

For Tens of Millions, Obamacare Is Working - anindyabd
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/22/sunday-review/steven-rattner-for-tens-of-millions-obamacare-is-working.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region&region=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=0

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ccvannorman
"Obamacare is working" in the same way that patching a hole of rust in the
roof of a dying car with duct tape works to prevent leakage from that one
hole. We're still in a dying car when it comes to health care, and it's going
to take more than duct tape to fix it.

The worst part about healthcare is evident every time I need to select my
insurance provider out of literally thousands of different private insurance
companies/brokerages. What exactly are each of these private companies doing
that can't be automated and consolidated?

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ars
> What exactly are each of these private companies doing that can't be
> automated and consolidated?

After dealing with government for various healthcare services I can think of
absolutely nothing more horrific or dreadful.

Capitalism works, because people compete for customers. I've very happy to
have lots of insurance companies competing.

I think it was Mitt Romney (not sure) that had the idea of just giving
everyone a lump sum to buy insurance and let them buy it where ever they
please.

A healthcare voucher system I guess.

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danpat
I'm a new immigrant, I expected it to be like buying car insurance, which
seems relatively sane and competitive in comparison. A system like that would
sort of make sense.

But it's nothing like that. What the hell are open enrolment periods for? I
get a 300 page contract, how the hell am I supposed to read and properly
comprehend that in the 10 days allotted before committing to paying $$$/month
for at least a year?

Having lived in single-payer countries for most of my life, it's definitely a
step backwards for me, both cost wise, and "how much I have to think about it"
wise. The intellectual capital drain due to the complexity of the system here
cannot be insignificant.

> You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've
> tried everything else. - Winston Churchill

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ars
> What the hell are open enrolment periods for?

That's to keep people from waiting till they are sick, and quickly buying
insurance on the spot. They need it because they can no longer exclude pre-
existing conditions. Even before that law they still needed it because they
can't actually tell if someone has a pre-existing condition they did not tell
a Dr about.

A one or two month waiting period would annoy people, and wouldn't help anyway
- the really expensive things to treat can last for years.

> the 10 days allotted

Open enrollment lasts for 2-3 months, not 10 days.

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quicklyfrozen
Maybe this step is a necessary evil on the way to true universal coverage, but
if the goal was to stop people from seeking health care they seem to be
succeeding.

We used to have coverage that would let you see a Dr. when you needed to --
now deductibles are so high and office visits so expensive I'm not going
unless I'm desperate.

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panarky
Agreed, Obamacare is a horrible compromise with the Powers that Be.

I bought insurance from an exchange. It's too expensive, deductibles are too
high, and selection of providers is too limited.

But even though I don't qualify for subsidies, I'm still paying about 30% less
than before Obamacare.

So as bad as it is, it's still been a pretty big net positive for my family.
Just goes to show what a basket case the US healthcare system is, when a
dreadful situation is a big step up.

