tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538477881080991285.post1980095247544799729..comments2024-03-26T08:10:52.158-04:00Comments on City Father: The Day AfterCity Fatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17769559147659492086noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538477881080991285.post-10598384045450394352012-11-07T10:34:58.623-05:002012-11-07T10:34:58.623-05:00Fr. Ron, Respectfully, you may be overly optimisti...Fr. Ron, Respectfully, you may be overly optimistic about the ACA being securely in place. There remain a number of lawsuits pending attacking various aspects of the law. The HHS mandate, which has now lost twice in the lower courts, is only one example. How much it's going to cost for the govt to settle all of these suits, and what will the ACA look like after they're all settled is yet to be determined. The SCOTUS ruled that the individual states cannot be denied federal funds for refusing to set up the exchanges, so many are likely to choose not to do so. Then there's the impact of the law itself. I don't know any analyst who doesn't say that premiums for health care are going to go up as a result of the ACA, some estimate as high as 40%. Even the AARP has increased premiums on those they insure from 8% to 13% already in response to the ACA. If premiums go up as high as some are expecting, people are going to demand changes. Also, if businesses are forced out of business because they can't afford to cover their employees, or companies choose to no longer cover their employees because it's considerably cheaper to pay the fine, there will also be demands for reform. Finally, since it's much cheaper to pay the fine for not purchasing health insurance, many (most?) will elect not to. That's going to hamper the ability of the feds to pay for the ACA. Remember here in Tennessee, the cost of TennCare was bankrupting the state to the point that even Phil Bredeson, a Democratic governor, had to cut back severely on services. And, when doctors were not being paid for seeing patients on TennCare, they simply refused to accept them. Hopefully the ACA, especially the bad parts of the bill, will inspire real healthcare reform. But hold on to your hat. This is far from settled and the ACA far from "securely in place."Bob Huntnoreply@blogger.com