I know, what does that mean. 2 PC visits a year, specialists as needed, nutrition advice? Most all could survive and many improve on such. Doctors tailor advice to those they think will accept it. So they manage symptoms instead of causes. Those dynamics are expensive.

That will step on some toes, so critique as needed.

Medicaid saves the lives of people who have serious chronic illnesses and cancer.

Healthy "able bodied" young people are not the cause of high health care costs. They rarely use health care.

Are you going to tell a young man with cancer that he's on his own? He will die.

Are you going to tell a young woman with diabetes that she can't get lifesaving care? She'll die.

Don't believe the Republican lies.

I said as needed. Some people use PC or ER serially for minor things. And doctors are under guidelines on what they're paid for, and know how to get paid.

They rarely go at all. The people who overuse Emergency Departments are sick and can't find doctors to provide care for their multiple illnesses.

Don't believe the Republican lies. If you're interested in how to help, volunteer at a hospital. I'll bet you will be very surprised by what you see.

That is a GOP talking point and is a symptom of our health care dysfunction. Single payer is projected to start saving money immediately, even during the initial transition year. The money is already there it just need to be consolidated into a single plan with out so much administrative overhead. We only failed to implement it in the 1940s because of the Dixiecrats not wanting to cover minorities. This B$ with health insurance is a drag on our whole economy and society. And lowering barriers to preventative health should reduce the incidence of more serious cases. The other factor hindering adoption is Big Pharma and Big Medicine don't want all the health care data in one usable database. That would allow for proper evaluation of effectiveness.

Female needs are different from puberty onwards and don’t even get me started

Social Security is at risk as well. We need to shut this country down NOW. Protesting as they’re voting later is way too late!

But a lot depends on if the stock market crashes from the tariffs because that reaches people with health care that is not dependent on Medicare or Medicaid, and it hurts their finances.

Ron Pauls let them die supporters.

and supporting mothers having babies (nearly half are born on Medicaid).

Almost half of Medicaid expenditures is for LTC with a significant portion going to traditionally middle class families (usually the assets have either been used up or tactically passed to the next generation).

friend who has dementia from open brain surgery to clip an aneurysm. I have been her volunteer caregiver for 10 years, and am all she has in that role since her son died.

I found someone to rent the 2nd bedroom in her home for reduced rent in exchange for taking on some of the caregiving I’ve been doing and which has exhausted me. We’re both 74 and I have cancer and other issues.

She owns her home so the fallback was always to sell it, go into assisted living (then memory care), spend the equity which would carry her a few years, then transition to Medicaid.

If it’s not there, then what? She will undoubtedly out live either me or my ability to care for her.

It’s terrifying.

One of my dearest friend's favorite sibling relatively reccenrly had a brain aneurism, made it through, then clipped off a second one in time a few months later. She's been making progress in rehab. I keep a texting "eye" on them.

Yes, terrifying. {gentle hug}

endured is uncommon, at least through all our research it never came up and I’ve not run across it since.

Hers was discovered by accident really. I went with her to UCSF (3rd best neurology dept in the country or so it was listed in 2010.). We did lots of research and chose clipping over coil for a number of reasons. Her surgeon was well-known (Sharon Stone’s) and we liked him. Afterwards, when she emerged with dementia, we were told she either had a stroke on the table (no MRI evidence so they said the titanium clip could have been blocking the evidence) or she had a dementia in progress which the surgery accelerated (she was laser sharp before and I dismissed this theory). Both explanations were suspect but hey, they were the best so …

Several years later at a neuro evaluation at Stanford, they said the reason was undoubtedly mechanical due to the complication of accessing the location of her particular aneurysm. Now this was a ‘duh’ moment. UCSF viewed her surgery a success so it would not show up on undesirable outcomes. Success = patient did not die. I like UCSF a lot, believe her surgeon was skilled, and that outcomes are not guaranteed with any surgery particularly such a complex one. But I’m bitter about being lied to and them not even holding something that obvious out as a reason.

Sorry for the tangent. My friend was managing director of a non-profit, lost her job of course, her life turned upside down, friends drifted away due to her dementia. I’ve known her since we were 13, she’s like a sister, and of couse I couldn’t step over a friend in need.

We both rely on Social Security and Medicare. The cruelty of this administration is beyond words.

No problemo for a tangent.

The cruelty truly is beyond words, and for so many groups of people!

I hope you can continue to research extra help as needed, and it comes about.

Ty for the kind words for my friend's sister.

Not how, "able-bodied," you are. Johnson is either a complete idiot, or lying. Both, I think.

to absorb the costs that can pile up astronomically. If a person formerly on Medicaid is in a car accident they could end up in ICU for weeks with no way to pay for the care.

That's never been the point. They don't do the hard work to find people who are engaged in fraud, and abusing the system.
All they want to do is just broad brush, across the board cuts, with no concern about who it hurts.
It's far more likely that the Republican approach will result in significant harm, and, in many cases, deaths of people who rely on Medicaid to survive. It will also result in closing hospital, clinics, and nursing homes in poor and/or rural areas of the country.
Right now there are a lot of "medical deserts" out there, where health care is minimal to non-existent. Wrecking Medicaid will just make those areas bigger, and more prevalent.
It's plain to see that Republicans don't care about the poor and elderly in the United States. If some of them die, that will just release more money for the tax cuts for the rich.
It's no wonder the Republicans are waging a "War on Empathy". If you don't care who you hurt, it's easier to do it.
Funny how the teachings of Jesus get thrown under the bus when money is on the line.

substantially more as people flock to the ER for basic healthcare, and the hospitals will pass the costs on to anyone left who has insurance.

Health Insurance for Millions Is Now on the Chopping Block
Republicans’ very quiet, very serious effort to go after Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/health-insurance-for-millions-on-chopping-block-obamacare-medicaid-expansion-republicans-mike-johnson

Well, awesome! Where should we start?

From Google: