Let's keep in mind that Obama wanted to implement the Swiss model, which I used having lived there for four years and it works! BUT the republicans said NO way. Could he have been more forceful, definitely. But they've been trying to dismantle the ACA ever since and not because of what you said above, but because they all want us to give up and go away and die so they don't have to pay out. But I've also been saying for years that if our electeds, on either side of the aisle, wanted single payer health coverage, we would have had it years ago. You only need to look at NYS. It was introduced by Dick Gottfried in 1992 and Democracts have had all three branches of government for how long? And the state leaders refuse to bring it to a floor vote even though they tell us to our faces that they support it.
Thanks for this helpful article. I had an eye-opening personal experience of the relationship between Dems and private health insurance as I fought hard against the egregious behavior of Blue Shield of California, which could have easily bankrupted me.
It's an only-in-America tale of being sick and having to spend a ton of time and energy strategizing and fighting to avoid financial ruin. I managed to get the help of a provider hospital system financial executive who served as a human shield between me and BS for 4 years. We're talking working hard to get all the authorizations in place to have care covered by an out-of-network specialist, only to then have the heart surgery, come home and see that BS broke their promise and said I should pay $388,000.
Ultimately, the fin exec had his legal team take BS to court on my behalf and on behalf of many other patients who'd been similarly abused by BS. A few months later, a BS VP sent me a letter saying that effective immediately, I was kicked out of my specialist's care. No chance to figure out where to go next or what to do. The whole experience was traumatizing and worsened my health.
So here's the tie in with the Dems.
I filed a complaint with our CA Dept of Managed Health Care, which is charged with "overseeing" health insurance companies. They clearly hadn't even read my complaint before spitting out a response that didn't even get the basic facts right.
I escalated and was met with gaslighting and with one agent, verbal abuse. So I reached out to the office of my CA State Assemblymember, Buffy Wicks. She'd helped Obama get the ACA passed and I'd viewed her as an ally.
It took staff 6 months to even read my letter, in which I asked them for help in holding BS accountable in some way, whether through the DMHC or another mechanism. That staff person was apologetic, promised to read it. And then stopped responding.
I reached out a few months later and another staff person said the legislative director would help. Great! He said he could maybe call the DMHC. Sometime. Never a commitment.
In the meantime, I looked into Open Secrets and noted the BS donations to Assemblymember Wicks.
I made it clear to the staff that I knew they were busy and that I wasn't the only constituent reaching out for help. I also shared that I really didn't want to connect those dots between the months of delay and inaction on my request for assistance and those BS campaign contributions. I mean, was I really bumping into the truth that state leaders receiving contributions just would not even touch a constituent insurance issue, let alone hold insurers accountable? Perhaps look into writing better laws to protect us?
They did nothing to set my mind at ease in the matter. Something was clearly off. So I wrote to the DMHC Director, who had the 2nd in command reach out to me.
He seemed serious and said he'd have his investigative team take on the matter to see if BS had broken any laws. It's been 9 months now. When I asked for an update a few months ago, he said it wasn't possible. So I have no idea what's happening there.
I wonder if you have experience with the DMHC, Wendell. I have no idea if the investigation will amount to anything, but in general, I haven't been very impressed by the whole set up. My experience with a prior complaint is that they don't tell you what the outcome of their investigation is, so it's hard to see what the point is of spending all those tax dollars.
Quite an eye-opening experience here in predominantly Democratic CA.
2010 ACA “affordable” care act passes to make healthcare more affordable and improve quality …2010 healthcare expenditure in the United States is an exorbitant $2.5 trillion per annum. Flash forward to 2024. healthcare expenditure in the United States is $4.5 trillion per annum. Yes, that’s $2 trillion more PER year over the course of 14 years. At least we now know what doesn’t work.
I agree that a single payer system would have been a better choice and less costly over the long term.
However, there are also millions more people aging into the Medicare system and even more millions who now need serious care, not even getting into inflation since 2010.
Let’s not confuse causation with correlation.
I read a few years ago that the most expensive part of Medicare was the 8% cost of helping the sickest people who need constant care.
Wow! Thank you for this eye-opening info! Although I understand the logic of Big Health Insurance supporting Dems to keep ACA and Medicaid in place, I don't see how the GOP would be a better choice. From what I hear, the GOP under Trump is on track to completely remove Medicaid, increase the military budget by 20% and suck even more money from the poor to give to the rich. What "Dr" Oz is doing is gaslighting, he is an expert in that. What RFK Jr is doing is completely obliterating medicine and even good pharma. Are we caught between the hammer and anvil?
Harris and these corporate Dems are the worst enablers of quiet homicides. We literally have people who come to the food bank I volunteer at in Seattle who have cancer and die in the street. The doctors at the community health clinic call it "street hospice."
I call it hell.
I voted for Kamala and that was the last corporate D national party I'll send money and vote for... I am just organizing with progressive Dems locally.
I've voted for every Democratic President for 50 years -- the left wing of the War Business Party that runs this country for the last time. You wonder where the convicted felon gets his support? From working class being crucified in this economy for 50 year under "free to hang yourself" trade policies that spin wealth to the shareholder class (10% of Americans) and spin off human beings as cost centers. Ruthless.
What is the alternative then? Under the Republican Big Billionaire Bill Medicaid is gone, war budget is up 20% and people are simply rounded up off the streets and disappeared, free trade is replaced with trade wars. How does that help the working class?
People have got to organize. Where did we get Social Security? The five day work week? Minimum wage? Organizing against the vicious corporate control of the 1920's and 30's. I'm with Eugene V. Debs in the 1910's:
“I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now the capitalists use your heads and your hands.”
Growing Unrest and Demands: The Great Depression, with its high unemployment and economic hardship, highlighted the need for a social safety net.
Labor Unions as Advocates: Labor unions, such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), actively advocated for social welfare programs, including Social Security.
Organizing for Change: Through strikes, rallies, lobbying, and grassroots organizing, labor unions brought attention to the economic insecurity faced by workers and pushed for legislative change.
Shaping the Legislation: Labor unions played a crucial role in shaping Social Security policy by lobbying for increased benefits and protections, providing information and outreach to workers about their rights, and supporting workers in their claims.
Fair Labor Standards Act: The passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938, which established minimum wage and overtime protections, demonstrated a growing concern for workers' rights and laid the groundwork for future social security legislation.
In summary, while the Social Security Act was ultimately signed into law as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal, the organized efforts of labor unions and the broader labor movement played a vital role in creating the political and social climate that made its passage possible.
Insurers increasingly lobby Democrats to preserve the ACA’s lucrative frameworks, while Republicans now scrutinize vertical integration, probing PBMs’ opaque pricing models and anti-competitive Medicare Advantage consolidations under FTC and DOJ investigations.
Let's keep in mind that Obama wanted to implement the Swiss model, which I used having lived there for four years and it works! BUT the republicans said NO way. Could he have been more forceful, definitely. But they've been trying to dismantle the ACA ever since and not because of what you said above, but because they all want us to give up and go away and die so they don't have to pay out. But I've also been saying for years that if our electeds, on either side of the aisle, wanted single payer health coverage, we would have had it years ago. You only need to look at NYS. It was introduced by Dick Gottfried in 1992 and Democracts have had all three branches of government for how long? And the state leaders refuse to bring it to a floor vote even though they tell us to our faces that they support it.
Thanks for this helpful article. I had an eye-opening personal experience of the relationship between Dems and private health insurance as I fought hard against the egregious behavior of Blue Shield of California, which could have easily bankrupted me.
It's an only-in-America tale of being sick and having to spend a ton of time and energy strategizing and fighting to avoid financial ruin. I managed to get the help of a provider hospital system financial executive who served as a human shield between me and BS for 4 years. We're talking working hard to get all the authorizations in place to have care covered by an out-of-network specialist, only to then have the heart surgery, come home and see that BS broke their promise and said I should pay $388,000.
Ultimately, the fin exec had his legal team take BS to court on my behalf and on behalf of many other patients who'd been similarly abused by BS. A few months later, a BS VP sent me a letter saying that effective immediately, I was kicked out of my specialist's care. No chance to figure out where to go next or what to do. The whole experience was traumatizing and worsened my health.
So here's the tie in with the Dems.
I filed a complaint with our CA Dept of Managed Health Care, which is charged with "overseeing" health insurance companies. They clearly hadn't even read my complaint before spitting out a response that didn't even get the basic facts right.
I escalated and was met with gaslighting and with one agent, verbal abuse. So I reached out to the office of my CA State Assemblymember, Buffy Wicks. She'd helped Obama get the ACA passed and I'd viewed her as an ally.
It took staff 6 months to even read my letter, in which I asked them for help in holding BS accountable in some way, whether through the DMHC or another mechanism. That staff person was apologetic, promised to read it. And then stopped responding.
I reached out a few months later and another staff person said the legislative director would help. Great! He said he could maybe call the DMHC. Sometime. Never a commitment.
In the meantime, I looked into Open Secrets and noted the BS donations to Assemblymember Wicks.
I made it clear to the staff that I knew they were busy and that I wasn't the only constituent reaching out for help. I also shared that I really didn't want to connect those dots between the months of delay and inaction on my request for assistance and those BS campaign contributions. I mean, was I really bumping into the truth that state leaders receiving contributions just would not even touch a constituent insurance issue, let alone hold insurers accountable? Perhaps look into writing better laws to protect us?
They did nothing to set my mind at ease in the matter. Something was clearly off. So I wrote to the DMHC Director, who had the 2nd in command reach out to me.
He seemed serious and said he'd have his investigative team take on the matter to see if BS had broken any laws. It's been 9 months now. When I asked for an update a few months ago, he said it wasn't possible. So I have no idea what's happening there.
I wonder if you have experience with the DMHC, Wendell. I have no idea if the investigation will amount to anything, but in general, I haven't been very impressed by the whole set up. My experience with a prior complaint is that they don't tell you what the outcome of their investigation is, so it's hard to see what the point is of spending all those tax dollars.
Quite an eye-opening experience here in predominantly Democratic CA.
Republicans brought us Citizens United and Medicare parts C & D.
Maybe they will trap themselves.
2010 ACA “affordable” care act passes to make healthcare more affordable and improve quality …2010 healthcare expenditure in the United States is an exorbitant $2.5 trillion per annum. Flash forward to 2024. healthcare expenditure in the United States is $4.5 trillion per annum. Yes, that’s $2 trillion more PER year over the course of 14 years. At least we now know what doesn’t work.
I agree that a single payer system would have been a better choice and less costly over the long term.
However, there are also millions more people aging into the Medicare system and even more millions who now need serious care, not even getting into inflation since 2010.
Let’s not confuse causation with correlation.
I read a few years ago that the most expensive part of Medicare was the 8% cost of helping the sickest people who need constant care.
How do you propose we pay for that part of it?
Wow! Thank you for this eye-opening info! Although I understand the logic of Big Health Insurance supporting Dems to keep ACA and Medicaid in place, I don't see how the GOP would be a better choice. From what I hear, the GOP under Trump is on track to completely remove Medicaid, increase the military budget by 20% and suck even more money from the poor to give to the rich. What "Dr" Oz is doing is gaslighting, he is an expert in that. What RFK Jr is doing is completely obliterating medicine and even good pharma. Are we caught between the hammer and anvil?
Harris and these corporate Dems are the worst enablers of quiet homicides. We literally have people who come to the food bank I volunteer at in Seattle who have cancer and die in the street. The doctors at the community health clinic call it "street hospice."
I call it hell.
I voted for Kamala and that was the last corporate D national party I'll send money and vote for... I am just organizing with progressive Dems locally.
I've voted for every Democratic President for 50 years -- the left wing of the War Business Party that runs this country for the last time. You wonder where the convicted felon gets his support? From working class being crucified in this economy for 50 year under "free to hang yourself" trade policies that spin wealth to the shareholder class (10% of Americans) and spin off human beings as cost centers. Ruthless.
What is the alternative then? Under the Republican Big Billionaire Bill Medicaid is gone, war budget is up 20% and people are simply rounded up off the streets and disappeared, free trade is replaced with trade wars. How does that help the working class?
People have got to organize. Where did we get Social Security? The five day work week? Minimum wage? Organizing against the vicious corporate control of the 1920's and 30's. I'm with Eugene V. Debs in the 1910's:
“I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now the capitalists use your heads and your hands.”
Growing Unrest and Demands: The Great Depression, with its high unemployment and economic hardship, highlighted the need for a social safety net.
Labor Unions as Advocates: Labor unions, such as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), actively advocated for social welfare programs, including Social Security.
Organizing for Change: Through strikes, rallies, lobbying, and grassroots organizing, labor unions brought attention to the economic insecurity faced by workers and pushed for legislative change.
Shaping the Legislation: Labor unions played a crucial role in shaping Social Security policy by lobbying for increased benefits and protections, providing information and outreach to workers about their rights, and supporting workers in their claims.
Fair Labor Standards Act: The passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938, which established minimum wage and overtime protections, demonstrated a growing concern for workers' rights and laid the groundwork for future social security legislation.
In summary, while the Social Security Act was ultimately signed into law as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal, the organized efforts of labor unions and the broader labor movement played a vital role in creating the political and social climate that made its passage possible.
Insurers increasingly lobby Democrats to preserve the ACA’s lucrative frameworks, while Republicans now scrutinize vertical integration, probing PBMs’ opaque pricing models and anti-competitive Medicare Advantage consolidations under FTC and DOJ investigations.
You just corrected my previous misapprehension. Thanks.