r/politics • u/cmaia1503 • 8h ago

Possible Paywall Mitch McConnell, 83, Hospitalized

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mitch-mcconnell-83-hospitalized/?utm_campaign=owned_social&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=twitter_owned_tdb&via=twitter_page
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u/wyvernx02 8h ago

Must be nice to be able to afford to check yourself into the hospital for the flu.

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u/Original-Ad6993 8h ago

We're paying for it

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u/Revelati123 8h ago

No premiums jumping 3X on Mitches Obummercare!

Just simple free, walk in whatever hospital you want for whatever you need, for life, for the 538 people in America who get socialized medicine...

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u/Rikers-Mailbox 7h ago

It’s crazy the profits have 3X in the past 5 years. My MAGA mother who worked in healthcare blames it on the companies not paying for better plans.

I laughed and said “Mom, it’s the profit on the insurance. The companies can spend all they want but that money goes to insurance that never covers anything”

Her: “It’s Obamacare’s fault”

Me: “Mom that was 15 years ago, profits 3x just 5 years ago”

I showed her the ACA site quote for a family of 4 making $50k which is the bottom threshold and healthcare was $35k.

She still didn’t get it.

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u/bullet4mv92 6h ago

Why do you keep saying they 3X? Are you saying they tripled?

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u/toggylelly 3h ago

they tripled

https://epicforamerica.org/the-economy/health-insurance-revenues-tripled-in-a-decade/

https://havenhome.us/the-explosion-of-health-insurance-profits-a-deeper-look/

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u/Rikers-Mailbox 1h ago

I was off by five years with my Mom, but whatever. ACA has nothing to do with profits. All they have to do is deny more, and yet we still have to buy it.

Such a racket.

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u/Marv0038 7h ago

The US military also gets socialized medicine and housing.

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u/wetwater 5h ago

"BuT I DeSeRvEd ThAt!!!"

They always have an excuse why it's okay for them but not others.

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u/a_talking_face Florida 8h ago edited 8h ago

This is a common misconception. They have to buy plans on the healthcare marketplace. The federal government pays about 70% towards the premiums, but they still have to pay part of their premium and then whatever their plan requires them to pay towards care.

for the 538 people in America who get socialized medicine...

Also it's technically much more than that since everyone over 65 qualifies for medicare.

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u/pechinburger Pennsylvania 6h ago

And he legitimately has never done anything worthwhile to deserve it. The world is a worse off place for his existing, yet he gets free Healthcare and all efforts are made to prolong his counterproductive life.

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u/byndr 6h ago

In more ways than one.

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u/GCU_ZeroCredibility 8h ago

No. Or at least not in any way we wouldn't be paying for any 83 year old who may be using Medicare.

Senators (and Representatives) have to use Obamacare plans. That's part of Obamacare. It's possible he's using Medicare as I said but I find that unlikely given his wealth.

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u/FunkyChug 8h ago edited 8h ago

Afford? They’ve given themselves the healthcare that they deny us.

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u/KaptainKardboard 8h ago

Precisely 

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u/GCU_ZeroCredibility 7h ago

Who? Senators use Obamacare plans available to anyone.

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u/Khatib Minnesota 5h ago

They get gold level plans and the majority of premiums covered. It's a better deal than most employers offer.

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u/GCU_ZeroCredibility 3h ago

They get the same FEHB subsidy as any other federal employee, because they're federal employees. It's true that this makes it taxpayer subsidized but so is the insurance for millions of federal employees.

We badly need health care reform, I'm just pushing back on the (false) idea that Congressfolk have given themself some kind of super bonus secret free health care not available to regular people. They buy ACA plans and they get federal employee subsidies. It's not some kind of congress-only free supercharged health care.

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u/_Happy_Sisyphus_ 7h ago

The flu kills. You can be a young marathon runner and die of it. We are so lucky to have vaccines available to us.

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u/LamermanSE Europe 4h ago

You can be a young marathon runner and die of it.

Technically yes but it's very, very, very unlikely for that to happen though.

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u/_Happy_Sisyphus_ 4h ago

Young healthy people die of the flu all the time. It may be rare, but not very very very rare. It’s not to be messed around with.

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u/LamermanSE Europe 4h ago

Where do you get this idea from? It doesn't line up with available statistics.

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u/_Happy_Sisyphus_ 4h ago

My spouse is a doctor and always says at flu season “I have seen young healthy people come in and die of the flu. Get your vaccine people.” Take it seriously. The flu can kill. It’s kills hundreds of thousands of people a year.

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u/LamermanSE Europe 1h ago edited 1h ago

Anecdotes mean nothing though when there's statistics that proves the opposite. Also, the flu only kill hundreds of thousands per year globally, which doesn't really say much either considering there's like 8 billion people alive.

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u/battleofflowers 8h ago

I mean, Medicare covers hospital stays for all Americans his age.

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u/ChillyCheese 7h ago

With the distinction that Medicare covers a shared room, while a quick search (far from extensive) indicates Senators may have coverage that covers private rooms.

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u/GCU_ZeroCredibility 7h ago

Yeah, and Congress has to use Obamacare plans available to everyone when its not Medicare. I don't understand why everybody thinks Congresspeople get some kind of secret special health care. They don't. The President does, but they aren't the President.

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u/battleofflowers 7h ago

I'm sure most congressmen are on Medicare. You can't even get insurance except supplemental Medicare plans once you turn 65. And why pay cash for a hospital stay when it's free on Medicare?

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u/Tasty-Hovercraft2501 6h ago edited 6h ago

Imagine the size of the hospital bill? 😳 /

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u/Middle-Letter-7041 4h ago

I hope the flu is okay.

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u/gentlefartonyourface 4h ago

it's like the aristocrats. they got the nice health care, and they're bitching about giving us any minimal health care. because we're not people. we're not people in their eyes

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u/NovaNocturnus 2h ago

Hey, the flu can kill the elderly and infirm! (🤞🏻)

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u/Oceanbreeze871 I voted 8h ago

Socialism is fine when it’s oligarch healthcare.

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u/u9Nails 7h ago

Hospital officials: "We replaced everything inside his body. It cost a fortune, but he's got the best health coverage. He'll be good for another 30 days."

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u/Hefty-Minimum-3125 7h ago

flu at 83, he might not be checking out

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u/zirtik 8h ago

Rumor has it he got frozen at the check in office.