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Featured Uncomfortable Question for Ted Cruz on Obamacare Silences the Room

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by Zaac, Jan 30, 2016.

  1. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    Uncomfortable Question for Ted Cruz on Obamacare Silences the Room

    HUBBARD, Iowa — Senator Ted Cruz is often asked about doing away with President Obama’s health care law. He is less rarely pressed by voters on what will replace it.

    But at a middle school cafeteria here, a man, Mike Valde, presented him with a tragic tale. His brother-in-law Mark was a barber — “a small-business man,” he said. He had never had a paid vacation day. He received health insurance at last because of the Affordable Care Act. He began to feel sick and went to a doctor.

    “He had never been to a doctor for years,” Mr. Valde, 63, of Coralville, Iowa, said. “Multiple tumors behind his heart, his liver, his pancreas. And they said, ‘We’re sorry, sir, there’s nothing we can do for you.’ ”

    The room was silent.

    “Mark never had health care until Obama care,” Mr. Valde continued. “What are you going to replace it with?”

    Mr. Cruz expressed condolences and pivoted quickly to a well-worn answer assailing the health care law.

    Mr. Cruz said “millions of Americans” had lost their jobs and their doctors as a result of the law, and that many had “seen their premiums skyrocket.”

    He said he had often joked about a pledge by Mr. Obama that premiums would drop: “Anyone whose premiums have dropped $2,500, as President Obama promised, should vote for Hillary Clinton,” Mr. Cruz said. “I’ll take everybody else.”

    Many in the room laughed.

    Mr. Valde — who said in an interview later that he did in fact intend to caucus for Mrs. Clinton — pressed on.

    “My question is, what are you going to replace it with?” he said.

    Mr. Cruz said he was getting there, but had to lay out the problems with the law first. “There are millions of stories on the other side,” he said, describing voters who had liked their insurance plans and lost them because the plans did not provide the level of coverage the new law required.

    He went on to describe elements of his plan, which includes an effort to allow people to purchase insurance across state lines.

    Mr. Cruz turned back to Mr. Valde. “Your father-in-law, he couldn’t afford it,” he said.

    “Brother-in-law,” Mr. Valde said.

    “Your brother-in-law couldn’t afford it,” Mr. Cruz said.

    “Right,” Mr. Valde said. “But he could afford it — he finally got it under Obama.”

    “He would have gotten it earlier, if he could have afforded it earlier,” Mr. Cruz said. “But because of government regulations he couldn’t.”

    Moments later, Mr. Cruz wrapped up and Mr. Valde sat down.

    http://www.nytimes.com/politics/fir...-for-ted-cruz-on-obamacare-silences-the-room/
     
  2. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    What is the point of this story?



    Sent from my Motorola Droid Turbo using Tapatalk.
     
  3. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Exactly. The guy could have bought insurance anytime. He didn't have to wait. He chose to.
     
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  4. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    The point of the story was that his BIL couldn't have bought insurance at any time because he couldn't afford it. Obamacare made that a non-issue.

    All Cruz could do was deflect and say if XYZ, he could have afforded it and already had coverage.

    But the guys point was that there was no XYZ so his BIL couldn't afford it. Obamacare DID get him insured. SO he wanted to know why this thing that FINALLY got his BIL insured, no matter what had or hadn't happened in the past regulation wise, was viewed as a bad thing? And if it's so bad, what was Cruz gonna replace it with so that folks like his BIL could get to see a doctor before it was too late?

    The problem that I personally have with the GOP and the ACA is that they keep saying repeal, repeal, repeal, but seem to have no empathy for the millions who will lose their insurance if it's repealed. And none of them seem to be offering an alternative of substance.

    So while the Ted Cruz's of the world are waiting for the market to force reasonable prices, what do the millions who still can't afford it until that time do about coverage?
     
  5. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    How do you know that? Do you know what his BIL's situation was? Perhaps his income would only cover the costs for food and shelter and utilities? Or maybe there was some other financial reason why he couldn't afford to have bought insurance at any time.

    So we can't rightly say he didn't have to wait.

    If he didn't have the finances to buy it, he did have to wait.
     
  6. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    A couple of things:

    1. The brother-in-law could have afforded insurance before ObamaCare. He could have gotten a high deductible plan with low monthly payments. More than likely the plan he has now is a high deductible plan that has higher monthly payments than the plans he could have bought before ObamaCare. I know all about this because I was on one of these plans but it got canceled by ObamaCare (because it didn't have the now required prenatal care) and got replaced by one that had higher monthly premiums. From what I've read and learned, this was a common occurence.

    2. Perhaps his B-I-L finally got health care insurance because it was mandatory?

    3. I don't see what the B-I-L not ever having a paid vacation day has to do with the narrative.

    4. When Cruz says, “He would have gotten it earlier, if he could have afforded it earlier,” Mr. Cruz said. “But because of government regulations he couldn’t." he is referring to his plan of being able to buy health insurance across state's lines. Had this policy been in place before ObamaCare it would have been likely Mr. Valdes could have afforded health insurance. However, buying insurance across state lines would only be a money saver for a few years, until a handful of states offer tax incentives for companies to relocate their headquarters in that state. Then, health insurance rates will become more uniform. The same thing happened to credit card companies. Most credit card companies are now located in Delaware because that state offers incentives beneficial to these companies.
     
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  7. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    More likely that health insurance wasn't a priority with him.
     
  8. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    Again, how do we know what he could have afforded? What you mentioned is another option for insurance. But it doesn't mean that he could afford that either.

    Or he may have gotten it because it was subsidized and he could now afford it. We don't know.

    He seemed to be trying to paint a picture for us that said his BIL couldn't even afford to take a vacation, let alone pay for health insurance.

    I understood this. But seemingly like Valdes' reply, that's just another excuse. No one had fixed THAT issue. The one where his BIL didn't have insurance got fixed. WHo cares what could have been done when it wasn't done? The ACA met his BILs need. Whining about in place regulations did not.
     
  9. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    Health insurance usually isn't a priority for folks who can't afford it. If you want a place to live, food to eat with water and other utilities, and a way to get back and forth from work just so that you can survive, then health insurance doesn't become a priority until something happens and you realize that you need it but still cannot afford the price.
     
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  10. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    Again, my experience and many others I've read about point to the fact that ObamaCare's bare-bones plans are more expensive than the private market high-deductible plans before ObamaCare.

    True, we don't know. But paying a $600 fine at tax time or getting insurance could have been the impetus.



    Sole proprietorships can take a vacation whenever they want, they just don't open up their shop.



    Part of the criticism of Republicans wanting to repeal ObamaCare is that they don't have a replacement idea. Well, buying insurance across state lines is one of those ideas.
     
  11. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    I'd be curious to know if he had business insurance on his barbershop? If so, how could he afford that? Why is that a priority, when after all, if he gets severely sick, injured, or hospitalized he's out of business just as much as if his shop caught fire.
     
  12. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    More than likely he considered himself healthy enough that he didn't believe he needed insurance and money had very little to do with it. There are millions just like him. They believe only fools buy insurance when they are healthy, preferring to wait until they "need" it.
     
  13. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    For every story like the one illustrated in this thread there is probably just as many, maybe more because of Obama Care.

    Personally, I support government assistance for the poor and under privileged.
    I agree, the "right" needs to come up with a plan to replace, reconstruct or repair Obama Care instead of the usual promise(s) without any detailed documentation to back up said generalized promises.

    examples abound like "I will shut down the IRS and initiate a Federal Sales Tax".

    Great! Now tell us how you will do that and how will we make the colossal transition from the one to the other.

    Then comes the dizzying verbal tap dance.

    I am disgusted with both sides of the aisle - they each have their share of political Fred Astaires.

    HankD
     
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  14. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
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    That really proves it there! People never buy anything they don't have the finances for!

    So where is the Affordable Sports Car Act?
     
  15. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    And I suppose that you've got evidence that he could afford it? I have to go with what the person who knows him said over you.

    Did he say that his BIL had a car?
     
  16. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
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    No, and you don't have evidence that he can't. You have hearsay.

    No, and I didn't say he said that.
     
  17. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    I have what his BIL ,who knows him better than you do, said. So if you want to believe you know his situation better than his BIL, oh well. Can't help ya.
     
  18. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
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    LaughLaughLaugh

    Good.
     
  19. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    I figured it would be. Your lil narrative is built on fantasy of what you feel like he should have been able to afford.
     
  20. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

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    Your reading comprehension is the one that needs to be questioned as you're the one who called into question his ability to still purchase something he couldn't afford.
     
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