Trump Says He'll Sign Order To Expand Health Insurance Options

[Crepitus]

Nonsense. Absolutely FORBIDDEN under Obamacare.

Dude, it's right there in black and white.

Gotta pull your head outta the echo chamber once in a while for a reality check.

[Crepitus]

It can work, I have multistate insurance, my plan is offered in many states. The big companies have the ability if there is a demand.

You have a plan that is offered across state lines?

That predates this executive order?

Say it ain't so!

[barb012]

How is selling across state lines going to make a difference since premiums are rated by your zip code?

[Captain Obvious]

How is selling across state lines going to make a difference since premiums are rated by your zip code?

Where did you get that from? Mister Veritus?

[Kacper]

It can work, I have multistate insurance, my plan is offered in many states. The big companies have the ability if there is a demand.

If you have a multistate insurer then it is already available and Trump's proposal does nothing. Participating provider networks are the crux of effective insurance.

[Kalkin]

I'm loving watching the slow-motion trainwreck that is obamacare.

[Peter1469]

EOs are needed. Most legislation is written broadly, and the legislature relies on the executive to get specific.

The problem is when the executive flat out ignores Congress and attempts to create law via EOs.

[Chris]

Group healthcare is how it was done before the government and insurance companies colluded to $#@! it up for everyone.

[Chris]

I'll add the AMA also screwed us over.

Anyway, some on what people used to do:

Well, the interesting thing about all of them was there was no insurance company. So, I'll give you two examples. One example would be unions. Unions had a variety of different plans. They had some funds where they actually hired physicians on salary. And the union leaders would actually elect boards; and they would appoint a physician; and then the physicians would supply care for the union members. But, more common really, what you saw was unions contracting with physicians and hospitals. And they were very savvy. Union leaders really--they had a lot of expertise in health care and its arrangements. They were very savvy, very early on, in understanding such things as needing to have co-insurance and deductibles in place so that you didn't have one or two members, or certain members needlessly running up--attempting to tap into the fund if it wasn't necessary. You would even have some cases where a union fund leading might go with somebody to the doctor to make sure that they really were sick and not just shirking their responsibilities. So, they had a lot of understanding early on. And they are certainly were important all the way through the 20th century in the way the health care system develops, as far as being very important at the bargaining table for how the insurance company model ends up developing. But, another example that I found particularly compelling in my research was what was called the Prepaid Physician Group. And, pre-paid during this period was just a synonym for insurance, really--it was just a physician insurance group. And what was so interesting about these groups were two things. First of all, they were multi-specialty. So, you had, you know, when you say, 'Oh, physicians practiced in groups,' and people think, 'What's the big deal? Physicians practice in groups today.' But the groups they practice in today are single specialties. So, they are all general practitioners; or they are all orthopedists. During this period, what you had physicians wanting to do--and it makes so much sense--is, they wanted to have the surgeon, orthopedist, the general practitioner....

@ Christy Ford Chapin on the Evolution of the American Health Care System

[Captdon]

If you have a multistate insurer then it is already available and Trump's proposal does nothing. Participating provider networks are the crux of effective insurance.

If it is allowed more companies will do it. Simple economics.