Where'd the Affordable go in the ACA

[arthurbaird0]

In October 2015 New York Times published Closing a Hospital, and Fearing for the Future noting Mercy Hospital Independence as the 58th hospital to close in the United States in five years”. In November Modern Healthcare, an industry leader insider's guide on successful hospital operations, underscored the financial hardship by some of America's largest Healthcare Organizations (HCO's). Organizations such as NYC Health who reported losses of 263 million in just the first quarter of 2015” Losses they tied to revenue decline and operating expense increases.

State run healthcare exchanges have been stricken with serious financial burdens. The federal government who Initially provide 5 billions dollars in funding, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to establish state run healthcare exchanges no longer provide funding and states are expected to cover all operating expenses associated with running state exchanges. Some states have reported operating cost upwards of 30 million or more on an annual basis. Other states like Hawaii have already shut down their exchange sending Hawaiians to Healthcare.gov, and it's still unclear as to how other States will address the exorbitant cost of running healthcare exchanges.

Health co-op insurers offering policies through state run healthcare exchanges are struggling with serious financial difficulties as well. In November 2015 Health Republic Insurance of New York, the largest of the nonprofit cooperatives created under the Affordable Care Act closed in bankruptcy after losing hundreds of millions of dollars of American taxpayers money over a two year period. Kentucky Health Co-op lost more than 147 million of taxpayer funded loans and will no longer offer policies in 2016. Twenty one of the twenty three co-op started under the ACA are losing money! Only fifteen of the original twenty three are still in business. Leaving congress wondering Where'd the 2.4 billion dollars go”?

In both Georgia and Virginia, state legislators are struggling with a bed Tax”. A fee charged to hospitals in order to help finance healthcare for the poor. In return each state could receive 500 million in new federal funding dollars they'd in turn use to sure up state funded Medicare. Virginia is in such financial depravity that the VHHA President Sean T. Connaughton wrote the mounting financial burden of diminished reimbursements, increased uncompensated care, and federal funding cuts necessitate the exploration of even the previously unthinkable. The status quo is simply unsustainable.”

In Georgia Advocates say letting the tax expire could limit access to critical medical care for thousands of Georgians as urban safety net hospitals are forced to cut services and smaller rural hospitals face the threat of closing their doors” of which five hospitals in Georgia have closed in the last three years.

All while everyday Americans pay roughly 25 percent of the income to workplace insurance, or pay hundreds monthly for basic healthcare coverage elsewhere. Americans pay these fees plus paying for Medicare and Medicaid. Insurance for other Americans that need medical care. Meaning 1 out of every 4 dollars an average American earns is spent just on health insurance alone! This does not include any out of pocket expenses. Gallup Poll released polling result showing 1 in 3 Americans put off medical attention because of the exorbitant costs. More concerning however the poll reveals that 19 percent put off medical treatment even for serious conditions and that's a dangerous decision. And their more frequently underinsured, those who have insurance coverage but who nonetheless have out-of-pocket medical bills that exceed what they can afford. The costs of deductibles, co-insurance, co-payments, out-of-network providers or medical care not covered by insurance isn't ever factored in. And these costs are crushing everyday Americans all over the United States.

The Affordable Care Act offered Americans a fair shake to purchase medical insurance without discrimination nothing more. Making healthcare more inexpensive was NEVER in the bill and all the money we have literally wasted trying to make healthcare more inexpensive has been lost on waste, fraud and abuse. By the end of 2020 the Affordable Care Act will have cost Americans just north of 1 trillion dollars, 30 million Americans will still not have health insurance and tens of millions more will remain under insured. And an increasing percentage of some of our Nation's most ill who are insured won't seek medical care entirely because of cost.

The Scandal of Healthcare: Nurses, Waste & Customer Service

[JoseQuinones]

It was a lie from the start. Just like "No Child Left Behind."

Politicians are equal opportunity liars, no matter what party they are from. Today Congress ripped up No Child Left Behind. May Obamacare join it soon in the scrap heap of partisan, rushed ideas.