Comment by marincounty | Hacker News Reader

Comment by marincounty | Hacker News Reader

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It's embarrassing. For years a lot of Americans just hoped they didn't get sick. Obamacare has helped, but people are falling through the cracks. Insurance companies took advantage of the bill, and raised rates to the point where some/many unemployed people can't afford private insurance, or qualify for medi-cal.

(To all the Obama naysayers--he tried. By the time Republicans got through scaring people, he needed to include private insurance companies, just to get something passed. And something is still better than what we had before--Nothing!

No insurance--own house--get sick--go to hospital--get jacked up bill--can't afford to pay--hospital lawyers eventually receive judgement on lawsuit--eventually attach home--quietly evict you! This scenario is still possible.

I hear about these earnest individuals(without assets) and refusing to declare bankruptcy still struggling to pay off their medical bills. Go ahead, but just know the rates they charge you were padded, and you are paying the highest rates they can charge you? Even if you pay cash, and they half the bill(antidotal stories I have heard on the fact machine) you are still paying way more than anyone with collective bargaining agreements(Insurance companies). Don't be a hero? It's a rigged system.

Yes--I have a bit of anger towards the medical system.

Insurance companies took advantage of the bill, and raised rates to the point where some/many unemployed people can't afford private insurance, or qualify for medi-cal.

I think you are very mistaken. The ACA added additional regulations that limit insurance company profitability (80% rule). The reason rates went up is because the legislation demands insurers provide more (coverage of children up to 26, caps on out of pocket, no pre-existing condition limitation). I'm not saying they were bad ideas, but anyone in their right mind knew that would increase costs not lower them.

"To all the Obama naysayers--he tried. By the time Republicans got through scaring people, he needed to include private insurance companies, just to get something passed. And something is still better than what we had before--Nothing!"

That's an...interesting...spin.

The Democrats had the votes to pass any bill they wanted.

They passed that one.

Sorry, you don't get to blame it on "Republicans".

"The Democrats had the votes to pass any bill they wanted."

Do you honestly believe Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh (among many others) would vote for any bill Obama wanted? That's not factually true, so I'm wondering why you believe it.

Those people aren't "Republicans".

I also noticed the attempt to change what I actually said -- "any bill they wanted" to "any bill Obama wanted", which I didn't say.

They had a majority in both Houses and could thus have passed any bill they, collectively, wanted (in fact they did it without a single Republican vote, and without allowing any amendments or even very much debate).

They passed that bill. Obama then signed that bill. That, my friend, is factually correct.

Why this desperate attempt to make it somehow the fault of "Republicans"? How about taking some responsibility?

> Why this desperate attempt to make it somehow the fault of "Republicans"?

They're the ones trying to make something created by the Heritage Foundation seem "Socialist".

Not actually relevant. They're still not the ones who wrote, passed, and signed the bill. The Democrats did.

It's entirely relevant as long as it's part of America's political discourse.

Why won't the GOP take responsibility for what its behaviors are doing?

Did you think modding this down would somehow magically turn Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh into "Republicans"?

I'm really curious.

Are these people Democrats who would not vote as instructed by the party leader or something? Pardon my ignorance, I'm from the UK where MPs who do not vote as instructed by the whips (enforcers) have the whip withdrawn (are expelled from the party).

Yes. They have already proven they will. The Democrat party had a much tighter reign on its people in 2008 through 2010. The simple matter was, you vote along the party line or we will not support your reelection nor will you serve on any committee of consequence.

The Republican party is a bit more fractured, which is how all political parties should be. People should be scared of a political party where dissent is heavily punished and nearly absent. The reason is because it expressly puts the party before the people.

Fortunately the voters have three times shown the error of that thinking and the resulting control of Congress is the result. As for the office of the Presidency, politics of identity (race/sex/etc) has become the norm and unless the Republicans participate in that type electioneering they won't get into the White House.

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