Tag Archives: preexisting conditions

You’re a mean one, Mr. Hawley…

15 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by in Josh Hawley, social media, US Senate

≈ 1 Comment

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“I truly hope that God affords you the opportunity to feel the terror that I feel tonight about my son’s health insurance.”

Josh Hawley (r) [2016 file photo].

The U.S. District Court judge in Texas who was sitting on an ACA/Obamacare ruling before the November election ruled on Friday night (the day before ACA enrollment closes) that the ACA is “unconstitutional”.

Right wingnut republican Josh Hawley (the new senator-elect from Missouri) wasted no time in dancing on everybody’s graves via Twitter:

Josh Hawley @HawleyMO
Tonight TX court has declared Obamacare individual mandate unconstitutional. Now it’s time for both parties to work together to lower healthcare costs, improve access to quality care for all, and protect those with preexisting conditions
8:51 PM – 14 Dec 2018

Well, first, it’s a U.S. District judge, it ain’t the Court of Appeals nor the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s maybe a first step.

Second, Josh, you’ve never had a “plan” nor will you ever “work together” on affordable and accessible healthcare for Americans.

We knew that already.

Some of the responses to Josh Hawley’s (r) Twitter happy dance:

Thank this judge for making a much stronger case for Medicare for all.

Going to be difficult to do with you having to respond to subpoenas in Jeff City.

There’s that.

Go fuck your self you piece of shit fraud.

I agree

Honestly, I have absolutely no confidence from you and your so called Republican Party providing a viable health care solution. @royblunt, @gop The Tea Party is a oligarch scam on America.

No one is going to work with some 38 year old creep who is under investigation for pissing away tax payer money. [….]

There’s that.

You’re on big boy. Time to finally reveal your #ACA replacement that still makes healthcare affordable for people with pre-existing conditions.

My dude, we have a law that does that already; it’s called Obamacare.

No, the time to work that out was BEFORE. #murderer

Let me get this right. First, take away healthcare. Next, spend yrs & yrs trying to fix it and come-up empty handed (because the Republican majority already did that) so let’s do it again wasting time, money, & lives. @HawleyMO works for the GOP, not the people. #ThisIsNotProLife

No, now is not the time. The time was 8 years ago after the ACA was passed. It was flawed but better than nothing, but all Republicans have done since then is whine about it and do all they could to gut it instead of improving it. No alternative plan. Shame.

Your party had a decade to come up with something.

With no replacement, your only goal was to redistribute wealth from people who work & pay for their coverage.

We had that, or at least a good start towards it, until you ruined it. Jacka$$.

Get absolutely wrecked, ladder-climber.

And what are we supposed to do in the meantime? It took almost a year from the draft of the ACA to signingbit into law. Months of debate, input from experts, analysis from the CBO, mark-ups in multiple committees. The law didn’t have to be thrown out. It could have been fixed.

Fixing the existing law would have been faster and provided the Americans affected by your completely self-serving political ambition a measure of stability and security.

The GOP doesn’t care.

The ACA as originally written was upheld by SCOTUS in 2012. With Trump’s modifications, it’s now flawed. Your party did this. You’ve said you wanted to replace ACA for 8 years. Where’s the plan? Rs only destroy…don’t create solutions for Americans.

Special place in hell for you sir. Trying to be a hero by swiping healthcare from millions. I bet mommy is proud.

You mean all of the things that ACA does

You must believe Medicare for All will be more effective

Odd for a Republican.

Congratulations on your great con of “protecting those with pre-existing conditions” – well done! Your party’s mission to take essential healthcare away from tens of millions takes a major step forward. Congrats again!

Your a bad person Josh. You’ve brought a lot of stress and uncertainty into the lives of people with health conditions. The ACA has helped a lot of people, and you’ve done everything you can to destroy the good that’s been done. For you, healthcare is a privilege for the few.

Josh doesn’t care–he’ll have more than adequate healthcare in prison. #LastRepublicanSenatorFromMissouri

YOU did this.
YOU.
Your lawsuit.

Yes indeed, his lawsuit & lawsuits from other states AG in attempt to “remedy” an imaginary problem with ACA that will not fix anything, only make everything worse. And god bless those bastards the all used our state tax dollars to do it.

People of Missouri lost their goddamn minds electing you.

The GOP has worked to eliminate protections for patients, allow insurers to sell junk plans & increase costs for local hospitals. Please expand on your ideas Sen-Elect NO PLAN. You now have Congressional coverage. What’s your JOSH-I-DUNNO MAYBE-GO-FUND-ME NO-COVERAGE-PLAN for us?

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the Affordable Care Act does, but it doesn’t work unless young healthy people buy in. So, you just made every one of those agenda items harder, less likely and more expensive.

Which is exactly the outcome they were looking for.

Fighting to remove ACA consumer protections without a better plan anywhere in sight, is cruel and irresponsible. One step closer to health care Armageddon for the middle class and poor.
Worse health danger than any disease…. clueless politicians.

I truly hope that God affords you the opportunity to feel the terror that I feel tonight about my son’s health insurance.

Let’s help this arsonist put out the fire he started…

You lied to Missourians and I sincerely hope your day in court comes soon!

You’ve now successfully gutted pre-existing protection for millions of Americans. Congratulations on being evil. You wear it well.

They had all that already with the ACA, but sure…

Hell isn’t hot enough for these people.

So where’s your plan, big mouth?

Exactly what health care economic reform plan are you referring to?
Ohhh the one that does not exist, so anyone buying health insurance is even more screwed than ever before. You are a political prostitute for the health insurers like most of Congress.

Liar. You are a bold faced liar. How does it feel? Does your conscience ever bother you, knowing that you lie so frequently…and that your true stance on health care coverage will kill innocents? How does it feel to be tihs sort of being?

For the last 10 years, GOP did nothing but obstruct when it came to developing a proper healthcare solution. Hawley is lying. They have no interest in helping anybody with a good healthcare plan.

You are so full of it. Fraud.

GOP wanted nothing to do with the #ACA when Obama was trying to protect people with pre-existing conditions and then sabotaged it at every chance they had.

Exactly. GOP howls against ACA for years and is now going to the come to the table for a bipartisan alternative? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Hawley’s tweet would be gold as an Onion headline. As real life, it’s just depressing.

Because the best way to protect those with preexisting conditions is to take away protection for those with preexisting conditions

And on and on.

Previously:

U.S. Senate: Josh Hawley (r) theenks your reely, reely stoopit (September 24, 2018)

U.S. Senate: Josh Hawley (r) theenks your reely, reely stoopit

24 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by in Claire McCaskill, US Senate

≈ 1 Comment

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McCaskill’s right: Hawley’s lawsuit would end Affordable Care Act protections
By Hannah Archambault, Theo DeRosa, Matthew Hall on Thursday, September 13th, 2018 at 12:41 p.m.
[….]
Pre-existing conditions
“Sen. McCaskill is correct,” said Nicholas Bagley, law professor at the University of Michigan Law School. “The states that brought the Texas lawsuit have asked the court to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act — lock, stock and barrel.”
No consumer protections in the individual health market stipulated under the act would remain because the whole law would be gone.
[….]

Estimated Number of Nonelderly Adults with Declinable Pre-existing Conditions under Pre-ACA Practices [data from 2015]

State: Missouri
Estimated number of non-elderly adults: 1,090,000
Percent of non-elderly population: 30%

Notes
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) changed private insurance market rules to prevent medical underwriting, or examining an applicant’s medical history to determine whether or under what terms to issue coverage. The data presented here estimate how many American adults could face difficulty obtaining insurance in the individual market if the ACA were repealed or amended and the medical underwriting practices in place prior to 2014 resumed.
For more information and a description of the methodology, please see Pre-existing Conditions and Medical Underwriting in the Individual Insurance Market Prior to the ACA.
Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

[emphasis added]

Josh Hawley (r) [2016 file photo].

Via Twitter, this afternoon:

Josh Hawley @HawleyMO
Wanted to share a little about my family and our journey, and my commitment to protecting people with preexisting conditions — like my son #MOSen
[….]
3:33 PM – 24 Sep 2018

Some of the responses:

You’re in a lawsuit to take away preexisting conditions from families but want to talk about yours? Are you kidding?
WE’RE ON TO YOU!!!
You’re so deep in the pockets of your DARK MONEY DONORS you can’t see straight!!! I’m sorry I voted for you the first time!

Nice try

then take your state out of the lawsuit Josh, real simple. If not what is your plan to immediately cover those with pre-existing conditions an affordable healthcare? We haven’t seen the details, please share them, not talking points,.

Wow, how stupid do you think people are?

Reely stoopit.

You’re adopting the “black is white, up is down” strategy I see.

So you are trying to destroy the preexisting protection that the ACA offers and make this shit?

Republicans only care when it affects them directly.

What utter BS

Then withdraw your lawsuit and return all of your dark money contributions and Big Pharma and Big Health Insurance contributions. You’re not fooling anybody. We don’t believe you! Just another #HawleyWhopper!

You’re literally trying to do the opposite. Liar.

Corny ad. And, oh yeah, complete bullshit, too.

Piece of crap.

But WAIT. People want pre-existing conditions to be protected!! Will NOT vote for Hawley. Def not.

Umm. bullshit.

Wow. What a shameless liar.

You are currently suing to remove preexisting condition protections. This ad is one huge lie.

Hey Josh , you are a fucking imbecile

You’re suing to end these protections. Are you fuking kidding me???

You’re a sick liar. You’re suing to end this rules.

fuck you liar

You will kill millions
OR you will bankrupt those too
You are heartless!
#VoteBlueToSaveAmerica

You are a liar. #Deplorable #FakeChristian #Asshole

We have already met our quota of moron republicans in the senate.

FUCKING LIAR REPUBLICAN FREAKSHOW.

You’re a disingenuous asshole.

Fuck off and quit sending me mailers

Well, this is “The Show Me State”.

The GOP plan for universal access to affordable health care: if you ever get sick, just die already

11 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Claire McCaskill, Roy Blunt, social media, US Senate

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As it’s always been.

This evening:

Micheal Mahoney @KCMikeMahoney
Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt on GOP Senate pre-existing conditions bill, “That bill is not going anywhere. I am not supportive of it.” #RoyBlunt #MOSEN #JoshHawley #ClaireMcCaskill #kmbc
[….]
5:35 PM – 11 Sep 2018 from Kansas City, MO

Somebody forgot to tell Josh Hawley (r).

A comment:

@Meirabb Meira Bernstein
.@HawleyMO, call your office. #mosen
[….]
5:53 PM – 11 Sep 2018

Meira Bernstein wins the Internets today.

Billy Long wants to toss a dime to the dying

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

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You may remember that a few days ago we were all sure that hell was finally freezing over. The event that occasioned this apocalyptic premonition was the fact that Rep. Billy Long (R-7) let us know that he wouldn’t support the latest iteration of the Republican Dump & Dupe Obamacare “repeal and replace” bill because it made no provision for those of us with preexisting conditions. This is the same high-living Billy Long who voted to cut SNAP food stamp benefits while claiming that folks in his district – where over 40,000 folks get food stamps – wanted more cuts. He’s not a really compassionate guy so the concern for those with preexisting conditions was a little unexpected.

I can only surmise that ol’ Billy has been hearing from plenty of riled-up constituents who will be hurt if Obamacare preexisting conditions provisions are eradicated. Without the protections written into Obamacare, the chronically ill can be denied health care insurance outright, or, when insurance companies are willing to write us a policy, they will be free to bankrupt us. The extremist Republican determination to return us to the pre-Obamacare status quo has rightly energized citizens who realize that Dump & Dupe will most likely mean we’ll be able to “choose” to die years earlier than we would have under Obamacare.

But never fear, like tigers, Republicans can’t really change their stripes. Billy thinks he has found a way to flim-flam those angry sick people who don’t want to die and still give his buddy, Donald Trump, the healthcare win he is demanding – regardless of the consequences for everyday Americans. An amendment that would allow states to do away with preexisting conditions protections will remain. But Congress will throw an extra $8 billion – over five years – into “high-risk pools” that, in theory, could be used to ameliorate the expense of the much higher premiums those of us with pre-existing conditions will have to cope with after the Obamacare repeal.

This is like throwing a dime at one of several men starving on the street and continuing on your merry way convinced that you have dealt with the problem of hunger in your community. As WaPos Paul Waldman notes, it “a laughably small amount of money compared with what would be required to insure this population” which consists of one out of every four non-elderly Americans; nor is it necessarily a continuing funding stream. According to Jean Hall, a physician and researcher at the University of Kansas Medical Center, underfunding is just one of the problems with the proposal to relegate patients with preexisting conditions to high-risk pools:

Recent proposals to replace ACA reforms with high-risk pools focus on using state-based programs, but historical experience with 35 state-based high-risk pools and more recent experience with the national Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) illustrate the problems with this approach. Even though state-based high-risk pools charged premiums of up to 250 percent of those charged to healthy beneficiaries in the individual insurance market, premium revenues paid just 53 percent, on average, of program costs. In addition to these high premiums, enrollees in state-based high-risk pools faced annual deductibles as high as $25,000 and annual coverage limits as low as $75,000.1 Past research indicated that high costs and limited benefits associated with high-risk pool coverage resulted in delayed or forgone care and adverse outcomes for enrollees. Many also accrued medical debt despite having insurance.2

For these reasons, use of high-risk pools in lieu of marketplace and Medicaid expansion coverage would result in greater state and federal costs, fewer people with preexisting conditions able to obtain coverage, and coverage that fails to meet the often greater needs of people with chronic conditions. Affording coverage would be particularly difficult for people with incomes below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, who accounted for 80 percent of the uninsured population with preexisting conditions prior to implementation of the AC

Even if Billy is able to placate his constituents in the short term, he’s not likely to get off scot-free. As Waldman observes, the fallout from Dupe & Dump will be severe:

The news media will be filled with horror stories of people who lost their coverage, and in some cases their lives, because of what Republicans did. If the bill passes, it will result in an outpouring of rage, particularly on the left but among all kinds of voters, that will vastly increase the chances of a Democratic wave in 2018 and even 2020.

Of course, there might be an upside. Come 2018, we may finally get rid of politicians like Billy Long.

*Edited slightly for accuracy (5/3/17, 3:58 pm)