OMG Politics, I'm over it already.

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Tiltsta said:
In the Swiss system, which the ACA is based on, companies that choose not to participate in the system are not allowed to conduct any business in Switzerland. They can't sell insurance, bank, invest, or even move money through Switzerland. The problem with the ACA is that the government involved the insurance companies in writing the law, rather then telling the insurance companies how they had to perform to participate. I can guarantee that if the Virginia AG told Aetna they can't do any business in VA of any kind they would probably change their decision very fast. Now imagine the federal government telling Aetna that their pullout from Virginia makes them a non-entity in the US insurance and financial markets. Participate or cease all business operations in the United States; those are the two options you have. Want to guess how fast Aetna would fold? You think they are going to sell health insurance in the rest of the developed world where there isn't much of a market for private coverage? This is how it works in Switzerland. Participate or you can't play ball. I guarantee the Swiss companies are still making a nice profit, as they are lining up to compete for my business.
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Wouldn't Aetna, in that situation, just charge so much for their version of coverage that no one would actually buy it? And then say "See? We are participating!"

Or do the Swiss have laws for that, too? I don't know, I'm genuinely asking.
 
Hey, things are looking up on Fox News.

They fire Bill O'Reilly, and hire Katherine Timpf :love:

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She's a Libertarian though, so I don't know if you guys would like her or not :embarrassed:
 
Jbird said:
Wouldn't Aetna, in that situation, just charge so much for their version of coverage that no one would actually buy it? And then say "See? We are participating!"

Or do the Swiss have laws for that, too? I don't know, I'm genuinely asking.
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The Swiss regulate the percentage of profit a company can make on basic coverage to avoid this kind of situation, at least that is how I understand it. If a company did try such a thing, the citizens could simple vote that company out of business in the country. Unlike the US representative republic, Switzerland is a true democracy, so anyone can propose a law with enough signatures and the people get to vote on it as a referendum. This power could be used, for example, to vote to remove a company's license to sell insurance.

I think some of the reported insane premiums you hear about in the ACA are precisely this kind of 'pretend compliance' going on.
 
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Jbird said:
Hey, things are looking up on Fox News.

They fire Bill O'Reilly, and hire Katherine Timpf :love:

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She's a Libertarian though, so I don't know if you guys would like her or not :embarrassed:
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They must be rescuing her from some terribly low-paying job, because that outfit came in a bag labeled “SEKSY LIBRARAIN COSTUM.”
 
Chad said:
Its not only lobbying. When I lived in FL, I worked for a gastroenterology practice. It was pretty large, 4 or 5 locations, but still in the grand scheme of things, a small little practice. I would say 3 to 4 days a week a different pharmaceutical company brought lunch for the entire practice. And the rep who would bring it, was very well dressed and drove a nice car (indicating they were paid well.) They brought it to the main office and it was enough to feed 50+ people. I can't imagine we were the only office in the area, state, or country that had lunch brought to them. So the salary for the rep and all of the food, multiplied out has to be significant. Put that all in with the lobbying costs and it is huge. I would love to have access to how much these companies pay to lobbying, lunches, super PACs and see how much they get in return for their investment.
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This happens at my wife's clinic at least 3 days a week. She loads up a plate and brings it home for our lunch. eat0
The pharmaceutical rep's are really just catering deliverers that pass out pamphlets for their companies.

Throw in all the "ask your doctor about _______" commercials and you have the second and third leg of the pharmaceutical lobbying/marketing triad.
 
Tig said:
This happens at my wife's clinic at least 3 days a week. She loads up a plate and brings it home for our lunch. eat0
The pharmaceutical rep's are really just catering deliverers that pass out pamphlets for their companies.

Throw in all the "ask your doctor about _______" commercials and you have the second and third leg of the pharmaceutical lobbying/marketing triad.
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yea.....you talk about "ambulance chasers". really, all those drug ad's should be banned from tv. if you have a problem and go to your doctor, HE's the one that will tell you what is out there and how it works and what the side effects are....that's HIS job. the ad's make it seem like YOU have to do all the research and bring all the info TO your doctor, because....you know.....he's a f'ing idiot. you know.....10 years of college/internship/residency/specialty education didn't teach anything. :mad:
 
i was looking at what's on tv for later this evening and i always look to see what's on PBS, so on Frontline tonight is a show called "Poverty, Politics & Profit".
it's about how much gov't money is spent on low income housing and how little of it ends up actually housing people. yea, that would be where the politics & profit part come in.
 
Knox in Box said:
Democrats are now hosting town hall meetings in GOP districts where Reps refuse to show up. Looks like they're listening.
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How long these keep happening should tell us something about prospects for 2018. If people keep showing up at these things then maybe voters are interested in booting the GOP out of Congress. If attendance evaporates then the whole town hall thing really was just a bunch of angry rabble rousers.
 
Chad said:
that is a great idea. If they keep it up, they may be able to win over some voters and then they will be able to introduce the Dem candidate and stump for them in '18.
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Agreed. That said, there's a lot of discontent in Faso's district. I wouldn't be surprised to see a strong challenger there in '18 anyway.
 
jp_nyc said:
How long these keep happening should tell us something about prospects for 2018. If people keep showing up at these things then maybe voters are interested in booting the GOP out of Congress. If attendance evaporates then the whole town hall thing really was just a bunch of angry rabble rousers.
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or people just got tired and fed up listening to politicians.
 
Everything will turn up roses for Comey. The worst outcome he'll face is having to resign and go make seven figures in the private sector.
 
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GomezAddams said:
This is hilarious. Ted Cruz attempts to use the congressional inquiry into Flynn's Russia ties to flog Yates over her refusal to implement Trump's first travel ban. Yates then proceeds to school Cruz on the law.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-go-head-to-head-trumps-travel-ban/314018001/

I've read on other sources that Cruz left the inquiry after this exchange.
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I'm sure the abject terror men like Cruz feel in the presence of intelligent, competent women turns them into scared little girls! :grin:
 
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