You know who is getting screwed by ObamaCare? All the people who live in states where Medicaid wasn’t expanded or where the state didn’t conduct insurance rate reviews. Rural areas have higher rates because they have fewer hospitals and, therefore, less price competition, but Republican lawmakers and governors have made a tough situation much worse. They have actively discouraged insurance companies from bidding for customers, which has resulted in fewer plans, which has driven up prices. Not only are Wisconsinites paying double what Minnesotans are paying for the same plans, but people in rural Georgia are getting shafted when compared to folks in Atlanta.
In rural Baker County, Ga., where there is only one insurer, a 50-year-old shopping for a silver plan would pay at least $644.05 before federal subsidies. (Plans range in price and levels of coverage from bronze to platinum, with silver a middle option.) A 50-year-old in Atlanta, where there are four carriers, could pay $320.06 for a comparable plan. Federal subsidies could significantly reduce monthly premiums for people with low incomes.
The people who are really hurt are folks who make too much money to qualify for subsidies and that live in rural areas of Republican-run states. In other words, the Republicans’ strategy has basically resulted in their strongest supporters paying double what Obama’s strongest supporters have to pay. And, while prices would be somewhat higher for rural folks anyway, at least until more competition is introduced, the bulk of the disparity is not explained by the law, but by bad decisions by Republican officeholders that have screwed their own people.
Of course, all those people being screwed will be told, and passionately believe, that it’s the fault of the law, not of their states’ implementation (or sabotage) thereof.
They’ll be told that, for sure. They’ll also SEE other states (CA, NY, OR, WA, and even KY and others) putting along just fine, getting damn near everybody covered.
If they choose to continue living with their cognitive dissonance, (shrug) their choice.
It always is, and always has been their choice. Now the choice has been made a bit sharper.
No, they won’t. They’ll barely “see” what’s going on one county over.
Yep. I’m not without sympathy for these people, but let’s face it. This is what they voted for.
“Their own people” are the insurance companies that donate generously to their campaigns. The people being hurt are just The Rubes that fall for the marketing campaigns (i.e. elections) paid for by all the people anxious to screw them.
(shrug) if these folks ever decide that they value their own health more than they value hating The Black Guy, they can indicate as much electorally.
Until then, they are living the consequences of their own free, knowing, and deliberate choices.
That’s why i’m sofa king glad the ACA is structured as it is. It permits states with responsible electorates to benefit, and states without responsible electorates to fail. I support incentivizing responsible electoral behavior.
I’m going to be blunt
those stupid muthafuckas won’t say..
hey, those Republicans are screwing me…
no, they’ll say..
it’s all the fault of Obamacare.
I’ll say it..the WHITE ones will say it’s the fault of Obamacare…
the Non-Whites know who is fucking with their healthcare.
This. It may suck to be a Republican, but it sucks even more to be surrounded by them.
Honest to god, it sometimes can make me feel like I’m walking around all the time with a 20 pound weight wrapped around my neck. I have to find sanity and refuge where I can. Not sure what I would do if I didn’t have a couple of outlets available with sympathetic and intelligent people.
Republicans hate free markets. There it is.
Maybe you can’t put a price on not having to be indebted to black people…
I’ve had numerous opportunities to say this over the last few years, but I’ll say it again: people of Wisconsin, feel free to bring your cheese over here to Minnesota. We’re happy to have you. Oh, and we actually have jobs, too.
If they don’t even understand the dynamics of the free market that they claim to drives their ideology why should we listen to them about anything?
Too many dynamics currently in play to conclude that competition among health insurance companies will produce lower health insurance premiums within a few years.
Right now in large markets, insurers are vying for market share. Better to scoop up a larger share and lose money today when tomorrow premiums can be adjusted upward.
It’s also difficult to declare winners and losers. Omitting income from the NYT example distorts profile. Using that hypothetical 50 year old and the kff calculator for those two counties produces the exact same annual net premium of $3,800 at the $40,000/annual income level. However, how far does that income net of health insurance go in Baker County versus Atlanta?
It definitely pays to earn more in Atlanta. At $50,000, the Atlanta resident would pay $4,201 and the Baker County resident would pay $8,701. So, the Baker Co guy/gal pays more for health insurance, but may still have a higher standard of living than the Atlanta resident.
Speaking of sucking to be a Republican:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/opinion/the-cry-of-the-true-republican.html?_r=0
Hear the RINOsaur roar!
the Republicans’ strategy has basically resulted in their strongest supporters paying double what Obama’s strongest supporters have to pay. And, while prices would be somewhat higher for rural folks anyway, at least until more competition is introduced, the bulk of the disparity is not explained by the law, but by bad decisions by Republican officeholders that have screwed their own people.
This is a feature, and not a bug.
Republicans have been fucking over their own constituents for 130 years, and blaming it on big government, bureaucracy, and libruuuls.
They’ll continue to do so and get away with it because their media arm, aka Fox and Limbaugh, will make sure to remind them that it’s the fault of big government, bureaucracy, and libruuuls.
Hell, if Republicans didn’t constantly screw over their constituents and blame Democrats, we’d already be living in a much better society by default.