THURSDAY’S DECISION by the Supreme Court to uphold the 2010 federal health care law, by a 5-4 vote, is a victory for the health and financial security of Americans. With the mandate in place, the federal government can implement key insurance reform provisions that ensure that America will no longer be a country where individuals can be excluded from health insurance coverage because they are, have been, or will be ill.
This decision allows the Affordable Care Act to move forward to provide insurance coverage to more than 30 million Americans, to control the costs and improve the quality of US health care, and to lower the budget deficit. Congratulations to the tens of millions of uninsured Americans, the tens of millions more who face the risk of becoming uninsured, and the hundreds of millions who will ultimately benefit from a less expensive and higher quality health care system.
Comments
Globe: "...at the newly affordable rates provided by the state's Health Connector." We cannot afford the Massachusetts plan. The Connector is "affordable" because 50% pay no premium whatsoever, and up to 78% pay less than 20% of premium. Two weeks before Gov Patrick's re-election Mr Obama slipped $400million to The Commonwealth to offset crushing cash losses with this plan which was $600mil to $800mil in the hole, and to make his friend, Deval, and his own grand plan for the country look good. The Massachusetts model is idealistic, but will impoverish this state. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) will incentivize insurance compainies and doctors to provide less care to maintain their incomes. It is rationing by any other name. Unless the public really believes most doctors are missionaries, they in fact have considerable overhead, and will do what's best for their families. As Obamacare emerges starting 2014 but especially 2019 the states will have to abosorb more Medicaid and more debt. Your taxes and your health premiums will necessarily increase dramtically, and talk of preventative medicine is a canard in the short term and a bad bet longterm whether or not our legislators outlaw candy, big gulps, and trans fats. The plan is a great deal for The Entitled, not so much for the rest of us.
Jonathan Gruber, the man who has made a fortune helping to create systems that place the insurance industry at its center rather than the patient. "higher quality health care system" – Please explain how you will define quality. Do you mean those 55 easily gamed indicators that hospitals are devoting huge resources to while ingoring other critically important areas? "Individuals who were previously uninsured have contributed by buying insurance, often at the newly affordable rates provided by the state's Health Connector." – Of course some of it is junk insurance with such high deductibles that the people who have it still will not be able to afford care. "why our model works so well." – High administrative costs, 2 tiered health care, a return to the failed systems of the 90s, long waits for care are your definition of "working so well? "employer-sponsored insurance has grown much more rapidly here than in the rest of the nation since 2006" - But your "Cadillac Tax" will end that in 2018 "We should work together to make sure that the health insurance system works for all, not just for those privileged with sufficient income and health to have access to insurance coverage." - Lets just ignore the fact that health care and health insurance are completely different things
That's going to be a TOUGH ORDER. No other state is stupid enough to follow the MA plan.
Why "Must" this state remain a model for the nation!?!? We haven't figure out how to contain soaring health costs yet. Massachusetts has become afflicted with "first-in-the-nationitis" - somehow feeling it's incumbent on this state to be first in everything - without ever thinking things through. We have the biggest public boondoggle the nation has ever seen - the big dig. We have spent more than $100 million on health care for out-of-state residents. We have a more than lax system overseeing EBT cards. We have a highway system that breeds gridlock, congestion, and road rage. Enough is enough.