Should Obama care be repealed?

Published

  1. As healthcare providers, should (Obama Care) Affordable Care Act be repealed?

    • 64
      YES
    • 108
      NO
    • 1
      WHO CARE
    • 2
      I NEVER READ....I DO NOT UNDERSTAND
    • 6
      I AM NOT SURE?

181 members have participated

[h=1]another poll question?[/h]

I don't think you'll find many who will disagree that we could do better than the ACA, but what would you replace it with? Not liking the ACA is the easy part, have something idea of what you would want instead is the important part.

I would like to think that the original idea of the ACA was a step towards universal coverage/single payer. The Democrats knew that people wouldn't go for that right away from the old system, so they saw this a step towards it, with people seeing how much better it was that there were no pre-exisiting condition limits, no lifetime limits etc...

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

I don't think you'll find many who will disagree that we could do better than the ACA, but what would you replace it with? Not liking the ACA is the easy part, have something idea of what you would want instead is the important part.

I believe HSA's or a form of HSA's with insurance ONLY for catastrophic issues may be the solution along with measures to reduce the cost of healthcare across the board. Since almost all providers accept cash (which HSA qualifies thereof), that would improve access to healthcare. There would be little to no concern of in-network vs. out of network (a doctor where I used to work shared horror stories of ER's contracting agencies to fill the provider bank, and those contracted providers don't accept the same insurance as the ER the hospital is located; creating a huge mess for patients who thought they were going to an ER/hospital their insurance covered only to find out it was only partially true).

Also, while I'm not for wealth redistribution, but there could be real wealth redistribution with the rich funding the HSA's of the poor. Real cash for real healthcare vs. lining the pockets of insurance companies and the CEO's of insurance companies.

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Sorry to butt in purely USA conversation.

You as nurses, as healthcare workers see the result of people having no insurance. Where uncontrolled diabetes results in amputations, not checked breast lump turns terminal cancer or people going bankrupt trying to pay for treatment. ED abuse instead of primary care, etc.... Why? Why is this ok?

Some people on this forum are sharing stories of them struggling, them being uninsured or just unable to pay the premiums.

I just dont don't understand the American dream where such a basic, essential thing such as healthcare is so hard to access.

Isnt ACA a first step to actually having insurance for all? Shouldn't it be modified to include more people while government actually steps in and tried to control the outrageous prices?

I know I don't understand the complexity of USA market healthcare but how are so many people ok with the outrageous profits insurance/drug companies are making?

I know britains NHS, or Australian Medicare isn't perfect. I've lived in Australia without insurance for a while and it sucked to pay $70 for medical certificate for missed lab at university. Or $260 for contraceptive implant. This year it cost me 0 for GP/NP visit and $30 for implant (and removal/insertion)

If someone is sick they go to GP. If they are very sick ED will look after them, any ed not the one affiliated with their insurance company. It's free with some copays for some procedures, some drugs which are still reasonable.

End rant... sorry, been reading up on USA system for a bit and just dont get it...

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Sorry to butt in purely USA conversation.

You as nurses, as healthcare workers see the result of people having no insurance. Where uncontrolled diabetes results in amputations, not checked breast lump turns terminal cancer or people going bankrupt trying to pay for treatment. ED abuse instead of primary care, etc.... Why? Why is this ok?

Some people on this forum are sharing stories of them struggling, them being uninsured or just unable to pay the premiums.

I just dont don't understand the American dream where such a basic, essential thing such as healthcare is so hard to access.

Isnt ACA a first step to actually having insurance for all? Shouldn't it be modified to include more people while government actually steps in and tried to control the outrageous prices?

I know I don't understand the complexity of USA market healthcare but how are so many people ok with the outrageous profits insurance/drug companies are making?

I know britains NHS, or Australian Medicare isn't perfect. I've lived in Australia without insurance for a while and it sucked to pay $70 for medical certificate for missed lab at university. Or $260 for contraceptive implant. This year it cost me 0 for GP/NP visit and $30 for implant (and removal/insertion)

If someone is sick they go to GP. If they are very sick ED will look after them, any ed not the one affiliated with their insurance company. It's free with some copays for some procedures, some drugs which are still reasonable.

End rant... sorry, been reading up on USA system for a bit and just dont get it...

As someone who's lived in both Spain and the United States I could not agree with you more. The U.S. system is insanity to me, and I can't for the life of me understand how many people still argue to support it. I can understand how a lot of the Medical Profession likes parts of it though, they make a ton of money.

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Specializes in Pedi.
While I know it helps some patients, I personally don't like it that much. For starters, I stupidly forgot to sign up for my employer's insurance in the beginning of the year because I thought I had to wait 3 months, when it was given right away. So now I'm about to turn 26 and I will be kicked out of my dad's insurance. So I went online to find out about medicare and other options, right off the bat I was denied government help because I earn too much. I got to the other options and they are all $260+ a month, and I'm like, I can't afford this! So I go call different insurance places and each of them is cheaper in individual plans, so I need to pick one or I have to pay the fine for not having insurance, but some of these say they won't cover my existing conditions or not this medications but this doctor... this is a very difficult thing to do and I wish it was easier for me.

Turning 26 and being kicked off your parents' plan is a "qualifying event", hence you should be able to sign up for your employer health plan when that happens, instead of having to wait for the next open enrollment.

You wouldn't qualify for Medicare as a 26 year old unless you are disabled or on dialysis. Medicare is primarily for the Elderly. Medicaid is for low-income people. Children with severe illnesses can qualify despite parents' income in many states but often have to pay a premium. Anyone who earns a nurse's salary will make too much to qualify for Medicaid.

It is illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. That is one of the most important parts of the ACA.

The ACA doesn't go far enough. It's disgraceful to be the only developed country in the world that doesn't guarantee healthcare for its citizens. But, until we're willing to go that far there are those of us, like me, who were unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with diseases like brain tumors at a young age who need a law that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions or placing lifetime caps on our coverage. If lifetime caps were allowed, mine would have been maxed out before I turned 20.

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

Nobody00, CNA

In Australia immigration is extremely limited, and only to those who will not be a burden on the system. In the US many people come from other countries, as well as many citizens, to use our "free" healthcare. The burden of this is placed mainly on middle class who work, the ACA skyrocked these costs for most of these people. There are of course other factors but that is why most lower-middle class working people have a problem with the current system. Some people have had their costs increase so high that they cannot either afford it anymore (but do not quality for subsidies) or just cannot afford to use it (related to copays etc).

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Nobody00, CNA

In Australia immigration is extremely limited, and only to those who will not be a burden on the system. In the US many people come from other countries, as well as many citizens, to use our "free" healthcare. The burden of this is placed mainly on middle class who work, the ACA skyrocked these costs for most of these people. There are of course other factors but that is why most lower-middle class working people have a problem with the current system. Some people have had their costs increase so high that they cannot either afford it anymore (but do not quality for subsidies) or just cannot afford to use it (related to copays etc).

Yeah australian migration is hard. I've lived here for >6 years and it'll be another 4 before I become a citizen.

Australian dental care is pretty much American general healthcare. It's cheaper to go overseas for a holiday and have dental treatment there than have it done onshore. Or pay for private insurance to cover it. One day that'll be fixed.. one day

Why are are American people so opposed to national healthcare though? Why are the costs for asthma inhalers (or any other drug coughepipencough) so insanely high? Why is this tolerated?

Middle class is paying for uninsured to go to ed instead of primary care providers and paying for treatment of advanced conditions that's are preventable. Then they are paying ridiculous insurance premiums with copays and deductibles and what not... and the insurances don't even cover everything do they?

The system at its core is so broken. ACA is far from perfect but at least it tried to fix something for some people. And so far from what I read there isn't a better proposal in place to replace it.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
How nice for your friend to have insurance for the first time. My premiums were jacked up to $850.00 a month (for just me) with a $6500.00 deductible. This means I have to pay cash for most of my healthcare. My two inhalers for my very mild (when controlled) asthma are $400.00 a month. I pay $1250.00 a month for both. When the next rate increase goes into effect my choice will be to: pay the premium so my life savings doesn't get confiscated in bankruptcy court or pay for my inhalers. I will not be able to afford to pay for both things. I qualify for no help of any kind and my future choice will be between choosing to keep my savings which I *will* need to pay for a nursing home or I can chose to breathe.

For me the Affordable Care Act is a financial disaster that will end in bankruptcy or my asthma being allowed to go out of control. While it may be lifesaving for some of your friends, it could be life ending for me. This is completely unsustainable. I don't see why the health of others is prioritized over my health.

This is exactly my problem with the so called affordable health care. Guaranteeing access to health care in no way means that an average person can actually afford to get health care.

Premiums that have skyrocketed in price coupled with ridiculously high deductibles means that unless you happen to suffer from a pre-existing condition that requires frequent and expensive medical care or suffer from a catastrophic illness or injury that requires expensive medical care chances are pretty good that you will never actually derive any significant benefit from your insurance.

In your case at $1250/month for inhalers it will take over 5 months before your deductible is met assuming there are zero medical expenses besides that. And you pay $850.00/month for this? Insane!

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Specializes in Cardiac/Tele.

As long as HCAHPS is GONE!... I'm open to options. But not "no" option.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Related topic is the insanity that is allowed to continue with big pharma. My personal experience with this is of all things with my dog. He suffers from a seizure disorder. Of course the first time he had uncontrolled seizures was after hours and on a weekend so a trip to the emergency vet was necessary. After a night in the veterinary hospital he was prescribed Keppra at discharge. I had the prescription filled at a pharmacy for the cost of almost $300.00

When we followed up with our regular vet he continued to prescribe the Keppra. The meds I get from the vet are the same bottle, same manufacturer, same everything...except for the cost. Yep, the exact same bottle of pills that cost almost $300.00 from a human pharmacy cost $22.00 through the vet. There is something very wrong with this picture.

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Whoa, someone missed their daily dose of Vitamin A.

What I think most everyone can agree on is that the ACA is not perfect but should not be completely repealed without a replacement or better yet amended to be better in some form.

Many of the people that post to this forum have come from poverty, some have family and friends still in poverty, time to get off the high horse. Keep in mind that you are speaking to a group of individuals who have literally dedicated their profession to saving and improving the lives of others.

EVERYONE can agree that there is an issue, what people are debating about is how we go about resolving that issue.

Keep in mind that reducing the uninsured rate does not necessarily equal quaity or access to care. Someone who could not afford insurance before certainly cannot afford the $7,500 deductible (my brother who is a lower middle class business owner) so how has his access to care been improved?

I personally believe ACA has helped the very poor BUT I also believe that it has hurt many middle class families. Not saying it should be removed but we can do better especially now that we have had time to read, review, and debate the law instead of being it being forced upon us like a rapist in the night.

We have had so many years to solve the problem of insurance and affordable health care, yet we have failed miserably. Then the the Affordable Care Act was "forced" on us, giving many people health coverage which they would not have had. Since inception of ACA we have heard a lot of threats to repeal and replace. Only a dunce in the corner takes that long to come up with a replacement plan, when drawing a salary which gives them plenty of time to do just that. Ironically, the biggest users of government welfare are those in congress, some of whom wish to take away health care from others. I propose that those in congress lose their health coverage immediately and pay for their own health insurance. Also, an insurance company cannot lower their rates and at the same time insure people with complex illnesses for the same price as a healthy person. They are not a charity. I feel sorry for people who are slammed with large deductibles (which were around before ACA), but I know of many people who do not have such high deductibles and are self-employed, so maybe that needs to be looked into for fairness.

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I was thinking that this morning. I don't understand it, but I think perhaps if people had a small co-pay regardless of income or situation, they may think twice about being irresponsible. Parents should be held liable for debts created by their underaged children who are making children (even if it's on a sliding scale).

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