Colorado May Replace Obamacare with Single Payer

[_CY_]

Funny, I about vomited when your link started praising the ACA. I honestly don't know how anyone could praise that POS legislature with a straight face.

Get the fawk out of here with the runaway talk promises. You sound like Obama with his "you can keep your plan/doctor" B.S. It will just be replaced by inefficient or rationing of care, something which is already happening in your shining examples. You want a handout and you somehow believe the government magically, in lieu of a long history otherwise, can come in and run a trillion dollar health program efficiently and or that it even will be appropriately funded.

Just keep clicking those heels Dorothy, this is the kind of gullibility that got the ACA passed. Friedman calls for more taxes on payrolls and capital gains and that is about as asinine as it comes. It just shows that he, yourself, and Bernie don't really understand the real world.

what a load of BS .. yes Friedman calls for more taxes on payrolls and capital gains to pay for single payer, but you conveniently forget to factor in reduction/elimination in what most pay into insurance premiums will more than off-set tax increases. Friedman claims overall healthcare costs would come down by a substantial margin. you obviously didn't read/watch the supporting documentation before making comments as usual.

I've repeated stated Obamacare fuels the runaway costs problem and is non-sustainable. what's amazing is how very few are even mentioning the crux of the problem which is how heathcare costs has gone up and up and up .. Obamacare's runway real costs simply gets passed on to the taxpayer.

unfortunately root of the problem lays within our political system which has passed laws that distorts the marketplace. essentially allowing below to happen:


Economics

The Pill Whose Price Went Up 5000%? It Costs 5 Cents in India.

Another case of government distorting the market

• Alex Tabarrok is a professor of economics at George Mason University

September 25, 2015

• #Price

• #Health Care

• #Regulation

• #Protectionism

• #Free Trade

The drug Daraprim was increased in price from $13.60 to $750, creating social outrage. I’ve been busy, but a few points are worth mentioning.

The drug is a generic and not under patent so this isn’t a case of IP protectionism. The story as I read it is that Martin Shkreli, the controversial CEO of Turing pharmaceuticals, noticed that there was only one producer of Daraprim in the United States and, knowing that it’s costly to obtain even an abbreviated FDA approval to sell a generic drug, saw that he could greatly increase the price.

It’s easy to see that this issue is almost entirely about the difficulty of obtaining generic drug approval in the United States because there are many suppliers in India, and prices are incredibly cheap.

The prices in this list (right) are in India rupees. 7 rupees is about 10 cents so the list is telling us that a single pill costs about 5 cents in India compared to $750 in the United States!

It is true that there are real issues with the quality of Indian generics. But Pyrimethamine is also widely available in Europe. I’ve long argued for reciprocity: if a drug is approved in Europe it ought to be approved here. In this case, the logic is absurdly strong. The drug is already approved here!

All that we would be doing is allowing import of any generic approved as such in Europe to be sold in the United States.

Note that this in not a case of reimportation of a patented pharmaceutical for which there are real questions about the effect on innovation.

Allowing importation of any generic approved for sale in Europe would also solve the issue of so-called closed distribution.

There is no reason why the United States cannot have as vigorous a market in generic pharmaceuticals as does India.

The Pill Whose Price Went Up 5000%? It Costs 5 Cents in India. | Alex Tabarrok

 

[OKCHunter]

I'll state it again. The solution is wide open capitalism. Allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines and allow individuals to purchase medications from any country. Competition will drive down prices and drive up quality.

 

[JD8]

what a load of BS .. yes Friedman calls for more taxes on payrolls and capital gains to pay for single payer, but you conveniently forget to factor in reduction/elimination in what most pay into insurance premiums will more than off-set tax increases. Friedman claims overall healthcare costs would come down by a substantial margin. you obviously didn't read/watch the supporting documentation before making comments as usual.

I've repeated stated Obamacare fuels the runaway costs problem and is non-sustainable. what's amazing is how very few are even mentioning the crux of the problem which is how heathcare costs has gone up and up and up .. Obamacare's runway real costs simply gets passed on to the taxpayer.

unfortunately root of the problem lays within our political system which has passed laws that distorts the marketplace. essentially allowing below to happen:

I didn't forget it, I'm just not a socialist and understand it's downfalls. I just understand that again..... with your golden examples for reference.... there will be rationing, long waits, and compromised care. The U.K. is already asking the Red Cross for help LOL. How are you going to address who goes to what doctor in a socialized system? Who gets the best cancer treatments? Who gets the best drugs? How about those new MRIs? Private spending WILL come into play, just like it does in the U.K. Semantics I'm sure in your superficial assessments, but just like again.... Obama telling us what we can keep.... you're preaching from the same platform parroting a few key phrases with no logistical answers to what will come. Again, you just believe that all of the sudden the U.S. government will slash administrative cost and won't add any significant costs or inefficiency of their own.

The government just dipped their toe in socialized medicine with the ACA and it's been a disaster from day one. Yeah let's go in with both feet....

 

[_CY_]

I'll state it again. The solution is wide open capitalism. Allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines and allow individuals to purchase medications from any country. Competition will drive down prices and drive up quality.

+1 .. preference is fix the problem of runaway costs by allowing the free market system to work by allowing legitimate competition which would drive down prices and drive up quality. but reality is the opposite .. the massive amount of $$$ spent lobbying by special interests has resulted in passage of laws that grossly fuels runaway costs.

single payer is really the last resort course of action by millions of folks in Colorado that no longer believe runaway costs can be contained any other way. Medicare for all is another option that has been used by Bernie Sanders. Medicare for All: Leaving No One Behind

apologies for turning political but bad laws are the root of the problem of runaway costs. IMHO this why the establishment is soooo afraid of Trump because big business stand of lose $$$billions and billions if Trump actually gets elected and does what he's proposed in reducing healthcare costs by allowing below:

1. Modify existing law that inhibits the sale of health insurance across state lines. As long as the plan purchased complies with state requirements, any vendor ought to be able to offer insurance in any state. By allowing full competition in this market, insurance costs will go down and consumer satisfaction will go up.
2. Allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns under the current tax system. Businesses are allowed to take these deductions so why wouldn’t Congress allow individuals the same exemptions? As we allow the free market to provide insurance coverage opportunities to companies and individuals, we must also make sure that no one slips through the cracks simply because they cannot afford insurance. We must review basic options for Medicaid and work with states to ensure that those who want healthcare coverage can have it.
3. Allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Contributions into HSAs should be tax-free and should be allowed to accumulate. These accounts would become part of the estate of the individual and could be passed on to heirs without fear of any death penalty. These plans should be particularly attractive to young people who are healthy and can afford high-deductible insurance plans. These funds can be used by any member of a family without penalty. The flexibility and security provided by HSAs will be of great benefit to all who participate.
4. Require price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals. Individuals should be able to shop to find the best prices for procedures, exams or any other medical-related procedure.
5. Block-grant Medicaid to the states. Nearly every state already offers benefits beyond what is required in the current Medicaid structure. The state governments know their people best and can manage the administration of Medicaid far better without federal overhead. States will have the incentives to seek out and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse to preserve our precious resources.
6. Remove barriers to entry into free markets for drug providers that offer safe, reliable and cheaper products. Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for America. Though the pharmaceutical industry is in the private sector, drug companies provide a public service. Allowing consumers access to imported, safe and dependable drugs from overseas will bring more options to consumers.

The reforms outlined above will lower healthcare costs for all Americans. They are simply a place to start. There are other reforms that might be considered if they serve to lower costs, remove uncertainty and provide financial security for all Americans. And we must also take actions in other policy areas to lower healthcare costs and burdens.

Trump Healthcare Reform

 

[Fredkrueger100]

I'll state it again. The solution is wide open capitalism. Allow individuals to purchase insurance across state lines and allow individuals to purchase medications from any country. Competition will drive down prices and drive up quality.

I agree with all of this except for the medicine overseas. The only problem worth that is there is so much counterfeit medicine being produced in other countries we wouldn't know what was legit and what isn't. Heck our own pharmaceutical companies have been given medicine that wasn't made the way it was supposed to be. And people have died from it. That really blows my mind. Billion dollar companies outsourcing the medicine to 3rd world countries to manufacture. Then they get it shipped back here and sale it like it was all made in America. The price of insurance and medicine will never come down because there is too much money being made. Those are the biggest rackets there are. I take a drug called suboxone for my past addiction. If I didn't have insurance it would cost me over $1,000 a month to pay for it! Yes I said that right. And people wonder why insurance is so high. Even without Obamacare the prices are still outrageous. These big pharma companies should be forced to lower their prices. Manufacturing the meds isn't anywhere near what they sale their stuff for. I bet their profits are somewhere around 300-400%. The pharma companies want to act like they care about the people that depend on their medicines but they don't. They only care about one thing and that is money.

 

[_CY_]

I agree with all of this except for the medicine overseas. The only problem worth that is there is so much counterfeit medicine being produced in other countries we wouldn't know what was legit and what isn't. Heck our own pharmaceutical companies have been given medicine that wasn't made the way it was supposed to be. And people have died from it. That really blows my mind. Billion dollar companies outsourcing the medicine to 3rd world countries to manufacture. Then they get it shipped back here and sale it like it was all made in America. The price of insurance and medicine will never come down because there is too much money being made. Those are the biggest rackets there are. I take a drug called suboxone for my past addiction. If I didn't have insurance it would cost me over $1,000 a month to pay for it! Yes I said that right. And people wonder why insurance is so high. Even without Obamacare the prices are still outrageous. These big pharma companies should be forced to lower their prices. Manufacturing the meds isn't anywhere near what they sale their stuff for. I bet their profits are somewhere around 300-400%. The pharma companies want to act like they care about the people that depend on their medicines but they don't. They only care about one thing and that is money.

yup big pharma's profits are skyrocketing as a result of runaway costs .. existing laws bought and paid for by $$$$ lobbyist have effectively locked out competition.

let's say we eliminate generic drugs from say India due to QC concerns at say 5 cents per pill .. what is wrong with using EU/Canada approved generic drug suppliers that's $.50 cents for same pill vs 5 cents in India vs that same pill is $750.00 in America?? keep in mind we are referring to generic drugs that's been around for 20+ years. NOT new bleeding edge drugs.

something is wrong with this picture, but unfortunately it's reality and happening right now .. only in USA.

 

[JD8]

Despite $10B 'Fix,' Veterans Are Waiting Even Longer To See Doctors

A snapshot of single payer....

 

[dennishoddy]

Despite $10B 'Fix,' Veterans Are Waiting Even Longer To See Doctors

A snapshot of single payer....

I have the Choice card. Never used it even though I'm over 100 miles from the nearest VA hospital.
Did call about it because there were questions I had. The person I talked to had a script they were reading. It seems each occurrence of needing care had to be individually approved. There was no blanket approval system no matter how far away you live.