How Obamacare fixed the health care market

[barfbag]

Keep dreaming.

[barfbag]

I'm very excited for Jan. 1, 2014 when I'll finally be able to afford my own health care coverage here in Cali, and I'm ready to hit the exchange when it opens next month. I know Torie probably thinks I'm a sucker for buying insurance since I'm a healthy young.

Having insurance is always a good thing. If people weren't denied for pre-existing conditions, then more people would buy and prices would drop. It's also good to allow people to remain on their parents' insurance for a few years. What we need now is to allow people to purchase across state lines and limit frivolous law suits.

[barfbag]

Hopefully someone with more knowledge can answer this: Is Obamacare the kind of thing that needs to be reauthorized?

No it doesn't unless parts are repealed by the next Republican administration. In this case, the repealed parts would have to be voted on again but not reauthorized.

[barfbag]

Having insurance is always a good thing. If people weren't denied for pre-existing conditions, then more people would buy and prices would drop.

Sorry, but that is just 100% false.  Bringing on the people with pre-existing conditions is the primary reason why prices are going up (not by nearly as much as Republicans say, but up nonetheless) under Obamacare.  It's simply inescapable.

There is something to be said for this. If people with conditions are insured, then costs will go up because people will be using the services more.

[barfbag]

Just did the research on the California exchange. It looks like I can get the "gold" level plan for about $250 before any kind of subsidy. That's less than I paid in Massachusetts for a "silver" level plan. GG Obamacare.

And you want the government to tell the health insurance industry that they can only charge so much for different plans? That's like telling a hotel they can only charge $100 a night for a $400 room. Eventually they'll go out of business and we'll be stuck with a bad health care system like Botswana, Massachusetts, and Zimbabwe.