Trump Just Revolutionized Health
Care — And Nobody Noticed
Issues & Insights,
by
The Editorial Board
Original Article
Posted By: RockyTCB,
6/19/2019 6:39:27 AM
Few have ever heard of “Health Reimbursement Accounts,” but they could fundamentally change the nation’s health care system — for the better — and destroy the Democrats’ case for socialized health care.
Late last week, the Trump administration finalized rules that will let companies put money into tax-exempt HRAs that their employees could then used to buy an individual insurance plan on their own. Seems like no big deal, right? Except it will start to unravel a 77-year-old policy mistake that is largely responsible for many of the problems the health care system suffers today.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
cor-vet 6/19/2019 6:53:46 AM (No. 101233)
I've been retired from a major oil company for 20 years, and my company went to an HRA about 3 years ago. I've got great health insurance, at a really great price, compared to many of my friends. It took a bit of getting used to, but now, I wouldn't change a thing. I think the only reason we got it years ago, is because the company was big enough , that we were able to avoid Obamacare.
24 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Hugh Akston 6/19/2019 6:58:16 AM (No. 101239)
Could be the most important article posted here today. Great news for those of us tired of having our health insurances choices dumbed down to the lowest common denominator 'consumer' who expects things to be done for them and given to them.
33 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
lumberjack 6/19/2019 7:18:16 AM (No. 101253)
Great idea, and needed for retired as well as those still working.... I am "retired"
28 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Iconoclast 6/19/2019 8:03:23 AM (No. 101282)
Problem is, there is no individualized health insurance to buy, theres only Obamacare!! Stinking, worthless, overpriced Obamacare is the only game in town! I am currently trying to purchase healthcare ins for my wife, there is virtually no longterm private health insurance available except ACA.
19 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 6/19/2019 8:12:41 AM (No. 101287)
Along with tax-exempt, individual "Health Savings Accounts," offered by many companies today, this will be a huge step in the right direction. Now to eliminate the "inter-State barriers" for selling health insurance, and we will have a truly capitalistic solution to health care.
35 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
HotRod 6/19/2019 9:10:34 AM (No. 101338)
Another thing that needs fixing is the documentation and reporting requirements placed on doctors by Obamacare. My wife and I both lost our doctors due to the requirements. Both of them said they were spending far more time on meeting these requirements than they were on providing patient care.
Fortunately for us, we were able to find new doctors, but the choices were limited. Doctors can take only so many new patients, and when other doctors start quitting or retiring, all those patients have to go somewhere.
14 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Congar 6/19/2019 9:16:36 AM (No. 101345)
A very interesting change in our health care picture that could become a major and positive change for us all. Of course, Marxists posing as Democrats will bash the change, and most of our uneducated public will not understand it.
11 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 6/19/2019 9:21:27 AM (No. 101351)
Great news. Not exactly sure yet if/ how this would help me and my wife who are retired now. While we enjoy covering a few of our medical and dental expenses out of our existing HSA account, would be nice to understand if some of our tax-deferred assets can be placed into the HRA.
Great move, Mr. President. MAGA.
13 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
LadyHen 6/19/2019 10:39:15 AM (No. 101428)
I have an HSA and the insurance is good hut the $5000 plus monthly premiums we pay before insurance really kicks in can be rough and has prevented us more than once from seeking medical help. Just suffer through it to prevent that $500-$1000 bill.
I personally would like to be able to shop around for testing. Say my doctor gives me a list a facilities that do CT scans and a prescription for what he wants. Then these CT scan providers compete for my business. I can do this with countless other identical products, even medica! devices. Why not bloodwork or xrays or scans or testing?
As insurance and doctors groups are now, I have no idea what anything costs and what insurance will even pay until I get the bill. How is that even legal?
15 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Starboard_side 6/19/2019 11:05:45 AM (No. 101454)
While Democrat politicians clamor for "medicare for all", the Republicans need to hammer away that 88% of workers get their insurance from their employers.
And, with the poll of Democrats not realizing they will lose their health insurance if Medicare for All is enacted, I think it's a good campaign issue.
I say, if the Democrats want Medicare for All, they can enact their plan for Congress and the government workers first, and let's see how it develops. Or, will they be conveniently exempted?
10 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
DVC 6/19/2019 11:27:43 AM (No. 101469)
A really brilliant move, and as more companies take advantage of this, the iron grip of
government and your employer on your health care will weaken.
9 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Wary American 6/19/2019 1:10:55 PM (No. 101544)
Just think where the USA would be if not for TRUMP.
And if anyone cares...Medicare AIN'T free by any means.
9 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
LadyHen 6/19/2019 3:37:50 PM (No. 101690)
Maybe I am missing something here but since private insurance is outrageously expensive, assuming you can even find it and qualify, the HRA is funded and wholly controlled by the employer, is not portable, and all expenses must be approved by the employer, why does this make one hill of beans worth of difference? If my plan options were all replaced with this (or other options were made so expensive we couldn't afford them, the way PPOs and HMOs are now) I doubt dh's company would set aside enough for adequate private health insurance and our only option would be the Obamacare exchange. I just see this as another way for employeers to cheap out on benefits. We can't all work for the government you know.
1 person likes this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
GardenGal 6/19/2019 4:43:47 PM (No. 101742)
This is such great news for my children. One of my children refuses to buy his companies health insurance because he is philosophically against insurance companies making money on denying sick people care, etc. Our state has a supposedly non profit Blue Cross/Blue Shield that is extremely corrupt and also not in anyway a real non profit based on how they spend their earnings. With this, he may be able to get an association membership (he cannot use the current ones)or find an insurance solution he would approve of. For my youngest daughter, it may mean that she can work in more places because she needs very complete medical coverage since she has many serious, life threatening chronic conditions. For my middle kid, I think her small employee owned company will give her money to buy and she can then buy a better pokicy than she has now. For us, it may mean that my husband\s employer will also move to do this and we would be able to use the money to get some hearing insurance, etc/
2 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
preciosodrogas 6/19/2019 6:36:47 PM (No. 101826)
So, if I have this right,it allows employees to buy insurance with pre-tax dollars (tax free contributions to employee health accounts), employees get to "shop" their health costs, gives employees more control over managing their health care costs, resulting in free market capitalism benefits for employees, which invites competition for employee health dollars that means lower costs/higher quality, and where all of us non-employees gain is that this will work so well that the dems will never see their single-payer/socialist dream come true. We who are off the employee grid will reap the benefit of the free market capitalism of competition for dollars resulting in lower cost and higher quality created by the hard work of employees leading the way to better care at lower costs. What's not to like?
Good on you once again President Trump.
4 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "RockyTCB"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)