OT: Health insurance nightmare looming

[HeyBub]

"The federal government will likely be involved in running the ObamaCare exchange in at least 30 states, 26 of which expressly declined to establish state exchanges. One health-policy expert refers to it as an "administrative nightmare" for the Department of Health and Human Services. Friday was the deadline for a state to let HHS know if it planned to establish a state exchange. Thus far only 18 states and the District of Columbia are planning on doing so."

HHS originally predicted only a handful of states would opt-out of state-run exchanges. Now, HHS has a logistical nightmare on its hands.

[Don Phillipson]

Recognizing an "administrative nightmare," we do not see why this future situation should also be a "logistical nightmare." This word does not appear in the article cited.

Public health care administration is often complicated because it is usually decentralized (to meet local needs with local resources, and avoiding the suggestion that "one size fits all.") This is normal in places like Germany and Holland (where medicare is 100 years old) and Britain (60 years.) There is a lot of paperwork, which costs money and is no fun, but the people usually get the medical treatment they need.

The USA acquired in WW2 the reputation of being able to organize and complete complicated tasks that Allied forces had been unable to do (e.g. Burma Road, USN CB construction of airfields, logistical supply of fuel and ammunition.) It seems a shame if the USA today has lost its "can do" attitude.

[bob haller]

a central program will no doubt save big bucks by minimizing adminstrative workers..... the upper eschleon workers with big paychecks

a cookie cutter approach for each state

[recyclebinned]

It can=92t be any worse than the private sector which has proven itself to = be selfish and egotistic.

[Frank]

Recently went through setting up medical insurance plans after my former employer, DuPont, decided to cut us retirees loose with a subsidy and choice of plans from an outside firm instead of just giving us insurance.

We spent hours on the phone, maybe half the time in signing up with government mandated regulations having had to be explained to us.

Wonder if the federal government will do what the insurance firm did and hire people in India to guide us through this. I assume the Indian phone people made a couple of bucks an hour vs if they used people in the US it would have cost 10 times as much.

[gonjah]

It's more of a "I don't want to" attitude. During WW2 we were fighting for our survival. Big difference.

[HeyBub]

The article did cite the requirement that each person enrolled must be vetted by the IRS. The integration and communication between two massive data sets - one not yet designed - seems to me (speaking as one who owns a small software firm) to be a "logistical nightmare." Call it something else - "End of the World," "Armegeddon," "Cluster-f*ck," whatever, it will be a bigger problem than the Year 2000 disaster!

No, wait.

Never mind.

[Stormin Mormon]

*I* doubt!

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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a central program will no doubt save big bucks by minimizing adminstrative workers..... the upper eschleon workers with big paychecks

a cookie cutter approach for each state

[Attila Iskander]

# It can?t be any worse than the private sector which has proven itself to be selfish and egotistic. #

LOL Typical pinky argument No facts Just emotional labels..

[Kurt Ullman]

The private sector is so selfish that they pay, on average, $1.00 when MCare pays around 60 cents and MCaid around 45 cents for the same thing. Even the trustees of MCare note that what they pay hospitals results in a negative profit (I like the way bureaucrats say things).. In otherwords, the federal programs don't even cover their own costs making it necessary for the selfish private sector to make up the difference.