<p>The 25 million+ consumers that couldnt afford health insurance or health care did not have much of a choice. </p>
<p>The medical advantage cuts are embraced by both parties. Why?</p>
<p>Real competition and consumer choice are good, and will not be diminished by giving the Medicare Advantage people the same money the public Medicare folks get. If the private sector can do Medicare more cheaply, let them demonstrate it.</p>
<p>Not too many choices in Mississippi. Hard to get insurance companies into a state where the profits are slim to none.</p>
<p>I dont blame the insurance companies for not wanting to do business in Mississippi. I wouldnt want to lose money. </p>
<p><a href=“ACA bus rolls, enrolls in Mississippi - POLITICO”>http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/obamacare-enrollment-mississippi-delta-104906.html</a></p>
<p>“It took some real convincing by the Obama administration and a leap of faith by one state Republican official to get one of the nation’s largest insurance companies — Humana — to set up shop across Mississippi. Virtually no other insurer was willing to do so, discouraged by the acute health needs here and most elected officials’ outright hostility to the law.”</p>
<p>There’s money to be made in Mississippi. The premiums have to be high to cover all those sick people, but so what? Pretty much everyone who buys insurance is going to be subsidized.</p>
<p>Just think of it as a giant subsidized high-risk pool for the entire state, because that’s what it is. </p>
<p>Why did insurers think they could make money in Kentucky but not Mississippi? Both are states with a lot of health needs.</p>
<p>Well…only one insurance firm believes there is much profit to be made in many parts of the state. </p>
<p>States with low sign ups are going to end up with higher premium costs. </p>
<p>There are many people fighting to keep people from signing up. Betting this will end ACA. The problem is ACA is going to be successful in enough states so it wont be repealed. Instead, these states that put up roadblocks to signing up are going to have higher risk pools which will lead to higher costs for their fellow state residents. In other words those that are putting up the roadblicks are screwing their own citizens. </p>
<p>“The medical advantage cuts are embraced by both parties.”</p>
<p>Not true.</p>
<p>GP, do YOU think that Medicare Advantage and standard Medicare should cost the same per person?</p>
<p>We did go over M Advantage earlier, including links. Wasn’t the issue that they spent more per person, passed more charges through to the govt and that their billing had not properly been reviewed in roughly a decade? That their reimbursement requests had been adjusted in 2008, but not vetted since the early 2000’s? I thought I linked that.</p>
<p>I wish California put up more roadblocks to the insane Obamacare fiasco. Maybe I would still have my plan from last year if the state didn’t behave like some totalitarian country that imposes it will down the throats of its citizens regardless of their preferences.</p>
<p>GP, of course, you commented earlier on how it was “Mr Smith” to think the people could demand that their states offer better oversight. :(</p>
<p>I didn’t link it, I quoted a comment:
"The ACA does not eliminate Medicare Advantage plans, which are privately administered plans that provide benefits to about a quarter of Americans with Medicare. These plans were created to bring market efficiencies to Medicare, but they actually cost taxpayers 14 percent more per enrollee than the traditional Medicare program does. The ACA aims to bring costs back into line.</p>
<p>“The plans are still required to provide at least the same benefits as those available through traditional Medicare plans,” …Commonwealth Fund. “And for the first time, the law ensures that plans that perform better will be paid better, so the care they provide should improve.”</p>
<p>When I get answers from GP that are unture it is a big turn off.</p>
<p>You have two people negotiating. One wants A. The other wants B. They argue. They cant agree. Then one day, the guy who wanted B says, " OK. I cant get B. A is better than no change. I will accept A".</p>
<p>The we get this answer from the person who supported A, “No. I dont agree on A. You scum.”</p>
<p>It is ridiculous.</p>
<p>I am not going to post any links. The facts are out there. </p>
<p>dstark, your analogy makes no sense. I am assuming I am the person who wants A in your ridiculous analogy. When did the person who wanted B (Obamacare?) ever agree to accept A? If I misinterpreted your example, please elaborate.</p>
<p>“GP, do YOU think that Medicare Advantage and standard Medicare should cost the same per person?”</p>
<p>Not if Medicare Advantage is providing more services, although I do think the premiums for Medicare Advantage should reflect the more generous benefits. Medicare premiums are generally too low (particularly for high income or high net worth folks) and is one reason why everyone else in the private insurance market is paying higher premiums.</p>
<p>GP, it doesnt take much to see you are full of s…</p>
<p>Really? You dont know about both sides wantIng to cut medicare advantage. Or they did…</p>
<p>You are either ignorant, or something worse. </p>
<p>Just use google if you really dont know…</p>
<p>You are the only one who doesnt know. ;)</p>
<p>This is interesting. 25 percent of the sign ups were off exchange thru December. </p>
<p>NY did not have many people with imdividual plans. </p>
<p>NY continues to do extremely well.</p>
<p><a href=“Deadline for health exchange enrollment fast approaching”>http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/albany-watch/2014/03/21/deadline-health-exchange-enrollment-fast-approaching/6724435/</a></p>
<p>Actually, politicians from both parties are pandering to seniors by not making them pay the real costs of Medicare. Very few have the gonads to tell people there are no free rides.</p>
<p>That is not what you said before. ;)</p>
<p>You have a problem admitting you are wrong.</p>
<p>Your wife must be continuously mad at you. :)</p>
<p>“When I get answers from GP that are unture it is a big turn off.”</p>
<p>“Just gimme some truth — all I want is the truth.” John Lennon</p>
<p>It’s hard for you to distinguish reality from fantasy because you’re so committed to the myth of Obamacare - that govt can replace consumer choices and preferences with some one-size-fits-all bureaucratically-designed scheme for everyone.</p>
<p>CF, missed your response earlier. That’s what I thought (9 months). thanks! </p>