AndyFromCB

It did fix quite a few things and then broke few others. I believe it fixed more than it broke. Our rates for all our small groups went down. I have no idea what people are talking about when they claim small ma and pa businesses have been forced onto the exchanges. Even my smallest company, 3 employees have remained as an independent group and our premiums have actually gone down last 2 years in the row and as per conversation with my benefit manager, nothing is changing and nothing is going to change. Nobody is forcing us onto any exchanges and we have remained on BCBS in all companies I'm involved with. Smallest being 3, largest group being about 80.

Nothing stays fixed for a long time. Doesn't matter who built it, it don't stay fixed. Things evolve, things decay. You seem to live in a lot more absolutes than I. There is none in my life, because my point of view changes as I am presented with evidence. You appear to find anecdotes to validate your point of view. Mine is reality based. Your nurse friend can probably function just fine, in cash only environment, dealing with scrapes and bruisers and usual day to day health concerns but for 99% of the population, cash basis quits working the second cancer rears its ugly head. How do you propose little Timmy's dad pays for little Timmy childhood leukemia. Even if little Timmy's dad and mom make the national medium income of fifty some thousand a year (aka my annual bar tab), there is no way they could ever swing for it. Little Timmy is dead. Healthcare will always be "socialized", be it either via a single payer system or private health insurance system, it's still "socialized", because major illness is random. It is unlike most other businesses because it's unpredictable. What is so hard to understand about that? Simply question, none of you are willing to answer: -if little Timmy gets leukemia and his parents are too poor to afford treatment, do we, as a society have any responsibility for little Timmy, or should we just let him die. I use childhood leukemia as an example, as it's common, expensive to treat but has great success rates.

There always all these doctors retiring early and/or leaving their practices, which means, either: -they are about to serve me my morning latte, as doctors are pretty much un employable in any other field, other than medicine... -or they make way too much money, if they can just drop everything and retire early... The only thing I've ever heard my doc friends bitch about, actually, is insurance companies and Dr. Oz and his ilk...

Well, actually, I highly doubt I will be questioning anyone on my last day as my brain cells will begin to die within minutes of my ticker giving out which at best will make me dead, at worst, a regressive, which would be my idea of hell...

And Dave, Never got back to you on the whole good book thing. A book written by illiterate desert dwellers that did not get the answer on most basic human moral question, slavery, right, sure as shit should not be used as basis for judging a topic as complicated as human sexuality. The bible condones slavery: Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT,Exodus 21:2-6 NLT, Exodus 21:7-11 NLT, Exodus 21:20-21 NAB, 1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT, Luke 12:47-48 NLT Or should we disregard the above as not fit for the times?

Actually, most of these hospitals were on the chopping block long before ACA. Dig into that. Explain exactly how ACA hurts them any more than they were hurting before? In Georgia's case, it appears what hurts the most is the fact that most of the folks using them are uninsured, something that Georgia could have solved very easily by expanding Medicaid. Either be paid nothing, or at least stay afloat with lower Medicaid reimbursements. This is another easy example of conservatives hurting their own voters and then shifting the blame and the voters, whom having have attended Georgia's severely underfunded public school, are apparently pretty easily dupped. It does not surprise me one bit the regressive want to cut education the most. Educated voters don't vote for regressive policies.

Do you feel the same outrage every time a F22 does a fly by? Or is that different because it's welfare for shitty engineers at Lockheed?

If only that was the case, if only. Sarah Palin would have never left Alaska and stuck to answering resident's question about what to do about moose in their front yard instead of attempting to display her geopolitical prowess.

You can't exactly blame Berry on this. He has very little say in these things. Secret Service runs the show and it would have totally destroyed the atmosphere of the rally there to have Barry there as his "imperial head" is just too precious and essentially requires a total shutdown of any city and installation of small army for the duration of the visit. I am not kidding you, last few visits here of both GWB and BHO, they installed an anti-aircraft battery at our airport here in Council Tucky. But like I said, it's not just him. Ever tried visiting an FSDO? You used to just be able to walk thru the door, ask for a FAA guy and be shown to his office. USDA used to be the same way. The industry meetings were in the basement, in Kansas City headquarters. Now you cannot enter without anal probing and meetings are now held in pricy hotels on government's dime. All good, and you're not going to find any disagreements from me. But what the hell do we do with her kids? I am serious here. We cannot continue to create a generation after generation of useless human beings. And that requires some investment in them if we are to compete on global scale.

Which works fine and dandy for bread, smoked turkey and oil changes. Not for childhood leukemia. Or for when you fall down doing pre-flight on your customer's jet and you realize the cheap bastard forgot to pay the workmen's premium in order to make a jet payment...

Like I said, never ask a barber if you need a haircut. You should find someone else to do work for you. This guy clearly knew the excuse would work on you. Know your audience.

So we're at least in agreement here: the main difference between republicans and democrats is what gets neglected, but the spending continues. Reagan started the whole deficits don't matter bullshit and it continued and even accelerated and I think we can all agree we didn't buy anything of value, no matter who was doing the purchase orders. So now you see my point about the Republicrats. A Reagan was a much better actor than Obama, I will grant you that much...

So was it a good idea then? Or were you guys just bluffing. That's what I am asking.

How about asshats like Carl Rowe, same shit, it's all about salesmanship…Republicans got sold GWB, who turned out to be a liberal democrat who gave us medicare part D without any ability to negotiate prices and a way to pay for it…Same old shit, same old pandering, different day

What we need from you guys now is a good idea to lower medical costs because Obama care only solved half the equation. Something crazy and free market, such as unlimited visas for foreign health professionals and instant validation of any 1st world and Russian medical degree.

That's always my problem with Republican arm of the Republicrat party. Democrats propose some wild haired idea that works in Europe but cannot work in American due structural differences. You guys propose a workable alternative, but don't hash out all the details. We steal it, polish it, run with it and you guys get all upset.

Well, Obamacare was a Republican idea heavily promoted from early 1990's as an alternative to single payer. Are you telling me you guys were never serious...

Why does Rand Paul scare you? He is more of libertarian than Republicrat. Deep down inside I agree with almost everything that man says, I just know we can't build a society based on that. Too many dumb people. I consider food stamps to be quite an inexpensive way of keeping them quiet... It does not matter anyway, Rand Paul stands no chance of making in past the primaries...

Actually, my user name used to be my first initial and last name, but I changed it in honor of Scott calling me that. I'll change it back soon. Name is Andy and based in Iowa, so I guess we'd have to meet somewhere Ohio, but quite frankly Kentucky is a whole lot more fun..

Wanna bet that beer and round trip avgas to an equidistance airport that next president is a from the Democratic side of the Republicrat party. I'm in if you are...

Before I go, can we all agree that Bill Clinton will not make a fine first lady...

Really, last time I checked Boehner was still in charge so I don't think anyones power has slipped, the Republicrats still rule so status quo remains with house, senate and white house in the hands of center-right. Until you realize that top two candidates in any presidential election are essentially interchangeable by the time they become electable, you have a long way to go in understanding American politics, grasshopper. Anyway, leaving for a while, got some light switches to hook up in my upstairs project...

Good portion of American high command too. Dr Stranglove was only partially fiction if you read all the declassified memos from that time. There were a lot of generals who really though we could win a nuclear war. As if there is such a thing as "winning a nuclear war"...

Well, That makes both of us, but I really think they need to duke it out first for themselves a bit.

Hey, Other than oil, what good has come out of there for last 100 years? Admit it, you would like that too…Except you'd wrap it in American Exceptionalism and I'll wrap be in "well, we got the bomb, we might as well use it". But that's why we have sane people in charge…And I will never run for office. Hope to be lucky enough in the long run to rent a senator or two.