Medicaid/CHIP enrollment as of April 2017 in the USA.
Pre ACA average monthly: 56,000,000+
April 2017: 74,000,000+
The impossibility of ACA
Neither The Left or Right can win on this one. The Obama admin set impossible expectations and made political promises that can’t be kept.
No pre-existing conditions. No risk adjustments other than age. No cancellation. No lifetime caps. No rationing. No behavioral controls. No price controls. No effective mandate. Kids stay on until 26. Sign-up or don’t, get sick, then sign-up, get treatment, quit paying, again. Most everything is an Essential Benefit.
Unfettered, affordable access to the rapidly advancing, increasingly expensive US health care system (drugs, procedures, facilities, equipment, providers, R&D) for 330,000,000 rapidly aging, increasingly unhealthy people?
ACA premiums for 2017
ACA PLATINUM PPO for 2017.
Typical family of four.
3 adults and 1 child in California (ages 50, 50, 20, 18).
Each parent making $75,000 per year, so no subsidy.
Monthly Premium $2500 (or $30,000 per year).
Or, $150,000 over five years, IF no more increases.
Pre-existing conditions
So long as the private sector doesn’t provide affordable guaranteed issue to the individual market, Career Politicians will keep using the wedge issue. The entire health care system will be ping pong back and forth every 8 or so years in the Divided States of America.
Health care
Costco Nation likes free samples and “stuff” wholesale. Career Politicians in the Divided States of America know that and will continue to make promises that can’t be kept.
When does the patient get their own check book out?
Often, sometimes, never?