SB 2016-047 - Universal Healthcare and Affordability Act (Debating)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I think we should look for other sources for cost estimates.

[Potus]

I humbly ask the Senate to separate the public option program from the rest of the reform bill. The taxes and spending necessary for such a program, the program's structure, and other fine tuning elements will be much better explored and executed in its own bill.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

All right, then.  If that makes it easier to measure the cost and impact of this bill, I'll amend the text so that the public option is standalone.

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[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

For my first statement as a Senator, I'd like to say that I'm wholeheartedly in favor of this legislation. I believe any expansion to the healthcare system to cover more Atlasians is pivotal.

I'm also terrible at number-crunching and math in general, so I can't be of any assistance in that department

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Yes, separating out the costs associated with the administration, formation and such of the public option would make it easier to find out what the Sliding scale subsidy costs as it is.


Also another thing is that there may be ways to improve the subsidy as well, but we should look into that once we know the costs for the current structure.

[Goldwater]

So, what's going on here?

[LLR]

So, what's going on here?

We've never received any sort of economic numbers, which will impact our decision making greatly. Last I heard, we were waiting for the GM to give us numbers, but said GM has since resigned... Is DKrol GM now? I don't even know.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

So, what's going on here?

We've never received any sort of economic numbers, which will impact our decision making greatly. Last I heard, we were waiting for the GM to give us numbers, but said GM has since resigned... Is DKrol GM now? I don't even know.

Dkrol is acting GM, however I believe he stays on as GM until he resigns, is removed from office or President dfwlibertylover appoints a replacement.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Yeah, Kalwejt's gone and NeverAgain has ignored my multiple reminders about the analysis.  Oh well.  Guess we'll have to wait before the new GM is confirmed.

[Anna Komnene]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to this.  I'm supportive but healthcare policy has always felt so mysterious to me.  I finally got around to asking a friend who knows more about healthcare policy for his opinion.  His main suggestion to me is that we should clarify exactly what we mean by "cost parity" for the high risk pools with a formula that varies based on individual state factors to ensure that people living in states with higher healthcare costs don't get an insufficient subsidy.

The only other minor change I would add is clarifying that "medical discharges" are includes as well for the veterans sections, since I think that might be separate from a general discharge.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Bumping this one, since it fell off the first page.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

This has been submitted to the new GM.

(I want to get this thing off the floor already, too.  Believe me. )

[Associate Justice PiT]

This has been submitted to the new GM.

(I want to get this thing off the floor already, too.  Believe me. )

     So at this point we are waiting on the GM to get back to us?

[Pragmatic Conservative]

This has been submitted to the new GM.

(I want to get this thing off the floor already, too.  Believe me. )

     So at this point we are waiting on the GM to get back to us?

DKrol did a cost analyst here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SGTwKc8q0AgfnK9_hLFzCBeWaeZvFREBSzrgPegCoec/edit

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Oh, excellent.  Thanks for catching that, 1184AZ.

With the information provided, I'll amend the bill so that this program is appropriately funded.

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With that, I'll stress that these figures are subject to change as both the public and private costs are contingent upon future changes to our healthcare system, including federally-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid.  Some changes that would have otherwise been authorized by this bill were removed at the request of Representative Potus and Speaker Yankee for simplicity sake, but I do intend to bring back those reforms in the near future among others that haven't been considered yet.

I'd like to give the Senate and Yankee some more time to look at this bill in its current form, after which we can proceed to a final vote if no one wants any changes.

Thanks again to GM Dkrol for a very thorough review of this bill and cost projection.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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Single payer is about $3 Trillion a year. If you assume some costs are wastes and that 17% of GDP number can be reduced somewhat. You are still looking at $2 trillion or in that range of 2-3.

Thankfully we are not doing that.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     The amendment is friendly, originating from the sponsor. Senators have 36 hours to object to the amendment.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Sorry, I don't know why I just noticed this but this would have to be the most expensive bill ever passed in the history of the republic if these numbers were accurate.  The United States spent $2.9 trillion total on healthcare in 2013 which is about $9,255 per person.  There is no way these numbers are anything close to accurate; either Dkrol added several too many zeros or something went completely wrong in his calculations.

I'll seek to have this revised.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Sorry, I don't know why I just noticed this but this would have to be the most expensive bill ever passed in the history of the republic if these numbers were accurate.  The United States spent $2.9 trillion total on healthcare in 2013 which is about $9,255 per person.  There is no way these numbers are anything close to accurate; either Dkrol added several too many zeros or something went completely wrong in his calculations.

I'll seek to have this revised.

Actually I don't think it is wrong.

Historical NHE, 2015: NHE grew 5.8% to $3.2 trillion in 2015, or $9,990 per person, and accounted for 17.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Medicare spending grew 4.5% to $646.2 billion in 2015, or 20 percent of total NHE. Medicaid spending grew 9.7% to $545.1 billion in 2015, or 17 percent of total NHE.Dec 2, 2016

Medicare+Medicaid is 1.1 Trillion.

800 billion might actually be low balling the cost.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Sorry, I don't know why I just noticed this but this would have to be the most expensive bill ever passed in the history of the republic if these numbers were accurate.  The United States spent $2.9 trillion total on healthcare in 2013 which is about $9,255 per person.  There is no way these numbers are anything close to accurate; either Dkrol added several too many zeros or something went completely wrong in his calculations.

I'll seek to have this revised.

Actually I don't think it is wrong.

Historical NHE, 2015: NHE grew 5.8% to $3.2 trillion in 2015, or $9,990 per person, and accounted for 17.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Medicare spending grew 4.5% to $646.2 billion in 2015, or 20 percent of total NHE. Medicaid spending grew 9.7% to $545.1 billion in 2015, or 17 percent of total NHE.Dec 2, 2016

Medicare+Medicaid is 1.1 Trillion.

800 billion might actually be low balling the cost.

Ugh, sorry, I read it right the first time... scratch that.

So the analysis is sound, all things considered?  This is before we change Medicare and Medicaid.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

After some discussion with the President and members of Congress, I am motioning to suspend the rules and end debate on this legislation for an indefinite period.

[Potus]

I second the motion to indefinitely end debate.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     With respect, shouldn't the seconder be a Senator?

[Anna Komnene]

After some discussion with the President and members of Congress, I am motioning to suspend the rules and end debate on this legislation for an indefinite period.

Why?

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

After some discussion with the President and members of Congress, I am motioning to suspend the rules and end debate on this legislation for an indefinite period.

Why?

Long story short: a second health care bill is in the works that the authors want to pass first, and then return to this one.  I'm not withdrawing this bill; it's just getting put on the back burner for a little while.