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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Thank God Ronald Reagan Was a Conservative Before Being a Republican

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  December 1st, 2010 at 05:00 AM  | 

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Thank God that Ronald Reagan put his principles ahead of politics. As regular readers know, I’m not fully enamored by Dick Morris, but one of the best quotes on polling I’ve ever heard comes from Dick Morris. To paraphrase, Morris said politicians should never lead based on polling, but should lead based on principle and use polling to shape the message to enact those principles into law.

That’s what Ronald Reagan did. Consider that in the early 1980′s his policy of confrontation with the Soviet Union was actually not popular in the polls. Likewise, his policy of keeping interest rates high to kill off inflation was decidedly not popular.

But he held the course and history proved him right. Reagan put his conservative principles ahead of polls and turned the polling toward him. Contrast that with news out late yesterday that Republicans have thrown in the towel on getting rid of portions of Obamacare.

Yes, yes, they’ll vote once or twice on full repeal, but they want to keep a few provisions that are totally noxious to the free market and will ultimately undermine private health care insurance in America, but sure poll well.

Here’s the quote:

Speaking to more than 100 students at American University, Cantor said, “What you will see us do is to push for repeal of the healthcare bill, and at the same time, contemporaneously, submit our replacement bill, that has in it the provisions [barring discrimination due to pre-existing conditions and offering young people affordable care options].” . . . .

“We too don’t want to accept any insurance company’s denial of someone and coverage for that person because he or she may have pre-existing condition,” Cantor said, addressing a young woman in the audience who noted that she had a pre-existing health condition.

Now, Eric Cantor’s office put out a statement at 3:08 p.m., a copy of which his office emailed to me. In it, Cantor’s Office said he supports “full repeal of” Obamacare.

Yes, the Republicans support full repeal of Obamacare, but then they’ll resubmit their own bill and add to it some of the very same things Obama put in. And we need to pay attention to something key here.

The Republicans want to force insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. That sounds nice, but the only way to pay for it is either an individual mandate, which the GOP says is unconstitutional, or federal subsidy.

As Rush Limbaugh noted on his radio program yesterday, the pre-existing conditions mandate is akin to the government telling an insurance company that they must insure someone’s house as the house is in the process of burning down.

Then of course there is the slacker mandate — that provision that lets the youth of America not have to grow up and move out by letting them stay on their parents’ insurance.

Both of these provisions simply drive up the cost of health care. There are plenty of free-market conservative solutions out there. These two just happen to not be among them.

Saying you want to repeal Obamacare and then resurrect a few of its provisions is noxious. The whole thing should die and new ideas should be put forward that actually use the free market to lower costs instead of escalate costs.

Ultimately though, we know the GOP is going to try to repeal Obamacare, the Senate will kill it, and the GOP will move on. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) pretty much admitted that on Sean Hannity’s show yesterday.

Rep. Buyer misses the point — Obamacare is and will remain unpopular. The GOP should bring up full repeal repeatedly and build momentum into 2012. Then we can have a fully energized base ready to defeat Obama and elect a President who will not use his veto pen to stop them.

Ronald Reagan always thought about his vision for America. It was a long term vision that required long term planning.

The problem with the GOP today is they are short term thinkers with flash in the pan polling. And that will be their undoing.

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COMMENTS

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  • http://www.flaliberty.org scorpio0679

    Ridiculous. What is Cantor thinking? I mean, seriously . . . this is truly depressing.

    The right solution on the whole ‘pre-existing condition’ debate is to prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage after someone gets sick. That is, if you are a responsible citizen and purchase health insurance for most of your life, and then you get sick with an expensive, debilitating condition, the insurance company should not thereafter be able to drop your coverage or refuse to renew coverage based on that illness.

    It isn’t quite the same thing, and the latter encourages responsible behavior while preventing plainly unfair consequences (the responsible citizen getting screwed after he gets sick). If someone wants to roll the dice and go through life without insurance, they should be free to take that risk without anyone else being obligated to pick up the tab if their gamble fails.

  • lisamiller

    These exchanges are an expansion of entitlement. We already have Medicaid as a safety net.

    Medicaid (funded ONLY thru the States) in competitive markets where the safety net has fully portable policies and insurance companies can create innovative products will resolve and cover most pre-existing conditions.

    What Eric Cantor clearly doesn’t get is that it IS NOT the Federal Governments job to “fix” healthcare. It is the States job which the States have been abdicating because they want/need to delivery what is not financially sustainable to remain in office.

    If we return to the States their financial responsibilities, the American people would quickly find out that our State legislatures are incompetent.

    The most helpful act Congress can do is to “allow” across state border purchase to force competitive regulatory environments.

  • lisamiller

    These exchanges are an expansion of entitlement. We already have Medicaid as a safety net.

    Medicaid (funded ONLY thru the States) in competitive markets where the safety net has fully portable policies and insurance companies can create innovative products will resolve and cover most pre-existing conditions.

    What Eric Cantor clearly doesn’t get is that it IS NOT the Federal Governments job to “fix” healthcare. It is the States job which the States have been abdicating because they want/need to delivery what is not financially sustainable to remain in office.

    If we return to the States their financial responsibilities, the American people would quickly find out that our State legislatures are incompetent.

    The most helpful act Congress can do is to “allow” across state border purchase to force competitive regulatory environments.

  • mirac777

    Originally, our Reps in Congress were people who worked for a living while serving in Congress at the same time. these reps were in touch with the people, the economy and also had real world experience in the workplace and business world.When you work for 40 or 50 years, you acquire valuable visionary abilities that help you avoid problems long-term. Very few of today’s reps have this vision as you point out here. They go from college to being an Aide to running for office.Tthat makes them ignorant towards understanding problems and avoiding them long term. It also makes them unable to solve problems with real world working solutions.They are more concerned with short-term thinking and polling numbers so they can be reelected. This is why they have been outmaneuvered by the Progressive-Socialist pimps that has led to the collapse of America. Yes we are on the brink of collapse people.

    This observation became even more clear after watching the Senate this week. S510, the Food safety Bill. A bunch of short-sighted ignorants, which include Chuck Grassley and other Repubs, let this bill pass forward. Here is what I saw. Tom Harkin puts up a chart that says this bill will add ZERO to the debt for the next 10 years. Hmmm How can that be true? They are creating thousands of new positions in a huge connglomerate within the FDA while giving them expanded powers to basically create laws and mandates without the consent of the Congress. Tell me, will these people work for free? Are we this stupid? Huge taxes will be imposed on all food to pay for this bill. Food prices will skyrocket. It amounts to nothing more than more hidden taxes on the people. Will it make otr food safer? Hell no, our food was the safest on the planet for the past 50 years! So how did they sucker these neanderthals into allowing this tax increase and power grab?

    They “created” another false crisis, so big daddy gov’t can save us again. They screamed we must stop all the massive outbreaks of tainted food killing Americans! Oh really? The salmonella in the eggs was reported to the FDA The FDA made the problem worse as they didnt address the duties of their jobs. Yet I asked several reps just how many millions of people died here from these massive outbreaks you are talking about? Couldnt get an answer, because this is nothing more than a manufactured false crisis . heres a fact: More babies died in China from the fake formula scandal, than all of these (fake) American massive outbreaks… combined! Pathetic.

    When people are elected to powerful positions, they make decisions that have huge affects on everyones lives. They need real world experience and long term vision to enable them to make the right decisions. Otherwise, they get duped by Tyrants with a nasty agenda, over and over. Think about it. Chuck Grassely, from a big farming state pimped this food bill. He crawled into bed with the aforementioned fake crisis manufacturer Tom Harkin, who also wants us to think that thousands of new workers and massive new mandates wont cost us a penny. Ang it won’t. Until you go to the store to try to feed your family in the very near future. Mr Grassley? You are a pathetic example of everything wrong in the GOP today. I hope you people in Iowa let him know about this situation and his ignorance. This lack of long-term vision is killing America, and it is led by politicians like Chck Grassely.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    But you try arguing to the American public that we should just let people die if they don’t buy health insurance, when a little bit of health care would have saved their lives. It’s a hard sell. And the whole emergency rooms = health care thing doesn’t really fly so well either. It’s way better to deal with stuff earlier. What about a health care voucher type program? That would ensure choice and competition between insurance companies while covering everybody. Is it socialist to cover everbody? Well, we already pay for their emergency room care which is way more expensive than if the problem had been dealt with earlier.

  • bigmaude

    Monsanto and George Soros. Dead microphone. Vote is rigged. You and I knew this bill was going to pass. I’m from Oklahoma and coburn and imhoff voted against it. We are ALREADY in a socialist country. I love the show Deadliest catch. My son in law is a farmer, angus cows. I grow my own garden. Best tomatoes you’ve ever had. Cows roam within ten feet of my fence AL DAY LONG! This bill will stop all of the above and more. Think not? Read it, I haven’t, just heard some read parts of it. We will be China someday….UNLESS Americans become uncomfortable in lack of food. You saw the “starving” people black Friday after their tv! Dear God, imagine if that herd were after food! New Jersey man facing sevenyears jail for legally owning guns. Oh we are in the pit already and no amount of voting and calling is going to stop this. Patty cake patty cake, bakers man….

  • Scope

    is also the Republican that has been involved in the Pigford black farmers settlement since it began. He is well aware that as a result of the judges original ruling in the case, the black farmers were already giver over a billion dollars. Since Holder and Vilsack negotiated another settlement the beginning of this year, Grassley has been working his butt off to get the settlement funded in the Senate. It was added to a few other bills throughout the year, but, it was always pulled from the bill. Now it passes on a “voice” vote, where there is no recording of how who voted. If I’m not mistaken, Grassley was just re-elected, unfortunately.

  • Scope

    by Laura Ingraham (sp) on O’Reilly’s show a few months ago. Cantor was already making noises back then that the Republicans would not repeal all of Ocare. Laura drilled and grilled him on his support for a full repeal, Cantor did his usual whining saying to Laura, “you know me, you know that I want a full repeal,” etc. He never said anything to her that he supported any portions of Ocare.

    I’ve been saying for a good while that Cantor is really a big government, big spending moderate. He seems to be against Liberal bills, like Ocare, only because it doesn’t have a Republican signature on it. He argued here on local radio that Ocare was bad because the Liberals wouldn’t give the Republicans a seat at the table to make the legislation better. The radio host just groaned loudly when he said that. That was before it passed.

  • http://www.flaliberty.org scorpio0679

    Healthcare IS NOT the same thing as health care insurance.

    we should just let people die if they don?t buy health insurance, when a little bit of health care would have saved their lives.

    Doctors are already obligated through their professional ethical requirements to provide healthcare to patients to save life or limb despite the patient’s inability to pay for it. Show up in the ER with a gunshot wound and you’ll be taken to the operating room whether you have insurance or not.

    The difference is, you’ll get a bill that you will have to pay, or find some other way to deal with the financial obligation (bankruptcy?). All of this is completely fair and legitimate.

    If you want the most advanced, cutting edge drugs or treatment to possibly just maybe heal from a chronic debilitating condition like cancer? Well you better be able to pay for it — or have insurance. That is not quite the same thing as “a little bit of healthcare.”

    Let people make their own decisions in life and live with the consequences of those decisions. Someone else’s decision to go through life as an irresponsible idiot isn’t really your, or my, business. It certainly isn’t my responsibility to pay for the consequences.

  • http://www.flaliberty.org scorpio0679

    html in title . . . . DOH!

  • renny

    care, so ER’s do surely substitute for primary care and rather significantly. But, no, ER spending is not worse than O’care.

    Actually, Medicaid recommends to many subscribers that they use the ER FIRST.

  • mirac777

    This falls under the “Personal responsibility ” clause that the socxialists in our society fail to understand.

  • mirac777

    To prove your point…. Lieberman is caught on open mic in Congress saying over and over… this Bill and process are being rigged… Good pickup.

  • mirac777

    Being pimped by Grassley. I hope to hell this wakes the people from Iowa up. If he was just elected again, we will be a lot farther than I thought in repairing this country. Depressing.
    And yesterday I saw another race-baiting member of Congress pimping for more reparations … several of them. We are being robbed blind, and now the flood gates are wide open.

  • SG_Lominac

    I saw that interview and my initial reaction was he was lying and squealing like a little girl. Maybe I’m getting a little primary crazy with some of these guys because I wouldn’t mind seeing this guy get primaried too.

  • SG_Lominac

    I saw that interview and my initial reaction was he was lying and squealing like a little girl. Maybe I’m getting a little primary crazy with some of these guys because I wouldn’t mind seeing this guy get primaried too.

  • mirac777

    Cantors stance.. or lack thereof reeks of what Erick said here. No vision, except those short-term polling numbers. Cantor has some explaining to do here, any way you spin it. I will go on record right now in saying he will go the way of the elitest/tyrants and quit doing the hard interviews real soon. I had big hopes for the guy.

    I would write him an E-mail but here is another problem the Tyrants have put in our way. Most only accept letters from people in their Districts. WHOA, color me stupid here. Senators and Congressmen, making decisions that affect every single person in this nation, wont take email or letters or even Phone calls from 99% of the population. That needs to be changed. Now as I usually say, there has to be a back door here somewhere, where we can get our message through to these Tyrants. How about this tactic? The GOP wants input from the people. They have a few sites to put in our suggestions. Lets hit them with our disapproval right in there every chance we get. I dont do Facebook any more since they are climbing into bed w/gov’t-Google and data-mining bigtime, but the GOP facebook page would be good to get our voices heard also.Yes, after only 2 days of lameduck tyrrany, I advocate we go on the attack right now, hit the GOP hard and often. here is the URL for The GOP Transition page for a start:

    http://gopleader.gov/NewMajority/Default.aspx

    After yesterdays votes on S510 and the Pigford race-based theft, I admit, I was ready to give up the fight. Woke up depressed. Feeling like our country is in a hopeless situation. Then I had my coffee, and said to myself, “Oh hell NO! I wont let our country go down the drain without a fight!”

  • mirac777

    A HUGE protion of those not having H/C insurance are ILLEGALS When they say they need to get costs under control to stop E/R abuse, they dont admit the big part these illegals play in this problem. Instead, they now want to give another 8-10 million of them carte-blanche to further help destroy our country. Its called the Dream Act, my what a lovely catchy name for an illegal, unconstitutional scheme to hand the Dems more power towards coillapsing our country.

    This is a big complex attack of our entire economic system we are under. It all plays a part in the Rules for Radicals plan to collapse our country. Mr Barack Hussein Obama is quoted as saying this book has been on his nightstand for as long as he can remember. Most politicins today are mere ignorant pawns in this socialist power-play.These radicals are dug in deep. They are manufacturing crisises every single day so Big daddy gov’t can swoop in and save the day, while at the same time entrenching the fake Dems in power for decades.

    The last thing the H/C debate is about is helping true American people who want to work and prosper and raise their children. How many instances of Marxist wealth redistribution do the people need to wake up? Pigford 1 and 2, Tarp, College loan takeover, Auto Industry, TSA, UNIONS, so-called Financial reform, The fake Food safety bill, The phony Stimulus bill, and today, the Bill to feed the kids of irresponsible parasites all summer long to reward them for their irresponsibility. Throw in here the START treaty, the Bill to Unionize every Policeman and Fireman in our country, and we are in a hell of a mess. It truly amazes me to no end how some people are so ignorant as to call themselves “Americans” and still say they approve of Obama and his fake Democratic Party of today. One simply does not go with the other.

  • DefendUSA

    Dems have long been the party who create the problems and then don’t see how the solutions have harmed us. Now, it appears that the GOP is also being short-sighted. And, that, my friends, truly sucks.

  • bigmaude

    But then I remembered who is REALLY in charge. We must be responsible for our own snot. Remember, THEY want us either all “wee weed up”‘or down and depressed so we do stop fighting. I got my new drivers license renewed yesterday, oh sweet grandmother!,,,, The dude was packin’ heat! Me too! Don’t let them get you down! Not gettin’ on the bus, to anywhere! These politicians think we worship at the alter of gimme gimme, my name is Jimmie. Not this lady. I may be a prude, but I’m not stupid. Oh by the way, not going to town today, access cards full today, CCP, “starving” obese people, my husband left for work at 3:30 am, all not a good mix. Just sayin’.

  • Superheater

    He shows increasing signs of becoming Christopher Shays.

  • Superheater

    He shows increasing signs of becoming Christopher Shays.

  • walter

    now. It is not going to be easy. Everyone seems to think in terms of how bad it is. We all know that. We all know the government does way too many things it shouldn’t do and the things that it SHOULD do, well they just do a bad job of it. There are plenty of examples that can be used. Think of the word “trillions” and let the fight begin.

    This is the message that needs to take place on a daily basis once the new house members are seated. The media will always be coming up with phony polls to sway opinion… I’m guessing they will be in the 65% range. They will make sure that the dems ALWAYS look good on any issue. The fight isn’t going to be only for the republicans vs. democrats. It’s their allies in the media. We beat the democrats in the house. Concentrating on the Senate, the Presidency and the media are the next steps.

    Note to Harry Reid: “We don’t want to work with you. You are a bad person. You are a deceitful person and cannot be trusted. You are delusional and can’t read the American people correctly. We WILL NOT work with you, no matter WHAT the media does for you. You are a sad, sick man, and we refuse to work with you”

    Have a nice day.

  • http://www.rightklik.net rightklik

    If GOP cowards are worried about repealing “popular” portions of ObamaCare, they shouldn’t worry about the ones that will make private health insurance prohibitively expensive (e.g., letting slackers stay on their parents health insurance policies when they’re old enough to have a family of their own), or the ones that will kill private health care altogether (e.g. requiring private insurers to take care of people who wait until they’re sick to buy insurance).

  • mlowry

    After winning the House with the Contract With America, Newt held several publicity-generating votes then “moved on”. That was the beginning of the loss of credibility for the Republican Party.

    Here we go again.

  • fpete13527

    Bamboozler and weasel.

  • nessa

    Ahhh yes. A man after my own hard, cold heart! Great diary, great quote, even better goals. I’ve always been a Patton fan, even if he was a DAT and I’m well on the way to becoming a Rep. Barton fan…

    But…

    General Bradley certainly didn’t deserve being equated with the likes of Eric Cantor.

  • erp617

    Can’t even find an email address so I can give Cantor a piece of my mind. He hasn’t gotten the message. He’s there to UNDO what Obama’s pushed through congress, not pick and choose what he thinks will get him some face time on TV.

  • http://www.rightproadvisors.com erinmist

    When this comes up for a vote, both in the House and the Senate, there needs to be 250,000 Tea Partiers marching outside the Capitol, demanding full and absolute repeal with NO replacement. The media’s heads will explode, as they view the Tea Party as a bough and paid for arm of the GOP. They won’t be able to compute the calculus here. The GOP, knowing which side their bread is buttered, WILL back down and do the right thing. Then, it will be Obama’s metaphoric “tar-baby”, one that will stick to him right through 2012.

    But only if we march…again.

    If there aren’t regular marches on Washington through 2012, these guys will forget. WE need to hold their feet to the fire. If WE fail to do that, then the fault will lie with us, because we know with certainty how these guys will react if left to their own devices.

    It didn’t end on November 2. Cantor in particular needs to get that message, as he appears to be the biggest squish in the leadership, but one that I think can be brought in line with the right pressure. And that’s you and me, folks.

  • bus2dc

    I have heard Eric Cantor interviewed COUNTLESS times over the last two years an as many different issues. He is a waffler. One has to really listen to what he doesn’t say or how he phrases something to realize the true RINO he is. No, these are all still the good ol’ boys back in command, making a little symbolic show — the first few months of 2011 will see if they can put their votes where their mouth is. I have a strong feeling Eric Cantor is going to emit careful sound-bytes like he always has and cover up his lack of conviction with nice manners. Really, have you EVER seen a verbal sword being swung by this guy?

    If we were to have real conservative principles at the helm, we needed Jim DeMint or Coburn, not Boehner and McConnell. Neither of the latter denounces Obama’s policies as counter-productive or even dangerous to this country’s survival. Neither of them condemns the abuse and twisting of the Constitution for Obama’s political purposes. The only reason this team is even taking THIS much of a stand is the overwhelming and miraculous success of the PEOPLE in making our choices heard in regaining the House.

    I was also very disappointed that Bachmann appeared to be completely pushed aside for Hensarling, effectively squashing active “tea-party” input and representation. I have no idea why Bachmann didn’t stay and challenge him for the spot. At least we would have had one gutsy voice calling this administration out and naming a lie a LIE. I have no idea if Hensarling will do that, despite a conservative record.

    Boener tossed the healthcare bill itself onto the Senate floor
    at one point before the vote. Let’s see him now toss it into the garbage can and maybe I’ll have some hope for principle to prevail. Stop allowing the left to re-design our message and the right always having to then clumsily and ineffectively explain “what we really meant”. Say what you mean, Cantor! IF you really mean it.

  • runner12

    I am not sure why Cantor has not made this distinction. There are many private sector solutions to these problems if we would only be smart enough to explore them. I am not ready to throw Cantor in the RINO category just yet, but I am glad that people are holding his feet to the fire and keeping him accountable for what he is saying.
    I think what we are seeing here is a fear of the past. The Dems along with their media co-conspirators have been good at reducing the conservative ideals to a mish-mash of sound bites and the GOP is afraid of repeat performance. I think Cantor also fears that if he makes a statement that he will repeal Obamacare by such and such date and then the GOP does not do it due to a veto from Obama, the GOP congress will be blamed (we have seen such occurrences in the past).
    Unfortunately, this type of thinking is politically driven and exactly what the American people are sick of. Be honest and upfront. Lay out your plans and be realistic about what you can accomplish in this cycle, but have a GOAL. People what honesty and boldness, not a political two-step.

  • actuarius

    and always has been. Any company doing so will be prosecuted if the division of insurance of each state is informed about it or if it finds out during periodic audits of claims records.

    Recissions take place in the first two years of an insurance policy. If the insured left out a material set of facts during the policy application that is discovered during the first two years, the insurance company may return each party to its original position by returning all premiums paid. After two years, even if there was a material mis-representation by the insured, the insurance company must honor all claims.

    Typically, recissions happen after a claim. Insurance companies are aware of the typical maladies that people hide when applying for coverage. So, for those, they are careful, and aggressive. It is not just cost that causes an insurance company to investigate for possible recission. It is cost and potential to have been hidden. Note that there are no examples of policies being canceled because of a car accident.

  • Menlo

    I remember a “news” article last year whose headline read, “Americans want government-sponsored health care at no cost to them.” That’s like a headline reading “water is wet.” Consistently and by overwhelming margins among Americans, that is and long has been the case. They want more government services without having to pay for them.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    As I explained above. If some college kid hasn’t bought insurance yet and gets a terminal disease or other chronic illness, you can tell them it’s none of your business and they can just go die for all you care. And then when you ask for their vote, they will tell you that it’s none of your business and you can just pay higher taxes to pay for their health care because they voted in Democrats.

  • ihateliberals

    what he stood for and accomplished. He said what he stood for and did not give in on those principles. Already the elected officials have forgotten who sent them there. We still need a House cleaning. In 2012 we need to get rid of the Boehners, Cantors etc etc etc. These guys just can’t get it together. It hasn’t even been a month yet and they are going off and doing business the same old way. It is going to take the Tea party to make them understand. I do not want a third party but it seems more likely we’ll have one everyday. IF the Republican party splits before 2012 we re dead. Obama or whoever is the candidate from the Democrats will win.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    health care and health insurance in this country IS screwed up, and Republicans ignore this at their peril. You can’t just repeal Obamacare and take things back to the old crappy system, you have to provide real health care alternatives.

  • ihateliberals

    topic to us. It is so important that We the people don’t forget and let these guys slip through and do what they want. How can we fight these RINO’s and weak minded Republicans. we have 2 years before we can vote them out but the danger is between ow and then. I write my congressman and senators but i feel they don’t hear a word i say. I get the same old cookie cutter letter in response. I am so discussed with the Republican leadership i just don’t know what to do.

  • ohiohistorian

    I don’t know, or care, what Eric Cantor thinks. He and McCain are part of the “free lunch” Republicans, which believe that he can offer stuff such as this stupid pre-existing condition garbage because it polls well. Instead, he should be teaching that it is like buying fire insurance only when your house is on fire, which most people would understand as stupidity.

    Cantor better understand that if he does as he is now heading, he is due for a walloping at the polls in two years. He will have won a minor skirmish, but will have lost the conservative wars. And Republicans better understand that when they try to compete as liberals, people will elect the real liberal, the Democrat first.

  • jackhammer

    the states have by and large screwed this up royally.

    The provisions that forbid selling insurance across state lines are one fo the biggest problems with health care. so if you have been a responsible person and had health care coverage all fo your life, adn happen to have a pre-existing condition, you are pretty much stuck staying in the state that you are in, and with the health care company you are with, because you have no alternative.

    I am someone who happens to have a pre-exisitng condition (Skin Cancer) which was diagnosed and treated while I was living abroad. I recently contemplated a move back to the US, and invformed myself about finding insurance for myself and my family. In MA where they are required to take me, the best deal I could find was $24k a year for so/so insurance.

    I am sure in Tenesee or Oklahoma or some other state I could find a much better deal….I am sure if I decided to abandon being self employed, and took a job at a company, I could get a better deal through their company policy.

    I mean, in Germany where I live, I basically cannot switch insurance companies either, because no new one would take me. I have high deductable insurance, because I really only want catastrophic coverage. I would be more than willing to cover the first $20k a year, I know I can handle that, and I have never looked for someone else to pay that for me. I got a great deal on that sort of policy here (Actually only a 5k deductable, with 100% coverage above that with no upper limit) and pay 5k a year for me and my family for that. But that is becasue here there are federal provisions whcih also limit the amount they can raise my premiums within an existing policy.

    So I think with proof of continuous coverage you should be able to have a chance at shopping around, or at least moving out of your state.

    If some geico like company was out there selling catastrophic care coverage for all bills over 10k for $100 bucks a month on nationwide TV, they would be gazillionaires…and if they were denyingcoverage left and right, 60 minutes wudl be runnign report after report on it until no one bought their stuff anymore…..

    the free market does work, but the interstate restrictions really do put people in an uncomfortable place.

    And there is ample proof of insurance companies dramatically raising rates on people who develop chronic conditions while under coverage…..it is not denial of insurance, but de facto it is.

  • jackhammer

    sorry, I missed your last sentence.

  • gunsrus

    either way, private insurance vs public insurance is a lose lose so why not let Obama hang his hat or noose on it.
    Until the republicans come up with an alternative to the corrupt, bureaucratic mess that is the root of the problem, sticking our head in the sand and pretending “it ain’t broke” is not going to win any converts. Maybe the the House leaders have recognized this.

  • ohiohistorian

    This is another case of a person who cannot stand on his back legs and make sure that he is taken care of now votes to raise YOUR taxes. My daughter is in college. My wife and I make sure she has the funds each month to pay for a high-deductible policy. The cost is in the $100-120/month range, and is with a reputable company. This is a far better solution that putting her back on my employer’s care or any other approach that I can think of.

    One of the interesting things is that many colleges insist students have coverage. My daughter had to state she had her own coverage to be allowed to waive the mandatory coverage at Ohio University. My son had to do the same at the University of Toledo. So the college student could be lying to try to get himself a financial break. So then he gets a chronic/terminal disease. And I should cry for him/her?

  • ohiohistorian

    in YOUR premiums because you didn’t have enough gonads to stand up and tell a person, who is an ADULT by law, to take care of himself.

    One of the interesting things is that many (and maybe all) colleges insist students have coverage. My daughter had to state she had her own coverage to be allowed to waive the mandatory coverage at Ohio University. My son had to do the same at the University of Toledo. So the college student could be lying to try to get himself a financial break. So then he gets a chronic/terminal disease. And I should cry for him/her? If you want to pay for this person so badly, establish a charity. My premiums are NOT the proper vehicle for charity.

  • ohiohistorian

    Most of the crappy parts of the system are because there are certain coverages legislated, certain companies approved in each state, and this is the UNREGULATED system?

    Coverage of pre-existing conditions is not covered for the same reason you cannot buy automobile insurance to cover your accident AFTER you have it. Insurance companies work on statistics, and the statistics of pre-existing conditions is no one will buy until they get one. That makes this premium prohibitively high even spread out among all of the people who DO already have coverage. And people with pre-existing will never pay back enough to cover their treatment under a normal premium setup.

    The sad part is that Obama is part right. If you don’t mandate coverage, the pre-existing condition becomes untenable. But I say if you do mandate coverage, you take away freedom.

    If you want charity for such people, start up a charity. But don’t force me to pay for it with my premiums.

  • Pizza_God

    I just wish the Neo-Con’s didn’t take over the Reagan Administration and expand the government, something Reagan talked against all the time.

    Read Tom Paukins new book, he talks about it and the battle between the Neo-Cons and Goldwater Republicans in the Administration.

  • weirddave

    Which is why it’s been the law for going on two decades now.

    That was the biggest lie that Bambi told when selling this snake oil, and he repeated it over and over again. Here’s the facts: An insurance company may not drop coverage or charge an individual more for their coverage, if they become sick after the policy is in force (absent fraud). They may NOT. It doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t. Saying that it does is an untruth. A falsehood. A straw man. A red herring. IT’S A GODDAMN LIE.

  • actuarius

    clear and more direct. Well done.

  • JSobieski

    nt

  • acat

    And once you get used to putting some money into ‘em every month (or just set up an automated transfer…) and remember to use the HSA card (not the credit card) at the doctor, dentist, optometrist, and pharmacy, they’re actually quite nice.

    Mew

  • gunsrus

    and is pretty much limited to the deductible. I have used this and it is not the answer when an uncovered RX is over a $1000/per
    If you have a pre-existing condition there is no longer a free market for the insurance as the COBRA “designate” will stick it to you and the competition will refuse to talk with you. Personal experience.
    Why do you have to “choose” in October?
    So they can charge you the full deductible for two months and then restart the full deductible for the next year, effectively no coverage for about 4 months total. This Scam continued until we could get Medicare.

  • gunsrus

    warning about the Mil-Industrial Complex.

    OMG :>) Obama Must Go

  • http://www.flaliberty.org scorpio0679

    I’m not the most well versed in healthcare policy but I was convinced that this type of stuff was happening — because where was the crisis if it wasn’t?

    How does this work when a person is covered by an employer’s policy and they either take a new job (and transfer to a new insurance plan) or decide to change insurers for whatever reason?

    Does the worker have to reapply and have their premiums reset . . . or possibly not even qualify for coverage or be forced to exclude a condition for coverage?

  • http://www.flaliberty.org scorpio0679

    Seriously . . . they can keep their vote or give it to the socialists if they want. And it isn’t that “they can just go die for all you care” at all. I do care, and I would encourage someone in this category to seek help from charitable organizations, churches, neighbors, family and friends. Even strangers might pitch in to help. Just don’t FORCE people at the barrel end of a gun — which is all you are doing when you use government.

  • acat

    Your experience isn’t too different from mine, but you seem to be mixing apples and lemons a little.

    I am self-employed. I have had insurance companies turn me down. I finally set up a corporate entity that could buy group insurance for its’ employees just to get coverage.

    I am nowhere near getting on medicare. That’s probably the largest difference between us. I have a choice of decades of no insurance or carrying the whole load myself or going back into the corporate world.

    When I compared plans, it was significantly cheaper for me to go with a high deductible plan with the HSA than it was to take a no-deductible plan. It’s not just “hiding the deductible”, it’s actually lowering the plan cost to me by significantly more.

    The insurance companies offer this because, if the money is coming out of my pocket (i.e. deductible) I’ll make different choices about how to spend it than I would if it’s “free”.

    I’m not sure how much shopping you did or how much flexibility the brokers you worked with were able to offer – I can tell you that my plan resets in December – and that my rate jumped 30% this year – thanks to Obamacare….

    I’m not saying HSAs are perfect. I am saying that a good broker and a person who is willing to cost-compare for medical care can save significantly with HSAs.

    Mew

  • lightfootletters

    I think if you look close at the early Reagan you will find he was a liberal (classical liberal for the Ditto Heads and for those who think if Limbaugh calls you a liberal that makes you a liberal). He just realized Democrats or the Democrat Party were not liberals. Sometimes things really are that simple. Later in his life he used the word liberal so the media and the pre-Ditto Heads would understand what he meant…not that he actually believed Democrats, socialist, communists or authoritarians were actually liberals or held a liberal philosophy on life. Because that would make him an ignorant man which he was not. And, it would make me an ignorant man for voting for him at every level of government I could.

  • uselogic

    He is as snake-oil smarmy as they come. Def not a conservactive… so I figure he’s part of the problem, not the solution.

  • uselogic

    He is as snake-oil smarmy as they come. Def not a conservactive… so I figure he’s part of the problem, not the solution.

  • uselogic

    conservative, above.

  • uselogic

    conservative, above.

  • Scope

    is a major problem. Yes, the voters put them in DC, but every vote affects the entire country. Problem with Cantor is that he refuses to even talk to his constituents. I live in the northern part of his district. He does not do townhalls, including when the healthcare debate was going on. Not one. The last, and one of the only times he came up here was to appear with the Republican Governor, when he was in the Governors race. I’ve sent him emails, posted on a site he used to have for comments, and called his office. Because I said I would not vote for him if he backed Cash for Clunkers, my comment was deleted.

    He has the district so locked and sewed up that no one of any credibility will run against him. His wife is on the board of a major news outlet that covers Richmond, the state capitol, and the most populated area of his district. Even the Democrats never run anyone of any credibility against him. He spends little to no money on any year’s campaigns, and, as I said above, he has the district locked up so much that he even refuses to debate anyone who does run against him, this year a very weak third party challenger, and, a Democrat. Why? This guy really has his own little kingdom right here in the 7th district. There isn’t even a 7th district GOP website, and, living here, I have yet to find who they may be, or if they even exist.

  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    If you don’t have insurance, you just use medical services and the taxpayers pick up the tab.

  • JSobieski

    and are apparently stuck in a third party payor mindset.

    HSAs aren’t something you do after you lose your job. What we do is transition from employment-based insurance to HSA-based insurance that isn’t limited to a specific employer.

    You get to tailor your coverage to meet your needs. Employers get out of the health care businesses.

    In a functioning market (take a look at lasic surgery), priceses come down dramatically. There is no free market for insurance now–even without a pre-existing condition.

    We can create a functional health care market when most people become responsible for their own catastrophic coverage and HSA accounts.

    The hardship cases can then be dealt with through subsidies, like what Indiana does.

    HSA is nothing like COBRA. COBRA is an overly epensive and non-patient driven option.

  • JSobieski

    the repeal of Obamacare should begin with removing those possibilities.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine
  • http://www.buckforcolorado.com bjwilson83

    “Beyond that, Rep. Ryan proposes fundamental reform of Medicare for those under 55 by turning the current benefit into a voucher with which people can purchase their own care.”

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576009322838245628.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_opinion