Well, here is Trump's shit health care idea

[octoberlib]

By Avik Roy June 17 at 4:11 PM
Avik Roy is president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity and a former policy adviser to Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Marco Rubio.


Enter President Trump and his team at the National Economic Council, led by Larry Kudlow. The council found an elegant way to give employers the opportunity to voluntarily convert their health benefits from a defined benefit into a defined contribution. For example, an employer could fund an HRA for each worker and their family, which they could then use to shop for a plan that best suits their needs.

And the White House should consider building on the HRA rule by requiring that all newly incorporated businesses seeking the tax break for employer coverage do so through HRAs. Such a reform would preserve traditional employer-based group health insurance for those who have it, while ensuring that start-ups that evolve into the Googles and Apples of the future deploy the new model.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-could-revolutionize-the-private-health-insurance-market/2019/06/17/bc8ccce4-9124-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html?utm_term=.e02812ed23dd


Comment : 13 minutes ago
"on average, hospitals charge those with private insurance 2.4 times what they charge Medicare for the same services."

A good argument for Medicare for all. Why aren't you plugging private insurance, you fraud?

"shop for low-cost, high-quality health care services"

There is no low-cost, high-quality health care. You get what you pay for. If you get cheap insurance it's junk insurance that covers little and has huge deductibles.

"an elegant way to give employers the opportunity to voluntarily convert their health benefits from a defined benefit into a defined contribution"

Just like the demise of defined-benefit pensions. Workers are forced to fend for themselves without the cushion of a group policy. Anyone who isn't entirely well will face enormous premiums.

This is just a scam to benefit insurance companies and employers at the expense of individual workers.




Basically, Trump is trying to destroy employer offered healthcare as well by putting the burden on the worker who will only have access to junk policies that will cover nothing.

[Claritie Pixie]

1. It's worse than that. Not employed by a company who meets their criteria? You die.

There won't be insurance for self-employed or other kinds of employers.

Contribution? Cos. will get a tax break and then wages to compensate.

[angstlessk]

2. Avik Roy has been a policy advisor to three Republican Party presidential candidates.

[FakeNoose]

3. ChumpHumpers will love it

[LuckyCharms]

4. They need to stop this goddamn bullshit and recognize that...

a strange "sort of health care financing plan, but not really" has nothing to do with actual health care.

God, these fucking people.

[octoberlib]

5. Avik Roy, the author ,is getting crucified over in the comments section at WaPo

There are some very knowledgeable commenters . I hope somebody writes a rebuttal.

[Red Mountain]

6. The Republicans seem to think....

we just need to move the money around faster and all will be well.

[Ron Green]

7. A Single Risk Pool Equals A Health Care System.

Multiple risk pools = an investment scheme.

We have enough investment schemes in this country. We need a health care system.

[PSPS]

15. That's it in a nutshell

Even many on DU forget the simple fact that "real" health insurance means only a single risk pool (i.e., everyone.) As soon as you start carving out "surcharges" or "exclusions" for anything, even for drinkers, smokers or any other kind of thing, it is no longer real health insurance.

[demtenjeep]

8. with Diabetes and Crohn's he is trying to kill me

I hate that mother fucker

[octoberlib]

9. Same here.

[octoberlib]

10. And I wouldn't worry, demtenjeep. The GOP has been singing this song for ages.

It'll never pass the House and Dems will be educating people on why this is bad.

[FiveGoodMen]

18. But how long will we keep the House?

[Wellstone ruled]

11. Oh how we remember those Health Savings Plans.

My Spouse got stuck with this crap for two years with her Employer in the middle eighties. If you could not burn the balance in your account the Employer pocketed it. Do remember her losing some 5k the first year around. And in the Second year it was 3k plus. The annual Xmas Bash turned real ugly for the Company Owner,before the night was done,the so called Health Savings plan was gone never to be mentioned again. All new Policies were in place in less that a week.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. This won't go anywhere

They had their chance when they controlled both houses of Congress.

[Captain Zero]

13. Next up

They will want to give Medicare recipients a lump sum benefit per year to "go shopping".

[pazzyanne]

16. Yep, without enough money to buy anything.

"Basically, Trump is trying to destroy employer offered healthcare as well by putting the burden on the worker who will only have access to junk policies that will cover nothing."

The tRump touted Medicare Supplement plans are like this. The "free" plans basically cover nothing. They took away Advantage choice for most people and replaced them with the Supplement programs. The basic supplement covers very little, but you can buy "fill in the gap" riders. In order to get the same coverage I had an with Advantage Choice plan ($70 with medication coverage included) The supplement+ riders+ medication Part D the cost was $380 plus Medicare at $134 or $450 per month to get the same coverage my Advantage Choice covered for $70 + $134 or $204 a month. I'm trying to live on Social Security and Medicare and tRump Supplemental priced me right out of health insurance. Thankfully there was a straight Advantage plan offered in my county that give me basically the same coverage for $70. Don't talk to me about how great the Republican health insurance is 'cause I'm not buying it.

[pangaia]

14. The "defined-contribution change to defined-benefit pensions

is the same bullshit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra management tried to pull on the musicians.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

17. This is nothing but a campaign weapon for Trump and other GOPers.

They'll spin this from now 'till infinity and in hundreds of ways against Democrats. They know darn well it'll go nowhere in the House.

But they won't mention the fact that thousands of people would unnecessarily suffer and die as a result of such a plan.

This all comes from the GOP's plutocratic minders' unicorn obsession that all things in life must be a for-profit enterprise. If they had their way, we would all be required to go to Hobby Lobby and buy a gadget to put on our mouths to monitor and bill us for breathing.

KY.......

[FiveGoodMen]

19. How long will we keep the House?

That's a pretty shaky ledge to be standing on.

[octoberlib]

21. If they try it, they're screwed, electoral wise.

[Turin_C3PO]

20. It won't work.

Bottom line is that people like the ACA. In fact, healthcare was one of the top issues that flipped Republican-leaning congressional seats to Democratic held in 2018.

If Trump campaigns on overturning the ACA and replacing it, he will lose.

[Ilsa]

22. No one wants to hire the lowest bidder to treat a sick child

or spouse. No one wants to hire the cheapest heart surgeon or plastic surgeon to repair serious burns.

This whole idea of having to shop for your labs, doctors, etc, is stupid. People have no way to objectively compare costs or even understand every detail of what they are buying when looking for a day surgery suite.

[Dirty Socialist]

23. I think this will help a tiny bit

A band aid approach.
But the causes of high health care costs and a low life expectancy go much much deeper than this