Yep, insurance companies might have to pay back what they’ve been ripping off from clients, that’s a real “train wreck” for the industry all right. (About how much they have to pay for care, and cut back on what they pay themselves.)
Notice that the train hasn’t even left the station. The difference between this cartoon and real life is that the guy calling it a train wreck should be next to the engine with a wrench and a sledge hammer trying to sabotage it before it can get moving. ’BTW Residents of NY are projected to save 50% on health care due to the ACA.
Each Presidency is an opportunity to try new ideas and lay foundations for long term futures. The healthcare plan, as imperfect as it is, is an old idea – initially introduced by Republicans – and it is designed to be a long term solution to our growing healthcare costs.If our cannibalistic congress was able to work together in a bipartisan, civil, and respectful manner, healthcare could be made into a product in which a large majority of Americans can benefit. However, the most recent bipartisan effort was one that was designed to protect the minority from losing their filibuster privileges, while giving the President the option of doing what most presidents have been able to take for granted – that their nominees would be confirmed or at least get a hearing.This is not a train wreck, it is just another effort by one party to try and demonize the other. The American people deserve better, the United States of America NEEDS better.Respectfully,C.
Obamacare corrects some hateful aspects of the prior system, but introduces many more. For all its benefits, there are some serious consequences, which will cause a train wreck. I view Obamacare the same as I view the vote to increase the debt ceiling: better than the alternative, but a cure for the symptom and not the problem. As such there will just be more symptoms down the road.
The only question is how long we will take, and how many false roads we go down, before we wise up and go to single payer. I predict several attempted train wrecks between now and then.
Discredit what? Its the same old talking points: It’ll kill you grandma, It’ll cost you $20,000, it’ll force your doctor into retirement in Tahiti, Obama will perform the operations with Joe Biden, etc.
“The extraordinary decline in New York’s insurance rates for individual consumers demonstrates the profound promise of the Affordable Care Act,” she added.”
The worrying part of that is the ‘profound promise’ … that is ringing my Marketing bells in a full peal …
What kind of coverage exactly, is NY getting? Individual costs being cut 50% … wow. Too good to be true, don’t you think? So … what else is being cut, on the behalf of NY individuals who will now be forced to buy this cut rate coverage ..?
OK, maybe I’m too cynical. But … I’ll wait and see.
“Kliff continues, “On average, the most affordable “silver plan” – which covers 70 percent of the average subscriber’s medical costs – comes with a $276 monthly premium. For the 2.6 million Californians who will receive federal subsidies, the price is a good deal less expensive…”
Yes. The problem is that Kliff (and you, apparently) are basic math challenged.
People who qualify for Federal subsidies, do NOT have $275/mo laying around to hand to the insurers. They also don’t have the 30% copays that are required. Sure, on $150 physician visit, the copay won’t be ‘only’$45, but last fall I had an MRI that was billed out at $13k. Blood panels run well over $200.
It’s going to be a trainwreck, and it’s going to be a particularly ugly one.
You can’t get to ‘affordable’ health care by handing it over to the insurers. Not only do they not care about anyone’s health, but they may be the only entity on the globe with more resources than the Vatican. They didn’t get there by applying compassion.
Hawthorne: 80% of premiums must go to providing care, with only 20% for “overhead” and excess of that has to be returned to the victim, er, insured.
Coraryan: VA tells me I have to get very good care, annual physicals for free, hearing aids for free that VA pays less than my private audiologist can get them for at his cost, my drugs are free, and VA only pays a miniscule amount for those drugs compared to m local pharmacy. While the system is far from perfect, it’s thousands of times better, and cheaper, than what a huge number of American have available. The ACA, when implemented WILL provide care for those who now are dumped in the gutter by “corporate medicine”.
^Tigger, nice to know you know NOTHING about how insurance and actuarial tables work! MORE enrollees, especially younger ones (who should NOT be allowed to “opt out” like the REPUBLICANS wrote in!) bring more HEALTHY PEOPLE into the system, who pay their premiums for a long time before needing to make claims, OR they die first. (It’s not a “government plot”, it’s the way companies have made huge profits by investing those premiums and NOT paying out benefits, since insurance became a business, like well Lloyds of London.)
The only “wreck” is the profit train corporations have been railroading the public on for a long, long, time.
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
Yep, insurance companies might have to pay back what they’ve been ripping off from clients, that’s a real “train wreck” for the industry all right. (About how much they have to pay for care, and cut back on what they pay themselves.)
Peabody-Martini over 10 years ago
Notice that the train hasn’t even left the station. The difference between this cartoon and real life is that the guy calling it a train wreck should be next to the engine with a wrench and a sledge hammer trying to sabotage it before it can get moving. ’BTW Residents of NY are projected to save 50% on health care due to the ACA.
chazandru over 10 years ago
Each Presidency is an opportunity to try new ideas and lay foundations for long term futures. The healthcare plan, as imperfect as it is, is an old idea – initially introduced by Republicans – and it is designed to be a long term solution to our growing healthcare costs.If our cannibalistic congress was able to work together in a bipartisan, civil, and respectful manner, healthcare could be made into a product in which a large majority of Americans can benefit. However, the most recent bipartisan effort was one that was designed to protect the minority from losing their filibuster privileges, while giving the President the option of doing what most presidents have been able to take for granted – that their nominees would be confirmed or at least get a hearing.This is not a train wreck, it is just another effort by one party to try and demonize the other. The American people deserve better, the United States of America NEEDS better.Respectfully,C.
tbemont Premium Member over 10 years ago
Great cartoon. The health care reform plan might end up being a failure. I hope not, but we sure don’t know now.
tbemont Premium Member over 10 years ago
Great cartoon. The health care reform plan might end up being a failure. I hope not, but we sure don’t know now.
I Play One On TV over 10 years ago
Obamacare corrects some hateful aspects of the prior system, but introduces many more. For all its benefits, there are some serious consequences, which will cause a train wreck. I view Obamacare the same as I view the vote to increase the debt ceiling: better than the alternative, but a cure for the symptom and not the problem. As such there will just be more symptoms down the road.
The only question is how long we will take, and how many false roads we go down, before we wise up and go to single payer. I predict several attempted train wrecks between now and then.
d_legendary1 over 10 years ago
Discredit what? Its the same old talking points: It’ll kill you grandma, It’ll cost you $20,000, it’ll force your doctor into retirement in Tahiti, Obama will perform the operations with Joe Biden, etc.
pirate227 over 10 years ago
Agreed, the right wing is a train wreck.
oneoldhat over 10 years ago
so bho is the representative of the right wing?
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“The extraordinary decline in New York’s insurance rates for individual consumers demonstrates the profound promise of the Affordable Care Act,” she added.”
The worrying part of that is the ‘profound promise’ … that is ringing my Marketing bells in a full peal …
What kind of coverage exactly, is NY getting? Individual costs being cut 50% … wow. Too good to be true, don’t you think? So … what else is being cut, on the behalf of NY individuals who will now be forced to buy this cut rate coverage ..?
OK, maybe I’m too cynical. But … I’ll wait and see.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“Kliff continues, “On average, the most affordable “silver plan” – which covers 70 percent of the average subscriber’s medical costs – comes with a $276 monthly premium. For the 2.6 million Californians who will receive federal subsidies, the price is a good deal less expensive…”
Yes. The problem is that Kliff (and you, apparently) are basic math challenged.
People who qualify for Federal subsidies, do NOT have $275/mo laying around to hand to the insurers. They also don’t have the 30% copays that are required. Sure, on $150 physician visit, the copay won’t be ‘only’$45, but last fall I had an MRI that was billed out at $13k. Blood panels run well over $200.
It’s going to be a trainwreck, and it’s going to be a particularly ugly one.
You can’t get to ‘affordable’ health care by handing it over to the insurers. Not only do they not care about anyone’s health, but they may be the only entity on the globe with more resources than the Vatican. They didn’t get there by applying compassion.
parkerfields over 10 years ago
Looks like the right wing is the only one that sees all of the trash blocking the train track up ahead. The rest of them need glasses.
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
Hawthorne: 80% of premiums must go to providing care, with only 20% for “overhead” and excess of that has to be returned to the victim, er, insured.
Coraryan: VA tells me I have to get very good care, annual physicals for free, hearing aids for free that VA pays less than my private audiologist can get them for at his cost, my drugs are free, and VA only pays a miniscule amount for those drugs compared to m local pharmacy. While the system is far from perfect, it’s thousands of times better, and cheaper, than what a huge number of American have available. The ACA, when implemented WILL provide care for those who now are dumped in the gutter by “corporate medicine”.
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
^Tigger, nice to know you know NOTHING about how insurance and actuarial tables work! MORE enrollees, especially younger ones (who should NOT be allowed to “opt out” like the REPUBLICANS wrote in!) bring more HEALTHY PEOPLE into the system, who pay their premiums for a long time before needing to make claims, OR they die first. (It’s not a “government plot”, it’s the way companies have made huge profits by investing those premiums and NOT paying out benefits, since insurance became a business, like well Lloyds of London.)
The only “wreck” is the profit train corporations have been railroading the public on for a long, long, time.