Gov Perry's Refusal to Implement ACA

I am an owner in a SCorp. We provide healthcare insurance to all of our employees at no cost to them including full family coverage. I am well aware of the high cost of insurance. I am also aware that the cost of insurance has not gone down and will not go gown as a result of the ACA. I am also well aware of the increased burden on businesses as a result of the ACA. I am also aware of the increased burden and the resultant cost increases of medical practitioners to cover the added cost to them for thee ACA. I am also aware that the ACA is written for increased government, increased government control, and increased cost to the taxpayer. The very limited number of people that can afford to purchase insurance or pay the fine will in no way offset the number of people that cannot afford insurance and will be provided under taxpayer subsidy to them for free.

The fact is, if you would like to go back to the type of medical care we had in the late 40s or early 50s we could reduce the cost tremendously. As a people, we have created advancements in medicne that would have been scienc fiction less than a half century ago. The vast majoirty of which is not cheap. If we could find ways to cut the government where it is not needed, then maybe we could do something about making medicne less expensive for all. We could start by eliminating most, or limiting, medical malpractice suits.

Here's my deal about this, take it for what it's worth. I have no faith in the insurance industry. This is an industry that, by its business model, HAS to fuck over its customers to maximize profits. I worked as a legislative aide in the Texas Senate during the period when they were debating and passing MedMal Tort Reform. The argument was that doctors were fleeing Texas because the high cost of malpractice insurance was forcing them out of business, and that if you capped the payouts on malpractice cases, it would result in lower premiums. Everybody KNEW it was an outright lie. First, there was no actual evidence that significant numbers of doctors WERE fleeing the state. Second, premiums weren't going to go down, and as we see today, they're higher than ever before. The ONLY people that got fucked were actual victims of medical malpractice, and the lawyers that used to take on those cases. Nowadays, if your doctor fucks up in Texas, good luck even finding a lawyer that will take the case, because by and large, it costs more than the $750,000 you're eligible to receive just to litigate it.

I'm a solo practicing lawyer, 33, don't smoke, and I've been turned down for individual coverage 3 times in the last few years because I once had a kidney stone. At least that's what they SAY. I'm operating on blind luck at this point, if I get seriously sick or injured, I'm screwed.

And even when you HAVE good insurance, it doesn't necessarily save you. Two years ago my parents were Tboned by a kid that was texting and driving causing him to completely ignore a red light. My mom spent 100 days in the hospital, and even now, 2 years later, she barely has any use of her right arm, and is still learning how to walk. The guy that hit them had an auto policy with a $30,000 limit on payout. The medical bills ran $260,000 in the first 6 days. (About $65,000 was their obligation to pay, after insurance and all of that - again, just for the first WEEK.) Now, the accident wasn't their fault, obviously, but the at-fault driver is basically judgment proof.

The problem isn't just insurance, it's also medical COSTS. It simply can't be the case that a financially upper middle class family can be injured through no fault of their own, HAVE good coverage, and still be ruined at the end of the day. That has to stop. There just aren't enough people walking around that have an extra $100,000 or more to spend in these situations.

While I don't love everything about the ACA, at least it's an attempt to change the equation. Again, just my take, feel free to take issue if you want.

We could start by eliminating most, or limiting, medical malpractice suits. Originally Posted by The2Dogs

Really? So do you believe that when a doctor shows up drunk/high to deliver someone's child and causes permanent damage to the baby, there should be no recourse for the family?

Texas had already been extremely lax in policing physicians who do wrong to their patients and now with our current medical malpractice damage caps, providers are allowed to worry even less about what they do.

Here's my deal about this, take it for what it's worth. I have no faith in the insurance industry. This is an industry that, by its business model, HAS to fuck over its customers to maximize profits. I worked as a legislative aide in the Texas Senate during the period when they were debating and passing MedMal Tort Reform. The argument was that doctors were fleeing Texas because the high cost of malpractice insurance was forcing them out of business, and that if you capped the payouts on malpractice cases, it would result in lower premiums. Everybody KNEW it was an outright lie. First, there was no actual evidence that significant numbers of doctors WERE fleeing the state. Second, premiums weren't going to go down, and as we see today, they're higher than ever before. The ONLY people that got fucked were actual victims of medical malpractice, and the lawyers that used to take on those cases. Nowadays, if your doctor fucks up in Texas, good luck even finding a lawyer that will take the case, because by and large, it costs more than the $750,000 you're eligible to receive just to litigate it.

I'm a solo practicing lawyer, 33, don't smoke, and I've been turned down for individual coverage 3 times in the last few years because I once had a kidney stone. At least that's what they SAY. I'm operating on blind luck at this point, if I get seriously sick or injured, I'm screwed.

And even when you HAVE good insurance, it doesn't necessarily save you. Two years ago my parents were Tboned by a kid that was texting and driving causing him to completely ignore a red light. My mom spent 100 days in the hospital, and even now, 2 years later, she barely has any use of her right arm, and is still learning how to walk. The guy that hit them had an auto policy with a $30,000 limit on payout. The medical bills ran $260,000 in the first 6 days. (About $65,000 was their obligation to pay, after insurance and all of that - again, just for the first WEEK.) Now, the accident wasn't their fault, obviously, but the at-fault driver is basically judgment proof.

The problem isn't just insurance, it's also medical COSTS. It simply can't be the case that a financially upper middle class family can be injured through no fault of their own, HAVE good coverage, and still be ruined at the end of the day. That has to stop. There just aren't enough people walking around that have an extra $100,000 or more to spend in these situations.

While I don't love everything about the ACA, at least it's an attempt to change the equation. Again, just my take, feel free to take issue if you want. Originally Posted by TransAm

Pretty much this. Also, another point of insurance is that everyone who has it believes they have good coverage. However, you're never going to know if your coverage is good or not until you actually have to use it for large expenses. When your insurance company declines a claim that they really should be paying and you have no recourse other than to go through an expensive lawsuit - that's when you really know if you have good insurance or not.

As for the ACA, while it's hardly going to solve any problems, it's an attempt at doing something. We all know the current system doesn't work. Sitting around doing nothing isn't going to solve the issue. It's sad that plenty of countries around the world (many European countries, Canada, etc.) have heathcare where their government, health insurance companies, and patients all work together to make things work while here in the US we're still caught in the "fuck the patient over" mentality.

Very well said both of you...TransAm and jbravo....about medical COSTS. I need to find some bills about some of my costs...and if I do...I will get back to this with some facts and figures.

Very good discussion, BTW.