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wickymicky · 5 years

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i tried some other boygroups last night because i was really glad that i checked out bts to see for myself what they were really like, but idk, i feel like bts breaks the mold, ESPECIALLY with songs like idol, it doesnt even sound like kpop. i mean, of course it doesnt, it sounds like a south african dance track with elements of hiphop and shouts in the chorus from traditional korean storytelling. wild. nobody else did that. so yeah idk i only tried the first youtube result for 5 or 6 boygroups, just to get a feel for them, and like there werent any i felt were god-awful, but there werent any that really grabbed my attention either. idk, that’s true of a lot of girl groups i tried too, but at this point im so far down the girlgroup rabbithole that of course im gonna be encountering ones that didnt quite catch on. like, i took the first couple boygroups that i could think of and listened to those and wasn’t too impressed, whereas if i took the first couple girlgroups that came to mind i would be. i know because i was when i first heard them lol. like, comparing sf9, nct, exo, etc with red velvet, izone, even blackpink (for as much as i give it shit, kill this love took some real risks. in my personal opinion i dont think the risks paid off, but still)... and thats not even mentioning loona lol... idk, im not gonna like try to say boygroups are bad, it’s just that i find that girlgroup songs often are in a style that appeals to me a lot more. its not just that i like the members more or whatever lol, i’m bi lol it has nothing to do with attraction or whatever. even just based on absolute first impressions alone, girlgroups seem to vary more, even within their title tracks, which are usually the most formulaic (cause they have to appeal to the most people). as i said, bts in 2018-19 is something of an exception, they’ve kind of transcended kpop anyway, but if i compared one of their early songs, they’d fit the type of thing i’m talking about.

boygroups seem like western boybands a lot of the time, theyre about seeming tough and/or sensitive, usually both at the same time. girlgroups are often about being cute and bubbly or being powerful and “bad-bitch” and stuff, but the way they achieve those aesthetics musically is more interesting to me than the boyband tough-and-sensitive musical aesthetic. a song like DKDK by Fromis 9 isnt as hard hitting as a song like Enough by SF9 (i only chose these two for the 9 lol), but its............. better............. catchier......... weirder.......... makes me happier.............. idk maybe im just not a fan of brooding lol, i like goofiness. even within music that goes hard as fuck, i dont like if its just brooding, i want you to be going WILD like CLC’s Hobgoblin does lol. I want the sound of the song to beat me up, even if I wasnt watching the video. and like in hiphop (which i think boygroups might trend more towards) i like when people are fuckin leaping around the stage or set, rapping their heads off. like BTS’s Idol, but also like the american rappers I listen to, like Jpegmafia and Danny Brown and shit. I know that’s a tall order to expect that kind of performance from kpop, but not because kpop cant do it, its just that they might avoid being too abrasive in their title tracks (maybe bsides would be like that?). but idk, some girlgroup title tracks are wild and kind of abrasive... so...

and like, sure some girlgroups focus on looking cool or sexy or cute or whatever, but i often feel like there’s more to the aesthetic than that, though maybe that’s just the stuff i listen to. I haven’t found a major boygroup who makes videos like red velvet does lol... (except bts)

anyway this is a ramble

if you disagree and have examples please let me know! i want to be wrong about this! the six songs i checked out and wasnt impressed by were “enough” by sf9, “wakey wakey” by nct, “crown” by txt, “love shot” by exo, “spring breeze” by wanna one, and “say my name” by ateez. not to repeat myself too much but lemme pick six of the biggest girlgroups and list their first youtube result just to demonstrate the difference in style. “kill this love” by blackpink, “really bad boy” by red velvet, “butterfly” by loona, “violeta” by izone, “dalla dalla” by itzy, “bon bon chocolat” by everglow. i mean... like... idk all those songs are weird. rbb is actually one of red velvet’s less weird songs lol, but still. shrug. and those are just six recent 2019 ones.

uh yeah but anyway if you know of some weird stuff or wanna lmk about another song from one of those boygroups that i’d like more, or you have something to say about those songs that i might not have picked up on, let me know! i like liking music more than i like disliking music, so i’d love to change my mind haha, i wanna like as much stuff as possible.

edit: rbb wasnt 2019, my bad, but it was november 30th so still, all these songs have been within the last five months and theyre all more interesting to me than the bg songs i listed.

#also idk like i know shinee is listed as one of the best but uh theres a couple reasons i havent tried them much #im not gonna get into it right now... i just think that would take a lot of mental preparation for.... personal reasons

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thirst-mobile · 4 years

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Idk how Danny Choo's behavior is acceptable. All his little followers worship the ground he walks on, and he treats his customers like shit.

He will literally ban people from purchasing his product, or cancel any orders they place, because he doesn't like something they said.

He LITERALLY creeps in SmartDoll groups on facebook so he can go whine in the comments on the posts if anyone has ANY criticism over his products.

He threw a fit on instagram and facebook because someone received a faulty wig and wanted to exchange. But he refused, and vague posted about that customer on instagram saying "ITS WaBI sABi!!!!" Instead of doing the PROFESSIONAL thing - that ANY professional business owner would do - and letting that customer exchange their unusable product for a new one.

He is lewd and gross about these dolls that are supposed to be "for children".

He recently made a post talking about why he is constantly changing his business policies. Anyone who is actually paying attention and isnt excusing his disgusting behavior with sympathy will know that anytime. ANYTIME. There is a SINGLE complaint against his product- he will go throw a fit on the internet and then change the whole policy relevant to the content of the complaint.

So his post said "it just takes one person to make an entire change to how things are done" and if THATS NOT BAD ENOUGH - him fucking punishing his entire customer base because he received criticism because his customer wanted what they PAID FOR and they did not get what they paid for - he...

He compared himself changing business policies to terrorist attacks.

He used the "it just takes one person" thing and he LITERALLY... "one person put a bomb in their shoe and brought it on a plane, now we all have to take our shoes off at the airport" and other just as disgusting comparisons.

He once compared owning a business that requires customer service to slavery.

WHY IS THIS OKAY. WHY IS ANY OF THIS BEHAVIOR ACCEPTABLE???

all his worshippers follow him around going "oh PoOr DAnnY!!!" When he jumps into the comments on a facebook post or tantrum vague posts (which by the way are not that vague - you know EXACTLY who he is talking about in those posts) because someone wasnt satisfied with their product.

If you run a business, there will ALWAYS be some people unsatisfied with their product. It happens. Its unavoidable. If you can fix it, you might get a chance to change your customer's mind. Danny CAN fix it. But he would rather be a whiny petty little piss baby about it than do ONE SIMPLE THING - and then shit all over his customer then refuse to fix it.

Why doesnt this man have a PR team.

Why does everyone excuse his horrible behavior. Why doesnt anyone else see a problem with this???

What is WRONG WITH PEOPLE???

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ecotone99 · 4 years

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[MF] Trash Locker

It was just a joke. Everything was a big fucking joke back then. Have messy locker. Heh. Deliberately throw all your trash in the locker. What a hoot. Leave lock off so that your friends can get in on that shit. Fucking hilarious Take all of our school photos, the preview ones that were clouded with a water mark, and hang them up on the door of the locker. God damn comedy gold.

You see 11th grade is probably the biggest you'll ever feel in your entire life. You focus way too much on how the world views you and not so much on anything that actually mattered. So no, being a pig on it's own isn't funny, but getting that look. The unsuprised, slightly apathetic, accusitory look that said "You dumb fuck." Priceless.

I was sitting in homeroom, which is the second class of the day for some reason. I remember the vice principal walking in. "Ben" He was holding a small caddy that contained gloves, a roll of paper towel, and an unknown chemical in a spray bottle. "Is your locker number 2007?" "Yeah." It wasn't. It was Danny's, but it's a retarded question anyways. There's no way I could confirm that, I mean who actually ever looks at that shit? "You and Daniel need to go clean that up right now, this is ridiculous." I could feel my face getting hot and heard a couple of shushed giggles scattered around me as I got out of my chair and walked to the door. I tried to remember what walking normal actually looked like and tried my best to emulate it. Nice walk dumbass. I hated being put on the spot when I was alone. Vulnerable.

I found my way to my locker though silent hallways besides the occasional chatter coming from open classroom doors. Grabbing one of the hallway's trash bins, I pulled off a rotting apple core from the coat hook it was impaled on. I didn't bother with the gloves. It was mostly just stray homework that never got done and wrappers of those breakfast pastries you could buy outside the cafeteria as long as your mom never asked "what the fuck happened to the 40 dollars I paid last week?!" I'm a big boy.

I was so focused on ignoring the smell that I didn't even notice Emma and Hailey walk up. Must have been skipping homeroom. Emma looking over the smug smiles of 6 proud owners taped to the door broke the silent awe first. "Why would you guys do this" That's a good question. I shrugged "I don't know, it's funny" "No it's not" blurted out Haley "it's disgusting" I guess I looked helpless enough standing there that Haley started to put a pair of gloves on "you want some help?" "That'd be great" Emma grabbed a pair as well, and the three of us got to work. And by the three of us, I mean I drifted further away from the work at hand whilst Emma and Hailey went into girl gossip flow mode. I stood back and just let them do their thing, picking up little details about who's dating who, etc.

Just then Danny, sole proprietor of the locker, walked in from the parking lot with Bacon, bottom left photo in door of said locker right next to "Deaf Boy". Talking loudly and laughing about last night's GTA sesh, Danny sipped off a McDonald's orange juice. Danny wore a huge smile as they approached us. "We got caught huh" He said through a contained, bellowey, kind of laughter as he immediately sucked the last bit of OJ down, then casually tossed his cup into the locker, splatting specks of juice not only on the freshly wiped locker walls but also onto Hailey's face. We all laughed minus Haley, clearly annoyed that she was interrupted in her talk about prom with Emma. "What the fuck?!" She said through a bitter smile Ignoring it, and still laughing I said. "Yeah! Emma and Haley are helping us clean up" "Well it looks like they're doing a pretty good job" Danny said with an impressed look. Bacon put his arm around my shoulder. "Yeah It looks like they have it under control" That bellowey laugh infected Danny's voice once again as he choked out "You know what that means right?" Bacon's face went stone cold. "No consequences for our actions." My eyes widened "You wanna do it again?" I pointed at Danny, "Maybe we should do it again." He retortored before I even finished talking. Bacon chimed in "I'll do it again" "Let's fucking do it again" "We're gonna fucking do it again"

A calm authoritarian voice interrupted from behind us. "No. You wont." Danny let out a huge dramatic gasp as he whipped around with bug eyes and a Shakey core to look the vice principal in the face. He always did that immediately following an aural plan of fucking up when vp was nearby. "Drop the theatrics Daniel. Why are Emma and Haley cleaning your locker?" "We tried to stop them but they overpowered us." Haley giggled at this "Girls where are you supposed to be?" Emma started to studder out "Mrs. -" "Get there now. You both have an hour of detention" Emma and Haley pulled their gloves off and grabbed their books from the floor. As they turned around to leave, Haley looked at me like she was waiting for me to say something. I really wanted to, and I would of, had it not been for the knot growing in my stomach. I had to keep my cool and I knew the illusion would be ruined as soon as I opened my mouth. The two girls walked away silently, probably until they were in safe bitching distance. I wondered if my name would be brought up in that conversation. Danny was unfazed by this and I don't think Bacon was even paying attention. "Finish cleaning this up then get back to class. You all get one hour." "C'mon man we just got here" Danny rebuttled "Well then that's 3 hours for you and Bacon" Danny scoughed and spit in the trash can as the vice principal walked away.

I know Danny didn't actually care that he got detention. If you missed class, you got detention and Danny was always missing class. Hell, the fucker was in school every Saturday anyways making up all the homework he never did. We all periodically found ourselves making up homework and chipping away at our detention during Saturday school. It wasnt that bad. Sometimes, I'd even tag along when I had nothing better to do.

As soon as Danny got his lisence was when we started to regularly skip class. We'd skip English and go get taco Bell. Next day, get called into the office. "Where were you 3rd block?" Sandy would ask I'd studder out a dumb excuse she was completely apathetic of. "That's one hour of detention" At one point I stopped making excuses and just told Sandy the truth. Didn't change anything. Just streamlined the process. It really was better for both parties. At one point though Bacon told me he "two-streamed" and pissed all over the front of his cacky shorts so he just left. When Sandy asked him why he missed 4 classes, he said the same thing verbatim. He didn't get detention.

Anyways it was during one of these skipped periods that the 6 of us would take a joke too far and fuck up beyond redemption.

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secretariatbourgeoisophobe · 7 years

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i got myself tagged by @ilyatath and @fmlforeverwrites and its taken me so long to do this bc im trash but hye ho here i am!!!

rules: answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people. yeah im not even gonna get close to 20 people and i have a feeling that some of you have already done this but oh well @asharadaynes @tooextremeforlouisiana @aaron-burrsir @kreacherwrites @kryptxns @opalcscent @beccabec876 @mynameismelodypond and if any of y’all who ain’t tagged wanna do this then be my guest

the last

1. drink: strawberry and kiwi squash which honestly tastes a surprising amount like nondescript punch

2. phone call: i don’t make phone calls but i guess when my auntie called last week to check one of the boxes she was storing here??????

3. text message: last general message was to an rp partner this morning lmao bc i wanted to hurt her w ship inspo

4. song you listened to: lost boy by ruth b i think????

5. time you cried: months ago idk like it could legit be 2 or 18 months ago i have no idea

6. dated someone twice: u presume me to have dated someone once

7. kissed someone and regretted it: regret can be avoided if u never do the thing in the first place

8. been cheated on: u can’t get cheated on if u never dated in the first place

9. lost someone special: as long as ghosting on friends doesn’t count then this is a hard no

10. been depressed: yeaaaahhhhh the apathy’s still w me even outside of the severe episodes

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: surprisingly enough ive never actually reached this point before even beer olympics wasnt as dicey as id expected

3 favourite colours

12. dark reds (like burgundy, maroon or crimson)

13. black like my soul

14. idek black and red or my go to faves maybe dark purples/blues??????

in the last year have you

15. made new friends: yeah yeah yeah going to america kinda meant i had to lmao

16. fallen out of love: im gonna say no but this is a massive probably

17. laughed until you cried: i dont think so????? but idk maybe

18. found out someone was talking about you: nah i dont think so im too boring to be talked about

19. met someone who changed you: im gonna say yeah, im probs gonna say this a lot but going to america was hella good and it was p hard not to be changed by all the stuff over there

20. found out who your friends are: sorta yes sorta no idk let me be a cryptid in peace

21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: i. have. never. been. kissed.

general

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: most of them i think idk i should probs clear some of those dicks out

23. do you have any pets: unfortunately no but i want a fucking cat when im older

24. do you want to change your name: not really nah. it’s basic but its mine and i kinda like it but if u use the wrong form of my name for our friendship level then i will feel uncomfy

25. what did you do for your last birthday: packed up all my shit then chilled w my friends and played mario kart

26. what time did you wake up: around 9 i think???? i dont do well w remembering shit

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: im p sure i was sorting out my inventory in da:i, idk i was deffo doing inquisition shit then

28. name something you can’t wait for: the last jedi to come out. gimme fucking force sensitive finn!!! make jedistormpilot canon u cowards!!!!!

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: an hour or so ago. she’s around and hovering and i just want her to go

31. what are you listening to right now: the goldbergs is on in the background rn but im not actively paying attention

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: i mean it felt like there were three dozen different toms back at school so yeah

33. something that is getting on your nerves: my parent’s constantly hanging around, the dread thought that my sister is coming home in around an week and i will get no peace

34. most visited website: this blue hellsite

35. hair colour: brown

36. long or short hair: it’s kinda long but it really doesn’t look like it lmao

37. do you have a crush on someone: not really?????? idk emotions are weird fucking things

38. what do you like about yourself: i mean i tend to refuse to back down on most things so i guess dedication is a way to make that sound positive??????

39. piercings: honestly i dont think i could ever get a piercing they weird me out for myself they say as they have a tattoo and are planning like half a dozen more

40. blood type: o+ which i guess is a pretty versatile type

41. nickname: no-one actually calls me this but my fave for me would just be d. the single letter by itself. and it absolutely has to be in lowercase people do also often call me dan and sometimes danny but none of them are at the right friend level and it is a Bad

42. relationship status: single as a pringle for 20 solitary years

43. zodiac: taurus. i was also born in the year of the ox so rip anyone who tries to argue w me

44. pronouns: they/them pls n thnx

45. favourite tv show: i watch like a million different shows and they are all trash but rn my fave is probs coach trip and i hate that most u have never seen it and dont know how much fun it is

46. tattoos: i got a geometric heart on my chest and im planning so many more pls message me about it so i can gush about it to someone

47. right or left handed: right like any good god-fearing person who is not influenced by the devil and witchcraft

48. surgery: ive never had surgery myself and i hope i never will (unless it’s for organ donation)

50. sport: i row, not well but to a vaguely competitive standard and i enjoy it even though my hands are llike permanently callused now

51. vacation: my last one was to boston for a week after the academic year ended but going to mexico over easter was gr9 too

52. pair of trainers: if we’re talking actual proper trainers then ive only got one pair from decathlon but i do have some hella nice vans which i got for p cheap

GENERAL

53. eating: food is good. and not to be stereotypical but chicken is the best. esp rice and peas and chicken. also carbs. there is no such things as too much carbs. the media is lying to you

54. drinking: rum. it might be a bad thing that my first thought was to go to alcohol but idc im a mess

55. I’m about to: idk probs play some more inquisition

56. waiting for: my motivation to return from the war?????? to finish studying so i can move out of my parents’ house and steadily become the family’s queer cryptid

57. want: my parents to shut up and leave me alone. not gonna happen tho

58. get married: yes ofc i do im a fucking romantic mess bicth lemme indulge my fantasies

59. career: philosopher lmao. i get paid to sit around and bullshit all day what could be better

WHICH IS BETTER

60. hugs or kisses: ofc hugs are better lmao they’re just like !!!!! hug me all day idc

61. lips or eyes: eyes ofc, eyes are soft and pure. gimme those fucking eyes

62. shorter or taller: honestly i love me a good height difference either way but like ideally she’d be taller but im like 6′0 on a good day and i have to keep reminding myself that’s kinda tol so taller is unlikely rip me

63. older or younger: idgaf tbh but im amongst the youngest most of the places i go so younger would be nice i guess lmao

64. nice arms or nice stomach: umm idk both are nice and give good #aesthetics but i gotta agree w ilyatath and say goodlegs are the best plus good legs basically ensure a good ass

65. hookup or relationship: i told u im a fucking romantic gimme them sweet ass relationships. make me know that im special and important to u

66. troublemaker or hesitant: honestly hesitant but if my friends are causing trouble bet ur ass imma be there tagging along

HAVE YOU EVER:

67. kissed a stranger: im p sure y’all can guess the answer to this by now lmao

68. drank hard liquor: it’s not a real drink unless there’s liquor in it

69. lost glasses/contact lenses: one time i lost a pair of glasses the same day i got them

70. turned someone down: nah this has never happened to me

71. sex on the first date: ive never kissed someone, what else do u think i haven’t done.......

73. had your heart broken: yeah no this hasn’t happened. not properly anyway. like i said, feelings are weird

74. been arrested: it’s not a crime if u dont get caught

75. cried when someone died: nah ive never been close enough to anyone i knew who died

76. fallen for a friend: sorta yes sorta no im weird feelings are odd and my life is a mess

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

77. yourself: i wanna say yes but kinda no my self confidence also needs to return from war

78. miracles: i wanna say i do but im not sure the universe is a fundamentaly chaotic system so i guess weird shit deffo could happen

79. love at first sight: i think some people can get it but i doubt for me and most people will probs have to work for it

80. santa claus: nah that man’s a scam

81. kiss on the first date: if u wanna kiss on the first date then fucking do it!!!!! dont let life hold u back!! dont let ur dreams be memes!!!!! u take their face anfd fucking kiss it!!!!

82. angels: eeehhhhhhhhh probs not

OTHER:

84. eye colour: brown. kinda darker brown than my hair but still brown

85. favourite movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

#text #they speak #my life #fuck this took longer than i was expecting #but here it is #marvel at the mess that is my life #food tw #alcohol tw

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viralhottopics · 7 years

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Another Bogus Obamacare Argument From Donald Trump And Paul Ryan

If youve heard a Republican talk about the Affordable Care Act lately, then youve almost certainly heard that the law is imploding, collapsing, in a death spiral or a combination of the three.

Here, for example, was House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in a Wednesday evening interview with Greta Van Susteren on MSNBC: Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight…. Its already going away. Obamacare is leaving.

President Donald Trump made similar remarks at a Republican Party retreat in Philadelphia on Thursday, when he boasted that acting quickly to repeal the law would do the Democrats a favor because the program was bound to fall apart on its own.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus pretty much every Republican with power in Washington right now has said something along these lines.

Of course, Republicans have been predicting Obamacares demise since it became law in 2010. But now that Trump is in the White House and the Republicans in Congress are proceeding with their plan to repeal the law, sooner rather than later, the argument has new political value.

If the programs collapse is imminent, as they say, then theres no point in worrying about the roughly 20 million people who now get coverage through the program. Because, under this scenario, no matter what Republicans do, those folks are going to end up without decent coverage.

And if the end result of repeal efforts is a disaster with millions more uninsured, millions more struggling with less reliable or less comprehensive coverage than they had Republicans can always say things would have been awful anyway.

The logic is sound. The premise, that Obamacare is unraveling, is not.

Why (Some) Obamacare Marketplaces Are Struggling

Obamacares marketplaces, where people without employer-based insurance can buy private policies, have certainly had some problems. But whether they are modest and fleeting or serious and ongoing, or somewhere in between, depends on whom you ask.

When the law first took full effect, with all the new rules for selling coverage, insurers had to guess at what policies consumers would buy and at what price. It turns out most of them misjudged the market, with some of them misjudging it badly. They ended up attracting fewer healthy people and more unhealthy people than they anticipated, leaving them with premiums too low to cover the big medical bills they were suddenly paying. The insurers lost money, and, by last year, they had enough data to see it wasnt a fluke.

A few carriers responded by withdrawing plans altogether (although a federal judge recently concluded that one insurer, Aetna, also had other motives). The rest increased premiums, sometimes severely creating a bunch of scary headlines and giving Republicans like Ryan and Trump the opportunity to bash the Affordable Care Act as an actuarial apocalypse. Frequently they would say the system was in a death spiral.

Many actuaries cringe at such references, because, as Danny Vinik noted recently in Politico, death spiral is actually a term they use to describe a very specific set of circumstances that cannot really exist with the Affordable Care Act, at least in its current structure. A death spiral happens when insurers must repeatedly raise premiums in order to cover losses from patients with high medical bills, with each new increase scaring away more healthy customers, thereby creating new losses and forcing the insurers to raise premiums again until eventually only very sick people willing to pay astronomical premiums stay with the program.

The Affordable Care Act is not really vulnerable to this because it offers financial assistance in the form of refundable tax credits, limiting what low- and middle-income individuals pay for basic policies no matter how high the premiums go. That basically guarantees that insurers will have a critical mass of healthy people paying premiums. As long as the individual mandate remains in place, imposing financial penalties on people who decline to get coverage, a death spiral is even less likely.

A more realistic possibility is that the market deterioration of the past year continues, with yet more insurers abandoning markets and those remaining raising premiums even further, to the point that only people with subsidies find it attractive.Itd be a lousy deal for the more affluent, and itd mean higher costs for the government.

This would represent a major failure of the law, and Gail Wilensky, a well-respected health economist who was director of Medicare and Medicaid in the George H.W. Bush administration, is among those who thinks its a very real possibility, given the state of the exchanges right now.

They are clearly still in churn and unstable as of now, the fourth year of enrollment, Wilensky told The Huffington Post. Little insurer choice and unaffordable premiums would be and sometimes is now the outcome.

Why The Markets May Be Stronger Going Forward

But even the pessimistic experts agree that its too early to know whether thats going to happen or, for that matter, where.

A key point the Republicans never mention is that Obamacare isnt one program. Its 51 programs, one for each state plus the District of Columbia. In states like Arizona and Tennessee, premiums spiked and insurer choice dwindled this year. But in states like California and Michigan, the markets are operating smoothly and most consumers shopping on the exchanges still have a wide variety of options.

[Critics] use the most problematic of the 51 markets and even specific instances within given markets, such as particular insurance companies or counties as evidence that all the exchanges are in trouble, says Paul Hughes-Cromwick, a health economist at the nonprofitAltarum Instituteresearch group. We believe the individual market does, in fact, need some help, but it is neither about to collapse nor do its problems mean that Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight. Hughes-Cromwick went on to call such arguments absurd.

In December, the White House Council of Economic Advisers published a report arguing that this years increases were largely a one-time correction. It noted, among other things, that this was the first year that insurers had a full years worth of data, based on claims that beneficiaries filed, on which to base premiums. This was also the year when a program designed to cover unexpected insurer losses during the early years of operation expired. (A second such program never paid out most of its money, because Republicans insisted on defunding it.)

Meanwhile, for all the talk about high premiums, they are right about where the Congressional Budget Office originally expected them to be. And, as a recent Urban Institute report showed, premiums are roughly on par or even a little cheaper than the premiums for employer insurance, once you adjust for the different levels of benefits.

Enrollment this year looks like it will be roughly even with last years enrollment or maybe even a little higher. If the marketplaces were crumbling, enrollment would be starting to fall. And just last month, S&P Global Ratings projected stronger insurer performance next year and even stronger performance the year after that.

As Paul Ginsburg, a prominent health economist at the University of Southern California, said, predictions of an imminent Obamacare collapse are totally at odds with the recent analysis from S&P, which shows the exchanges stabilizing, with insurers having experienced improved results in 2016.

Why The Real Threat To The Marketplaces May Be Trump

David Anderson, who until recently was an official at the UPMC Health Plan in Pennsylvania and is now an analyst at Duke Universitys Margolis Center for Health Policy, agrees. The Affordable Care Act is fundamentally stable in most states. Enrollment has been increasing and insurers are projecting better results. Insurers with effective strategies tailored to local demand for high-quality, low-cost health care have been able to show profitability on the exchanges.

Uwe Reinhardt, a health economist at Princeton University, concurs. The exchanges are not collapsing on their own weight, he said. Jon Kingsdale, former director of the Massachusetts exchange and now a director at the Wakely Consulting Group, feels the same way. With national enrollment increasing each year since 2014 and a full decade of market stability under much the same reforms in Massachusetts there is little evidence for [Ryans] contention, Kingsdale said.

Of course, Kingsdale noted, making the argument that Obamacare is already collapsing does offer an obvious political advantage: Republicans can blame what they do in 2017 to destroy coverage for millions of Americans on the ACA itself. Republicans could accomplish this legislatively or maybe even through executive authority, by refusing to apply the mandate penalty or other elements of the law they dont like.

Its worth mentioning that even if Obamacare markets were imploding, not just in some states but all states, and even if that implosion meant there were no insurers left in other words, even if you imagine a scenario much worse than any expert takes seriously that would account for only a portion of the people getting health insurance through the program.

At least half and probably more of the newly insured are getting coverage through Medicaid, a program that the government operates and that wont be going anywhere unless, of course, Republicans decide to get rid of it.