Do you think you’re safe from Noem/Trumpcare just because you get your health insurance from your employer and thus haven’t had to deal with the Affordable Care Act marketplace to get individual coverage? Think again. Kristi Noem voted last week for a plan that could cause your employer-based coverage to fail the Jimmy Kimmel test:
Under the House bill, large employers could choose the benefit requirements from any state—including those that are allowed to lower their benchmarks under a waiver, health analysts said. By choosing a waiver state, employers looking to lower their costs could impose lifetime limits and eliminate the out-of-pocket cost cap from their plans under the GOP legislation [Stephanie Armour and Michelle Hackman, “GOP Health Bill Jeopardizes Out-of-Pocket Caps in Employer Plans,” Wall Street Journal, 2017.05.04].
Wow—so not only does Noem/Trumpcare make life worse for self-insured folks who got affordable coverage thanks to the ACA, but it also goes after the much larger class of employees who’ve counted on their job-based plans to protect themselves and their families.
I’m telling you: smart Democrats can construct entire campaigns around this single issue, the GOP’s mad support for this completely destructive health care plan. Run to go to Congress and fight Trump’s self-serving tax cuts. Run to keep Kristi Noem out of the Governor’s office. Run for Legislature to block any gubernatorial attempt to enact any of the terrible provisions that Daugaard thinks deserve consideration. Run on the simple promise to protect everyone’s health insurance—everyone’s! employees, self-employed, kids, women, older workers—from the Republican effort to take it away.
Of course. My employee health care plan implemented all of the requirements for the ACA. Why would they not take away everything Trumpcare is taking away. BTW, last year was the first year since I have had this insurance (15 years) that my premium didn’t go up.
I’m looking forward to this Summer when all the ‘pubs that voted against the working class come back to their districts and try to explain away their mean vote. Cory, keep up the good work on telling the facts.
The good side is the ‘pubs have made 2018 a lot easier for democrats.
Once again, insurance costs and deductibles with pre existing conditions are the main topics of healthcare discussions. What about healthcare cost reductions? Trump was right to say Australia’s Universal healthcare is better than our system. Just as Medicare lowers our healthcare and Rx prices, a similar program for those ages 50 – 64 would work. Why the 1%ers should get the Obamacare tax cut is not fair in that the same group took advantage of the recovery with higher incomes the middle class has yet to see. Nothing will change until the Insurance and Rx lobbies stop buying Congress. This is not a time for tax breaks for the wealthy with disproportionate savings compared to the middle class.
Troy still loves him some trumpcare. Thinks that it is swell and that he will not pay a price for the hammer that falls on his melon. NOem will probably not get punished by voters on this because she is gonna get her fanny handed to her in the primary. krebs could take that price though, very easily.
Now, come on Joe Lowe, announce your intent for the governor’s chair. Then challenge the republican dead beat legislature to defend their positions on dismantling nursing home coverage, to defend their positions on denying healthcare for special needs folks. 2018 is a long way from now in the political world of hearing the drip drip of give away programs to the rich while stealing from your invalid grandma and the children born with Down’s Syndrome. Start the conversation, head on out like Rick did and shoot the cool breeze with anyone who will listen, heads up, the people will damn sure be listening now.
I wonder how all of this will shutter programs for the Black Hill’s Workshop? That is a statewide program, how will NOem handle that? How bout the ol haters krebs and Jackboot Jackley? Rounds has already declared he is in on his tax breaks, what about the photo op dude? They need to be asked just like the dead beat republican legislature needs to be asked.
I attended a social security seminar years ago and the keynote speaker made the emphatic statement the adult system for people with disabilities was a train wreck waiting to happen. From all accounts with recent events in Washington,DC and the political climate in Pierre the adage is fast approaching! Parents/guardians,family members and advocates need to step up NOW and have their voices heard b4 it’s too late.
This is the opportune time for Democrats and Independents to take a stand and run for office.
I’d love to see the costs of actual care lowered. Does any part of the Noem/Trump plan address cost control in the hospital?
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
“In 2015, 26.9 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month”
“In 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249.0 billion.
Three-quarters of the total cost of alcohol misuse is related to binge drinking.”
[Each year] “97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape”
Gee, I wonder where one could start to reduce health care costs?
LeeAnn—wow! your premiums didn’t go up? We need to keep whatever’s working for you… and we need to keep Noem and Trump’s hands off your health care!
Democrats, I’m serious: health care is all you need to run on in 2018.
Robert, on that score, I’ve been keeping my health care costs down all my life. I’d love to hear Congress drop the ACA-repeal and focus instead on reducing alcohol abuse.
I am with you on that Cory. If we just reduced binge drinking by half, there would be a lot less of a health care problem to solve.
But that would imply that Congress could focus on one issue that would benefit Republicans, Democrats, and everyone else. Just one time guys. C’mon.
@cah: “I’d love to see the costs of actual care lowered. Does any part of the Noem/Trump plan address cost control in the hospital?”
A good part of health care high costs is due to the cost shifting that occurs when the Federal government dictates price caps in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Hospitals, clinics, doctors, et al then shift those uncompensated costs to the employer provided insurance, individual policy holders and cash payers causing premiums and prices to rise faster than if the Federal government was paying it’s total share. Economics 101.
Robet/Cory – – – wait for it ….. binge drinking to become a preexisting condition. You saw it there first.
How about some good old price controls, Don. Most of the rest of the industrialized world has some form of price controls on how much insurance companies and hospitals can charge for procedures. In Japan, an MRI only costs around 150.00 b/c the government there has set let laws on how much it should cost. Here in the US, an MRI can be several thousand dollars and they are still rising in price.
If anyone wants to dispute the cost of an MRI in Japan, I heard this on PBS News Hour a few days ago. Americans can only dream of an MRI that affordable. In the USA there is too much money to be made from sick people, so our government, big insurance and Pharma are all in bed together and choose not to fix the system.
T.R Ried’s documentary (available on PBS — Google it) “Sick Around the World” is an excellent comparison of the UK, Taiwan, Japan, Switzerland and Germany and the US.
PS — all have better healthcare than us “mericans.
This is a nice interactive map I found comparing the ACA to the AHCA and lower income people are mightily screwed courtesy of the republicans. Republicans have no mercy.
http://kff.org/interactive/tax-credits-under-the-affordable-care-act-vs-replacement-proposal-interactive-map/
Jenny – – – thax for link. Will be part of the Geography Div next Monday.
Apprentice MiniBear status awarded !! – – – Bear
I think Cory is somewhere between 98-100% correct on this one.
Kristi Palin-Trump Noem is wronger than wrong on the issue. There’s a space, somewhere between the dimension of sight and sound, and that place is called The Super Ultra-Wrong Zone.
FBI guy Comey just got fired by trump. 1973 is backkk…
Ah, so Coyote isn’t just trying to repeal ACA but also trying to roll back Medicare and Medicaid. It’s the whole government dole that has his goat.
Again, I invite Coyote to run a Republican candidate for U.S. House who openly advocates repealing Medicare and Medicaid. That would only ice the cake on which Democrats can run and win in 2018.