Health Care?
Posted: October 20, 2013 Filed under: Dealing with Cancer | Tags: ACA and medical reserch, Affordable Care Act, Medical Research, Medical research and obamacare, Obamacare 23 CommentsThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a reality. And each of us has our own reality when it comes to healthcare for ourselves and our loved ones.
As I transition this blog to the more personal side of things, I have a couple of questions for you. First, what changes, if any, do you expect in your healthcare or the healthcare of your loved ones?
Question two – what impact, if any, will the ACA have on research and development? I have limited capability to research subjects on the internet. I cannot find credible information as to the changes that may occur to research moving forward.
The latter question is of significance to me and my husband person. Mr. AL is awaiting for new breakthroughs in treating the damaged heart (he had the “widow maker” twice). As for me, that will be spelled out during the course of the new direction of Mrs. AL’s Place.
For those of you who have visited in the past, please know you can read the political side of me here.
Mrs. AL's Place 
#1 – Our cost is going up by roughly 29% …….give or take 2/10 of a percent. Oh well, Saving dollars is a waste of time these days anyway.
#2 – R&D will die slowly at first and then nosedive when it is no longer financially feasible to spend hundreds of millions on getting a product to market.
Egads, 29% is a real kick in the head, Gar. Wonder if there is an ACA fix for that! As for #2, that’s our concern. Do you happen to have any links?
The cost is going to go up for those still working full time or not on welfare. I expect R&D to take a hit in the private sector. Instead of private research, it will be based on government grants. The question wil be whether the grants wil go to those likely to actually produce anything or just ot the well connnected.
And if government grants is the way they are going to go, we are really in a lot of trouble in this country. There are oodles of our fellow citizens waiting for the next breakthrough!
(1) If we’d switched to Medicare this year, the cost increase for the two of us would have been $13,000. We didn’t switch. Looking forward, the impact will be substantial vis-a-vis form, and unclear vis-a-vis cost. The primary physician will be compensated per our negotiation and on a cash basis. It could be that the largest cost component in any future surgeries for me will be international airfare.
(2) R&D has been stifled since the the 1960s. I expect that future discoveries and inventions will come from, e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Switzerland. Those breakthroughs available to people around the world will become available in America a decade or more later, if at all, and in many cases just not “covered”.
Appreciate the info about the R&D aspect, DrPete. One thing my husband person and I have noticed is that indeed, there are advances happening in different places, especially when it comes to stem-cell research. Some of it is very exciting!
With history as predictor, Mrs. AL, there will be a gradual decline in advanced technology in American medical care. Today, for example, there are more MRI machines in Philadelphia PA than in all of Canada.
So new tech will never be adopted, while existing will cease to be maintained, repaired, or replaced. New “miracle” inividually-formulated medications will likely only be available on a cash basis and from foreign sources. Stem-cell-developed discoveries are likely to be such.
Costs will go up for responsible working citizens and young people. R&D will be controlled by big government with grants handed out to the friends of same and I hope Mr. AL gets his needed treatment before ACA gets into full swing.
Maddening and scary at the same time, Bobbie. With the national government deeper and deeper into our healthcare ought be verboten. It’s going to be a very bumpy ride and my great concern is that there are going to be people that will literally die as a result. I know that sounds rash, but the more I read the more I perceive it will be true.
Doesn’t sound rash at all; just realistic. If enough people refused to sign up for it, it would probably cave in on itself. Especially the young healthy ones.
I don’t think young folks are going to go for this overall. They don’t have anything to gain by signing up. We have everything to lose, possibly.
I know, Mrs. AL, that this was to be personal rather than political, but the takeaway has to be that there is no longer any such thing.
The scenario I envision in your last comment to Bobbie is that, yes, young people choose the fine rather than the sign-up which cost five times as much. Then, insurance carriers, having only policyholders whose bills grossly-exceed premiums and few young people whose premiums exceed bills, go out of business.
Given that awful situation, the Government increases the fines on the young people by a factor of, say, ten, forcing the young people into the new system. Now with no insurance companies still there, the dumb masses clamor for single-payer.
The ending to this story was preordained more than ten years ago. Not only liberty, but any semblance of freedom, will have been obliterated. Welcome to our new world order.
Thanx for your comment, DrPete. Can’t disagree with anything you said. Can’t wait to see how you react to my first ‘official’ new post – haha
Without any substantiation, facts or figures, this is my take.
R & D in the United States is going to be dead under the “ACA”. (o) killed the space program, forced NASA to hire unqualified personnel, and has committed other atrocities beyond number. The people sleep. But business is in business to make a profit, as well as to do creative things that benefit all levels of society. When people are told, “You didn’t build that~!”, it’s a slam to creative thinking, and to the gathering of all potentialities, and focusing them on a given challenge.
R & D WILL survive, and thrive, in Israel, as well as the other nations and municipalities named by Dr Pete.
As for costs, I have no basis of knowing. I am part of two organizations, neither of which has bothered to give me facts and figures on my current and on-going financial commitments. Being a disabled vet, does cut some slack, but how much and in what manner I have yet to be informed. Being a Senior, I am concerned about the alleged “Death Panels”, and non-medical personnel having control of the medical care and treatment I may need.
If they decide to kill me, I hope they put me under anesthetic first. I’m tired of pain.
Indeed, Grouchy, we are concerned about the R&D lack of developments as well. Each Citizen of this country has become accustomed to the idea that there are those out there working to come up with new ideas and translating them into treatments that benefit us. The “death panels” is of equal concern. Thanx so much for your comments.
The Affordable Care Act isn’t affordable or aimed at quality care. It has always been and will always be about power and control. The ruling class will not be on this plan. If so, the legislation would not have passed. What we have is socialism; which is the economic theory for the political system: communism. But we have known this all along. We just thought these “nice” people would not force their ideology on us, but they have. The good news is that Jesus is coming soon. Isaiah says, “and the government will be on his shoulders.”
Could not agree more, Scott! And while I hope you are right about the Lord’s return, I am living each day for each day’s sake. If I get side-tracked celebrating His return, I just may miss an opportunity to serve (I am not good at multi-tasking — haha).
Thanx so much for dropping by!
CONGRATS~! Ya DO’ed it~! WHOO HOO~!
Thanx, Grouchy. Sent info via email as to how I did it. Kind of strange that I could figure this out, eh?
Not strange at all, Mrs AL,,, Always Learning – And youse is Whippy People type Person!~!
You’re too kind, Grouchy. Too bad it didn’t work on our political blog. Tried twice in one of my old posts. Hmmmmm