Scott Walker’s Obamacare replacement
Somehow the news that Scott Walker has issued an Obamacare replacement plan has gotten lost in all the other brouhaha (see also this.
I haven’t even had a chance to review it, but I thought I’d provide a thread if you wanted to talk about it.
Part one is to repeal ObamaCare, which is fine with me. Part two is to create tax credits as a substitute, which the Democrats will scream is inadequate. An ideal outcome would be part one without part two which could be accomplished by making these two separate pieces of legislation. Ram through tepeal the same way OCare was rammed through and then let the Dems block the tax credits.
The Federal government has no business interfering with people’s health care, period, that’s the individual responsibility of each State.
Jindal calls it Obamacare lite.
Not sure where Jindal is coming from. I heard Walker describe Health Savings Accounts, plus tax credits for the “needy”.
I believe that he said that an immediate Executive Order would require that Congress live with the same system is imposes on others, as an inducement for change. I may be mistaken about that.
I did not hear him say insurance across state lines, although he may have, since that is kind of a no-brainer.
When he can be heard, Walker makes good sense.
As for those who want no government involvement in health care, face it. In the 21st century, the government is gonna be involved in most everything. The idea of a “safety net” is thoroughly ingrained in the national consciousness and virtually assures that. The train has left the station, so to speak. The goal should be to choke government down so as to limit the range of activities to the legitimate, and to minimize its impact where it is involved.
It must start by paring down the bureaucracy to reasonable size so that when government does act, it can act with a modicum of efficiency. And, without saying, streamline the tax code to provide fewer opportunities for fraud and influence peddling.
Those are big chunks. Anything beyond those is a very long term proposition–and problematic.
Repeal Obamacare and do the following. It will work much better than Obamacare.
1. Open the health insurance market up for across state line competition.
2. Employees do not pay income taxes on their employer paid health insurance plans. Either tax those as income or allow people who buy insurance in the private market to buy their insurance with untaxed dollars. (Deduct their insurance premiums from their gross income when figuring their taxes.)
3. Do medical tort reform. Allow collection of actual medical costs and loss of work costs, but set caps on pain and suffering awards.
4. Pass a law requiring all hospitals to publish their prices, thereby opening up price competition in the hospital industry. This would give an advantage to non-profit hospitals and allow people to shop for the best price.
5. Encourage big retailers like Walmart, Costco, and major shopping centers to open routine medical care centers where people can go for routine treatments like shots, URI evaluations, well baby evaluations, sprains, strains, and other low cost routine treatments. Encourage poor people to go there rather than to expensive ERs, which is what is being done today.
6. Get serious about fraud and waste in the Medicare/Medicaid system. Spend some money to save a lot of money.
7. Means test Medicare premium payments. I could afford to pay double what I’m paying now. Those who have greater incomes than mine could also pay more.
8. Pass a law banning prescription drug commercials. Drugs are not regular consumer goods. They are controlled items dispensed only by prescription and should not be pushed on consumers who have little knowledge of how they work and how dangerous some of them can be. Insurance companies are spending billions on advertising, which increases the cost of their products.
9. Figure out a way to replace EMTALA, which would direct people away from ERs unless they have real emergencies. Such a replacement would also direct big city shootings, drug overdoses, knifings, etc. to non-profit or charity hospital ERs which will be able to pay for some of the cost out of charitable giving/city or county money/no need for a profit. Right now these costs (and they are considerable) are passed on to the paying customers. (Meaning those with insurance) It is a big reason why hospitals charge such high prices.
I’m sure there are many other ideas out there even better than those I’ve listed. I hope someone comes out with an understandable plan that doesn’t move money from one person to another in the effort to make all patients equal. (Equally miserable, that is.)
Jimmy J. for President! The only think I would add is “10. End birthright citizenship”
Well OK, one more thing: “11. You only get one taxpayer-paid baby on Medicaid. The rest are on you.”
Heard Walker on Greta today. In the very few moments that he gave her to answer some rather hostile questions about his plan, he definitely said he would force Congress to abide by Obmacare via Executive Order as an incentive to cancel it.
My only question with what he outlined is the idea of tax credits if an employer does not provide coverage. That kind of gets us back into the “different strokes for different folks” that politicians love to play. But, I expect that there would soon be no employer provided insurance anyway. (Presumably the people who pay no taxes will still suck the government teat through Medicaid–figuratively speaking.)
My wife thinks I am unhinged on the subject, but I do believe that Trump gets treated a lot differently from the other GOP candidates on FNC. (FNC is the only one I pay any attention to at all–and that is waning)
Good thing that we have all this medical care, we will need it when all this new equipment gets tried out and the results are tallied.
anyone other than myself realize what happens before something starts? that someone comes up with lots of new equipment and makes it in pseudo secret then suddenly with the idea of easy win with superior firepower, we find ourselves in conflict.
the news wants to report on ANYTHING but whats going on that may create threat conditions. you know, like north and south korea trading mortar fire this week… the new chinese miltary base on japanese soil. and russia and china unveiling lots of new equipment developed due to the openness that destroyed the secrecy in corporate design, development, chips, and so on.
dont worry… its MAGIC…
and your going to love whats under their sleeves..
Why has Obama Fired 197 US Senior Military Commanders
we have almost no one left with EXPERIENCE
[stalin nearly lost against hitler cause of his purges]
Army Gen. David D. McKiernan — 2009. First 4-star relieved since Truman relieved MacArthur.
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The Russian navy’s latest submarine is 574 feet long, displaces no fewer than 18,000 tons of water and packs two nuclear reactors.
as best as any outside observer can tell, the Moscow has a new mission. She appears to be part science vessel, part spy ship, part commando transport, and part “mothership” for mini-subs and drones.
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Russias new super carrier
the vessel will displace between 90,000 and 100,000 tons, roughly double the size of any carrier Russia has built to date. It will also be 330 meters in length, 40 meters wide, and have a draft of 11 meters. The carrier will have a cruising speed of 20 knots (kt), with a top speed of 30 kt. The vessel will also have an endurance of 120 days and require a crew of between 4,000-5,000 sailors.
The carrier will be able to carry between 80-90 combat aircraft of various kinds. Jane’s revealed that “the model features a split air wing comprising navalised T-50 PAKFAs and MiG-29Ks, as well as jet-powered naval early warning aircraft, and Ka-27 naval helicopters.”
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China has all but confirmed that it is building an indigenous aircraft carrier, and that it may even be a nuclear-powered one.
“it is known that China plans to build large nuclear aircraft carriers, equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Work on the main units and elements of the ship is already underway, and the project documentation part of it has been completed.”
[and electromagnetic catapult is a Rail Gun]
[edited for length n-n]
List Of Military Elite Purged
And Fired Under Obama
Compiled By General Paul Vallely
Throughout world history, whatever comes next after a military purge is never good.
[edited for length by n-n]
I commend to your frequent attention The NCPA blog, an invaluable reference for those interested in a more reasonable and financially sustainable delivery of medical care, particularly in the United States.
There, analyst John R. Graham finds both Walker’s and Rubio’s proposals “very good.”
Graham also finds that Jindal’s Attack on Walker’s Health Plan is Off-Base.
While a tyranny of ‘experts’ is not substitute for thinking, how nice if more of everyone’s thinking on US healthcare were at least informed with sustained reference to the facts and commentary of the savvy, experienced thinkers of the NCPA.
when will neo notice?
will she say anything?
will there be a thread for it before some conflict starts and we wonder why we are losing?
that list is still growing…
They are being “removed” at a rate of about one per week.
just ignore it…
lets get to the election, cause if there is a conflict that gets hot just before the election, they could pull a stunt they have already discussed.
Obama is “intentionally weakening and gutting our military, Pentagon and reducing the U.S. as a superpower, and anyone in the ranks who disagrees or speaks out is being purged.” Ret. Army Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely
$1.3 trillion that’s been cut from the Pentagon budget
too many quotes from military men, like the founder of the navy seals, and other special areas are talking, but no one is listening.
we are too busy paying attention to womens ti ts in timesquare
We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.
Barack Obama
Good luck people…
go study history and see what happens when actions like this were taken…
Early Warnings: How American Journalists Reported the Rise of Hitler
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/early-warnings-how-american-journalists-reported-the-rise-of-hitler/254146/
How hard did these writers work to find out what was really going on? Did they take risks to get to the real story, or were they mostly content to stay in their comfortable bubble?
“Hitler is bringing Germany back to its feet. Look how orderly this place is now.” Charles Lindberg
In 1936, Truman Smith, the military attaché, was trying to report on the military buildup
Even the German Jews didn’t seem to realize the danger they were facing. It’s interesting to see that the American journalists were sometimes the first ones to warn them about it.
But one of the things I found fascinating in writing this book was to put myself in the shoes of the people there, who didn’t have the benefit of hindsight, and wonder, ‘What would I have understood? What would I have done?” I came away from it all knowing that I couldn’t, with any assurance, say I would have been any smarter.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/early-warnings-how-american-journalists-reported-the-rise-of-hitler/254146/
and so, history will repeat..
except we wont have eisenhower but will have obama biden… THAT alone should send a big chill down ones spine…
Artfldgr:
If you want to know what German Jews actually knew and thought about Hitler by 1936, read Klemperer’s diaries for that time. They strongly contradict that quote you cited.
What’s more, look at the evidence of Jews voting with their feet. It runs strongly counter to that quote you cited. Here’s an excerpt, and as you read it keep in mind that in June of 1933 the entire Jewish population of Germany numbered 500,000:
What’s more, a great great many of those who stayed were elderly, poor, ill, or family members taking care of elderly or ill relatives and who felt they could neither take them nor desert them. And many who stayed tried to get out but were unable to.
Artfldgr:
One more thing—this thread is about Walker’s health insurance proposals. I don’t mind a bit of off-topic commenting, but the problem here is the number and length of your off-topic comments. So I’ve shortened some, and for one I replaced a list with a link. That is time-consuming, however, and sometimes I may just eliminate them.
Another problem is that you continually—and I mean over and over, not just in this thread but in many threads and many comments of yours—claim other people here are unaware of what they are in fact aware of. For example, there have been many many comments here over the years about how Obama has been purging the military of many officers and shaping it to his desires. In fact, I would wager the great majority of regular readers of this blog know that. I would also wager they are well aware, although certainly not of everything Russia and China are doing, but of the general drift.
Why continue to harangue people for not knowing what they know?
In addition, I choose to write about topics that interest me and that I have something to offer on that might have a different slant than other people writing on them. That doesn’t mean that every topic I don’t write about is something I don’t know about or don’t consider important.
You are welcome to write about what you want to write about on your own webpage or blog. In addition, you are welcome to sometimes comment off-topic on a thread here. But not over and over and over at great length. And please stop the scolding of people for not knowing what they in fact know. Actually, your messages would be more well-received in general—and probably more people would read what you write—if you eliminated the scolding entirely.