General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: It's really hard to take criticism of Obama here seriously [View all]JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Joe Lieberman & Bill Nelson were threatening to filibuster a public option. The thing that bothers me most about ACA is the mandate, I'm not sure what led to the change but the argument for it is an economic fallacy -- uninsured driving up costs for the insured.
This works under the assumption they would be offering lower prices if that wasn't a factor. Price raises only work if people still purchase the insurance, monopolies are the bigger problem. A lot of states have only Blue Cross or Blue Shield (options not under an employee health plan) several states only have 1 option. This is why premiums are high. A mandate is anti-competitive, why would private insurances lower prices now that people are required to purchase private insurance.
"Gaming the system" by waiting until they get sick is actually a reason the cost on the system is lower. Really it boils down to this, the private insurance monopolies have the bargaining power so they can say things like well if we're to offer a wider range of services & cover pre-existing conditions we want a mandate but the federal government has the power. It is another thing to adopt their arguments.
Health insurers don't like the already sick because of the high variable of costs, with a mandate the hits they take will be subsidized by the healthy, young who rarely go to the hospital paying, the ones currently "gaming the system". The consumers health insurance companies covet.
My criticisms are over things he does have control, the mandate was one of many things Obama had a troubling change of opinion on.