Random and unsubstantiated thoughts about ACA and the postponed employer mandate . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

What follows is me thinking out loud.

Can this postponement of the employer mandate be a back door to single payer?

I am assuming all other ACA mandates are staying on track. That includes the individual mandates. If employers don't need to provide coverage, but their employees need to have it, and since the exchanges will be operating, and since the feds have programs that will subsidize some of the individual coverage, it seems an easy move to strengthen the "subsidies" and reduce the employer mandate.

The employer mandate can be stated in dollars per employee - for argument sake, let's say it is $10 per employee. If it can be shown that the same coverage, from a sole source, can be had for $5 per person, who would back the higher cost option. Wouldn't every business opt to pay the $5 as a tax instead of the $10 as an expense?

Wouldn't that be not just a toe, but a whole foot into the Single Payer waters?

. . . . . just musing . . . . .

[Bluenorthwest]

1. What about this would remove the 'for profit' aspect that is the harmful element

to the American health care system, an aspect that Obama is very committed to, he says the companies literally deserve profits. They are owed our money, it is their right, he says.
As long as a sick child has to contribute to her doctor's vacation home fund, this nation has no moral standing.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Not arguing . . . but when did he literally say insurance companies are entitled to profits?

I can believe he said that as it would be totally consistent with his corporate, pro 1% posture. I'd like to be able to throw that up to his defenders.

[Myrina]

2. Nothing stated about 'strengthening subsidies' ...

.... more money from our pockets into CEO/corporate pockets, and employers are off the hook. Average working folk are screwn, yet again.

This POTUS has literally given away the farm to Wall Street et al. I am ... beyond words.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Oh, I know there's nothing that's been stated.

I was hoping we weren't in for yet another haircut.

[alc]

5. it depends. which of these reactions by the average voter seems more likely?

After almost 5 years of the ACA will more people think

A) The government could provide us good health care if only the private sector would let them. They tried going part way (ACA) now let's let them go all the way (single-payer)

B) The government has no f'ing idea what they're doing. They had their chance but all we got was waivers, delays, confusion, the IPAB, insurance navigators, and costs 2x-3x what they claimed while still not delivering what they promised. Let's get them out of the entire system.

The country is pretty closely spit 50/50 (dem/repub). So the average voter doesn't matter so much as the 10% think both sides have pros and cons and who can be swayed by the blame game as opposed to those who only blame the other party. So far the ACA has gone much more the way the republicans predicted than the way democrats promised, so they're likely to have more influence this set of voters.