Trumpcare - Making It Great Again

somarco

GA Medicare Expert
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Atlanta
The Donald weighs in on "fixing" health care (and presumably health insurance) to make it great again.

Mr. Trump outlined his healthcare plan in seven steps. These are reviewed below.

  1. Repeal Obamacare
  2. Allow selling of health plans across state lines as long as health plans follow state guidelines
  3. Allow individuals to deduct health insurance premiums on their tax returns
  4. Allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
  5. Require price transparency across the healthcare system
  6. Discontinue federal grants to states for Medicaid
  7. Allow expansion into free markets, including purchasing cheaper drugs overseas, to decrease the cost of prescription medications

https://www.verywell.com/will-a-trump-presidency-make-medicare-great-again-4047439

When will someone put together an option that includes feedback from the trenches? Stop recycling ideas that don't work and in some cases make matters worse.
 
I didnt read the article, but a big component of what Trump wants to do is move most everyone over to HD Plans and move them away from Co-Pay Plans. He wants everyone to have some skin in the game in some form or fashion.

I agree with everything that was listed except for #2. But I doubt it would happen unless insurers were forced to do so. Notice they always say "allow", and not "make". Blues SC is not going to offer policies to people in CA or NYC. If they did it would be a bloodbath on the claims. So they wont...

At most we might see some regional expansion... which might not be that terrible of a thing. But certainly is not a huge "cure" like the politicians claim it is.
 
Selling across state lines has been discussed for years. Other than GA, I don't know of any state that allows it.

A bill was cobbled together by a P&C agent to allow insurers to sell their products here if they were approved in other states. It has been 3 or maybe 4 years since that became law.

Not a single carrier has applied to sell their health insurance plans in Georgia.

Health insurance is not the same as selling shoes or books. Amazon can sell material goods in any state (or country) and the price is the same (ignoring taxes and shipping).

But health insurance isn't priced the same and can never be successfully sold across state lines.
 
Selling across state lines has been discussed for years. Other than GA, I don't know of any state that allows it.

A bill was cobbled together by a P&C agent to allow insurers to sell their products here if they were approved in other states. It has been 3 or maybe 4 years since that became law.

Not a single carrier has applied to sell their health insurance plans in Georgia.

Health insurance is not the same as selling shoes or books. Amazon can sell material goods in any state (or country) and the price is the same (ignoring taxes and shipping).

But health insurance isn't priced the same and can never be successfully sold across state lines.


That is why I said it would possibly work on a regional level... as in areas that have large cities in close proximity to state lines. There are some areas of the country were people spend the majority of their day in one state, but actually live over the state line. In those RARE situations, it could possibly make sense. But that is such a small segment of the population that it is really a waste of time worrying over it.

But as I said before (and have always said on this forum), it would do nothing to solve the health care/insurance issues facing our nation.


What you and I have always disagreed on is the transparency issue.
 
all regurgitated ideas that will never work.

Kill ACA: that ticket off about 10 million silent voters. Take away their free/cheep plans with low OOP and they will see to it no GOP Prez gets elected for the next 20 years.

Sell across state lines: that one always makes me giggle

Allow tax write off: great for the upper middle and upper class however since most of these people already are self employed they do it now

Allow ACA: middle class don't invest now you think this will make them start... again, giggle... they will just say we have a plan we can't use because the deductible is to high

Price transparency: how bout pass fee schedule on providers, the only way to fix the system is to control the expenditures.

Eliminate Medicaid grants? Good... but again will cause a large number of silent voters to turn out to vote against GOP

Buy drugs overseas.... sort of like controlling the pricing, thats good but I have not known of anyone getting time in the pokey for buying their blood pressure drugs from Mexico


Like I said, all rehashed ideas
 
Why wouldn't selling across state lines work?

Because the cost of care is not the same in each state. In CA, the cost of care can be up to 50% higher than in SC. So premiums in SC are generally lower than in CA. If people in CA suddenly start buying SC policies (because they cost less), then suddenly the SC carriers will have to raise rates in line with CA carriers to cover the increased cost in claims.

It is essentially socializing the cost of care throughout the nation. People in high cost states will pay less, people in low cost states will pay more. Eventually after premiums see-saw a bit from state to state, they will level out across the nation and there will be zero difference from state to state.


It is the same reason a gallon of gas costs more in NYC than it does in Asheville NC.
 
Lets find out why a band-aid cost 5 bucks...

Peel the onion, find the source.

Burn person(s) at the stake....

Then enjoy a steak...
 
Selling across state lines won't work because your pricing model depends on the cost of care in your zip code.

Think car insurance and the cost of it when you live in a rural area vs. a high density city. Insurance companies price premiums based on the statistics.

It would not be any different for health insurance. High cost treatment areas will always pay more in premium, than low cost areas. State lines only matter for compliance with state guidelines. Actually anybody can sell in any state if they just follow the state guidelines.

When I see the "states line" argument about health care I just shake my head. WE as a group of agents who are in the business should know right off the bat that is a bullshite argument and those suggesting it have no idea.

You're not going to pay New Mexico premiums while living in California. A company can sell in both places but if the cost of care is 40% higher in Cali, you can bet the premium will be as well.
 
Living near state lines and pricing accordingly won't work either. Carriers price according to network reimbursement, provider availability, etc.

It really doesn't matter where you live so much as where you normally get care. If you live in Dalton, GA in most cases your plan is priced based on providers in GA near where you live. Chattanooga is across state lines and about 30 miles away. Some of the providers in Chattanooga may or may not be in your plan. If you have an HMO they probably are not in your network. So pricing is based on where you live, not where you travel, not where you would like to go.

This approach has tightened up even more since Obamacare.

As for transparency, the largest single component of health care eats up 20 - 25% of health care dollars. Prescription drugs in the 80's were less than 12% of claim dollars, now they are double.

Currently drugs pricing is more transparent than any other item yet most people are too lazy or ignorant to shop their medications.

If they won't shop drug prices I doubt they will shop around for brain surgery.

But I could be wrong.
 
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