The repeal of the mandate is literally the only decent thing to come out of the Trump presidency. I was paying $375 a month for insurance with a $1200 co-pay that had no vision, dental and didn’t cover any medications I needed.
It was not working because it began its life as a republican-crafted bill designed to fill the coffers of private insurers by forcing those who couldn’t afford insurance to buy in anyway or get penalized. Democrats pointed to the fact that lots of people like me were now technically insured and started doing victory laps. Meanwhile I couldn’t afford my rent and still paid cash for medication.
What state are you in? Was it one that refused to expand Medicaid? Because here in Massachusetts, which is the model state for the ACA, our Medicaid (Masshealth) is actually the best insurance I’ve ever had in my entire life. The individual mandate HAS to be accompanied by subsidies and expansion of Medicaid or it doesn’t work.
I appreciate that some people are able to afford to forego insurance, but most people can’t in reality. (I can’t. I have a chronic illness. I require daily meds for life.) And when they get sick, their cost still exists in the system and it’s more expensive. It’s not different from being forced to carry car insurance, if you drive.
That said, housing costs are out of control. I advocate at every moment to increase the housing supply. (Currently in polite disagreement with my NIMBY neighbors over a proposed new housing development near us.) Drug costs are out of control and need to be regulated. (I prefer nationalized, actually. But I know that’s a nonstarter in the US).
The repeal of the mandate is literally the only decent thing to come out of the Trump presidency. I was paying $375 a month for insurance with a $1200 co-pay that had no vision, dental and didn’t cover any medications I needed.
It was not working because it began its life as a republican-crafted bill designed to fill the coffers of private insurers by forcing those who couldn’t afford insurance to buy in anyway or get penalized. Democrats pointed to the fact that lots of people like me were now technically insured and started doing victory laps. Meanwhile I couldn’t afford my rent and still paid cash for medication.
What state are you in? Was it one that refused to expand Medicaid? Because here in Massachusetts, which is the model state for the ACA, our Medicaid (Masshealth) is actually the best insurance I’ve ever had in my entire life. The individual mandate HAS to be accompanied by subsidies and expansion of Medicaid or it doesn’t work.
I appreciate that some people are able to afford to forego insurance, but most people can’t in reality. (I can’t. I have a chronic illness. I require daily meds for life.) And when they get sick, their cost still exists in the system and it’s more expensive. It’s not different from being forced to carry car insurance, if you drive.
That said, housing costs are out of control. I advocate at every moment to increase the housing supply. (Currently in polite disagreement with my NIMBY neighbors over a proposed new housing development near us.) Drug costs are out of control and need to be regulated. (I prefer nationalized, actually. But I know that’s a nonstarter in the US).