If ObamaCare is struck down, do the Republicans have any plan to reform the heal

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   tipstoretireearlyposted 12 years ago

   If ObamaCare is struck down, do the Republicans have any plan to reform the healthcare system?
   
   The US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world--by far--yet it produces mediocre or poor results compared with other developed countries on important healthcare quality measures such as infant mortality and life expectancy.  The Republican Party is fighting to repeal ObamaCare, and hopes it will be struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.  If that happens, do the Republicans have any plan to reform the existing healthcare system, or are they happy with the status quo?

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   My Esotericposted 12 years ago

   The short answer is 'no'.  This is partly because they don't see a real problem other than Medicare and Medicaid spend too much money on the poor.  If it isn't broke, don't fix it, and they don't think the current healthcare system is broken, save for a few issues around the fringes such as not being able to sell insurance across state lines.

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   ledefensetechposted 12 years ago

   Healthcare in this country is so expensive because of Medicare and Medicaid.  Because the healthcare industry is subsidized, there is no reason for provider to control their costs.  For decades now, costs have been passed on to the taxpayer through these programs, but now it's not possible to wring any more money out of taxpayers.  Without these programs doctors would have to price their services so people could afford them, otherwise good luck making enough money to live.  Another reason costs are so high is because the number of doctors is kept artificially low by organizations like the AMA so that doctors can charge more for their services.
   
   In 1900 there were about 500,000 licensed doctors in the US which had a population of 100 million.  Today we have about 600,000 doctors with a population of 300 million.  But the numbers are worse than that.  There are far more specialties today than there were in 1900 and fewer doctors are going into general practice so the reality is much worse than the numbers would make you believe. 
   
   Despite what Esoteric says allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines would drop the cost of insurance dramatically.  Because states have enacted protectionist laws favoring in-state providers, those providers can charge whatever they wish and you just have to pay it.  Opening those companies up to competition would force them to lower their prices, lest some other company move in and steal their customers through lower pricing.  Price is, after all, king when it comes to who people choose to go with.
   
   The only problem is that then politicians could not count on campaign donations from their favored insurance companies, so don't expect changes any time soon.

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      My Esotericposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Does anyone know how those monopolist state laws came into being in the first place?  I don't, but my guess is through lobbying by those inurance companies ... but I could easily by wrong at this point.  + Do you know why the two 'Cares were created?

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      ledefensetechposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      In a word, yes, lobbying.  The two Cares were part of Johnson's Great Society project.  He could only get kids and the elderly covered due to widespread opposition to a one size fits all plan.  The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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   tipstoretireearlyposted 12 years ago

   Today, the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare, including the individual mandate which will require most Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine.

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      My Esotericposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes they did.  Given that Roberts went with the majority, I am a bit surprised it wasn't a 6-3 decision with Kennedy going along with him.  I wonder what his reasoning was for not doing so?

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