Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   I just heard the Government was shut down!! Date:   10/20/2025 7:28:44 AM

Using ACA to fix the problem of pre-existing conditions is like using a bullet to cure cancer.  ACA went so far beyond that one issue which is why it's such a train wreck.  And by the way, if you join an employer plan it also covers pre-existing conditions.  ACA was designed to fail (which it is) in order to push for Medicare for All (which will happen next time Dems control the WH, House and have 60 votes in the Senate).

As for your 2nd paragraph, I take back my statement that you know about insurance.  Because if you did you would know that everyone has to take Part A when they turn 65.  And if you wisely choose to take Part B it is miserable unless you buy a supplemental plan.  Yes, you can go to a specialist without prior approval but if you didn't buy a supplemental plan provided by an insurance company it would cost you an arm and a leg.  I had no choice to go on Medicare because I was no longer eligible for ACA and since I am retired I don't have access to an employer-sponsored plan.

And you are paying for everyone to have pre-existing conditions covered under an Advantage Plan, more depending on your income level. There is no free lunch and the plans would be out of this world expensive were it not for the massive govt subsidies.  Which is why Medicare is going bankrupt despite collecting over $400B each year in Medicare taxes.  And Dems want this coverage extended to everyone.  Total madness that would require a massive increase in taxes or even worse, massive increases to the national debt (likely both).  Reasonable estimates put the cost at $3T-$4T each year, which means it would actually cost $5T to $6T.  Given the current annual budget is ~$4T and our national debt is $37T you would basically double both.  That is why govt is not the solution.

As for self insurance, I have been paying into Medicare for 40 plus years so why would I do that?  Unlike many Boomers, I care more about solving the issues of government spending, distortion of the insurance markets covered up by subsidies and out of control health care spending caused by said government distortion.  I know the actual cost of ACA because my wife is still on it and we don't get subsidies.  We pay $22K per year in premiums for one person with a deductible of $8,500.