall any of them talking about how they're voting yes because of all the great things the bill does or would do? And if you can find industry support or broad support from GOP governors for the Senate alternative, you can post it but I never saw it.

The sad fact is the best reason given to support the GOP plan in the Senate was because it would NOT become law but that some unknown superior alternative would emerge from reconciliation with the House! "Sure, this bill is terrible, but we promise it will NOT become law. So when you vote Yes, you're voting for this pig in this here poke! GO GOP! HURRAH!"
 
You make some excellent points.

The reason I call it a monopoly is because the gvmt has set the standards. Insurance companies are not free to offer lesser coverage in order to save insurers money. Minimal deductibles, etc. You want insurance? You're buying into the ACA.

As to your saying no one likes the idea of an alternative, the vote was only shy by a few. So I'm doubting that's true.

Well, you also can't buy a car that immolates itself upon impact. Auto manufacturers are not free to offer that.
 
Yes, I understand that. It just mandates the coverage. And if the free market were at work, as it is with Medicare supplement plans, for instance? There would be PLENTY of marketing being done by that free market. The Federal government doesn't promote Medicare supplements. The insurance companies, the free market, INUNDATES consumers with enrollment deadlines. It's not the government's job to promote. If insurance companies were incentivized? They'd be hustling up a storm.

There is a little bit of a difference. Everyone over 65 has Medicare, and virtually every senior who can afford it has a supplemental plan. So that advertising is targeted to consumers who WILL BUY and the question is whether they'll pick BCBS or AARP's plan or whoever. And Medicare isn't going anywhere.

The advertising for ACA targets the millions who probably never have had insurance and are being persuaded to buy it for the first time. Plus, no insurers in 2017 can be confident that customers they get this year won't be lost when as promised the GOP trashes the system and replaces it with something else unknown. So there is no long term payoff. That's of course another way they're purposely undermining ACA by introducing all the uncertainty they possibly can so that insurers have little incentive to invest for the long term. So Trump and the GOP are providing every possible disincentive they can both to consumers and insurers.

It's a deliberate attempt to burn the ACA down because they can't pass their own alternative on the merits. It's obvious - everyone knows what they're doing.
 
It is not mandatory that you buy a car. Car manufacturers are free to enhance their cars to their heart's content. Not so with the ACA. If it were truly a free market, the INSURANCE companies would be doing the advertising. A$100 million governmental budget to advertise ACA coverage is wasteful. It's mandated. Insurance companies don't inundate us with advertising on ACA because they're hanging on by their fingernails.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/business/health-insurers-profit.html
 
I think what has happened, happening is proof that neither party can go it alone on healthcare. Either both parties have a stake in it or the other party will try to destroy whatever the other party did. Trump and the Republicans have no stake whatsoever in the ACA. Only one political party does. The ACA isn't like medicare or social security when both parties voted for it absent some who didn't. A comparison:

Social Security votes in Congress – Over 65% of the American Public was in favor of Social Security before it was introduced to congress.
House - Democrats 284 AYE 15 NAY – Republicans 81 AYE 15 NAY
Senate – Democrats 60 AYE 1 NAY – Republicans 16 AYE 5 NAY

Medicare votes in Congress – Over 60% of the American Public was in favor of Medicare before it was introduced to congress.
House – Democrats 237 AYE 48 NAY – Republicans 70 AYE 68 NAY
Senate – Democrats 57 AYE 7 NAY – Republicans 13 AYE 17 NAY

Obamacare votes in Congress – Only 35% of the American Public was in favor of Obamacare and 58% against it before it was introduced to congress.
House – Democrats 220 AYE 36 NAY – Republicans 0 AYE 179 NAY
Senate – Democrats 60 AYE 0 NAY – Republicans 0 AYE 39 NAY

Republicans aren't about to help the ACA because they have no stake or reason to do so. It was and is a purely Democratic Party Plan. Just like the Democrats have no stake in repealing it or passing the AHCA, in whatever form. Either there is a meeting of the minds between our two major parties, they both come up with a compromise solution that works and if not, that both parties will work to fix. As long as one party tries to do healthcare by itself, the other party will fight it tooth and nail.

Folks it has to be both like in social security and medicare or we're stuck between a political partisan battle between political parties.

For Democrats to expect Republican help is asinine. For Republicans to expect Democratic is just as asinine. Either together or nothing get accomplished.

And yet, the hard-right called Medicare "Socialized Medicine" that will make us a communist state. They then called Obamacare the same.

 
Moderator's Warning:
Moved to more appropriate location
 
That's a good point. The people who will get hurt are the down-on-their-luck Trump voters, like those in KY and WV, that have 1/3 of the people on expanded Medicaid. The guy gets elected as a populist and his first big proposal is taking away health insurance from millions -- and when he fails to do that, he tries sabotage with no goal other than spite.

These people have been Voti g against their best interest for a long time, besides, they can always just Blame Hillary or The Democrats while the real culprits are laughing their ass off all the way to the Bank.
 
Typical GOP governance. Take a program, gut it until it doesn't function anymore, then point at it and say "see, government doesn't work! Please shovel cash into the private sector so THEY can hoard it."

As a republican.. you have a point.

They have done the same with the post office. Forcing the postal service to fund retirement plans in a way that no other company does.. tying their hands on what they can do to be profitable.. and then stepping back and saying "look how the government cannot do it".
 
Donald J. Trump ‏Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
After seven years of "talking" Repeal & Replace, the people of our great country are still being forced to live with imploding ObamaCare!
9:19 AM - 29 Jul 2017

And the Trump administration is doing everything possible to make sure the ACA implodes.
 
It is a monopoly. Try to buy insurance that isn't Obamacare. No can do.

I'm sincerely curious. How many Democratic bills were put before Congress in Obama's last few years in office? These problems didn't just begin to occur seven months ago. Did the Dems do anything to fix this mess? And how did the Repubs sabotage the ACA during Obama's reign?

Maggie.. there is no such insurance as "obamacare"..
 
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