Obamacare - What to do

You didnt read anything

If a Insurance company locates in a state with lax laws and you are allowed to buy across state lines that means your insurance is regulated by that state,

look at the example of south dakota

And stop calling me stupid, for someone as patently obtuse as you are you dont have a right to make that judgement

Leave Brittany Alone!!!

Alright man, sorry about the stupid remarks.

Yes, what you say about states regulating insurance is true. Insurance companies are perfectly capable of crafting policies that would be good under several state laws if allowed. They are not allowed. Let's change this. You are arguing this won't work because of the way it is, I would like to change the way it is so it will work. It's really not that drastic or extreme of an idea.

ginwilly said:

Leave Brittany Alone!!!

Alright man, sorry about the stupid remarks.

Yes, what you say about states regulating insurance is true. Insurance companies are perfectly capable of crafting policies that would be good under several state laws if allowed. They are not allowed. Let's change this. You are arguing this won't work because of the way it is, I would like to change the way it is so it will work. It's really not that drastic or extreme of an idea.

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My wife crafts policys for 50 different states for a living. They dont make one policy fit all because every state has different mandates. So the only way that would work is if every states mandates was included. Can you think of a free market idea why insurance companys wont do that?

July 24, 1994 - In an interview with Newt Gingrich, the New York Times reports that Gingrich has united House Republicans against passage of health reform and hopes "to use the issue as a springboard to win Republican control of the House." Gingrich goes on to predict that Republicans will pick up thirty-four House seats in the November elections and that half a dozen disaffected Democrats will switch parties to give Republicans control. The story attracts little attention.

GrowinDad said:

I heard a professor who studies healthcare speak once. A major topic was people who claim medicare, VA, etc are inefficient and more costly. He had to correct people pointing out that teh insurance companies have a great deal. They insure all the normally healthy people, whon granted can get ill. But generally speaking the government gets the elderly who tend to cost a lot before dying (not trying to sound heartless, just being honest), the severely handicapped, injured vets, etc. He said when he did the analysis those folks were generally more cost effective than the insurers if there was a level playing field.

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Yeah you rarely hear it talked about but insurance companies take your money for the 30+ years you're healthy and working then when you turn 65 they hand you off to medicare to pay what will likely be your most expensive years of healthcare.

My aunt/uncle moved to Costa Rica years ago, they worked for more than 30 years, and when they turned 65 their insurance handed them off to medicare. Medicare doesn't cover foreign healthcare so even though they paid in for decades into both private insurance and medicare it's worthless to them where they live.

I imagine they are rethinking their decision to retire to Costa Rica. Funny, those brochures from the Retire In Costa Rica Tourism Council didn't mention anything about insurance.

In my opinion its about time this backwards hillbilly country joined other civilized nations in adopting a singlepayer system. Obamacare forces us to do business with the same insurance companies that have been profiting off of killing sick people for years. Socialize it.

Red1966 said:

I imagine they are rethinking their decision to retire to Costa Rica. Funny, those brochures from the Retire In Costa Rica Tourism Council didn't mention anything about insurance.

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Life expectancy in Costa Rica is higher than the U.S.—and they spend 87% less on health care in Costa Rica than in the U.S.!
How do they do it? One reason is Costa Rica’s public healthcare system.
Commonly called La Caja, Costa Rica’s public health insurance system (Costarricense de Seguro Social or CCSS)is available country-wide to all citizens and legal residents. More than 80% of Costa Rica’s population takes advantage of La Caja coverage.
With a government-sponsored network of more than 30 hospitals and more than 250 clinics throughout the country, the Caja has worked well for Costa Ricans for the past 60 years


But it’s the cost of health care in Costa Rica that’s the eye-opener for expats there. Caja provides affordable medical service to any foreign resident or visitor, and they can join the Caja by paying a small monthly fee based on income, with actual costs averaging around $50 to $60 per month.

Red1966 said:

I imagine they are rethinking their decision to retire to Costa Rica. Funny, those brochures from the Retire In Costa Rica Tourism Council didn't mention anything about insurance.

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No they ended up getting on Costa Rica's healthcare system. Which is kinda messed up because me aunt has leukemia and her meds are a couple hundred bucks per day which she gets for free despite living there a small fraction of their lives.

ChesusRice said:

My wife crafts policys for 50 different states for a living. They dont make one policy fit all because every state has different mandates. So the only way that would work is if every states mandates was included. Can you think of a free market idea why insurance companys wont do that?

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OK, one last time and I'll hang it up. I would like to see what you have pointed out changed. I can live in CA and use my CA insurance anywhere in the country. If I can use my CA insurance in OR I should be able to purchase a policy in OR (that you can use in CA if you are from OR) if it's cheaper for the same coverage. I know we can't do this now so please don't copy/paste anything telling me this again. I would like for us to be able to do this. It would decrease costs.

Is the health insurance system your idea of free markets?

ginwilly said:

Is the health insurance system your idea of free markets?

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sadly, our health insurance is more "free market" than any nation that covers all their citizens for only a fraction of what we pay to cover only some of our citizens.

germany makes all insurers non-profit and negotiates everything annually, but otherwise have a system much like ours. they cover all their citizens for less.

britain has single payer, and although their system is more socialist than germany's, it works and costs much less than ours.


japan is unique unto itself, with gatekeepers and all, but they knock it out of the park compared to us.

in taiwan, they have a health card. present it to the gatekeeper and they have your whole history in seconds. too orwellian for us, but their administrative costs are a third of ours, and they do top shelf health care for a fraction of ours.


some markets will work well as "free markets", others work demonstrably better with government intervention. health care is demonstrably a market that works better with more government intervention.

ginwilly said:

OK, one last time and I'll hang it up. I would like to see what you have pointed out changed. I can live in CA and use my CA insurance anywhere in the country. If I can use my CA insurance in OR I should be able to purchase a policy in OR (that you can use in CA if you are from OR) if it's cheaper for the same coverage. I know we can't do this now so please don't copy/paste anything telling me this again. I would like for us to be able to do this. It would decrease costs.

Is the health insurance system your idea of free markets?

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OK once last time since the first three didnt register with you

If a health insurance company buys a legislature like the credit card companys did in South Dakota
Then all health care companys will move to the state with the best laws. Leaving you with an insurance policy that is shit. End of story

Your lack of free market understanding aside... We as consumers don't have to buy shitty policies. We as health care providers don't have to take shitty policies. Shitty policies will not be tolerated long and companies that issue nothing but shitty policies will go under.

You act as if we are forced into insurance coverage against our will. Free markets involve choices, more choices is always better for the consumer than less choices. Open your mind and pretend Obama offered this cost cutting measure and you might see the wisdom in it.

I think his point is that absent of federal standards/regulations/legislation that covers all states, all the insurance companies would move to the least mandated state and that would by default become the federal standard for all. I don't think anyone is arguing that more competition would hurt, just than this might not be the way. The fact that you are covered when travelling is irrelevant, because your coverage and service is still based on where the policy comes from.

This is frustrating.

Yes as present rules stand, you are correct. The question was what solutions have been offered. This is one of them and would require changes.

At one time you couldn't force citizens into purchases. We changed that. States are perfectly capable of pooling insurance with other states just by passing new legislation, it doesn't have to be done on the federal level. See Powerball and Megamillions on how states work together with commerce.

Just saying we can't do it is defeatist and not true. We've done lots of things lately that couldn't be done before they were done. At one time we couldn't kill citizens without due process.

ginwilly said:

This is frustrating.

Yes as present rules stand, you are correct. The question was what solutions have been offered. This is one of them and would require changes.

At one time you couldn't force citizens into purchases. We changed that. States are perfectly capable of pooling insurance with other states just by passing new legislation, it doesn't have to be done on the federal level. See Powerball and Megamillions on how states work together with commerce.

Just saying we can't do it is defeatist and not true. We've done lots of things lately that couldn't be done before they were done. At one time we couldn't kill citizens without due process.

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You are not forced to buy auto Insurance?

And no your idea of buying across state lines is not your idea. The insurance companies came up with it and pAid lobbyists to push it

ChesusRice said:

Buying across state lines is insurance company euphinism for
let us buy the best and cheapest state goverment and then sell shitty plans with no rights out of that state.

Ever wonder why your credit card companys are all located in Maryland and Souyth Dakota

Now as to state insurance commisioners
Yes they totally control the health insurance regulations in their respective states

how do I know this?
My wife has to underwrite health insurance policys for everyone of the 50 states as they all have different laws and different minimal coverage requirements

And no EMT is now or ever will be qualified enough to know if someone has or doesnt have a underlying medical ailment that needs to be treated

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One correction cheese, it is Delaware and SD not Maryland.

ChesusRice said:

You are not forced to buy auto Insurance?

And no your idea of buying across state lines is not your idea. The insurance companies came up with it and pAid lobbyists to push it

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No
Are you forced to buy a car? If you own a car are you forced to buy certain coverage or can you tailor it to your needs? And what's your point besides some heavy trolling?

I'm not claiming the idea as my own. The OP said there has been no ideas. I listed just a few that have been offered. Wtf are doing here Cheese? What's your goal in this convo, is it just to be right about something or is it to offer alternative cost cutting ideas?

ginwilly said:

No
Are you forced to buy a car? If you own a car are you forced to buy certain coverage or can you tailor it to your needs? And what's your point besides some heavy trolling?

I'm not claiming the idea as my own. The OP said there has been no ideas. I listed just a few that have been offered. Wtf are doing here Cheese? What's your goal in this convo, is it just to be right about something or is it to offer alternative cost cutting ideas?

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You have a point. No one is you forcing you to buy insurance because no one is forcing you to live here.

But at my age, I'm unable immigrate, unless maybe Sunni would be kind enough......