I want to say something about Obamacare, besides the fact it saves lives. I read the bill from cover to cover and then it was consolidated with the Senate bill. I didn’t read the updated edition, although I wanted to.

The authors knew the first two years would be a drag on the entire industry when it came to profits. That is why the expanded Medicaid program was so heavily subsidized by the federal government those first two years. Why? Because of so many uninsured Americans.

Obamacare provided for an annual free physical every year. In that, we know through experience that the socioeconomic barriers to care are real. So, these folks could be really sick and need significant care. It was estimated that in two years time most everyone in America would be optimally well. It impacted the cost curve. Now, optimally well is a strange concept and doesn’t mean every American was going to be competing for a place on the Olympic team.

Optimally well means that the Americans that finally had healthcare, wanted it and used it would, after two years BE KNOWN to the healthcare industry through updated doctor and/or hospital records. In that first two years the cost of future healthcare markets were fairly well estimated. Nothing wrong with that. It meant we knew the overall health of the country, the demographics and what the future was looking like for the country. One might recall the reporting statistics to the HHS Secretary.

Obamacare went live in 2014. Two years later in 2016, the future costs could be guesstimated. In the case of Aetna; the company hung in there through 2017 and the CEO it is fair to say was frustrated with Obamacare and the uncertain future of state exchanges. The CEO by the end of 2017 could then see his way forward and made changes where he had to. That is what was suppose to happen and today Aetna and Obamacare get along better.

So, it worked. And even today with all the political monkey business Obamacare is still working hard for Americans and the insurers 

That is all I wanted to reflect on. Just a reminder that when Americans make up their minds to carry out a moral directive, it is a good thing.