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ACA Running Thread

It was one of these, I can't remember:

Why does U.S. health care cost so much? - Regence
www.regence.com/transparency/.../what-drives-up-health-care-costs.jsp‎

Wealthy countries spend more on health care. But even among high-income, economically developed countries, the U.S. spends far more than the next highest ...

Uwe E. Reinhardt: The Culprit Behind High U.S. Health Care Prices ...
economix.blogs.nytimes.com/.../the-culprit-behind-high-u-s-health-care-...‎

Jun 7, 2013 - Elizabeth Rosenthal's eye-opening article about health care costs in ... to find the culprit behind the health care cost explosion in the U.S., go to ...

US Healthcare Costs - Where is the money going?
resources.iom.edu/widgets/vsrt/healthcare-waste.html‎

How does it compare? Over the past decade,. healthcare costs have risen faster than salaries… 100%. 80%. 60%. 40%. 20%. 0%. Average U.S. Salary.

American Workers' Health Care Costs Increase Again - US News ...
health.usnews.com › Health › Health Insurance‎

by Chris Young - in 37 Google+ circlesMay 22, 2013 - Health care expenses grew more than wages this year.

The Facts About Rising Health Care Costs - Aetna
www.aetna.com/health-reform-connection/aetnas.../facts-about-costs.htm...‎

Jump to Why is U.S. health care spending so high? - ? According to National Health Expenditure data, the growth in premiums tracked directly with the ...

Health Care Spending in the United States & Selected OECD
kff.org/health-costs/.../snapshots-health-care-spending-in-the-united-state...‎

The issue is particularly acute in the United States, which not only spends much more per capita on health care, but also has had

U.S. Medicare outlook improves as healthcare costs ease | Reuters
www.reuters.com/.../us-usa-health-retirement-idUSBRE94U0VW201305...‎

May 31, 2013 - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Slower growth in U.S. healthcare costs improved the budget outlook for the Medicare program for the elderly from ...

Accounting for the cost of US health care: A new look at why ...
www.mckinsey.com/.../health.../accounting_for_the_cost_of_us_health_...‎

The United States spends $650 billion more on health care than expected, even when adjusting for the economy's relative wealth. MGI examines the underlying ...

The High Cost of Childbirth in the US
New York Times ‎- 1 day ago

Countries Spending the Most on Health Care
24/7 Wall St.‎ - 1 day ago

Medical Costs Register First Decline Since 1970s - Real Time ...
blogs.wsj.com/.../medical-costs-register-first-decline-since-1970s...‎

by Eric Morath - in 97 Google+ circlesJun 18, 2013 - U.S. consumers' health-care costs fell in May for the first time in almost four decades, the latest evidence that government policies and an ...
 
Just admit businesses were uncooperative to help the bottom line.
 
1. The Affordable Care Act is built on the same scaffolding as former Gov. Mitt Romney’s health reform approach in Massachusetts. Both reforms create new coverage options through insurance reforms and Medicaid expansions, improve the affordability of coverage, and require shared responsibility for health care financing across individuals, employers, and taxpayers.

2. The new law requires all individuals to hold health coverage—an idea advanced by Stuart Butler and Ed Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation as far back as 1989. Other conservative scholars and Republican policymakers who have embraced the idea of shared responsibility include Mark Pauly, a health economist at the University of Pennsylvania; Sen. John Chafee; a group of the health care law’s cosponsors—including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT)—who introduced similar legislation in 1993; and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

3. The Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to pool the risk of small businesses and individuals through the health insurance exchange—thus giving them greater bargaining power and better rates. Enabling individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to band together and obtain better prices was a key plank in the House Republican leadership’s “Solutions for America.”

4. The Affordable Care Act gives young adults new coverage options. These include staying on their family coverage through age 26 just like the proposal the House Republicans offered during the health reform debate.

5. Employers may automatically enroll their workers in health insurance. This was proposed by the Republican Study Group and the House Republican leadership during the health care debate last year.

6. Employers may use premium incentives and other tools to encourage workers to participate in a range of workplace wellness programs. This idea enjoyed widespread Republican support. Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), the Republican House leadership, and the Republican Study Committee introduced proposals during last year’s health care debate. A bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) also championed this approach in the Senate HELP Committee.

7. States may use federal funding to experiment with medical liability reforms. This is similar to the proposals advanced by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) during the reform debate.8. Families and businesses may purchase coverage across state lines. This was an idea shepherded by Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) and others, including the House Republican leadership, during the health care debate.

9. States may pursue their own approaches to health reform as long as they can provide equivalent or better coverage at a comparable or lower cost. The House Republican leadership championed state innovation in their alternative proposal to health reform.

10. The Affordable Care Act establishes high-risk pools that provide access to health coverage for those who generally are unable to find affordable insurance in the individual market, particularly those with a preexisting condition. This is an idea Republicans endorsed in their alternative proposal.

Really?

You can't seriously think this list proves anything. You're much smarter than that.

Devil in the details and all that stuff.
 
Just admit businesses were uncooperative to help the bottom line.

Businesses will always protect the bottom line. That is what they do. In this case they didn't get the chance.
 
Businesses will always protect the bottom line. That is what they do. In this case they didn't get the chance.

Sure they did. They have an opportunity, in a time when workers are desperate for a job, to either pay the uncertain ongoing cost of their employees health insurance or pay a fixed rate fine. ACA gave them a "shelter" if they choose to drop their health insurance in that nobody really seems to understand the rules and the ACA itself is controversial. The soft job market also allows them to limit the hours of part time workers to below the 30 hour threshold, further insulating them from cost or fine. Logical business decisions for some employers. Sucky decisions, too.
 
Sure they did. They have an opportunity, in a time when workers are desperate for a job, to either pay the uncertain ongoing cost of their employees health insurance or pay a fixed rate fine. ACA gave them a "shelter" if they choose to drop their health insurance in that nobody really seems to understand the rules and the ACA itself is controversial. The soft job market also allows them to limit the hours of part time workers to below the 30 hour threshold, further insulating them from cost or fine. Logical business decisions for some employers. Sucky decisions, too.

To some extent, I agree. But it's not my place to make moral equivocations based on the profit and loss decisions made by other business owners. Government put those business owners in the position of making those "sucky decisions".
 
There was nothing in place with which to cooperate. But even if their were, well duh. What would you expect a business to do?

Nothing except offering employees health care. I expect a business to look out for the bottom line but I don't call that cooperating either.
 
Nothing except offering employees health care. I expect a business to look out for the bottom line but I don't call that cooperating either.

Looking out for the bottom line is any business' core responsibility. Without profits, a business ceases to exist. I haven't seen where you have addressed the fact that there was not yet a mandate in place with which businesses had to cooperate. No law, no need to cooperate with the law. How can businesses be accused of not cooperating with a law that has yet to be enacted?

But even if the administration were to enforce what Obama signed into law, why would you expect businesses to do anything other than what they need to do to protect the bottom line? This law would force businesses to make decisions relative to their employees that they otherwise would not have to make.
 
To some extent, I agree. But it's not my place to make moral equivocations based on the profit and loss decisions made by other business owners. Government put those business owners in the position of making those "sucky decisions".

I agree with your last statement. It was crazy to advance a plan like the ACA in a time of uncertain economic future and rising unemployment. Do it when there's a tight labor market and employers have to worry about keeping their employees.
 
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The timing was definitely bad. Complete waste of political capital.
 
You can't seriously think this list proves anything. You're much smarter than that.

Devil in the details and all that stuff.

It proves that Republicans have been a driving force behind similar if not identical legislation in the past and are now claiming it will destroy the USA.
 
The attempts to pin Obamacare on the Republican Party are almost pitiable. The Republicans range from being the most obstructionist party in evers!!111 to secretly designing the health care tax (by keenly opposing it at every juncture).

C'mon guys. You showed up in that dress, might as well dance in it.
 
The attempts to pin Obamacare on the Republican Party are almost pitiable. The Republicans range from being the most obstructionist party in evers!!111 to secretly designing the health care tax (by keenly opposing it at every juncture).

C'mon guys. You showed up in that dress, might as well dance in it.

I'm not pinning "Obamacare" on anyone, just stating that Republicans were all for similar legislation when it was their idea and are now running from the same legislation as fast as possible.
 
I'm not pinning "Obamacare" on anyone, just stating that Republicans were all for similar legislation when it was their idea and are now running from the same legislation as fast as possible.

How did Republicans vote on Obamacare?
 
It proves that Republicans have been a driving force behind similar if not identical legislation in the past and are now claiming it will destroy the USA.

OK, I take part of my statement back- you're not smarter than that.
 
Summary of ONW's thoughts: In the past, one or more republicans might have liked one or some of the discrete, individual concepts set forth in this legislation, therefore, even though there in no connection at all between the individual concepts endorsed by individual republicans previously and the manner in which this particular legislation chose to try and implement those concepts (along with many other concepts not previously endorsed by any republican ever), the entire republican party is just as responsible for this giant albatross turd as the democratic party even though none of those republicans actually voted for this piece of shit???
 
Summary of ONW's thoughts: In the past, one or more republicans might have liked one or some of the discrete, individual concepts set forth in this legislation, therefore, even though there in no connection at all between the individual concepts endorsed by individual republicans previously and the manner in which this particular legislation chose to try and implement those concepts (along with many other concepts not previously endorsed by any republican ever), the entire republican party is just as responsible for this giant albatross turd as the democratic party even though none of those republicans actually voted for this piece of shit???

Pretty much
 
So be honest ONW. What web site did you copy and paste from? At least reference your direct quotes. Don't go RJ on us.

You can't help being a self-righteous prick can you?

If you are talking to ONW, talk to him. i have nothing to do with it.
 
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