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Healthcare

Spartans9312

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Nov 11, 2004
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The House passed The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act.
I don't remember seeing that discussed here but may have missed it.
Was wondering what folks thought of the bill.
 
The House passed The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act.
I don't remember seeing that discussed here but may have missed it.
Was wondering what folks thought of the bill.
The bill would provide a windfall to insurance companies through an expansion of the ACA by broadening eligibility for federal premium subsidies to everyone, regardless of income, while also expanding the size of the subsidies themselves.
It is not a good bill
 
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The House passed The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act.
I don't remember seeing that discussed here but may have missed it.
Was wondering what folks thought of the bill.

It tries to make access to insurance more affordable. We know that 500,000 people were added to ACA roles after COVID layoffs, there is a need for the original program and the assistance this provides. Some of the cost is made up by letting the government negotiate drug pricing. We let the government negotiate the price of a fighter, but not the price of a cholesterol medicine?

I am sure there are problems, there is in every legislation. But I am a believer we need more people insured and not fewer.
 
It tries to make access to insurance more affordable. We know that 500,000 people were added to ACA roles after COVID layoffs, there is a need for the original program and the assistance this provides. Some of the cost is made up by letting the government negotiate drug pricing. We let the government negotiate the price of a fighter, but not the price of a cholesterol medicine?

I am sure there are problems, there is in every legislation. But I am a believer we need more people insured and not fewer.
In December 2013, 11.8 million people had individual health insurance coverage. The federal government provided no subsidies for that coverage.
In December 2019, enrollment in individual health insurance coverage was 12.4 million.
 
In December 2013, 11.8 million people had individual health insurance coverage. The federal government provided no subsidies for that coverage.
In December 2019, enrollment in individual health insurance coverage was 12.4 million.

What is the point?

The median household income in the US is about $60,000. Here is some info on insurance:

The average national monthly health insurance cost for one person on a benchmark plan is $462, or $199 with a subsidy.* Monthly premiums for ACA Marketplace plans vary by state and can be reduced by subsidies. The quickest way to get accurate costs is to obtain a quote from a licensed insurance agent.
So for a family of 2, living on pre-tax of $5000/month, their premiums are almost 1/5. It is 1/5 is we take post tax.

That does not include money spent on healthcare itself as deducables and copay add in to overall cost.

So healthcare overall is a ridiculous chunk for working poor. People right at 5he median household income are spending 1\5.

 
What is the point?

The median household income in the US is about $60,000. Here is some info on insurance:

The average national monthly health insurance cost for one person on a benchmark plan is $462, or $199 with a subsidy.* Monthly premiums for ACA Marketplace plans vary by state and can be reduced by subsidies. The quickest way to get accurate costs is to obtain a quote from a licensed insurance agent.
So for a family of 2, living on pre-tax of $5000/month, their premiums are almost 1/5. It is 1/5 is we take post tax.

That does not include money spent on healthcare itself as deducables and copay add in to overall cost.

So healthcare overall is a ridiculous chunk for working poor. People right at 5he median household income are spending 1\5.
According to the CBO, the federal government sent $248 billion in premium and related subsidies to health insurance companies over those six years.
That investment produced a net increase in individual coverage of 600,000. That works out to nearly $69,000 annually per net newly insured person,
This bill would increase federal subsidy payments to insurance companies.
 
In December 2013, 11.8 million people had individual health insurance coverage. The federal government provided no subsidies for that coverage.
In December 2019, enrollment in individual health insurance coverage was 12.4 million.
Kaiser Family Foundation shows 10.6 million in 2013, up to over 17 million before the Trump Administration, and falling by 2 million per year since. And, people with pre-existing conditions were excluded from most individual market plans before the ACA.
 
The bill would provide a windfall to insurance companies through an expansion of the ACA by broadening eligibility for federal premium subsidies to everyone, regardless of income, while also expanding the size of the subsidies themselves.
It is not a good bill
I just want to underline the hilarity of someone complaining about increasing the number of people with health insurance because it would be a windfall for insurance companies, and then turning around and opposing socialized medicine. Let that sink in for a moment.
 
I just want to underline the hilarity of someone complaining about increasing the number of people with health insurance because it would be a windfall for insurance companies, and then turning around and opposing socialized medicine. Let that sink in for a moment.
I didn't read it that way. I took it as $69,000 per person was a bit much.
 
I didn't read it that way. I took it as $69,000 per person was a bit much.
That math is off by a factor of around 10. There were way more than 600,000 additional covered people during those six years. Take a look at the Kaiser study that I linked previously.
 
Kaiser Family Foundation shows 10.6 million in 2013, up to over 17 million before the Trump Administration, and falling by 2 million per year since. And, people with pre-existing conditions were excluded from most individual market plans before the ACA.
Obama’s work to get people with pre-existing conditions covered was one of the most impactful actions in my lifetime.
 
Kaiser Family Foundation shows 10.6 million in 2013, up to over 17 million before the Trump Administration, and falling by 2 million per year since. And, people with pre-existing conditions were excluded from most individual market plans before the ACA.
The numbers came from Mark Farrah and CBO.
More than 99% of people have access to health coverage, regardless of their income or medical condition.
It is a bad bill
 
The numbers came from Mark Farrah and CBO.
More than 99% of people have access to health coverage, regardless of their income or medical condition.
It is a bad bill

Here's the same 11.8 million baseline from Farrah's data that you referenced and it still results in 6 million newly insured people over the first 2 years of the ACA (link):

Unlike other studies that rely on survey data, Haislmaier and Gonshorowski base their analyses of private health coverage on a Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) dataset. The MFA data are derived from insurer regulatory filings compiled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For self-insured plans administered by insurers, MFA supplements information from insurer regulatory filings with other public and private sources, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.25 For Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, the authors use figures from CMS state-level monthly enrollment reports. Since CMS did not include enrollment data for December 2013, the authors use figures from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured for their baseline estimates.26 The results are reported in table 5. The study finds that the number of people with individual coverage grew by nearly 5.9 million people over the first two years of full ACA implementation. At the end of 2015, 17.7 million people had such coverage, a 50 percent increase over the 11.8 million people who had nongroup coverage in December 2013.
I'm just going to ignore your second, obviously wrong, statement.
 
What is the point?

The median household income in the US is about $60,000. Here is some info on insurance:

The average national monthly health insurance cost for one person on a benchmark plan is $462, or $199 with a subsidy.* Monthly premiums for ACA Marketplace plans vary by state and can be reduced by subsidies. The quickest way to get accurate costs is to obtain a quote from a licensed insurance agent.
So for a family of 2, living on pre-tax of $5000/month, their premiums are almost 1/5. It is 1/5 is we take post tax.

That does not include money spent on healthcare itself as deducables and copay add in to overall cost.

So healthcare overall is a ridiculous chunk for working poor. People right at 5he median household income are spending 1\5.

Bronze plans for my Associates are $1000 a month for two adults with a $9,000 combined deductible.
 
Here's the same 11.8 million baseline from Farrah's data that you referenced and it still results in 6 million newly insured people over the first 2 years of the ACA (link):

Unlike other studies that rely on survey data, Haislmaier and Gonshorowski base their analyses of private health coverage on a Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) dataset. The MFA data are derived from insurer regulatory filings compiled by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For self-insured plans administered by insurers, MFA supplements information from insurer regulatory filings with other public and private sources, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.25 For Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, the authors use figures from CMS state-level monthly enrollment reports. Since CMS did not include enrollment data for December 2013, the authors use figures from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured for their baseline estimates.26 The results are reported in table 5. The study finds that the number of people with individual coverage grew by nearly 5.9 million people over the first two years of full ACA implementation. At the end of 2015, 17.7 million people had such coverage, a 50 percent increase over the 11.8 million people who had nongroup coverage in December 2013.
I'm just going to ignore your second, obviously wrong, statement.
Kaiser breaks down the estimated 27.4 million non-elderly people who were uninsured in 2017:
6.8 million (25%) were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, but not enrolled
8.2 million (30%) were eligible for Obamacare subsidies but did not enroll
3.8 million (14%) declined an offer of employer-sponsored coverage
1.9 million (7%) were not eligible for subsidies because they had income more than 4 times the federal poverty threshold, which put them in the top 2 income quintiles
4.1 million (15%) were ineligible for subsidies because they were not lawful U.S. residents. (my original statement should have said Americans not people)
2.5 million (9%) were under the poverty line but ineligible for federal assistance.
They represented just 0.7% of the population.
Also, the bill would establish a new, unnecessary federal reinsurance program that would cost taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually.
It is a bad bill
 
Kaiser breaks down the estimated 27.4 million non-elderly people who were uninsured in 2017:
6.8 million (25%) were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, but not enrolled
8.2 million (30%) were eligible for Obamacare subsidies but did not enroll
3.8 million (14%) declined an offer of employer-sponsored coverage
1.9 million (7%) were not eligible for subsidies because they had income more than 4 times the federal poverty threshold, which put them in the top 2 income quintiles
4.1 million (15%) were ineligible for subsidies because they were not lawful U.S. residents. (my original statement should have said Americans not people)
2.5 million (9%) were under the poverty line but ineligible for federal assistance.
They represented just 0.7% of the population.
Also, the bill would establish a new, unnecessary federal reinsurance program that would cost taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually.
It is a bad bill

Why do you think the number of ACA enrollees has fallen by 6 million since 2016? The premiums have become unaffordable, because the Trump GOP has failed to protect those markets, as the House bill would.

And what ideas does the Administration have to improve access? They're pushing litigation to undo the ACA.
 
Why do you think the number of ACA enrollees has fallen by 6 million since 2016? The premiums have become unaffordable, because the Trump GOP has failed to protect those markets, as the House bill would.

And what ideas does the Administration have to improve access? They're pushing litigation to undo the ACA.

Courtsense listed some Bronze prices above, $1000/month for a couple for a premium. So 1/5th of the median family's pre tax income is gone for insurance and they still haven't paid a single medical bill.

That is a problem.
 
Why do you think the number of ACA enrollees has fallen by 6 million since 2016? The premiums have become unaffordable, because the Trump GOP has failed to protect those markets, as the House bill would.

And what ideas does the Administration have to improve access? They're pushing litigation to undo the ACA.
The bill would roll back the Trump Administration's success in granting section 1332 waivers (these can be viewed at cms.gov), which have allowed numerous states to establish their own programs that reduce premiums.
It is a bad bill
 
Courtsense listed some Bronze prices above, $1000/month for a couple for a premium. So 1/5th of the median family's pre tax income is gone for insurance and they still haven't paid a single medical bill.

That is a problem.

Yes, more than 40% higher than they were in 2016. The reason is 3-fold, all due to Trump's GOP.
  • repeal of the individual mandate meant that the young & healthy were now free to exit the market, leaving a higher-cost pool of insured
  • ending the cost-sharing reduction subsidies that helped keep premiums affordable
  • enabled the spread of 'skinny-plans' that don't cover the ACA essential benefits
 
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The bill would provide a windfall to insurance companies through an expansion of the ACA by broadening eligibility for federal premium subsidies to everyone, regardless of income, while also expanding the size of the subsidies themselves.
It is not a good bill

the ACA was a windfall to insurance and healthcare/pharma.

expanded the number of people covered, while not addressing costs one cent.

but most of all, because it beat back MFA for X more yrs.
 
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