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Forum Post: Obama admits Individual Health Insurance Mandate will NOT work

Posted 12 years ago on Jan. 22, 2012, 4:47 p.m. EST by Galt01 (55)
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14 Comments

14 Comments


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[-] 1 points by Nordic (390) 12 years ago

What the media likes to call "ObamaCare" was in fact written by the health insurance industry.

Look it up.

It's Corporatism at its finest. Obama is their little tool.

We need new parties, let the others wither on the vine. Obama is absolute proof that the Democratic Party is just as bad as the Repub party, and that the spoon-feeding of Obama to us was nothing but a massive con job. A triumph of corporate marketing prowess.

[-] 1 points by Lardhead2 (67) 12 years ago

I agree with you. But there are too many here that still have complete faith in the DNC and Obama.

[-] 0 points by Galt01 (55) 12 years ago

agreed

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 12 years ago

put up public hospitals

[-] 1 points by ARod1993 (2420) 12 years ago

The individual mandate only really works if there's a public option; otherwise you've effectively legislated a captive market. Once they killed the public option in Congress the individual mandate ceased to do what it was supposed to do. I support the idea, but the way it should have been done in lieu of a public option is assessing a penalty per uninsured American to any insurance company taking in over $120,000,000 in revenue (and if they can't get that through Congress they might as well drop the individual mandate altogether, at least for now).

[-] 0 points by Galt01 (55) 12 years ago

The public option will turn into a single payer system in no time. That's why it didn't pass - because the public is on to the scam.

The other idea you have is completely ridiculous. All the insurance companies will do is break themselves up into smaller entities. Happens all the time spin offs & mergers.

[-] 2 points by ARod1993 (2420) 12 years ago

Actually, the insurance companies breaking up into smaller entities would be exactly what I want to see happen. There are too few firms in the market, and many of those firms are too big. If there was an effective cap on how big an insurance company could be before taking on a social responsibility to the entire nation then you'd return to old-fashioned monopolistic competition within the insurance industry and costs would probably start to drop all on their own. As far as single payer goes, if it's really that bad then how is it that healthcare spending in countries with single-payer systems is a smaller portion of GDP than it is in the US?

[-] 0 points by slammersworldisback (-217) 12 years ago

the solution to healthcare difficulty is simple, but no one will support it....limit liability for medical care professionals (tort reform) and end the state boundary limitations on policies...let good old fashion competition create the savings....

[-] 1 points by ARod1993 (2420) 12 years ago

That's just going to make it open season on patients. Tort reform is a nice red herring to throw out there that'll save you maybe a few million dollars here and there, but the proper way to do that is to regulate or do away with malpractice insurance, and then leave the understanding that should a malpractice suit that's successful will leave you on the street for the rest of your life.

Ending the state boundary limitations on policies is, once again, not that simple. If policies can simply be bought across state lines then it's possible for insurance companies to sell things that would be illegal in many states to the residents of those states, and it would drag the common denominator even lower. Now, what I wouldn't mind doing is allowing for reciprocity between states (a plan may be sold in any state in which it is legal, even if that creates a multistate coverage pool).

[-] -1 points by Galt01 (55) 12 years ago

There are 1,100 health insurance companies nationwide. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to purchase plans across state lines. Why is that? Who is creating the monopoly?

[-] 1 points by ARod1993 (2420) 12 years ago

It's not so much about the ability to buy across state lines as it is the ability to sell across state lines. Different states have different rules about what is and is not considered an acceptable minimum of coverage one is allowed to charge for; some states require that a health insurance plan must provide a minimum degree of coverage before you're allowed to sell it while others don't give a crap. If policies can simply be bought across state lines then it's possible for them to sell things that would be illegal in many states to the residents of those states, and it would drag the common denominator even lower. Now, what I wouldn't mind doing is allowing for reciprocity between states (a plan may be sold in any state in which it is legal, even if that creates a multistate coverage pool).

[-] 0 points by kingscrossection (1203) 12 years ago

Galt? Is it really you or are you being satirical?

[-] 0 points by JenLynn (692) 12 years ago

So he flip-flopped after the campaign, what's so new about a politician saying one thing and doing something else a year later? The whole health insurance law is a mess.

[-] -1 points by Galt01 (55) 12 years ago

That's got to be the biggest flip flop in the history of the world LOL !

I posted this because I was debating the issue with someone & thought everyone should know.