I think the "health care for all" bit for Trump is working...

[Yurovsky]

5. But then again, if your premiums are high...

Last edited Wed Jan 18, 2017, 03:49 PM - Edit history (1)

and your deductibles are high (my neighbor's premiums are $850/month and his deductible is $8,000), and you have a limited network of providers and hospitals, well, that's not really insurance either.

I still believe that programs like Medicare and Medicaid could have been expanded to provide care for those that were not insured (or as you allude to, underinsured) in a much simpler and straightforward way that would have proven much harder to sandbag when the political winds changed. I think we need to be honest with the shortcomings of the ACA, and as it was passed on a party line vote, we should be prepared to defend it and offer fixes that ensure the newly insured maintain coverage while easing the financial burden of those whose costs increased or benefits were scaled back.

I think we could have had single payer simply by expanding Medicare and Medicaid and letting private insurance "die on the vine", to co-opt the Right's terminology. As costs soar, more people (and employers) will realize that the government option is a better choice for them financially. And over time, I would guess 10-20 years, you will have de facto single payer. JMHO.