Republicans face a health care backlash in Georgia as subsidies set to expire

[Dulcinea]

(Politico) Republicans across the country are in a bind of President Donald Trump’s making: After voting to end the 43-day federal shutdown, they have yet to articulate a plan to tackle the upcoming spike in health care premiums.

That conundrum is coming into sharp relief in Georgia, a state with an especially high reliance on the Affordable Care Act, where Republicans have one of their best opportunities to pick up a Senate seat as they fight to maintain their grip on Congress.

Georgia Republicans running to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff are avoiding talking about health care in their crowded primary, giving him leverage to tout his vote against the shutdown on the grounds that the deal did not address the loss of subsidies. One study from the Georgia Health Initiative projected premiums will more than double, on average, after the planned Dec. 31 expiration of the subsidies.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/georgia-republicans-caught-bind-trumps-094500860.html

[lark]

1. We checked out the ACA with our son just to see how his co. coverage compared.

ACA went from zero to $770/month and the deductible went from $3000 to $9000!!!!! Fucking ridiculous! He gets better coverage at a fraction of the cost, $2200 deductible and $250/month. Primary care visits $35, specialists $50. Hopefully he can make it until June when he will qualify for FMLA and can have the operation that he's long needed. He's gotten lots better at controlling it and it's pain, but it still needs to get fixed.

[Henry203]

4. I hope this isn't short term relief.

those are bogus.

[lark]

6. Nope, this is real, through his very established company.

[Vogon_Glory]

2. I hope Senator Ossoff pounds the R's over the head with this issue

The Republicans have sought sneaky and not-so-sneaky ways to gut or kill the ACA even before it was enacted. Ossoff has been one of the Senators who fought to block the Republicans from doing so. In this Second Age of Trump I don’t believe they’ve given up their goal, and if they and their billionaire backers had their way, they’d kill Medicare and Medicaid, too.

The genuine Republican health plan for most Americans is still “Don’t get sick, and if you do, die quickly.”

[debsy]

3. This is why MTG spoke out about the subsidies

It isn’t because she really cares about them, she needed the sound bites to sell herself for Governor. Occam’s razor.

[Deep State Witch]

5. This Is Why MTG Is Bailing

Her constituents rely heavily on the ACA. She voted to raise their premiums. She's smart enough to get out while the getting's good.

[ChicagoTeamster]

7. What about Missouri, Kansas, etc?

[slightlv]

9. I don't know about MO, but KS has it's own version

called "KanCare" I think. I don't believe they did the expansion when it was offered, either. KanCare failed my mom once she hit the 4th stage of Alzheimer's at the memory care home. They did make sure she wasn't kicked out, I will give them that. But the services that my grandma got when she was in her 60's (before she died) was much better and more helpful to my mom while she was taking care of grandma, than what we got trying to take care of mom. I'm assuming the trajectory will continue and hubby and I are up a creek without a paddle when old age finally overwhelms both of us. And we're fast approaching that, now.

[blue-wave]

8. But, but.....

I thought they had a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act?

[DFW]

10. Jon is one of the smartest people I have ever met

I'm sure he is following this closely, and preparing statements timed for maximum impact. He is not going to blow his chances if they decide to hand him re-election on a silver platter, and from the looks of it, they have one hand battling the other to make that happen.

[NGeorgian]

11. MY HVAC man told me last week.............

that his rate was going from $1,000 a month to $2,500/ That's $15,000 a year increase. Yeah, he voted for Trump.