What to Do When ObamaCare Unravels

[Valin]

WSJ:

Health insurance should be individual, portable across jobs, states and providers, and lifelong and renewable.

John H. Cochrane

Dec. 25, 2013

 

The unraveling of the Affordable Care Act presents a historic opportunity for change. Its proponents call it "settled law," but as Prohibition taught us, not even a constitutional amendment is settled lawif it is dysfunctional enough, and if Americans can see a clear alternative.

 

This fall's website fiasco and policy cancellations are only the beginning. Next spring the individual mandate is likely to unravel when we see how sick the people are who signed up on exchanges, and if our government really is going to penalize voters for not buying health insurance. The employer mandate and "accountable care organizations" will take their turns in the news. There will be scandals. There will be fraud. This will go on for years.

 

Yet opponents should not sit back and revel in dysfunction. The Affordable Care Act was enacted in response to genuine problems. Without a clear alternative, we will simply patch more, subsidize more, and ignore frauds and scandals, as we do in Medicare and other programs.

(Snip)

[Valin]

Previous Thread

[Draggingtree]

A Taxpayer Bailout for ObamaCare

By Arnold AhlertFull Story

 

An American public already reeling from the catastrophic rollout of ObamaCare will more than likely be hearing an unfamiliar term being bandied about in the new year. “Risk corridor” refers to a provision in the law that allows the government to “stabilize” premium costs for insurance companies during the first three years of the healthcare rollout. Snip http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/60102

[Draggingtree]

Coming up next: ObamaCare taxes and fees

 

Dec 26, 2013 11:31 AM by Ed Morrissey

Assuming you can get signed up, of course.

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/12/26/coming-up-next-obamacare-taxes-and-fees/

[WestVirginiaRebel]

After a month of trying, I still can’t sign up for ObamaCare

[Valin]

After a month of trying, I still can’t sign up for ObamaCare

After reading this I can come to only one conclusion, Ike is a....(wait for it).....Racist, who hate Irish, Native Americas....and deaf people! I don't even want too know what he thinks of left handed albino dwarfs, I suspect it is not good.

[SrWoodchuck]

All Hat......No Rattle...

 

 

 

AmericanPower via iOTW http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/brokeback-obama-and-pajamaboy-lefts.html#.UroYjeCPrR8.twitter

[SrWoodchuck]

 

Via DougRoss@Journal

[Draggingtree]

[Valin]

Meaningless Sentence of the Day

 

This NY Times story on the middle class's struggle with the new healthcare law is generally pretty good, but this sentence struck me as comically meaningless:

 

 

Experts consider health insurance unaffordable once it exceeds 10 percent of annual income.

 

What the heck does this mean? The typical American spends more than a third of income on housing. Does that make housing unaffordable? Presumably not. What makes 10 percent the magic threshold for health insurance but not for other categories of crucial spending? Who are these experts, and what criterion do they use to determine what is affordable?

 

Probably what the sentence means is that people have become accustomed to spending less than 10 percent of income on health insurance and are unhappy when they have to spend more.....(Snip)

[Valin]

Surprise! Bronze plans may cost a lot more than you expect

Ed Morrissey

December 27, 2013

 

Oh, not up front although the bronze plan premiums do cost more than many paid before ObamaCares mandates went into effect. No, McClatchy and Kaiser Health News worry about the big hike in overall cost that will hit consumers who choose the so-called affordable low-tier plans in the ObamaCare exchanges. They may not cover what people think or anything at all, until those consumers pay thousands of dollars out of pocket first (via Gabriel Malor):

 

 

If you buy one of the less expensive insurance plans sold through the new health laws marketplaces, you may be in for a surprise: Some plans wont pay for doctor visits before you meet your annual deductible, which could be thousands of dollars.

 

This could be the next shoe to drop, as people dont realize that if theyre buying a bronze plan, they may have to pay $5,000 out of pocket before it contributes a penny, said Carl McDonald, senior analyst with Citi Investment Research, speaking at a conference last month in Washington.

(Snip)

 

This is just one reason why the unfolding of ObamaCare in 2014 will be the biggest longterm political issue. It will drain American bank accounts every day, all year long, and each unexpected cost will rub a little more salt in the wound of betrayal. Just wait until the employer mandates take effect, and businesses kick employees out of group-plan coverage and into the ObamaCare exchanges right before the midterms.

[clearvision]

Just wait until the employer mandates take effect, and businesses kick employees out of group-plan coverage and into the ObamaCare exchanges right before the midterms.

Not going to happen. There will be another delay announced. Just like pushing back announcement of 2015 premiums until after November because they will likely skyrocket with lack of suckers 18 to 30 year olds signing up.

[Valin]

 

Just wait until the employer mandates take effect, and businesses kick employees out of group-plan coverage and into the ObamaCare exchanges right before the midterms.

Not going to happen. There will be another delay announced. Just like pushing back announcement of 2015 premiums until after November because they will likely skyrocket with lack of suckers 18 to 30 year olds signing up.

 

I'm just spitballin here...how about we wave the whole thing until....oh say 2416?

[SrWoodchuck]

 

 

Just wait until the employer mandates take effect, and businesses kick employees out of group-plan coverage and into the ObamaCare exchanges right before the midterms.

Not going to happen. There will be another delay announced. Just like pushing back announcement of 2015 premiums until after November because they will likely skyrocket with lack of suckers 18 to 30 year olds signing up.

 

I'm just spitballin here...how about we wave the whole thing until....oh say 2416?

 

 

Oh......so you want to lay all this at the feet of the 14th generation of our descendents?

[SrWoodchuck]

 

Via DougRoss@Journal

[Valin]

Why You Shouldn't Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act

Robert Reeeeiiiiich

12/27/13

 

Whatever happened to American can-do optimism? Even before the Affordable Care Act covers its first beneficiary, the nattering nabobs of negativism are out in full force.

 

(Snip)

 

The round-the-clock nay-saying is having an effect. Support for the law has plummeted to 35 percent of those questioned in a recent CNN poll, a 5-point drop in less than a month. Sixty-two percent now say they oppose the law, up four points from November.

 

(Snip)

 

If young people don't sign up for the Affordable Care Act in sufficient numbers and costs rise too fast, other ways can be found to encourage their enrollment and control costs. If there aren't enough doctors initially, medical staffs can be utilized more efficiently. If employers begin to drop their own insurance, incentives can be altered so they don't.

 

(Snip)

 

 

[SrWoodchuck]

Why You Shouldn't Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act

Robert Reeeeiiiiich

12/27/13

 

Whatever happened to American can-do optimism? Even before the Affordable Care Act covers its first beneficiary, the nattering nabobs of negativism are out in full force.

 

(Snip)

 

The round-the-clock nay-saying is having an effect. Support for the law has plummeted to 35 percent of those questioned in a recent CNN poll, a 5-point drop in less than a month. Sixty-two percent now say they oppose the law, up four points from November.

 

(Snip)

 

If young people don't sign up for the Affordable Care Act in sufficient numbers and costs rise too fast, other ways can be found to encourage their enrollment and control costs. If there aren't enough doctors initially, medical staffs can be utilized more efficiently. If employers begin to drop their own insurance, incentives can be altered so they don't.

 

(Snip)

 

 

 

@Valin

 

.....or it could be that the ACA is actually a POS......

[Valin]

 

Why You Shouldn't Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act

Robert Reeeeiiiiich

12/27/13

 

Whatever happened to American can-do optimism? Even before the Affordable Care Act covers its first beneficiary, the nattering nabobs of negativism are out in full force.

 

(Snip)

 

The round-the-clock nay-saying is having an effect. Support for the law has plummeted to 35 percent of those questioned in a recent CNN poll, a 5-point drop in less than a month. Sixty-two percent now say they oppose the law, up four points from November.

 

(Snip)

 

If young people don't sign up for the Affordable Care Act in sufficient numbers and costs rise too fast, other ways can be found to encourage their enrollment and control costs. If there aren't enough doctors initially, medical staffs can be utilized more efficiently. If employers begin to drop their own insurance, incentives can be altered so they don't.

 

(Snip)

 

 

@Valin

 

.....or it could be that the ACA is actually a POS......

 

RACIST!!!

[SrWoodchuck]

 

 

Why You Shouldn't Succumb to Defeatism About the Affordable Care Act

Robert Reeeeiiiiich

12/27/13

 

Whatever happened to American can-do optimism? Even before the Affordable Care Act covers its first beneficiary, the nattering nabobs of negativism are out in full force.

 

(Snip)

 

The round-the-clock nay-saying is having an effect. Support for the law has plummeted to 35 percent of those questioned in a recent CNN poll, a 5-point drop in less than a month. Sixty-two percent now say they oppose the law, up four points from November.

 

(Snip)

 

If young people don't sign up for the Affordable Care Act in sufficient numbers and costs rise too fast, other ways can be found to encourage their enrollment and control costs. If there aren't enough doctors initially, medical staffs can be utilized more efficiently. If employers begin to drop their own insurance, incentives can be altered so they don't.

 

(Snip)

 

 

@Valin

 

.....or it could be that the ACA is actually a POS......

 

RACIST!!!

 

 

High praise from Mr. Ed.........Special Ed........er........the Magnificent Buffoon of MSLSD.

 

I've accepted that I'm a racist, bigot.......but since I hate everyone equally.....that should be plus in my favor somewhere.....

[Valin]

States retaliate against ObamaCare website developers, halt payments

12/27/13

 

Several states that paid millions to set up ObamaCare exchange websites but got error-plagued systems in return are starting to fight back, halting payments to the contractors and weighing legal options.

 

The same contractor that shouldered a large part of the blame for botching the federal HealthCare.gov is also under fire at the state level, where the company had an array of contracts to set up local ObamaCare exchange sites. CGI Group is facing angry officials in Massachusetts and Vermont who are cutting off payments in retaliation for widespread website problems.

 

(Snip)

 

 

H/T Legal Insurrection

[clearvision]

It is the first major easing in three decades of the restrictive national birth planning policy. Implemented around 1980, China's birth policy has limited most couples to one child, but has now allowed a second child if neither parent has siblings, or if the first born to a rural couple is a girl.

 

The standing committee of the National People's Congress has approved a resolution to formalise the Communist Party's decision.

 

Whoops! Sorry for the mis-post. I thought this was part of Obamacare new rules on covered pregnancies / mandated abortions.

[Draggingtree]

Pejman Yousefzadeh

It’s Time for a Big, Giant Health Care Reform Roundup

 

December 28, 2013

I have been neglectful in posting about the continuing travails of Obamacare; real life demands mean less time for blogging. There is a lot of news to cover, and the news does remain bad for Obamacare fans.

Let’s start with what might be the next big problem for Obamacare:

 

Obamacare’s rollout dented the Department of Health and Human Services in just the first month. Up next year: the Internal Revenue Service.

 

A key piece of the health care law gives Americans making less than 400 percent of the poverty line subsidies to buy insurance. But if buyers don’t alert the insurance exchanges to big life changes throughout the year — like a divorce, promotion or new job for them or a spouse— they could wind up with sticker shock at tax time.

 

It’s a new responsibility for this group — many of whom are just struggling to sign up.

 

The IRS, for its part, must make sure consumers don’t get blindsided — or it will face a bunch of angry taxpayers who didn’t realize they would owe Uncle Sam money back, tax experts said. http://ricochet.com/content/view/full/460511

[Valin]

Pejman Yousefzadeh

Its Time for a Big, Giant Health Care Reform Roundup

 

If I were the IRS, I would be very concerned that Im going to be viewed as the villain when people have to pay back money the government gave them for health insurance, said Chris Condeluci, who was Senate Finance Committee GOP tax counsel during drafting of the Affordable Care Act.

(Off Topic) When is the IRS not considered the villain?

[SrWoodchuck]

 

Via WeaselZippers

[Draggingtree]

ByStephanie Condon CBS NewsDecember 30, 2013, 5: 51 AM

 

6 key Obamacare dates to watch for in 2014

 

The coming year will be a pivotal one for the Affordable Care Act: The core elements of the sweeping health care law go into full effect, some of the final consumer protections will be in place, and the midterm elections will once more put the health law in the political spotlight.

 

Here's a look at some key dates in 2014 that will bring about key changes in the health care market or answer lingering questions about Obamacare.

 

1. Jan. 1: Start of Obamacare private coverage, etc.

 

Enrollment in the new Obamacare marketplaces has been rocky, to put it mildly, making January 1 a day of reckoning: Consumers will begin finding out if they're actually enrolled in the plans they signed up for.

Expanded Medicaid

 

Come January, the nation will be split in half: 25 states and the District of Columbia will have expanded Medicaid, while the other 25 states won't. The administration reported in early December that at least 803,077 people have been deemed eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under Obamacare. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-key-obamacare-dates-to-watch-for-in-2014/