by Simon 369 Replies latest social current
The ACA was vigorously debated when it was a bill. Now it is a law.
But the tea-party-led Republicans can't let go. But, even John McCain said, “In the United States Senate, we will not repeal, or defund, Obamacare. We will not. And to think we can is not rational.”
And several other responsible Republicans agree with him: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/09/30/2698471/republicans-against-the-shutdown/ So in that sense, yes, Republicans are terrorists - temper-tantrum terrorists. 
So let me get this straight. For Obamacare to be successful it would require all the "young healthy" people to jump on board to pay for this crappy insurance with high premiums and even astronomical deductions. Most of the young people I know are already loaded down with with student loan debt, can only get part time jobs or low paying jobs and are living with their parents since they can't afford a place of their own or they live with their parents so they can afford to make their car payments and insurance they are forced to pay to be able to actually get to their jobs since the US does not have public transportation like a lot of European countries have that have socialized medicine. It's pathetic the mess that the younger generation will have to deal with.
LRG
I agree, the US selfish-system that's been created sucks and is unfair. Because it is unfair it's also unsustainable so keeping things 'as-is' won't work.
But everyone should pay. Normally the amount you pay should be based on income which is the simplest and fairest but it's difficult to jump right to the end in the first try so it may adjust over time toward that.
It comes down to this. People don't have all this money. Everything is taxed. The democrats love to tax. The Republicans try to rein in taxes. People vote for charisma and smooth talkers, like the President. When reality sets in, those same people balk at suddenly paying a lot more money, money that they just don't have.
It comes down to this. People don't have all this money. Everything is taxed. The democrats love to tax. The Republicans try to rein in taxes. People vote for charisma and smooth talkers, like the President. When reality sets in, those same people balk at suddenly paying a lot more money, money that they just don't have.
No, that's wrong and just propaganda.
Republicans try to shift the weight of paying for things onto individuals so that corporations (really the owners of the corporations) can get a free ride and make obscene profits. What they win from lower taxes plus the inflated income massively outweighs the small extra individual amounts they have to pay for things.
Some things don't work by making them individual. Healthcare is something that needs to be socialised just as road-systems and transportation does.
Minimus, people also will have to pay more for their insurance or medical care with ACA which will reduce their income but there are also other taxes that are added on in the market to pay for this legislation, like the indoor tanning bed tax of 10% which is one tax that I know of. There is no telling what other taxes they added on. It's all just a scam to rob Peter to pay Paul when Paul is already strapped and can barely afford to actually get to his job (if he is even lucky enough to have a job).
LRG
Healthcare is something that needs to be socialised just as road-systems and transportation does.
I would agree with this. The problem is Americans are not getting the same 'socialized' medicine the rest of the world has. What Americans are getting is business as usual- only now a person is forced by law to buy the same broken product we already have in place.
At least in European, and I believe, the Canadian systems (correct me if I'm wrong, Simon), the government takes and active and aggressive role in keeping costs down and negotiating the best deals with pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
The USA currently spends 17% of it's GDP on healthcare while Europe and Canada spend half that. As was correctly observed by jgnat showing the health graph, sadly, the USA ranks 33rd in the world in terms of actual health, often embarrassingly behind countries considered nearly Third World. Perpetuating the same system without implementing massive change will only continue the cycle while costs escalate.
This is why so many are concerned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y-u0UnKZ_U&feature=player_detailpage
(I can't get this video to post directly to play here. Sorry)
The old US System had nothing to force down the biggest cost of the system which is administration. This is why the US spends more than anyone else but gets less actual healthcare in return.
One of the aims of the ACA seems to be to make this more visible and provide incentives for efficiency. It is more 'free market' and 'American' than the old one because it encourages competition.
One of the aims of the ACA seems to be to make this more visible and provide incentives for efficiency. It is more 'free market' and 'American' than the old one because it encourages competition.
Time will tell. I hope so.
