OBAMACARE CASH AWARDED TO ADMINISTRATION’S POLITICAL ALLIES

[Geee]

Breitbart:

Last week, I discussed how taxpayer funds are being granted, through ObamaCare, to construct “School-Based Health Centers.” Now, let’s take a look at ObamaCare’s “CO-OP’s.”

CO-OP’s, or Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, are the new, non-profit face of ObamaCare in the states’ “exchanges.” If ObamaCare is allowed to stand, CO-OP’s will be a step toward the “public option,” on a state level. Healthcare.gov provides a “feel-good” definition of CO-OP’s as “a new type of non-profit health insurer” that is “directed by their customers and designed to offer individuals and small businesses more affordable, consumer-friendly and high quality health insurance options.” In addition, there is considerable boasting on the part of HHS that CO-OP’s are special in that they can be mandated by the government to control waste, fraud, and abuse. Now there’s a good promo: buy your health insurance from a CO-OP, because the federal government will make sure there is no waste, fraud, and abuse.

Recall that the reason this utopian “commercial” for CO-OP plans is being pitched to “individuals and small businesses” is that, despite what President Obama told us, under ObamaCare, these sectors will no longer be able to keep their private health insurance because of the cost. Enter the “exchanges,” and the choice of a “non-profit.” Actually, CO-OP’s have five years within their inception to become “non-profit.” Any “profit” they make during the first five years must be paid toward their “loans” from the federal government. Call me cynical, but I’ll believe that if it happens.

This past week, the Obama administration awarded $66 million in loan grants from the controversial health care reform law’s funds to a Nevada Insurance CO-OP, known as “Hospitality Health CO-OP,” that is apparently unregistered as a business with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office. Obamacarewatcher.org, a project of Americans for Limited Government Research Foundation (ALG), is reporting that a follow-up call to the office of the Secretary of State has confirmed that “Hospitality Health CO-OP” is not registered with that office.

Healthcare.gov states that “Hospitality Health CO-OP” was sponsored by a “Taft-Hartley” union benefits plan, called the “Culinary Health Fund,” and by the “Health Services Coalition,” an organization of primarily unions and casinos. Culinary Health Fund’s parent organization, Unite Here Health, is also sponsoring the benefits plan.

According to Healthcare.gov, to date nearly $1 billion in the form of low-interest loans has been awarded to non-profits, in 12 states, to help them set up and maintain CO-OP’s that will be ready to operate in January of 2014.