<p>If I were going to need brain surgery for example, I’d really research my doctors. Doc X may claim he does brain surgery and maybe has done a few. Doc A+ at A+ medical center is the known authority in his field, has done hundreds of these procedures with excellent results. I wouldn’t settle for Doc X if it was my brain being cut open.</p>
<p>“Lack of choices is not the problem here”</p>
<p>This reminds me of this quote from one of my favorite comedian actors, Groucho Marx:</p>
<p>“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” This is what he said to his wife after being caught in bed with another woman.</p>
<p>I feel like the wife who is being told that what she is seeing is not happening.</p>
<p>You have choices. You just don’t like any of them.</p>
<p>“Not being able to do what you want to do is the definition of not having a choice.” Not for those of us who speak English. Look, suppose a kid applies to Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Wesleyan, Kenyon, and five safeties. He is rejected at all the schools except the safeties. He is sad. But do you say he has no choice? No, of course you do not, because you are a native speaker of English, and despite your dissembling, you know what the word choice means. You know that even though he can’t choose what he wants, Stanford, he still has a CHOICE among the five safeties. </p>
<p>When the kid whines, “I don’t have any choice!” you say, “Calm down, yes you do, that’s why I made you apply to the five safeties.”</p>
<p>GP, lack of choices is not your problem, any more that it is the problem of the kid with the five safeties. Lack of any choices that you like is your problem, and his. The kid wouldn’t care if he had been admitted only to Stanford and no other school, and had no choices; you would be perfectly happy if your only option was the premium insurance you want. </p>
<p>Spare me your claims about choices. You don’t care about them. You care about getting what you want. (And there is nothing wrong with that, per se. But stop pretending the issue is choice.)</p>
<p>“You care about getting what you want.”</p>
<p>If all the choices are basically the same exact thing, then obviously I am not going to get what I want. </p>
<p>Since we are using college admission analogies to describe my situation, it would be more accurate to say that all the colleges (I am only allowed to apply to two of them) have been homogenized or dumbed down by govt fiat so there is no real difference between any of them. You call it dissembling on my part, I call it coercion.</p>
<p>BTW, at least Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, etc, exist in CF’s analogy. In our new healthcare system, they have all been shut down.</p>
<p>Tatin, your example regarding the brain surgeon in your previous post is exactly the kind of choice I want if I or a family member gets sick. For some reason the cheerleaders just can’t seem to grasp this concept. </p>
<p>You say that all the choices are the same, but of course thst’s what the dissatisfied student says, too, and in neither case is it true.</p>
<p>And Stanford and Princeton exist. It’s just that this year they’re not admitting people like you. Maybe they will next year and you can transfer.</p>
<p>“And Stanford and Princeton exist. It’s just that this year they’re not admitting people like you.”</p>
<p>They have never admitted people like me. :)</p>
<p>It is popular on this particular venue to beat up on GP. Kudos to GP for continuing to hold his (her?) own. That said, what I am taking from the general ‘feel’ of the responses to GP is…</p>
<p>“There are losers when it comes to the ACA. That is an acceptable side effect. The new loser group had previously benefited from unfair privilege and thus the new system is simply rectifying old harms . We have also determined that the new loser group is not very appealing to us personally and therefore considered to be whiners when they complain about the loss of their previous undeserved beneficial treatment. Neener neener neener, you had yours now I get mine.” That statement at least would carry the virtue of honesty.</p>
<p>That’s where the numbers come into play. The new loser group is smaller. Which is a comment on the pitiful economy more than anything else.Poverty with health insurance is still miserable and nothing to cheerlead about imho. The lower middle class is history.</p>
<p>We load on GP because he continues to toy with us. I think he want this. Though each time someone says cheerleader, I think they are out a few other ideas.</p>
<p>And, in real life, Doc A+ may not take you anyway, if your case isn’t his exact expertise or of interest or he’s booked solid. Or wants to steer some new business to a partner or friend, is cutting back his hours to teach or research. Or you could have parts of the surgery done by a resident. </p>
<p>Poverty with health insurance is still miserable and nothing to cheerlead about imho. You want poverty and no insurance, that’s somehow better? For whom? Think of the preventative and office visits, the insurer negotiated caps- and at least a deductible, then max oop. Or you’d just have them what? </p>
<p>Let’s look at this “loser” business. The so-called losers used to get access to any expensive provider they wanted at comparatively modest rates. The reason insurers could offer that deal was that they shut out the poor and the sick. Healthier subscribers were unlikely to need to use Cedars on a regular basis, so that was profitable. Some people got fabulous care. Some had no hope of getting any care from any provider except an ED. I hear you saying that’s what we should go back to?</p>
<p>Poverty with health insurance is miserable, but it’s a darned sight better than poverty without health insurance.</p>
<p>LasMa: group plans took everyone in the group…regardless of pre-exiting conditions. Group plans did not shut out the sick. Groups consisted of mom and pop ( H and W) small businesses that were holding their own and not part of the hated elite. The poor had access to Medical. No where did I say we should go back to the old system…I just said at least be honest…and say too bad for the new losers…ya all deserved it. neener neener neener</p>
<p>Anyone paying more is a loser. And let’s not forget that people are paying more. Usually they are paying considerably more for considerably less. That’s losing. If poverty is the problem why not work on that 'cause it’s ballooning. </p>
<p>Just a thought. </p>
<p>“The so-called losers used to get access to any expensive provider they wanted at comparatively modest rates.”</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call $8,148 a year in premiums and $10,400 in deductibles for two to be comparatively modest.</p>
<p>“They shut out the poor and sick”</p>
<p>There were plenty of sick people who had insurance. Once you had insurance they couldn’t cancel it if you got sick, nor could they raise your rates because you were sick. Having said this, nobody is defending the previous system; we are just saying the new system punishes the people who had insurance and doesn’t really help the so-called poor who will have a heck of a time trying to get access to medical care and probably still won’t be able to afford healthcare because of the high deductibles.</p>
<p>Sadly, they could have an easier time than some of those with an exchange plan since they will probably continue to go to the ER at no charge. It’s just such a mess. </p>
<p>GP, under ACA, the poor don’t have high deductibles. When someone is subsidized, their co-pays, deductibles, and max out-of-pocket are also reduced. You didn’t know that?</p>
<p>As to not cancelling or raising rates when you got sick, we went over that last week. Rescission. Closed blocks. Is this ringing any bells? </p>
<p>When someone is subsidized, their co-pays, deductibles, and max out-of-pocket are also reduced</p>
<p>Not true. Reread the law. </p>
<p>“Rescission. Closed blocks. Is this ringing any bells?” </p>
<p>Tell me what percentage of the people with individual insurance had their policies rescinded?</p>
<p>Less than $700/month is what you pay now?
While you’re at it, tell us how many people are having trouble finding a doc. </p>
<p>“Less than $700/month is what you pay now?”</p>
<p>That’s what I used to pay. </p>