President Trump

[Brian in SLC]

Cha-ching.... 20,016.

Thank you Mr. Trump.

Did that back in January (try to keep up...ha ha).

Despite "Mr. Trump."

[Iceaxe]

Actually it hit 20,000 on January 25th, also on Trumps watch.

[Scott P]

Obama was not the problem as he always did his job. Trump is not the problem as he is doing his job.

Well technically both of them were or are overstepping their boundaries, as did many presidents before them.

The way our country was set up, the Legislative Branch of Government is supposed to make the laws and the Executive Branch of Government is supposed to ensure that the people are following the laws. The president is supposed to be involved sign or veto laws, but he or she isn't supposed to be the one creating or proposing the laws. When was the last president that stayed within the intended boundaries of the Executive Branch? The current and several past presidents (including Obama) are actually part of the problem, or at least the part of the problem of our government not functioning properly.

Ahh... so we are back to my old saying... people are not poor because they don't have money, they are poor because they don't know how to manage money.

I mostly agree with this, but a large percentage of people go bankrupt because of medical costs. Before you have said that insurance companies shouldn't cover pre-existing conditions. That would automatically doom anyone with a pre-existing condition to bankruptcy and permanent poverty unless they happened to be very rich.

As far us, we just crossed the $45,000 line for medical expenditures for this year. It will not bankrupt us because we save and avoid debt. I can promise you that our net worth has not increased by 20% as you say it will for anyone responsible with their money though.

Since age 16, I have never been unemployed for more than a few weeks. I joined the military on my 17th birthday, got engaged at 18 and bought our first house at age 19. Kim works two jobs and I work a lot as well. We have never bounced a check ever.

Although our medical expenditures wiped out much of our savings in 2010 (about $30,000 plus insurace), 2011 (about $30,000 plus insurance), and 2016-2017 ($45,000+ and climbing), we won't go bankrupt since we saved and have been responsible. We are still doing fine, still have the house, and still get to do some cool things.

If however, the insurance (that we have been paying into for years) didn't cover pre-existing conditions, we probably would have gone bankrupt. Even with the three jobs between us (our 15 year old son works nearly full time as well and starting next week I am on 98 hour work weeks), we don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars laying around. (Not that we would want a handout, but I'd be pissed if insurance companies decided not to cover pre-exiting conditions after we have given them so much money for coverage).

In the US, one surgery can easily cost more than one million dollars. We spend more on medical care per person than any other country by far, but our health care is among the most error prone of developed countries as well.

More and more people are going to go bankrupt because of medical costs.

We'll pay all the bills without going bankrupt, but it shouldn't be implied that a drop in net worth is always due to mismanagement and foolishness.

(And yes, I already know that Obama Care did not lower health care costs if you were going to mention that).

[rockgremlin]

Dang Scott, your insurance SUCKS. They have you on the hook for $45K? Good grief.

How is anybody not named Shane expected to bear those costs and still be able to put food on the table?

[Iceaxe]

I do agree our current system of health care is a dumpster fire.

Before Obama Care I had great healthcare at a fairly reasonable price, now I have shitty healthcare, with an astronomical price tag and with ridiculously high premiums.

Thanks Obama

[Scott P]

Simple question... why didn't you sign up for a platinum insurance plan the minute you notice your medical expenses were going to be sky high?.

I do have a pretty good insurance plan in comparison to some others. My wife's heart surgery costs us $13,000 ($6250 max each side of the calendar year) out of a more than a quarter million.

Another $12,000+ went to premiums, not including my employers contribution.

Most of the rest went to oral surgeries and trying to save my teeth. I had my jaw shattered when I was a kid and didn't get medical care. The jaw healed itself, but left many cracks that grow bacteria and get infected. Now, a few decades later, parts of bone die and the teeth die as well. Medical insurance will NOT cover this. Supposedly dental insurance is supposed to. Dental insurance only covers $1300 and I have covered the other $20,000 or so (4 oral surgeries, plus some other things). I did get an extra insurance policy that covered a little more, but not much. Further, dental insurance companies claim that replacing teeth ($4500 a piece) is "cosmetic". Apparently having a jaw and teeth is only for aesthetic purposes.

I still have a lot of work to go (which I'm holding off until next year), so if you really do know of an insurance plan that will cover this, then by all means please show it to me and I will buy it. From what I have been able to dig up, ACA does not cover adult dental. If I am incorrect, I would be happy to be corrected.

PS, my son is also in the hospital for the next six days and I have no idea how much that will be.

[hank moon]

How many health insurance schemes does it take to make a healthy USA?

Lessee...

Buy-it-yourself general health insurance (e.g. Blue Cross)
Buy-it-yourself dental insurance
Buy-it-yourself vision insurance
Employer-sponsored group plans, with and without dental and vision options
Healthcare.gov (i.e. "Obamacare"), with and without dental and vision options
General workers' compensation
Federal employees workers' compensation (FECA)
Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC)
Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)
Medicaid
CHIP
Medicare
PEHP

What did I miss?

[rockgremlin]

What did I miss?

PEHP -- which is really quite good.

[Iceaxe]

I do have a pretty good insurance plan in comparison to some others. My wife's heart surgery costs us $13,000 ($6250 max each side of the calendar year) out of a more than a quarter million.

Another $12,000+ went to premiums, not including my employers contribution.

Most of the rest went to oral surgeries and trying to save my teeth. I had my jaw shattered when I was a kid and didn't get medical care. The jaw healed itself, but left many cracks that grow bacteria and get infected. Now, a few decades later, parts of bone die and the teeth die as well. Medical insurance will NOT cover this. Supposedly dental insurance is supposed to. Dental insurance only covers $1300 and I have covered the other $20,000 or so (4 oral surgeries, plus some other things). I did get an extra insurance policy that covered a little more, but not much. Further, dental insurance companies claim that replacing teeth ($4500 a piece) is "cosmetic". Apparently having a jaw and teeth is only for aesthetic purposes.

I still have a lot of work to go (which I'm holding off until next year), so if you really do know of an insurance plan that will cover this, then by all means please show it to me and I will buy it. From what I have been able to dig up, ACA does not cover adult dental. If I am incorrect, I would be happy to be corrected.

PS, my son is also in the hospital for the next six days and I have no idea how much that will be.

WTF! you mean Obama Care is not working for you? I'm shocked!

/sarcasm

[Scott P]

you mean Obama Care is not working for you?

I have always said that Obama care didn't follow through with promises. To be fair though, although rates did rise a lot, they rose the same or a little less each year than before Obama care. The exception is catastrophic plans. Those did go up at a faster rate than before Obama care(but there was more coverage).

So, no Obama care did not follow through with promises (as many expected, including myself). Rates didn't rise at a higher rate than before Obama care though (though they still did rise astronomically). So, obviously the promises of Obama care didn't come to pass.

That said though, isn't Obama care supposed to be history? Trump said that it would be repealed on day 1.

You may say that Trump tried to repeal it and it was stopped. You would also be 100% correct if you said that.

The reason why the repeal was stopped however, is because what Trump is proposing after the election is the exact opposite of what he promised before the election.

Let's revisit some of the health care promises made by Trump before the election:

I am going to take care of everybody. I don’t care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.

We're going to have insurance for everybody.

There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can't pay for it, you don't get it. That's not going to happen with us.

People can expect to have great health care. It will be in a much simplified form. Much less expensive and much better.

They're going to be taken care of. I would make a deal with existing hospitals to take care of people. And, you know what, if this is probably—the government's gonna pay for it. But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.

Of course that was before he was elected. Once he was elected he did a 180 on healthcare and proposed the exact opposite.

For the record, I personally don't want healthcare to be government paid (as Trump promised before the election), but I want to see cost stop rising astronomically, and for prices to be reaonable just as you do.

If Trump or anyone else would do this, I would be the first to jump on that bandwagon.

Edit:

Trump actually deleted his healthcare promises off this own website:

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positio...lthcare-reform

[Iceaxe]

Unemployment hits a 16 year low.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-...-43-2017-08-04

Thanks Trump.

[Iceaxe]

And in other news.... Congress goes on vacation after getting nothing done.

[Rob L]

And in other news.... Congress goes on vacation after getting nothing done.

Don't worry; your politicians are no different from ours!

[oldno7]

How many health insurance schemes does it take to make a healthy USA?

Lessee...

Buy-it-yourself general health insurance (e.g. Blue Cross)
Buy-it-yourself dental insurance
Buy-it-yourself vision insurance
Employer-sponsored group plans, with and without dental and vision options
Healthcare.gov (i.e. "Obamacare"), with and without dental and vision options
General workers' compensation
Federal employees workers' compensation (FECA)
Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC)
Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)
Medicaid
CHIP
Medicare
PEHP

What did I miss?

A JOB!!!

[oldno7]

....

[Scott P]

I do have a pretty good insurance plan in comparison to some others. My wife's heart surgery costs us $13,000 ($6250 max each side of the calendar year) out of a more than a quarter million.

Another $12,000+ went to premiums, not including my employers contribution.

Most of the rest went to oral surgeries and trying to save my teeth. I had my jaw shattered when I was a kid and didn't get medical care. The jaw healed itself, but left many cracks that grow bacteria and get infected. Now, a few decades later, parts of bone die and the teeth die as well. Medical insurance will NOT cover this. Supposedly dental insurance is supposed to. Dental insurance only covers $1300 and I have covered the other $20,000 or so (4 oral surgeries, plus some other things). I did get an extra insurance policy that covered a little more, but not much. Further, dental insurance companies claim that replacing teeth ($4500 a piece) is "cosmetic". Apparently having a jaw and teeth is only for aesthetic purposes.

I still have a lot of work to go (which I'm holding off until next year), so if you really do know of an insurance plan that will cover this, then by all means please show it to me and I will buy it. From what I have been able to dig up, ACA does not cover adult dental. If I am incorrect, I would be happy to be corrected.

PS, my son is also in the hospital for the next six days and I have no idea how much that will be.

Total so far $48,547.40. Not much left in the bank account.

[oldno7]

....

[oldno7]

,,,

[Iceaxe]

Kaboom!!! Trump just took out his war club in Phoenix and pounded the snot out of the main stream media among other targets. If nothing else it was certainly entertaining.

[twotimer]

I watched it on CNN just to see how they would react. It's all out war, baby...they completely flipped out. I mean WAR...the gloves are off now. I think it's about to get a LOT worse and that suits me just fine.

He also called out the lightweight Republicans in Congress. Nobody but Trump could do this. I think he's just straight up awesome. I'm also in love with Katie Pavlich.