"Healthcare" in the US

[Yuwipi Woman]

I've read parts of the Congressional Budget Office report on the new proposal for Trumpcare. It's a disaster for anyone making less than $50K a year, or, who is over 50. (I'm both.) A 60 year-old person who makes $26,000 a year could end up paying more than half their income in premiums. Or, more likely, lose access to health care entirely.

The latest numbers I've seen suggest that 24,000 people will die from this law than would have died without it. That's in addition to the 20,000 people who die from lack of access to care currently.

In other words, lack of access to care will kill more people than are murdered by firearms in US:

The GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare will result in 24 million people losing health insurance, according to the new Congressional Budget Office estimate. That’s like taking health coverage away from a country as big as Australia.

If the Republican-majority Congress passes the GOP’s health reform plan, the American Health Care Act, there’s no doubt that people will die. But getting a firm number on exactly how many deaths an ACA repeal would lead to is surprisingly contentious....

...We do have something else though: very high-quality studies on the impacts of health insurance on mortality, which come to some pretty clear estimates. This research suggests that we would see more than 24,000 extra deaths per year in the US if 20 million people lost their coverage. Again, 20 million is less than the 24 million the CBO thinks will lose insurance by 2026. So the death toll from an Obamacare repeal and replacement could be even higher

The GOP plan for Obamacare could kill more people each year than gun homicides

 

[skyscraper101]

It's awful. Not only the tens of thousands more people needlessly dying, but also the withdrawal of free contraception will undoubtedly result in more unwanted births.

Will The Obamacare Repeal Affect My Birth Control? Yes — And Badly

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

It's awful. Not only the tens of thousands more people needlessly dying, but also the withdrawal of free contraception will undoubtedly result in more unwanted births.

Will The Obamacare Repeal Affect My Birth Control? Yes — And Badly

It's even worse than that. The bill repeals any funding for Planned Parenthood. When Texas did that a couple of years ago, their maternal death rate doubled:

The United States performs worse than any other developed nation when it comes to maternal death, according to State of the World's Mothers 2015, the most recent comprehensive report compiled by Save the Children, a 90-year old global organization advocating for kids' needs. In the United States, a woman faces a one in 1,800 chance of dying from a pregnancy-related cause during her reproductive years, that report says. She's 10 times more likely to die this way than a woman living in Poland, Austria or Belarus. ....

From 2006 through 2010, numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics show that the rate of maternal deaths in Texas wavered little. There were as few as 69 deaths in 2009 and as many as 82 in 2008. But from 2010 to 2012, those numbers shot up from 72 deaths to 148. In 2013, deaths fell slightly to 140, and there were 135 in 2014, the last year analyzed by the study's researchers. ...

The uptick is no coincidence, they say. In this same window of time, Texas politicians voted to defund Planned Parenthood and slashed family planning dollars, reducing access to more than abortions. Other services provided by Planned Parenthood, which often caters to underserved communities, include breast and cervical cancer screenings, contraceptive counseling, STD testing and treatment, and multiple forms of preventive women's care.

Maternal deaths down globally, up in US, double in Texas - CNN.com

 

[skyscraper101]

It's even worse than that. The bill repeals any funding for Planned Parenthood. When Texas did that a couple of years ago, their maternal death rate doubled:



Maternal deaths down globally, up in US, double in Texas - CNN.com

Depressing. It's so sad to see such a great country with such draconian leadership in charge of the healthcare of its poor.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Depressing. It's so sad to see such a great country with such draconian leadership in charge of the healthcare of its poor.

We can do so much better than this.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

It's grim. Just what is wrong with the right wing fuckwit politicians in the US?

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

It's grim. Just what is wrong with the right wing fuckwit politicians in the US?

Probably the same thing that's wrong with the fuckwit people who elect them.

Analysis | The GOP’s Obamacare replacement is a disaster for some of its most loyal voters

 

[Supine]

I don't think people in the U.K. Can really get their head around the US thought process on healthcare.

Canadians With Cystic Fibrosis Live 10 Years Longer Than Their American Counterparts

 

[camouflage]

I don't think people in the U.K. Can really get their head around the US thought process on healthcare.

Canadians With Cystic Fibrosis Live 10 Years Longer Than Their American Counterparts

No point puzzling ourselves over how the Americans live, we should concern ourselves with the NHS and what's going on there. In a few more years we'll probably be getting the same... treatment. budum tish.

 

[coley]

No point puzzling ourselves over how the Americans live, we should concern ourselves with the NHS and what's going on there. In a few more years we'll probably be getting the same... treatment. budum tish.

No, most here have grown up with a decent expectation of health care and we can distance that expectation from fears of having our rights to such healthcare as opposed to the rights to accumulate large stocks of military grade hardware to defend our rights to be exploited by money grabbing health care insurers.
"I might die of of corporation induced pollution and exploitation, but I die with the right to have a gun in my hand, that's what makes " America great"
Sad, so sad.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Too bad some of those Trumpazoids have voted for their own deaths.

 

[Yossarian]

Too bad some of those Trumpazoids have voted for their own deaths.

It seems like some of those voters would literally rather die than see more health care benefits go to people - especially black people - that they deem undeserving. Though it's generally a different story once they pass 65 and anybody suggests cutting Medicare benefits.

 

[flintstone]

The Shocking Verdict on Trumpcare

"The blows of Trumpcare hit hard and hit early. By 2018 alone, "14 million more people would be uninsured," compared to continuing Obamacare, according to the CBO report. By 2020, Trumpcare would reverse all the progress the country has made in expanding insurance under Obamacare – stripping 21 million of coverage. But Trumpcare isn't done. By 2026, the damage swells to 24 million. That's like kicking every man, woman and child in the state of Texas off America's insurance rolls."

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

It looks like Trumpcare might go down in flames. I'm not reassured by this. It looks like its being defeated because it wasn't hard enough on the poorest or generous enough to the richest:

Conservatives Vow To Vote Down GOP Health Care Bill Without Changes | The Huffington Post

 

[SpookyFrank]

It's grim. Just what is wrong with the right wing fuckwit politicians in the US?

They're not trying to help people and failing, they're trying to fuck people over and succeeding. Calling them all fuckwits is far too kind.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

The Economist | Lexington: Deal breaker http://www.economist.com/news/unite...ple-either-do-or-do-not-have-health?frsc=dg|d

I think it will be interesting to see how this develops...being an ex-US resident

 

[coley]

It looks like Trumpcare might go down in flames. I'm not reassured by this. It looks like its being defeated because it wasn't hard enough on the poorest or generous enough to the richest:

Conservatives Vow To Vote Down GOP Health Care Bill Without Changes | The Huffington Post

More to the point!
Twitter Is Buzzing With Donald Trump 'Space Alien' Rumors | The Huffington Post

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Someone is going to have to explain to me how this isn't buying votes:

Kochs pledge millions to GOPers in 2018 -- if they vote no on health care bill - CNNPolitics.com

I happen to be on the "no" side of this, for different reasons, but we shouldn't be allowing the buying to votes. Corruption that benefits you can quickly turn into corruption that buries you.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

That's just freedom of speech, no?

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

That's just freedom of speech, no?

If I went to a senator and offered him cash in exchange for a vote, I'd get arrested. I don't see a difference when instead of being paid in cash, its paid into a political slush fund that reelection campaign funds have become. Once the election is over, the senator has the option of putting the excess in their own pocket. There should at least be a limit on how much payola you can throw their way, otherwise its just oligarchy.

Its the blatant exchange of the vote in exchange for money that I have the issue with. If it were merely a reasonable contribution for general agreement on issues, then I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it.

 

[not-bono-ever]

What is the real world situation for those without insurance - are people literally dying on the streets in anytown USA?

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

What is the real world situation for those without insurance - are people literally dying on the streets in anytown USA?

I don't know about "on the streets", but people do die from treatable illnesses because they don't have insurance. I've seen it happen to people I know. They've all had a roof over their heads, but only made $7.25 to $9.00 an hour. Or, they were unemployed, but couldn't afford paying for COBRA (insurance for those between jobs).

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Our elected officials discussing women's health care.

 

[petee]

It seems like some of those voters would literally rather die than see more health care benefits go to people - especially black people - that they deem undeserving.

i think this is right, which is why that question "what's the matter with kansas" is misplaced. such voters know exactly what they're doing, elevating themselves morally, as they think, "see me, I'm willing to stand or fall on my own efforts" and trying to force others do the same. i could bang on about this but am on fone.

 

[emanymton]

Republican repeal of Obamacare fails as healthcare bill pulled from House vote

The master negotiator strikes.

 

[Treacle Toes]

Our elected officials discussing women's health care.

No wonder they all look so uncomfortable. FFS!

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

n the wake of the Republican failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Friday, leading figures in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party are rallying behind a single-payer health insurance and a raft of other bold reforms.

These lawmakers and grassroots leaders have long believed that the problems plaguing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, are rooted in the original health care law’s attempt to accommodate, rather than gradually replace, the private, for-profit health insurance system.

Now that efforts to eliminate the law wholesale are effectively dead, they are again arguing that the best way to improve the country’s health care system is to confront the power of corporate health care providers more directly.

Bernie Sanders, Top Progressives Announce New 'Medicare For All' Push | The Huffington Post

They should at least get the arguement into the mix. No one has really asked for what a lot of people would really like to see. It's been a disaster for the left (or what passes for it in the US) to pretend to be "Republicans lite" on this and other issues. In any choice between real Republicans and "lite" version, the voters are going to choose the Republicans.

“The problem is the insurance companies, Big Pharma ― they’re gonna come back and use the chaos to their advantage,” predicted Social Security Works executive director Alex Lawson. “If Democrats go with a half-a-loaf policy, Republicans are going to blame them for the failures of Big Pharma. They have to immediately pivot to expanding Medicare.”

You're going to get blamed for whatever they want to throw at you. You might as well get blamed for something you've really said or done.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

The Kansas Senate voted to expand Medicaid on Monday, days after Congress abandoned legislation that would have blocked expansion.

Senators voted 25-13 to give early approval to expansion, with a final vote expected Tuesday. The House has already passed the bill.

Gov. Sam Brownback signaled a likely veto if the bill goes to his desk. A spokeswoman issued a statement critical of expansion as senators debated.

Kansas Senate votes to expand Medicaid

I'm sure Brownback will veto it. He's what's the matter with Kansas. Given the margin of the votes, there's a chance they can override the veto.

 

[damnNAFTA]

Former Obama aide and Hillary Clinton booster Jim Messina sent out a tweet soliciting donations for a former Obama staffer who is currently facing a serious health issue, and potential bankruptcy under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Why is that ironic, you ask?

Well, Messina, a former aide to Montana Senator Max Baucus, served as Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Operations under President Obama where he became the unofficial enforcer for the neoliberal elements within the administration. He was a key player in ensuring the Affordable Care Act included neither a single-payer plan or even a public option.

As The Nation reported back in 2011, Messina used his influence to place his old boss at the center of the health care debate, helping to secure his “gang of six” senators to write the legislation which would eventually become the Affordable Care Act. In retrospect, this move was widely viewed as a misstep as it slowed the process down, and opened it up to the influence of industry. And yet, while this was going on, Messina took on the role of bully-boy to shield Baucus from progressive critics and scuttle efforts to reform the bill by groups like Health Care for America Now (HCAN).

As the article explains, “When they were negotiating special deals with industry, Messina and Baucus chief of staff Jon Selib were also pushing major healthcare companies and trade associations to pour millions of dollars into TV ads defending the bill.”

Former Obama Aide Who Helped Kill Single-Payer in the ACA Solicits Donations for Sick Friend's GoFundMe Page (bolding above mine)

 

[BitterPill]

Republican repeal of Obamacare fails as healthcare bill pulled from House vote

The master negotiator strikes.

I dodged a bullet there.