31 thoughts on “It’s A Great Day For Texas”

  1. Like the William Shatner character in Boston Legal, I repeat this that you all know you are in the presence of engineering greatness.

    High speed trains!

    5. First of all, what people call health insurance isn’t insurance — it’s a prepaid health-care package not unlike the extended warranties that auto dealers and electronics stores push to create a residual revenue stream from a one-time sale.

      If I billed my car insurance for every oil change, they’d cancel me in a heartbeat, and rightly so.

    6. “Offered to them at no cost” 😀

      Event he initial federal money doesn’t cover the full cost of the Medicaid expansion, and then the Obamacare federal money goes off into the sunset, leaving the states to foot the tab.

      Almost all the Republican held states are considering a refusal of the Medicaid expansion, while managing their budgets and reducing unemployment. Democrat held states, which are struggling financially, will probably sign-on to the program out of party loyalty and see their budgets implode further. That will cause reduced spending on education, police, and other state programs, along with increased taxes that will drive out business, furthering the economic divide between thriving red states and imploding blue states.

    7. Chris, I’m sure this will go right over your head, but “at no cost?” Once you pay the danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane.

      1. Hell, he didn’t read his -own- article past the first paragraph.

        “6.2 -million- uninsured.”

        Ok.

        But the -Medicaid- expansion would only manage “1.6 to 2 million”.

        Meaning: Of the breathlessly reported “26%!”, 17-to-21% are neither “poor” (current Medicaid types), nor are they lower-middle and thus covered by the expansion.

        Lede: Third-to-last paragraph. Buried as usual to gull the shills.

      2. It’s only only “no cost” for a couple of years, then the State picks up the tab at 10%. Considering Gerrib lives in a state on the brink of bankruptcy, I’m sure Illinois can handle paying the 10% when it kicks in. But hey all you blue staters considering moving to find a new job, by all means, consider Illinois before Texas. That’s just fine by me.

  3. God, I hate my state. Used to blame the politicians but the voters have proved over and over they none too bright. Looking forward to moving back to TX.

  4. Those stupid uppity Texans! Not wanting to take the mess of pottage Massa ‘Bama is offering them! Chris Gerrib should fly in to teach ’em how to be good little serfs.

    1. So they should just let their uninsured citizens run up a tab at the emergency room? Or maybe buy a bus ticket out of state for sick people.

      1. So they should just let their uninsured citizens run up a tab at the emergency room?

        So you do understand the problem with illegal immigration.

    2. ^ Both those options are cheaper.

      Young, healthy people can do a cost-benefit analysis of insurance and often come out ahead by not carrying any. Think about it. If they weren’t getting screwed Obamacare wouldn’t be trying to raid them as a revenue stream, because their inputs versus utilization would be revenue neutral.

      Also, deporting sick people is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce health care expenses. If the US deported just half of sick Americans, our health care spending would drop from 16% of GNP down to 8% while raising the average health in this country.

      Other countries have tried this successfully, such as Canada, where sick people end up in US hospitals or are floated out to sea on an iceberg. Canadians are not only happy with their system, they’re proud of it! Mexico uses much the same system, sending everyone to the US to have babies and undergo other emergency room medical procedures (they just launch injured people over the river).

      1. “Young, healthy people can do a cost-benefit analysis of insurance and often come out ahead by not carrying any.”

        Or, at least, “Major Medical Fiasco Only” insurance. Which is generally -not- considered “insurance” for compiling this type of statistic because “it’s only a niche”.

        Major Medical -Only- is cheaper than my car insurance. Even considering the cost of parking deductibles in low-risk positions.

        1. When someone says, “uninsured”, it should be properly read as “untaxed.”

          Remember that Obamacare is all about cross-subsidization — charging people premiums way beyond the actuarial value of their policies — to pay for the care of those with pre-existing conditions.

          1. This is also true of group insurance you get through your employer: lots of people pay more than the actuarial value of their policies, to subsidize coverage for co-workers with gloomier prospects. Of course the person with a pre-existing condition might not end up costing much, and the person with no risk factors might get cancer or hit by a car; no one knows in advance precisely who will actually be subsidizing whom.

          2. No one makes you buy it. If the percieved value is still less than the premiums, you can walk away from the deal.

  5. There’s another aspect of this missed by the supporters of Obamacare, which causes some confusion among them. PPACA does not provide healthcare to all Americans. It demands that every American get it or pay a penalty for not having it. Unfortunately, many don’t understand this. Some will spout the foolish lines that Gerrib does. Worse however are those that believe the will now receive “free healthcare”, because of the confusion caused by the Gerrib’s of the world. Those freeloaders will continue to persist, but they will have a shock when they get a bill from the hospital for their share of the costs.

    1. those that believe the will now receive “free healthcare”

      In states that accept the money, people up to 133% of the poverty line will receive free insurance (i.e. Medicaid) that covers all hospital costs. In all states, people up to 400% of the poverty line will get subsidies to make insurance more affordable.

      Between those two provisions, lower income Americans will be much less likely to face shocking hospital bills than they are currently.

      1. receive free insurance (i.e. Medicaid)

        Either you think money is meaningless or you think medical professionals are slaves. Which is it, Jim? From what I’ve seen, there’s this new tax that Obama, Pelosi, and Reid levied on the American people. You have to make less than $9,500 to not pay the tax.

        1. You have to make less than $9,500 to not pay the tax.

          If you’re on Medicaid — which you can qualify for with income up to 133% of the poverty line, which is considerably more than $9,500 for a single person — you are exempt from the penalty because you have insurance.

          1. So Jim, what other professions do you think should offer their care for free? Do you think politicians shouldn’t get paid for their services? How about lawyers? How about we get rid of court fees?

          2. Here’s another one Jim, the city of Folsom, CA is planning to start charging $225 for a 911 call for a paramedic. So much for free healthcare, now you don’t even get free emergency care.

            What’s that you say? “In all states, people up to 400% of the poverty line will get subsidies to make insurance more affordable.”

            So who pays the $225 tab?

            The City? They can’t afford it, which is why they are creating the fee.

            The State? “In states that accept the money, people up to 133% of the poverty line will receive free insurance” Oh, so the state doesn’t pay either.

            The Fed? Oh, they pay. So how long do you think other states and cities will sit back and allow Folsom to increase the cost of healthcare to generate a means for more of the federal tax dollars to flow into their town? Do you think those other cities in states will:

            A) Try to pass a law in Congress to prevent their share of taxpayer dollars going to Folsom.

            B) Create their own fees, raising the cost of healthcare locally, so more of the federal dollars go their way.

            Tell us again Jim how healthcare is free and PPACA will lower healthcare costs for all of us.

      2. …people up to 133% of the poverty line will receive free insurance (i.e. Medicaid) that covers all hospital costs.

        Wrong. There is cost-sharing in Medicaid.

        1. For hospital stays? In which state? My impression is that they are 100% covered, up to the stay limit.

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