Gov Perry's Refusal to Implement ACA

[Wikdj2]

Originally Posted by trey

Didn't the First Lady try that? Then folks came out saying she was telling them how to feed their kids.

Yeah she did, and came across rather preachy about it. I don't know how it could be done effectively. Each person is different. But to find a way to promote it and get people doing it. In the end it would have to do with financials. When fresh fruits, veggies, and meat gets so expensive that the crappy stuff is less expensive and easier to get a hold of.....well that's the issue right there.

[Trey]

She also told people to plant their own gardens.

Ijs anything she says even if we all know its not a bad thing the other side will say its wrong.

[Oralist]

I am not a big fan of "Socialism", which is what Obama Care really is. Just ask Canada, Greece and Italy how well "Socialism" works for them. Try having to wait 6 months just to see a doctor. Retire at 50 or 55? Sounds good until your country goes bankrupt. Greece, Spain and Italy have already gone bankrupt. France, Canada and, yes, even Germany, are not far behind.

I say keep the Feds out of Texas and leave the decisions to the state. Like Perry or not, he is trying to keep the Feds from gaining more control over our state.

[Guest123018-4]

I am willing to bet that 30 percent of households that want free healthcare have an abundance of luxury items in their homes. Those that are truly in need are taken care of without ACA. People make bad decisions all the time and it is not the taxpayers responsibility to pay for it. Same as with the car companies and wall street.

[Oralist]

We already have free healthcare. If you cannot afford healthcare insurance or paying a doctor directly, you may go to a county "free" clinic and be treated. Free hospitals are available, too. Ben Taub, LBJ, etc.

I have a job and work hard to afford my health insurance. It pisses me off that someone else wants for "free" what I work my ass off to provide for me and my family.

"Where's my free shit?" doesn't work for me at all.

[dearhunter]

Let's all compromise........free healthcare............and free guns

[targaman86]

Guys, you are missing the point of ACA. It's supposed to take some folks OFF the free wagon and have them pay SOMETHING.

Oralist, you reference Ben Taub, LBJ, etc...those aren't FREE, they are FREE to the people that don't or can't pay...as is any hospital care. See my post above about my neighbor who writes off 20% of uncollectible billings for FREE healthcare. That's at Memorial City and Clear Lake!

By the way, if you own a home, check your property tax bill while you're paying it. There's a line item on there for "Harris County Hospital District"...next to that it tells me to pay $680.99...that free healthcare is costing someone...ME! That 20% uncollectible is not being written off, it's being written up! As an increased cost to those of us who have coverage or pay cash.

Whoever said that something is better than nothing above is right. Everyone knows that something needs to change in healthcare, but the Republicans did NOTHING when they controlled the White House and both houses of Congress. The Democrats did SOMETHING. If you don't like it propose a change to the policy, but abandoning it or fearing change is NOT going to make things better.

[Guest123018-4]

Another person that has not read the ACA. and THINKS they know what it is supposed to be.
Are you a Senator or a Representative?

[targaman86]

Dogs...I see you're a "Super Moderator" so I should probably tread lightly or face getting banned, but I write paragraphs of facts and you read the first sentence of my last post and respond with the above?

I'm neither a Senator nor a Rep. I am an employeer and self-employed and I'm a 2%er that doesn't pay his share of taxes because the tax system favors me and what I do. I'm willing to look in the mirror and admit that things are slanted in my favor and that I get a better deal than 99% or better. I have inherited nothing and got where I am on my own. Have I read the ACA? Nope, I have too many other things to read and write on a daily basis to allocate enough time to do it. But I understand the problem and the need for a change, not only in healthcare but in entitlements across the board...including those that effect me and my family today and in the future.

Since you've apparently read the ACA, I challenge you again with proposing a change from the current system and the ACA and that improves the current situation.

[oilfieldscum]

I wonder if those so in favor of the ACA are aware of the Individual Mandate which hasn't taken effect yet?

The Individual Mandate requires that all citizens not covered by an employers insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid purchase their own insurance. If they do not purchase insurance they will be required to pay a penalty. The initial penalty will be $695/year or 2.5% of income whichever is higher. The penalty is handled through the IRS.

In other words that big tax refund that many people get each year is going to get quite a bit smaller.

[targaman86]

I'm OK with that oilfieldscum. It only encourages compliance. I have employees that decline my healthcare plan because they'd rather take their chances and go to the ER, free/cheap clinics or whatever when necessary. I pay 75% of the cost! Are you kidding me???

That 2.5% or $695 has a breakeven on income of $27,800. In my business, I call a lot of people in that income bracket clients and I see their credit reports. I can't tell you the percentage of people with medical collections issues and write offs, but the number is HIGH! See my above posts about write offs and who pays for them.

Bottom line: We ALL have healthcare costs at some point, the only question is how or IF you will cover them for yourself. I hear a lot of people OPPOSED to the mandate or ACA, but wanting to reduce government spending and entitlements. Making people pay for their own healthcare and getting them to plan for their future with a reduced Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid budget is the only way to do it without furthering the spread between the haves and have-nots.

If people can't figure out for themselves that they should be covering healthcare and retirement costs before making the rental payment on that 60" flat screen, then you need to mandate it!

[jbravo_123]

The individual mandate does also allow for excemptions due to financial hardship so not everyone who can't afford to pay for health insurance will be penalized for it.

[Undown64]

[QUOTE=targaman86;1052270175

Perry pulled the same crap 2 years ago when he turned down tarp/stimulus money targeted towards public education that other states received. Then he reluctantly accepted it when the bad press hit and docked the state education budget by the same amount, thus negating the benefit. I believe Texas expense per child for education falls in the bottom 25% of the country. There's a long term recipe for disaster. Now here we go again with the ACA.[/QUOTE]
And throwing more money on the broken education system is magically going to transform kids that dont want to learn, parents that dont want to make them learn, and kids that are probably better off learning a trade into some brilliant scientist? Higher education is the biggest scam in this country. Tuition keeps going up in the universities, the feds now control all student loans, there are no jobs when they graduate - how are they going to repay these exorbitant student loans? The exact same is going to happen to the whole ACA thing. Medicare is broke, Soc Sec is broke. They keep raising the age when you become eligible - this makes sure that older folks are working longer (into their late 60's) and this in turn reduces the number of openings for the young college grads. This is a vicious cycle...and the government is NOT the answer to ANY problem - THEY are the problem.
Milton Friedman famously said "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand"...now put the government in charge of healthcare and see what happens in a few years

[lostincypress]

Rick Perry hasn't had an original thought his entire life. Let's not blame him for the decisions of his puppeteers. That being said, everyone, and I include myself, that has employer provided healthcare is placing a burden on the consumer of whatever product or service provided. Minimum wage / no benefit employees subsidize our lifestyles. Case in point.....Papa John's could provide healthcare for all employees by adding somewhere between a nickel and a dime to the price of their pizza. They choose to let their uninsured employees utilize the taxpayer funded health clinics and emergency rooms. A full time employee of Walmart will see take home pay of less $15,000 per year. Most family plans that have a reasonable level of coverage cost $800 per month. I'm challenged, someone do the math. While this is just one specific example, I have a friend who pays $1500 per month for himself and his wife as they have minor health issues....he's overweight..... That is through the State of Texas high risk plan....I believe he has a $10,000 deductible per year. Why does healthcare go up 8% per year when inflation is running at less than 3%?

[LittleSpike]

We don't need more, "healthcare", we need more health ! Get the damn fluoride out of our water, get the aspartame, and MSG out of our food. And, on the subject of food, ban those f**king GMO's. Stop worrying about treating symptoms, and start rooting out and attacking causes. And don't get me started on prescription drugs, that cause more problems than they address.
P.S. If someone offers you a flu shot, tell them to stick it up their ass !

LS