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What is the current Republican position on this?

Travis

Misanthrope of the Mountains
Travis
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
24,133
I ask this in earnest as I have such a large personal stake in the matter. Maybe some of you do too. I know that's why most of my threads in this subforum have been about it. As you all know no private health insurance company would ever cover me. From my current point of view the only way I could get covered is with some sort of universal health care system being implemented.

So what is the Republican plan to allow all Americans to have access to health care?

I must confess I'm a little ignorant about the current plans by the major Presidential candidates or the Republican party at large. I know they were against Obamacare but that doesn't really inform me as to what they are actually in favor of. It only lets me know they hated that proposal.
 
There isn't one, for the most part. They'll agree to medicare and medicaid at some level, but not for middle of the road Americans.
 
The Republican plan for the uninsured amounts to "Just go over in the corner and die quietly"

At least that's the signal I'm getting.
 
Travis, if I may ask, why will no private company give you coverage?
 
The Republicans have no plan to get people access to better health care. They want to repeal what little reforms that have been created under the Obama administration. There's not a chance in hell of the Republicans changing their mind on this as far as I see.

Heck, a lot of them seem willing to get rid of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security if they could. So some of them are definitely fine with the old and infirm dying in the streets.

Frankly, the Democrats are even quite a bit lacking here, since they didn't get the Public Option passed (despite most Americans being in favor of it). That said, at the moment it is them or nothing.
 
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Travis said:
I ask this in earnest as I have such a large personal stake in the matter. Maybe some of you do too. I know that's why most of my threads in this subforum have been about it. As you all know no private health insurance company would ever cover me. From my current point of view the only way I could get covered is with some sort of universal health care system being implemented.

So what is the Republican plan to allow all Americans to have access to health care?

I must confess I'm a little ignorant about the current plans by the major Presidential candidates or the Republican party at large. I know they were against Obamacare but that doesn't really inform me as to what they are actually in favor of. It only lets me know they hated that proposal.
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Market forces, so the answer is no, they don't. I can only afford to be covered under agroup policy, they won't give me coverage privately, even though none of my conditions are lethal in teh short term and I am compliant with treatemnt.

But they do think it is okay for hospitals to treat the uninsured and not get compenstated. And to turn over a public system to the private sectors and increase costs and to not have medicare negotiate presecription prices.
 
Is your income to high to qualify for programs like medicaid or medi-cal if such a program still exists? I guess you cannot find a job with insurance.

I am not really a republican but I believe there should be insurance available to everyone (sort of like for car insurance there used to be an assigned risk program) and it should be free to those who cannot afford it and a sliding scale for those with some money.
 
eeyore1954 said:
Is your income to high to qualify for programs like medicaid or medi-cal if such a program still exists? I guess you cannot find a job with insurance.

I am not really a republican but I believe there should be insurance available to everyone (sort of like for car insurance there used to be an assigned risk program) and it should be free to those who cannot afford it and a sliding scale for those with some money.
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So do you support Obamacare? It's pretty much what you described.

-Bri
 
Bri said:
So do you support Obamacare? It's pretty much what you described.

-Bri
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No I don't think a complete new system with 1,000+ pages was neccesary to put in place a system where those with no money can get insurance ( for the most part this already exists, i know many people who have low income and they all have insurance, maybe this is a new NY thing) and to add some sort of assigned risk program for people who because of preexisting conditions cannot get insurance.

A second reason is I don't want people to be forced to buy insurance. If I choose not to (as I have in the past) it should be my responsibilty to take the risk of losing my home etc if a major problem occurs.
 
Travis said:
I ask this in earnest as I have such a large personal stake in the matter. Maybe some of you do too. I know that's why most of my threads in this subforum have been about it. As you all know no private health insurance company would ever cover me. From my current point of view the only way I could get covered is with some sort of universal health care system being implemented.

So what is the Republican plan to allow all Americans to have access to health care?

I must confess I'm a little ignorant about the current plans by the major Presidential candidates or the Republican party at large. I know they were against Obamacare but that doesn't really inform me as to what they are actually in favor of. It only lets me know they hated that proposal.
Click to expand...

The republican position is that the reason you don't have health insurance is because you're a deadbeat. You had better be saving the hundreds of thousands of dollars you'll need to pay for your own medical treatments.

The insurance companies can not be required to cover you, that might cost them money. They're much more profitable when they can cash checks from healthy people. The sick ones are a big drag on their bottom line. We can't have you people interfering with their business model.

You're sick, it's your fault, don't expect any help from anyone. Also remember the republican party is the party of Jesus, who said to his followers "Yay that thou shall pay thine own way or die in the streets, for large government is surely the biggest drain on thine free market."
 
PGH said:
The republican position is that the reason you don't have health insurance is because you're a deadbeat. You had better be saving the hundreds of thousands of dollars you'll need to pay for your own medical treatments.

The insurance companies can not be required to cover you, that might cost them money. They're much more profitable when they can cash checks from healthy people. The sick ones are a big drag on their bottom line. We can't have you people interfering with their business model.

You're sick, it's your fault, don't expect any help from anyone. Also remember the republican party is the party of Jesus, who said to his followers "Yay that thou shall pay thine own way or die in the streets, for large government is surely the biggest drain on thine free market."
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From the GOP Website
http://www.gop.gov/pledge/healthcare

Ensure Access for Patients with Pre-Existing Conditions
Health care should be accessible for all, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses. We will expand state high-risk pools, reinsurance programs and reduce the cost of coverage. We will make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition, eliminate annual and lifetime spending caps, and prevent insurers from dropping your coverage just because you get sick. We will incentivize states to develop innovative programs that lower premiums and reduce the number of uninsured Americans
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eeyore1954 said:
From the GOP Website
http://www.gop.gov/pledge/healthcare
Click to expand...

This describes a trickle down effect, I believe. The GOP would reduce overall costs of healthcare (primarily by reducing the number of people covered by taxpayer-financed plans of one sort or another) and then rely on the kindness of insurance companies to make insurance affordable for everyone.

Basically, they say the want healthcare to be accessible to everyone, but their plans would not achieve anything like universal coverage.
 
eeyore1954 said:
No I don't think a complete new system with 1,000+ pages was neccesary to put in place a system where those with no money can get insurance ( for the most part this already exists, i know many people who have low income and they all have insurance, maybe this is a new NY thing) and to add some sort of assigned risk program for people who because of preexisting conditions cannot get insurance.
Click to expand...

The problem isn't people who have no money (at least as long as Medicare and Medicaid are left intact). It's people who have some money, but can't afford health insurance because it's too expensive and they don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. This is particularly a problem for people who are unemployed or aren't provided health insurance by their employer.

A second reason is I don't want people to be forced to buy insurance. If I choose not to (as I have in the past) it should be my responsibilty to take the risk of losing my home etc if a major problem occurs.
Click to expand...

Except it's not your responsibility. It's ours. If you have a major medical problem and you wind up in the hospital, we pay for it because our society doesn't (and shouldn't) just let people die in the street because they either couldn't afford to or simply chose not to purchase health insurance.

Also, the mandate is one of the best ways to lower costs without a single-payer system (which I assume you're against). And let's not forget that the mandate was a Republican idea (until Obama agreed with it).

So again, what are your solutions that would make insurance available to everyone?

-Bri
 
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