In a few years when the stiff regulations come Premiums will rise at the fastest rate we have ever seen. The media will show stories of people who are paying fines and cannot "afford" the higher premiums especially with the fines or possibly even past due fines. Demand for public option will skyrocket.
I wish the Democrats had some real balls and had this in the first place. HCR was basically just rewarding insurance companies.
A public option will not fix anything either. Its hard to say what will happen. As we have seen, the government will not let their babies fail. I think it depends on what political party is in office. What is for certain is this is a 100% democratic bill, but after it becomes a complete failure, they will blame the republicans because they wouldn't allow the public option as means to justify cost control. They will never own up and admit they never should have passed this current crap. We can take a look at the financial meltdown and the GM/Chrysler bailout to see where each party choose to lay the blame. Neither side will take responsibility.
I don't think it matters who blames who because they always blame each other for everything. The thing that matters is the current law will lead to an increase in rates which leads to the public option.
I suspect the public option is dead. It took 16 years for congress to accept a version of the GOP plan from 1994, no way they reopen the concept. Bigger subsidies to the insurance industry are not out of the question though.... come back and see me later -- next patient please. send in another victim of congressional disease....
Actually it took way longer than that - more like 100 years to open up the gates toward HC Reform. The scale of the problems with healthcare over the next 50 years don't really allow for that kind of timeline anymore, now that a formalized, direct federal role in the process has been definitiively, and for all intents and purposes, irrevocably established, incremental change will happen more quickly in the future.
The law of law of insatiable demand and limited means brings death panels to America. Yeah, we can't consider the inevitability of it and pass a bill but it will happen. We ration health care by money now. Everybody can't have every procedure, and somebody is going to have to die.
HCR will be good if Congress can deliver 70% of what the Democrats have been selling the public, but they're politicians, so it won't happen.
Yea that's the plan all right. Followed by single payer when the public option drives the insurance companies out of business when price controls are enacted.
A public option will likely help. It's hard to say what will happen. It will depend on which political party is in office. What is for certain is that this a 100% Democratic bill, but after it starts helping people and becomes more popular, Republicans will start taking credit for every good thing in the bill and try to blame the Democrats for everything wrong with it. The Republicans will never own up and admit that they lost their chance to be truly involved in the process because they were obsessed with ensuring Barack Obama's failure.
You're a fool if you think we haven't been rationing health care by money for years. You're right that not every person can have every procedure, and sadly some people may die. But at least they won't be dying because an unchecked bloodsucking corporation is actively trying to find loopholes to deny them the coverage for which they've been paying premiums for years.
I know it scares you, but I hope you're right. But you could always leave the country if you feel there isn't enough freedom and liberty for you here anymore. I hear Costa Rica is nice.
