Obama realizes the individual mandate will be ruled unconstitutional

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Obama Puts Public Option and Single Payer Back on the Table

At the National Governors Association, President Obama just threw his weight behind a bi-partisan effort in the US Senate to allow states to innovate with health reform, including adopting a public insurance system or single payer health care system by 2013 instead of 2017.

At the National Governors Association, President Obama just threw his weight behind a bi-partisan effort in the US Senate to allow states to innovate with health reform, including adopting a public insurance system or single payer health care system by 2013 instead of 2017.

The governors embraced the state innovations waiver proposal, since conservative states want to weed back the federal health reform and states like California might like to push ahead with public insurance options or single payer health care systems.

The idea is to let states meet federal targets anyway they want to, rather than how the federal government prescribes, by 2013 rather than the current 2017 deadline.

This is one of Obama's only moves left, and a smart one. It gives progressive reformers in California and elsewhere the ability to move forward on ambitious reform plans that can pass at the ballot box in 24 states but would never get the time of day in Washington.

Facing strong legal challenges to the individual mandate, Obama did the right thing by offering flexibility to states to meet targets for access and benefits in the Affordable Care Act.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Posted in Off Topic by mistake. Moved to correct forum

[Ban Hammer 13,682]

i guess that's why he was on tv earlier talking about how medicare eats up the most taxes.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

i guess that's why he was on tv earlier talking about how medicare eats up the most taxes.

Obama hates old people.

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Obama hates old people.

Don't we all?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I listened to segment of his speech to the governors. He said that if their states come up with a health care system of their own that is deficit neutral and provides coverage for everyone, they be allowed the flexibility to do so earlier than the original 2017 date. It'd be interesting to see how many of these states that are challenging the law plan to do just that.

Edited March 1, 2011 by 8TBVBN

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I listened to segment of his speech to the governors. He said that if their state come up with a health care system of their own that is deficit neutral and provides coverage for everyone, they be allowed the flexibility to do so earlier than the original 2017 date. It'd be interesting to see how many of these states that are challenging the law plan to do just that.

I believe many will, in their own ways. The deep-red states will likely go all-out with their ideologically pure solution which involves high deductible plans and health savings accounts. Vermont will almost certainly go single payer. Maybe California too.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I believe many will, in their own ways. The deep-red states will likely go all-out with their ideologically pure solution which involves high deductible plans and health savings accounts. Vermont will almost certainly go single payer. Maybe California too.

California couldn't be anymore broke, so they might as well go single payer. That would definitely ease the load on local and county governments of having to absorb the costs of MediCal. I bet most of California's residents already carry a health card of some sort.

Edited March 1, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I believe many will, in their own ways. The deep-red states will likely go all-out with their ideologically pure solution which involves high deductible plans and health savings accounts. Vermont will almost certainly go single payer. Maybe California too.

Oh, I wonder what the minimum requirements are?

On a related note, my wife recently was offered medical insurance through employer (an orthodontist). The plan is through Assurance. Her boss will pay 50% of her premiums, which oddly are priced higher for females. I've never seen that differentiation before in all the years I lived and worked in CA. Anyhow, the premiums to cover all of us would be about $1,300, not to mention the deductibles.

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Oh, I wonder what the minimum requirements are?

On a related note, my wife recently was offered medical insurance through employer (an orthodontist). The plan is through Assurance. Her boss will pay 50% of her premiums, which oddly are priced higher for females. I've never seen that differentiation before in all the years I lived and worked in CA. Anyhow, the premiums to cover all of us would be about $1,300, not to mention the deductibles.

State laws on gender rating vary. New Jersey does not allow it, apparently Arizona does.

$1,300 per year I assume? What's the deductible?

[SMOKE 1,426]

the 'childbearing' difference in OK is about $300-350 a month.

eta: blue cross blue shield's price difference.

Edited March 1, 2011 by SMOKE

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California couldn't be anymore broke, so they might as well go single payer. That would definitely ease the load on local and county governments of having to absorb the costs of MediCal. I bet most of California's residents already carry a health card of some sort.

Are there health insurance options in Cali for low income people that don't require asset draw down? I have been researching options for health insurance for my mom when her COBRA runs out next spring. Obviously I'd prefer she find a job that gives her insurance (no luck so far) but failing that the option is a NJ state program with a $1K-2K premium. Obviously if it came to that my sister and I would split the premium but in the meanwhile I wonder if there's someplace she should be moving where there's a state program for low income people with assets who aren't old enough for Medicare.

[Pooky 3,847]

$1,300 per year I assume? What's the deductible?

I seriously doubt that it's $1,300 a year to cover a family. When I worked in NYC, that would be the monthly premium for family coverage.

I really hope the state that picks this up first and runs with it (Vermont?) goes with single payer and does it right. The politicos may have their own reasons for the path they want to walk, but the voting public will want to see a system that works, that offers them affordable coverage and takes away the nightmare scenario of being bankrupted by a serious medical occurrence. After the 2010 mid-terms, the voting public seems to have a taste for being heard and healthcare is one of the biggest issues out there.

At least now, faced with the likelihood of losing in the Supreme Court, this administration is looking to jump the right way. Pity it's 2 years later than it could have been.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Are there health insurance options in Cali for low income people that don't require asset draw down? I have been researching options for health insurance for my mom when her COBRA runs out next spring. Obviously I'd prefer she find a job that gives her insurance (no luck so far) but failing that the option is a NJ state program with a $1K-2K premium. Obviously if it came to that my sister and I would split the premium but in the meanwhile I wonder if there's someplace she should be moving where there's a state program for low income people with assets who aren't old enough for Medicare.

California has a pretty robust Medicaid program (MediCal), and depending on the county, there is plenty of local support as well. The programs are means tested, and there are residency requirements, but they go by whatever you put on the forms. They have "presumptive eligibility."

For private insurance, Kaiser has various programs, and there are other providers as well, like Blue Cross. Classic coverage for me at 50-55 years old was $600 a month. I get a much better rate through my wife's work. Rates climb through the roof past 55.

Edited March 1, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[mawilson 2,133]

Posted in Off Topic by mistake. Moved to correct forum

AJ, what the hell were you doing in Off Topic?