OMG Politics, I'm over it already.

[LeftyTom]

Switzerland has the system the ACA was modeled on, with a mandated purchase of private insurance for every person. The poor get some govt support, but most people do not. The difference is that in the Swiss laws, the companies providing insurance must cover everyone, the government tells them what they can charge. They can't make a profit off the base coverage...but they can sell add ons like lower deductible, private rooms, etc plans st a profit. If you apply to a company they must take you. So, you have a regulated minimum coverage and companies can't make a profit. Companies use the basic coverage to pay thei staff and operations and make their money off the upsell of perks. The basic cost is about 400 bucks a month per person. I guess that gives you some idea what insurance actually costs. In terms of comparisons, the Swiss health system is among the very best in the world, and is better than what exists in the US.

I think the US made Mistakes in not closely regulating the prices companies can charge. We implemented a system like the Swiss, but with a giant loophole for insurance company profits.

The BIG mistake in ACA is allowing children to stay on parent's insurance until the age of 26. The idea was the 18-36 year olds, who generally use health insurance the least, would buy coverage, thus covering part of the cost for the less healthy.

 

[jp_nyc]

Switzerland has the system the ACA was modeled on, with a mandated purchase of private insurance for every person. The poor get some govt support, but most people do not. The difference is that in the Swiss laws, the companies providing insurance must cover everyone, the government tells them what they can charge. They can't make a profit off the base coverage...but they can sell add ons like lower deductible, private rooms, etc plans st a profit. If you apply to a company they must take you. So, you have a regulated minimum coverage and companies can't make a profit. Companies use the basic coverage to pay thei staff and operations and make their money off the upsell of perks. The basic cost is about 400 bucks a month per person. I guess that gives you some idea what insurance actually costs. In terms of comparisons, the Swiss health system is among the very best in the world, and is better than what exists in the US.

I think the US made Mistakes in not closely regulating the prices companies can charge. We implemented a system like the Swiss, but with a giant loophole for insurance company profits.

Another big problem that the US has is redundancies caused by federalism. States get to regulate insurance within their borders and employers have to buy plans from states they operate in. So we have far too many plans, insurance companies, subsidiary companies, regulatory compliance staff, web sites, marketing campaigns, etc.. In this sense the insurance industry is a jobs program, just as much as unchecked wasteful military, intelligence, and law enforcement spending are.

 

[Chad]

The BIG mistake in ACA is allowing children to stay on parent's insurance until the age of 26. The idea was the 18-36 year olds, who generally use health insurance the least, would buy coverage, thus covering part of the cost for the less healthy.

Except, you get out of college at 22 or 23 with $50k in debt. Insurance isn't something you are going to buy unless it comes through work and even then you'll probably pay the tax instead.

 

[mongooz]

Except, you get out of college at 22 or 23 with $50k in debt. Insurance isn't something you are going to buy unless it comes through work and even then you'll probably pay the tax instead.

50K?? triple or quadruple that.

 

[Chad]

50K?? triple or quadruple that.

My wife came out with a PhD at about $70k. Granted her undergrad was in the early 90s but her PhD was around 2005. But yeah, I was being generous with my under estimate.

 

[LeftyTom]

Except, you get out of college at 22 or 23 with $50k in debt. Insurance isn't something you are going to buy unless it comes through work and even then you'll probably pay the tax instead.

With 4 years of college under your belt, you can get a good job.... maybe

 

[Chad]

Another big problem that the US has is redundancies caused by federalism. States get to regulate insurance within their borders, and because employers have to buy plans from states they operate in. So we have far too many plans, insurance companies, subsidiary companies, regulatory compliance staff, web sites, marketing campaigns, etc.. In this sense the insurance industry is a jobs program, just as much as unchecked wasteful military, intelligence, and law enforcement spending are.

It is too big and I still believe part of the reason they didn't push for single payer was we already had a huge unemployment rate and suddenly bringing in single payer would have laid off millions of people.

 

[Tig]

Bullshit. It was broken down and explained to us what the cost would be and why. Fucking people like you living in the shadow that thinks all this shit comes down the line and is free.

You are completely wrong. Even if the obvious facts didn't alert us to this, your personal attack is your tell when you have no cards to play.

Well, unless you are using alternative cards.

 

[GilmourD]

With 4 years of college under your belt, you can get a good job.... maybe

My wife has a BA from NYU, an MA from Rutgers, and an EdM from TC Columbia and she finally broke $50K a year this year.

Welcome to the world where you can't pick up garbage without a degree but no employer will pay you enough to actually make it tenable.

 

[mongooz]

With 4 years of college under your belt, you can get a good job.... maybe

if you bothered to get a master's degree.....hence the 150k - 200k debt. i work with several guys in the their late 20's to 30 that still owe 80k...but we're talking about engineering degrees.

 

[jp_nyc]

Student debt load varies wildly by field and school. Going to school in-state is a great way to keep tuition down. Fields popular with wealthy donors keeps tuition down. Some people do in-state medical school and come out debt free because rich people like to endow medical scholarships. Go out of state or private for veterinary school and you’ll graduate in six figure hole. In some states you’re even fucked at state schools. New Jersey schools are so pricey that it can be cheaper to study in Canada.

 

[mongooz]

VIVA La Resitance.
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltech...a-gag-orders?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

 

[mongooz]

so, dumpster has issued the order to build "the wall". do he and his dipshit henchmen NOT realize that there are dozens (at least) of tunnels ALREADY across the border?

the wall isn't going to stop anything. can you say El Chapo? they tunneled into the PRISON and got him out.

 

[VoidTerraFirma]

Yum...chocolate!

 

[jp_nyc]

so, dumpster has issued the order to build "the wall". do he and his dipshit henchmen NOT realize that there are dozens (at least) of tunnels ALREADY across the border?

Trump is some mix of insane, stupid, and willfully ignorant. So are many of the people around him. The others are schemers and sycophants just hanging around until the third-year turnover so they can move to high-paying jobs afterward. Nobody gives a shit about the wall being pointless.

And I doubt any of them, even Trump, expects funding for the wall to get through Congress. Right wing budget hawks in the house might not even let it go for a vote. Democrats in the senate will filibuster. I’m not saying that it has no chance of happening, but that this point he’s just throwing handfuls of meat at the neo-nazis in the alt-right.

 

[GilmourD]

so, dumpster has issued the order to build "the wall". do he and his dipshit henchmen NOT realize that there are dozens (at least) of tunnels ALREADY across the border?

the wall isn't going to stop anything. can you say El Chapo? they tunneled into the PRISON and got him out.

Also, a large portion of the people he wants to keep out come here via plane.

Planes can fly over walls.

 

[Peen Simmons]

Not even one week yet.

 

[LeftyTom]

It's all sleight of hand. Short attention span of Trump voters. So he can jump from one hot button item to the next, while doing very little to benefit the country.

 

[Pine Apple Slim]

It's all sleight of hand. Short attention span of Trump voters. So he can jump from one hot button item to the next, while doing very little to benefit the country.

Yep, while his team and Congress does a great deal to harm it while everybody cheers and criticizes the crazy Bossman.

 

[mongooz]

Also, a large portion of the people he wants to keep out come here via plane.

Planes can fly over walls.

not if the border is patrolled by F-16's....or.....maybe that's a job for the brand new and improved wonderful greatest of them all......F-35