(November 12, 2016 at 3:51 pm)vorlon13 Wrote: 40% annual premium increases will fuck up my ability to maintain the farm in not too many years.
And while my over $12,000 premium did not rise 2016-17. my out of pocket, copay, deductibles will run my cost up to potentially $20,000 in '17 since I had to change health insurance plans since mine was canceled.
I'm in a small minority of farmers who own their land, and equipment free and clear and can self finance next years seed/fertilizer/weed control expenses. I have no idea how operations my size to 5X my size can be financially viable with the increase in health care expense if they don't.
Damn, when I was a kid, within 2 miles of where I grew up, there were over a dozen farmsteads. Now, 2/3 are bulldozed and farmed over, and of the 1/2 that are left, they are just residences for retirees or folks that commute to work and don't farm at all.
How much more decimating of the actual farmers does the US want to do ?
I feel for you. I feel that premiums will continue rising either way, because ultimately insurance companies keep getting what they want. They managed to get Congress to water down Obamacare, and made a profit off it.
If Trump really wants to reduce the costs of healthcare, he needs to reign in insurance companies by setting limits for everything. Or, y'know, by creating a single payer system which would sort this whole mess out.
(November 12, 2016 at 3:52 pm)A Theist Wrote: It's all about negotiations. Every lawmaker wants something in return for their constituency, (to ensure their reelection, that is). I'm not opposed to the idea of a few relevant riders here and there, if need be. But the way some of this stuff gets either stripped away or loaded down is ridiculous.
Relevant riders, maybe. I still think it's a bit ridiculous. A bill is supposed to be well planned to perform a certain action or set of actions. Riders effectively "sneak" legislation into a bill. If you want legislation to pass, put it into the original bill, or create your own.
