Unknowing Canadian and the ACA

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2013

Well unlike in Canada private insurances are still going to be running the show for the most part. The other issue is this is a political fight. So certain governors/states refuse to expand Medicaid due to their political ties. In general most are afraid of it because healthcare organizations are using it as an excuse to cut staffing, pay, benefits, etc so you don't know how your employer will screw you over next. It's a mess and it will take time to make it work. All I know is it has good intentions.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Sep 20, 2013

It's all partisan politics. The original objective (healthcare for all) has been lost amongst all the bickering and posturing. In my state, governor goodhair is leading the fight (against Medicaid expansion) because he is is consistently against any governmental support for reproductive rights for women. As a result, he has decimated women's health care for the poor. Couple that with his other draconian efforts which have essentially eliminated legal avenues for abortion in most of the state & it's pretty apparent he really doesn't like women...or children... or poor people.

FWIW, this decision means my state will lose $100 billion in Federal support for Medicaid along with other consequences - here's more detailed info. Health Officials Decry Texas' Snubbing Of Medicaid Billions : NPR

roser13, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2013

Three words:

POLITICS, POLITICS & POLITICS.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Sep 20, 2013

It has nothing whatsoever with patient care, staffing, or anything else, and hospitals who cut or curtail staff that say they're doing it because of the ACA are blowing smoke and hoping we won't notice. There are partisan factions counting on the lamentable fact that many people are completely ignorant of the benefits and rights under the law (some 40-60% people in a recent survey think it's already been repealed or blocked in full or in part by the US Supreme Court ...not true). This comes about because of the explicitly-stated objective of the Tea Party Republicans: They want Obama out and since they lost the election in 2012, the only thing they can do is oppose anything he promotes. Anything. I think if he said, " A round of drinks for everyone on me," they'd all decide to be teetotalers. That WOULD make sense, but that's about the end of it.

The major provisions start being implemented this fall and winter, and so the pressure is being ramped up to stop it even more before people start realizing how it actually helps them. For example, some ads paid for by opponents urge young people not to sign up for their health insurance at the exchanges because in some unspecified way it will be dangerous for them if they do. It's ludicrous, really, and IMHO one more way the Republican "grand old party," once so good on this issue (the major components of this law were promulgated and championed by the GOP in years past, and a GOP governor and 2012 losing presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, incorporated them into the very successful Massachusetts model of universal insurance six years ago) is acting as if the Tea Party is a CNS prion. Even old GOP stalwarts like Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich and rising GOP moderates like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie have been telling the Tea Party to knock it off, but they persist. Actually, the more I think about it, the better the prion analogy is. You heard it here first.

The latest House GOP action is to hold the US government budget hostage, saying they will not vote to authorize the annual budget bill unless the ACA is unfunded. It has absolutely no chance whatsoever of passing the Senate and will just make them look foolish again. People will get tired of this, and the GOP will go down.

So in answer to your question... it's politics, pure and simple. These things have a way of resolving eventually, and I am confident that they will.

edimo · Sep 21, 2013

Oh my goodness! Well thank heavens I didn't get into politics because I would be completed exasperated with the foolishness that is going on. As elected members, you would think that they would put aside partisan differences and just make good on something such as universal healthcare. This pettiness is just as frustrating as when both democrats and republicans were bickering over the debt ceiling as the deadline loomed.

I can understand some people may not want to opt into an insurance program and just pay the penalty (cheaper apparently lol) but let that be their individual choice.

TriciaJ, RN · Sep 21, 2013

Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian! I have lived here many years and there are some big differences in the systems. 1. People here are more sue-happy so health care providers have to pay huge malpractice premiums which drives up the cost of healthcare. Obamacare does not even address tort reform. 2. Health insurance premiums are paid for by employers; if you have a good job, it comes with health insurance. Since employers don't know what their future obligations are going to look like, they're not hiring or expanding and this is seen to contribute to the current economy problems. Those are 2 obvious pitfalls. There have been benefits: People up to age 26 are now eligible to stay covered under their parents' plans. This really should not hurt insurance companies since this population tends to use very few healthcare dollars. Also, insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover people with pre-existing conditions. They have had the tendency to collect your premium dollars until you get sick and then drop you without covering your treatment. I believe this has changed. From what I've seen so far of ACA, there are pluses and minuses. There is a lot of partisan politicking involved and the two parties have been very polarized the past several years. Not having to worry about healthcare is one of the things I miss most about Canada. Hope this helps. Most of us down here don't completely understand ACA either.

edimo · Sep 21, 2013

Also insurance companies can no longer refuse to cover people with pre-existing conditions. They have had the tendency to collect your premium dollars until you get sick and then drop you without covering your treatment.[/quote']
Whaaat?! That's terrible!

edimo · Sep 21, 2013

Whoops, premature reply lol my bad!

That is truly awful. The thing that has always perplexed me and saddened me is that when people are faced with a hardship and just trying to recover from a medical emergency, they are slammed with a medical bill that they will never be able to pay back. I like knowing that is **** hit the fan and something happened to me, it wouldn't ruin me financially.

I really, really hope this all works out for you guys. It will definitely take time. And no matter what we call it ie Romneycare, obamacare, ACA, people need to see it for what it is and not just by the nicknames it's referred to.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2013

Well...that was swift accurate description of the mess...technically the ACA helps the insurance companies get more people to sign up and put more money in their pockets....but they promise to approve less care and reimburse the physicians/facilities even less....and raise taxes to pay for the government "oversite" of the "program".

Just because you have insurance....doesn't mean they will pay.....you still need approval for what they will and won't pay for.... depending on the plan you are forced to buy at their STEEP rate. They aren't denying you anymore but they don't have to pay.

But.... you can always file bankruptcy.

A real deal..... :rolleyes: .

Cures nothing. Although sweet of you to try to understand.((HUGS))

Stella_Blue · Sep 21, 2013

My premiums have already started to go up snd that yearly cost has gotten higher. Did I mention that my insurance doesn't cover certain things that it used to, nothing major, but none the less. All this had happened in the recent change of the ACA it seems. Just preparing for the times to come I suppose.