Friday, March 10, 2017

Today on ACA R and R

That's not rest and relaxation. Words from the guv.

“Healthcare experts across the country have rejected the Republican plan outright citing the devastating impact on patients ... Health care is a human right, not a luxury,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Thursday afternoon statement. “After seven years of progress under the Affordable Care Act, the Republican Congress has proposed an inadequate, ill-conceived and unacceptable plan that places the coverage of more than one million New Yorkers in jeopardy. Once fully phased in, (the plan) would shift more than $2.4 billion in costs onto taxpayers and hospitals each year,” he said.

“This plan is a direct assault on New York values (by) defunding Planned Parenthood, restricting access to abortion and reproductive health services, and eliminating $400 million in means tested credits that lowered insurance costs for low-income New Yorkers,” Cuomo said.

“As bad as this bill is, it may get worse. Far-right opponents of the bill in Congress are demanding changes. As disturbing and devastating as the proposed cuts would be, the final result could be downright bone chilling,” he said. “New York’s entire delegation – democrats and republicans – need to stand up and they need to fight, stand against this regressive plan, and protect the people they are sworn to represent. There is no going back.”

Good news if you're from NY or VT.

For older individuals in other states, the AHCA proposes a premium cap for older individuals at five times that of a younger person. For someone currently paying $3,000 a year, their premium could increase up to $15,000.

But in New York State, that will not happen, said Long.

“In New York and Vermont, they have to charge the same premium for all ages,” she said. “I don’t see anything in the AHCA that pre-empts that. So it won’t have as big an impact on people living in New York.”

Response to a wingnut commenter.

Cuomo is afraid of the changes to Medicaid - block grants will force him to make hard decisions.

It's not Cuomo that's going to be hurt by it. 

The ACA is unsustainable and has failed to achieve its goals. 

So, Republicans are either going to repeal it with no replacement at all. Or it's going to stay in place because they are never going to be able to agree on a replacement. Isn't that obvious? What they have is not going to cause enough low income people to lose insurance and enough tax breaks for the wealthy for the Freedom Caucus. So, they have to change it for them. And it's already too onerous to make it through the Senate. 

The only hope is a market driven system. 

Does that actually even mean anything? 

Government run healthcare is dangerous on multiple levels. 


Response to a wingnut spokesman.

We encourage everyone to read the plan at readthebill.gop and to contact our office with their thoughts.”

I went and took a look at it and decided I wasn't going to read 123 pages of gibberish that wasn't ever going to come to fruition anyway. I'll wait for CBO on Monday. Until then I'll read Catherine Rampell

The ratings and analytics firm S&P Global has ballparked the number of people who would lose their insurance at 6 million to 10 million; others have offered figures as high as 15 million and 20 million. Meanwhile, a group of health researchers calculated that the bill would increase costs for enrollees on the individual insurance market by, on average, more than $1,500 per year when it would take effect, and by more than $2,400 per year by 2020.

Oh, and the Medicare trust fund would be exhausted by 2024, according to Brookings Institution researchers.

For those keeping score, that means fewer people would have insurance, those who get insurance on the exchanges would pay a higher price for it and Medicare's solvency would be jeopardized as a bonus. 

You gotta love market driven solutions.

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