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The true cost of Obamacare

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March 27, 2024, 12:55:24 pm Mark says: Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked  When Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida began a speech marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza, one confounding yet eye-opening proclamation escaped the headlines. Listing the motives for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, he accused Jews of "bringing red cows" to the Holy Land.
December 31, 2022, 10:08:58 am NilsFor1611 says: blessings
August 08, 2018, 02:38:10 am suzytr says: Hello, any good churches in the Sacto, CA area, also looking in Reno NV, thanks in advance and God Bless you Smiley
January 29, 2018, 01:21:57 am Christian40 says: It will be interesting to see what happens this year Israel being 70 years as a modern nation may 14 2018
October 17, 2017, 01:25:20 am Christian40 says: It is good to type Mark is here again!  Smiley
October 16, 2017, 03:28:18 am Christian40 says: anyone else thinking that time is accelerating now? it seems im doing days in shorter time now is time being affected in some way?
September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
September 19, 2017, 03:59:21 am Christian40 says: bbc international did a video about there street preaching they are good witnesses
September 14, 2017, 08:06:04 am Psalm 51:17 says: bro Mark Hunter on YT has some good, edifying stuff too.
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Author Topic: The true cost of Obamacare  (Read 29063 times)
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« Reply #60 on: August 02, 2013, 01:14:20 pm »

Aetna pulls out of Maryland health exchange


Aetna Inc has pulled its applications to sell insurance plans on Maryland's individual health exchange after it was asked to lower its rates by up to 29 percent from what it had requested, according to the state's department of insurance.
 
In a letter sent to the Department of Insurance, Aetna said that the required rate modifications cut premiums too low on both its Aetna and Coventry products. Aetna closed on the acquisition of Coventry this spring.

"Unfortunately, we believe the modifications to the rates filed by Aetna and Coventry would not allow us to collect enough premiums to cover the cost of the plans, including the medical network and service expectations of our customers," Aetna said in a letter to insurance commissioner Therese Goldsmith.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/02/aetna-exchanges-idUSWEN00A3320130802
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« Reply #61 on: August 02, 2013, 04:17:23 pm »

 Roll Eyes Thieves and robbers!
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« Reply #62 on: August 08, 2013, 10:11:49 am »

Who saw this coming? Roll Eyes

Congress wins relief on Obamacare health plan subsidies
8/7/13

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/07/usa-health-congress-idUSL1N0G820F20130807?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=22

* Congress, staff, to keep federal health premium payments

* Ruling aimed at avoiding "brain drain" on Capitol Hill (Adds comments from Republicans, Pelosi, edits)

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Congress has won some partial relief for lawmakers and their staffs from the "Obamacare" health reforms that it passed and subjected itself to three years ago.

In a ruling issued on Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers and their staffs will continue to receive a federal contribution toward the health insurance that they must purchase through soon-to-open exchanges created by President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.

The decision by the Office of Personnel Management, with Obama's blessing, will prevent the largely unintended loss of healthcare benefits for 535 members of the Senate and House of Representatives and thousands of Capitol Hill staff.
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« Reply #63 on: August 08, 2013, 01:05:30 pm »

see my last post!  Angry
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« Reply #64 on: August 15, 2013, 10:52:06 am »

http://www.today.com/money/obamacare-coming-so-are-scammers-6C10913891
Obamacare is coming, and so are the scammers
8/15/13

As the debate rages over who benefits from the Affordable Care Act, one thing is becoming clear: The controversial program is a dream come true for con artists.

Consumer experts warn that the program has created a huge opportunity to swindle people – steal their money and snag their sensitive personal information.

“Any time you roll out a big government program like this, confusion is inevitable,” said Lois Greisman, an associate director in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission. “This confusion creates a tremendous opportunity for the fraudster.”

Scammers have been at it for more than a year now, but consumer advocates and security experts warn that the problem will worsen as we get closer to Oct. 1. That’s when the millions of uninsured Americans can use a health insurance exchange – set-up by their state or the federal government – to shop for coverage.

“I believe the incidents are going to skyrocket as that date approaches,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center. “And even people who are smart and savvy could get taken, so we are very concerned about the potential for some serious financial harm.”

The Affordable Care Act created a Health Insurance Marketplace – also referred to as the Health Insurance Exchange. Policies in the exchange have been preapproved by each state’s insurance commissioner.

There are fake exchanges already up and running on the Internet,” said Monica Lindeen, Montana’s Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. “If you do a search and type in ‘exchange,’ you’ll find all sorts of websites that claim to be in the exchange when they are not.”

These health insurance exchanges don’t open for business until October 1, so no one can sell you insurance through an exchange until then.

Scam artists got an early jump on national health care reform. Since last year, they’ve been calling, faxing and emailing people across the country claiming to be with the Medicare or ‘Obamacare’ or some part of the federal government.

They often say they need to “verify” some personal information – typically a bank account or Social Security number – to ensure you get the proper benefits. In some cases, they tell the victim they need to purchase a new insurance card to be eligible for insurance under the new program
.

According to John Breyault, who runs Fraud.org , a project of National Consumers League, these scammers can be very intimidating, especially to seniors.

“We’ve heard about cases where the scam artists have threated people with jail time if they don’t purchase the fake insurance cards,” Breyault said.

Americans don’t need a new Medicare card and no one from the government is calling and asking for personal information or money. Under the individual mandate provision of the Affordable Care Act, people who don’t buy health insurance could get hit with a financial penalty, but that does not take effect until 2014. There is no jail penalty in the law.

A con artist can claim to be anyone, for instance a “navigator” who can help you apply for health care coverage through an exchange. They gain your trust and then ask for personal information to buy non-existent policies. Fraud.org reports that some victims have been convinced to wire money or send funds via prepaid debit card to get their full benefits.

Thousands of “navigators” are being trained and certified to guide you through the process of applying for coverage through the new exchange program. These navigators are prohibited by law from recommending a particular plan. They will never ask for personal information and they will never ask for money in any form. The navigator program hasn’t started yet, so no one is making calls.
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« Reply #65 on: August 15, 2013, 12:18:34 pm »

To Help Navigate Obamacare, United Way, Catholic Church, Others Get $67 Million
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2013/08/15/to-help-navigate-obamacare-united-way-catholic-church-others-get-67-million/?partner=yahootix
8/15/13

The Obama administration today awarded $67 million in grants to more than 100 organizations who have “who have volunteered to help Americans learn about the health care coverage available in the marketplace.”

The announcement is part of a major public-private sector effort to educate Americans, particularly the uninsured, on their options should they seek coverage on the online exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment for individuals eligible for subsidies to buy coverage begins October 1 and runs for six months for broader coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2014.

“Navigators will be among the many resources available to help consumers understand their coverage options in the Marketplace,” U.S.  Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen  Sebelius said. “A network of volunteers on the ground in every state – health care providers, business leaders, faith leaders, community groups, advocates, and local elected officials – can help spread the word and encourage their neighbors to get enrolled.”

The awards include:  $300,000 to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium;  the University of Arkansas, which will get more than $770,000; the Archdiocese of Mobile Alabama, which will get $20,000; and various United Way  organizations across the country.

Here’s a full list of the grantees here.

The Obama administration said navigators are “trained to provide unbiased information in a culturally competent manner to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplaces, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

The federal funding was open to both public and private groups and “people who are self-employed who met certain standards to promote effectiveness, diversity, and program integrity,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said in a statement.

The administration’s effort is in addition to private sector efforts also be launching by a parade of health insurance companies like Wellpoint (WLP), Aetna AET -1.5% (AET), Humana (HUM), Cigna (CI) in addition to other health care companies like Walgreens (WAG).
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« Reply #66 on: August 20, 2013, 06:36:41 pm »

MSNBC host Ed Schultz blasted “phony” Christian conservatives who oppose Obamacare, saying the new health care law “is the most moral thing this country has ever done.”

“This is good for America and I won’t let them lie,” Mr. Schultz said, according to the Blaze. “They’re phony Christians. Phony Christians when they say that they are Christian but then they want to take away from their next-door neighbor. They don’t want to be their brother’s keeper.

“A growing number of right-wing Christians are coming out day after day as a Christian,” he said. “I think I have the right to expose their hypocrisy and call them out for all the things they are saying wrong and how misguided they are.”

Mr. Schultz said it’s a known fact that people will die if the mandate is repealed.

“It is very simple. If Obamacare is repealed, Americans will die. Children of God will die,” he said.


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/18/ed-schultz-msnbc-phony-christians-oppose-obamacare/#ixzz2cYV2RnvT
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« Reply #67 on: August 20, 2013, 06:47:31 pm »

“A growing number of right-wing Christians are coming out day after day as a Christian,”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/18/ed-schultz-msnbc-phony-christians-oppose-obamacare/#ixzz2cYV2RnvT

Nope, you're wrong, Ed - in the last days there won't exactly be a "revival" in the world, scripture says so.

2The 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

1Tim 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

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« Reply #68 on: August 21, 2013, 11:17:54 am »

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/gingrich-republicans-to-blame-for-lack-of-obamacare-alternatives.html/?ref=YF
Gingrich: Republicans to Blame for Lack of Obamacare Alternatives
8/21/13

Former Speaker of the House and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is disappointed in his fellow Republicans: while the GOP has put up a tough resistance against the healthcare reform championed by President Barack Obama — leading nearly 40 attempts to repeal or defund all or parts of the legislation known as Obamacare — the party has yet to develop a better alternative. Last Tuesday, speaking at the opening session of a four-day gathering of the Republican National Committee in Boston, he alleged that Republicans had failed to uphold the “replace” portion of the “repeal-and-replace” pledge the party made soon after the Affordable Care Act was first passed in March 2010.

Republicans have “zero answer” regarding a replacement for Obamacare, he said. “If we’re going to take on the fight with Obamacare, we have to be able to explain to people what we would do to make your life better,” he continued. And that’s the problem: the Republican party cannot answer that question.

The president levied a similar accusation at Republicans earlier this month
: at a White House news briefing on August 9, he said that the one unifying principle in the Republican Party “is making sure that 30 million people don’t have health care.” The problem is not just that the Republican Party wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but that they have no counter proposal. “At least they used to say, well, we’re going to replace it with something better,” he continued. “There’s not even a pretense now that they’re going to replace it with something better.”

Recent surveys of public opinion show a similar concern. While the Democrats’ signature healthcare initiative remains persistently unpopular among the American people, Republicans have not been able to take advantage of the opportunity the widespread opposition to the law has given the party. A poll conducted by the Morning Consult found that voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on healthcare issues by a margin of 10 percent.

There is irony in Gingrich’s critique, and that irony explains why their is a hole in the Republican’s policy agenda. The healthcare plan laid out by Gingrich in his 2008 book, entitled “Real Change,” was very similar to Obamacare. He wrote that the government should “insist that everyone above a certain level buy coverage,” while providing “tax credits or [subsidizing] private insurance for the poor.” That suggestion is essentially an individual mandate, the core provision of the Affordable Care Act. After the much-publicized Republican criticism of the healthcare reform, it may seem surprising that Gingrich suggested a similar proposal, but many Republicans once supported that type of healthcare reform. In fact, the governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, signed a similar plan into law.

Given that past, Republicans could have seen Obamacare as a victory — because Democrats adopted their proposal rather than pushing forward with a single-payer program — and then worked with the opposition to achieve a final reform that would be closer to what the party originally envisioned. But instead Republicans chose to fight the individual mandate, which as Gingrich argued is just the problem. “We are caught up right now in a culture — and you see it every single day — where as long as we are negative and as long as we are vicious and as long as we can tear down our opponent, we don’t have to learn anything,” he said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So BOTH political "parties" were working hand-in-hand all along...no surprise, but just saying!

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« Reply #69 on: August 22, 2013, 11:35:02 am »

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/obamacare-more-republicans-utilize-parents-benefits.html/4/
8/22/13
Obamacare: More Republicans Utilize Parents’ Benefits

Excerpt:

More interestingly, while Republicans show intense dislike of the Affordable Care Act in polls, the Commonwealth Fund found that young adults who identified as Republicans enrolled in their parents’ policies in greater numbers than young adults who identified themselves as Democrats, by a ratio of 63 percent to 45 percent.

Of course, the number of young adults taking advantage of this Obamacare provision are higher among more affluent young adults and those with college degrees, who are more likely to have access to a parent’s insurance plan in the first place. A different, and more pressing question for the Obama administration, is whether those young adults who cannot be covered under their parents insurance policy will purchase plans on the exchanges beginning in October.

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« Reply #70 on: August 22, 2013, 11:37:50 am »

Nope, you're wrong, Ed - in the last days there won't exactly be a "revival" in the world, scripture says so.

2The 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

1Tim 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;



I think this is apart of a deception if no world wide revival happened, unsaved skeptics could use it as "evidence" against the gospel.
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« Reply #71 on: August 22, 2013, 11:42:07 am »

I think this is apart of a deception if no world wide revival happened, unsaved skeptics could use it as "evidence" against the gospel.

Then again...

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-9 KJV)
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« Reply #72 on: September 04, 2013, 03:02:58 pm »

AFL-CIO President Trumka: Employers Cutting Workers to 29 1/2 Hours to Avoid ObamaCare

In the past several months, the left and their media minions have pushed back against claims businesses are trimming worker hours to avoid ObamaCare.
 
During a recent interview, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said employers are "restructuring their workforce to give workers 29 and a half hours so they don't have to provide them healthcare."


VIDEO: Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/09/04/afl-cio-president-trumka-employers-restructuring-workforce-29-12-hour#ixzz2dxLYwy3b
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« Reply #73 on: September 05, 2013, 06:06:07 am »

Part-Time Positions Dominate Jobs Picture


puppet  Cheesy

Friday, forecasters expect the Labor Department to report the economy added 175,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate remained steady at 7.4 percent. Although in line with the pace of recent months, jobs gains have been heavily weighted toward part-time positions.

Since January, 936,000 additional Americans report working part-time, while only 27,000 more say they have obtained full-time positions. The shift to part-time workers, partially a reaction to Obamacare health insurance mandates, puts downward pressure on wages and benefits in low-paying industries, like retail and restaurants, and widens income inequality.

Expectations of permanently slower growth are hardening disturbing changes in the structure of the labor market and social conditions. These days, new college graduates often work at unpaid internships while taking part-time jobs at places like Starbucks to meet minimal living expenses. And they are putting off marriage and childbearing, which also drags on consumer spending and growth.

rest: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/09/04/Part-Time-Positions-Dominate-Jobs-Picture
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« Reply #74 on: September 19, 2013, 09:22:31 am »

http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-battle-moves-to-college-campuses-200027191.html
Creepy Obamacare ad hits college campuses
9/19/13

There will be girls. There will be beer. There will be Cornhole. And someone will be dressed in the creepiest Uncle Sam costume you’ve ever seen.

Welcome to the strange new front in the war over Obamacare.

As the Republican dream of repealing President Barack Obama’s health care law in Congress crumbles, the fight over the law’s future shifts from Washington to college campuses, where the new challenge for Obamacare proponents lies in convincing young people to sign up for coverage mandated by the law.

The period to enroll in health insurance exchanges established under the 2010 law begins Oct. 1, which will mark the start of a race to urge Americans to participate. The health exchanges rely heavily on young, healthy Americans who will subsidize the sick and elderly within the pools. Without the healthy, the exchanges could be unsustainable. The Obama administration is devoting millions of public dollars to promote the exchanges, but many conservative groups are actively working to convince people not to join.

That’s where Creepy Uncle Sam comes in.

Generation Opportunity, a Virginia-based group that is part of a coalition of right-leaning organizations with financial ties to billionaire businessmen and political activists Charles and David Koch, will launch a six-figure campaign aimed at convincing young people to “opt-out” of the Obamacare exchanges. Later this month, the group will begin a tour of 20 college campuses, where they plan to set up shop alongside pro-Obamacare activists such as Enroll America who are working to sign people up for the insurance exchanges.

Generation Opportunity intends to host events at college football tailgate parties festivals, where “brand ambassadors” (read: hot young people) will pass out beer koozies that read, “opt out,” pizza and literature about the health care law. Some events may have impromptu dance parties with DJ’s, complete with games of Cornhole and competitions for prizes, organizers said.

Their message: You don’t have to sign up for Obamacare. And they want students to sign a pledge not get insurance plans set up by the law.

“What we’re trying to communicate is, 'No, you’re actually not required to buy health insurance,'” Generation Opportunity President Evan Feinberg told Yahoo News in an interview about the campaign. “You might have to pay a fine, but that’s going to be cheaper for you and better for you.”

Under the law, those who do not sign up for health insurance in 2014 will be required to pay $95 or one percent of household income through the Internal Revenue Service. The fine will increase after that. Generation Opportunity activists will try to convince young people that it’s better for them to pay the fine, even if it means lacking coverage.

The group’s college tour will coincide with the release of an online video series featuring an Uncle Sam character that looks more like a terrifying circus clown than the guy who wants you to join the Army.

In the first Generation Opportunity video, a young woman who has just signed up for an insurance exchange under Obamacare is shown visiting an OB/GYN. A nurse guides her into a hospital room, where she changes into a flimsy gown and inserts her legs into a set of stirrups. The nurse leaves right before Creepy Uncle Sam emerges to examine her. "Don't let government play doctor,” flashes the text on the screen as the woman screams over the sound of haunting circus-like music. The ad closes with a shot of Creepy Uncle Sam staring straight into the camera clinching a speculum.

Men don’t fare any better in Generation Opportunities horrific health care dystopia. In another video that uses the same premise, a young man visits a hospital and is told to curl up on the bed in the examination room. Just like the other ad, Creepy Uncle Sam appears out of nowhere and snaps on a pair of latex gloves for what is assumed to be a prostate exam.

Generation Opportunity plans to spend up to $750,000 on the messaging push and tour, which extends through the fall. The group hasn’t announced the list of the college towns where they plan to visit, but organizers said the schedule will in part be based on areas where Enroll America workers and volunteers have a strong presence.

The campaign is one part of a larger network of conservative groups that are shifting attention away from the battle in Washington to the ground game in the states. In one recently announced campaign, the tea party-organizing group FreedomWorks called on its activists to “burn your Obamacare card.” (The act is symbolic more than it is literal, of course, since there isn’t any such card.) Another group,  Americans for Prosperity, plans to host events  at sporting events, festivals and town fairs around the country to urge people away from the exchanges.

Organizers behind these efforts know that the law relies on young people. After several failed attempts by conservatives to repeal it in Congress, they have determined that this is their best shot at killing it, or at least give it a knee-capping.

“If young people do opt out en mass, it will put the law in a bind, for sure,” said Feinberg, who insists their main goal is not to get rid of the law. “If it means they have to repeal it because it doesn’t work and that ends up crippling the law, well fine. Then they have to make some changes or repeal the law to make it work.”
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« Reply #75 on: September 19, 2013, 12:55:49 pm »

Here's the hitch and they know it; if people reject the system's insurance, then what? So they pay the fine out of their tax refund, but what about all those bills for medical care that WILL happen to all those people that have no coverage? The VAST majority cannot afford to be a cash pay patient. It's WAY too expensive. So the reality is, people simply don't have the money to pay for medical care, so who pays?
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« Reply #76 on: September 20, 2013, 12:40:42 pm »

House passes spending bill to defund Obamacare

House Republicans passed their stopgap funding bill Friday to keep government open while terminating the new health care law, setting up a final showdown next week with Senate Democrats and President Obama who have firmly rejected the GOP approach.
 
The 230-189 vote, which split almost exactly along party lines, is the precursor to the big action next week, when the Democratic majority in the Senate is expected to strip out the health care provisions and send the bill back to the House — where Republicans will have to decide whether they can accept it at that point.

AT WHICH POINT THEY CAVE TO OBAMA

All sides are racing to beat a Sept. 30 deadline, which is when current funding for the federal government runs out. The new measure would fund the government through Dec. 15, essentially at last year’s levels, and would leave the budget sequester cuts in place.
 
But Republicans on Friday also attached two amendments to the final bill — one to direct how government spending is prioritized in the event the Treasury Department bumps up against its borrowing limit in the coming weeks, and another that strips out funding for President Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which would effectively stop its implementation.
 
“The American people don’t want the government shut down, and they don’t want Obamacare,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner, who rallied with fellow Republicans after the vote in a show of unity that seemed designed to quell speculation about a rebellion within the House Republican Conference.
 
Republicans said the move was designed to put some Democratic senators on the spot. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor named several who are up for re-election next year, including Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu and Alaska Sen. Mark Begich.
 
Democrats said the bill was an outrage that exposed Republicans’ true intention of trying to force a government shutdown.
 
“It is a wolf in wolf’s clothing,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat. “Either you don’t know what you’re doing or this is one of the most intentional acts of brutality you’ve cooked up.”

Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House spending committee, said limiting government funding now would immediate consequences, such as preventing federal authorities from being able to help out as Colorado recovers from devastating floods.
 
Democrats urged the GOP to negotiate with them to raise taxes in order to spend more.
 
Republicans countered that if they’d wanted to shut down government, they wouldn’t have brought any bill to the floor.
 
“We are pragmatists. We know we have to pass bills to fund government. Thus this bill,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, Kentucky Republican.


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/20/house-passes-spending-bill-defund-obamacare/#ixzz2fSKAQDzG
 Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
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« Reply #77 on: September 20, 2013, 12:43:18 pm »

Exactly - where Ted Cruz is pretty much nothing more than an actor playing the role of "superman" in this dog and pony show.

As for Ted Cruz - as a junior Senator from TX elected just last year, he needs to serve his own state of TX, and think about them only, instead of running around the country thinking about 2016. Roll Eyes
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« Reply #78 on: September 20, 2013, 01:20:50 pm »

why does it appear to be that all the bad crazy people in the world are Liberals?

Democratic Official Allan Brauer Wishes Death on Ted Cruz Aide’s Children

Brauer serves as communications chair for Sacramento Democratic Party


BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
September 20, 2013 1:09 pm

Allan Brauer, the communications chair for the Democratic Party of Sacramento, Calif., told an aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Tex.) on Friday that he hoped her children “die from debilitating, painful and incurable diseases.”

all pics, tweets and links: http://freebeacon.com/democratic-official-allan-brauer-wishes-death-on-ted-cruz-aides-children/

Quote
allanbrauer @allanbrauer

@amandacarpenter May your children all die from debilitating, painful and incurable diseases.
12:20 PM - 20 Sep 2013
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« Reply #79 on: September 20, 2013, 04:23:53 pm »

Filibuster the House CR? Cruz, Other Conservatives Say ‘Yes’ (Updated)

Updated 1:20 p.m. | Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday that Republican senators should, in effect, filibuster the House-passed continuing resolution in the Senate.
 
The Texas Republican is calling on his colleagues to oppose limiting debate on it, warning against what he calls procedural trickery.
 
“Step two is the Senate, where all accounts suggest Harry Reid plans to use procedural gimmicks to try to add funding back in for Obamacare,” Cruz said. “If Reid pursues this plan — if he insists on using a 50-vote threshold to fund Obamacare with a partisan vote of only Democrats — then I hope that every Senate Republican will stand together and oppose cloture on the bill in order to keep the House bill intact and not let Harry Reid add Obamacare funding back in.”
 
“Now is a time for party unity; Senate Republicans should stand side-by-side with courageous House Republicans,” Cruz said.

dont get your hopes up
 
The statement underscores the unwinnable procedural hand faced by conservative senators, however. They know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will move to strike out the Obamacare defunding language after getting the 60 votes needed to limit debate, but they can’t stop him without effectively endorsing a government shutdown.
 
The Nevada Democrat’s move is completely in keeping with long-standing Senate rules. Pending germane amendments and motions, such as a motion to strike, are allowed simple-majority votes after debate’s been limited.
 
“Republicans are simply postponing for a few days the inevitable choice they must face: pass a clean bill to fund the government, or force a shutdown. I have said it before but it seems to bear repeating: The Senate will not pass any bill that defunds or delays Obamacare,” Reid said in a Friday statement.
 
Cruz’s statement came shortly after the head of the Senate Conservatives Fund said likewise.
 
“Harry Reid needs 60 votes to approve his plan to fund Obamacare. If 41 Republicans stand strong and oppose cloture, they can defeat Reid’s plan to fund Obamacare. However, if Republicans waffle and vote for cloture, it will grease the skids for Reid’s plan to fund Obamacare. It’s pretty simple — any Republican who votes for cloture is voting to fund Obamacare,” SCF Executive Director Matt Hoskins said.
 
By asking Republicans to oppose any motion to invoke cloture, and thus limit debate, on the stopgap spending bill passed Friday by the Republican-led House — the one that does defund the health care overhaul — Cruz and Hoskins are literally calling for Republicans to filibuster the bill and, possibly, shut down the government in the process.
 
Hoskins goes directly at Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
 
“It’s time for Mitch McConnell to show some leadership and deliver the 41 votes needed to defeat cloture on Harry Reid’s plan to fund Obamacare,” Hoskins said. “Republicans like to say they are against Obamacare, but now is the time to prove it. Now is when it matters.”
 
Of course, if GOP senators actually follow Cruz and Hoskins’ advice, they will, in effect, be voting against a bill that includes Obamacare defunding. The vote to strike that language is not expected until after cloture is invoked, and it will take only 51 votes to succeed. That’s why Cruz may ultimately be proved correct when he says Democrats have the votes to send the measure back to the House, without Obamacare funding.

http://www3.blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/filibuster-the-house-cr-some-conservatives-say-yes/

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« Reply #80 on: September 22, 2013, 10:12:16 pm »

Beware of the source(Christian Science Monitor - as I've said on this forum, I was involved in this CS cult briefly 5 years ago, until something didn't feel right while reading through their "Health and Science: Key to the Scriptures" 'bible' they use...which pretty much lead to end times bible prophecies/Christian apologetics, and eventually the KJV and this forum) - nonetheless, I can see something similar playing out with this whole "government shutdown" brewing...while the entire country is focused on the government shutdown potential, they're also potentially going to take their eyes off of Obamacare(and not learning about it). So whatever happens(whether or not the government shuts down), Obamacare is still going to go on, which will take everyone by surprise and leave everyone with no choice.

Pretty much, all Ted Cruz is doing is telling everyone what their itching ears want to hear.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0922/Health-care-reform-could-launch-despite-a-federal-shutdown
9/22/13
Health-care reform could launch despite a federal shutdown

Health-care reform exchanges expect to have access to funds on Oct. 1, when the federal government might shut down if Congress can't find a compromise on spending. The main reason: Health-care reform money to fund the exchanges isn't part of Congress's annual appropriations.


U.S. State officials behind the launch of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform on Oct. 1 say they could weather a federal government shutdown, though the scenario would add new pressure to the political attacks and technical issues that have weighed on the program's introduction.

Several officials running new state-based insurance exchanges that are due to open for enrollment next month said they expected to have access to funds in the case of a shutdown, which if it happens, would also start on Oct. 1, the beginning of the the fiscal year.

But they were unsure of the consequences for the federal agencies they work with, in part because they have not been briefed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency taking the lead in implementing the reform law.

The exchanges are key to the success of "Obamacare," as they aim to help millions of uninsured Americans receive benefits by providing government subsidies to buy insurance.

Officials involved in building the online marketplaces have already warned of technical bumps and glitches in the first few weeks after they go live, contributing to a slow start to enrollment.

Independent experts believe that "the effects of a government shutdown on the implementation of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) are likely to be pretty small," said Paul Van de Water, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington-based non-profit think tank.

The main reason, he said, is that the money flowing to the 16 states and the nation's capital that are running their own ACA exchange is what's called a "permanent appropriation," enshrined in the 2010 healthcare reform law. Because the funds are not subject to annual appropriations, they will continue to be available to states that need to pay employees and contractors and buy equipment and supplies.

What is even less clear is the ability of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to operate a federal data "hub" that underpins both the state-run exchanges and the 34 state exchanges that fall under the purview of the administration.

The possibility of a federal government shutdown became more likely late last week, when congressional Republicans voted to fund the government but not the implementation of Obama's healthcare law.

The Democrat-controlled Senate is unlikely to go along. If the two chambers cannot agree on a spending bill by Sept. 30, it will trigger a government shutdown the next day.

Previous shutdowns, as well as a memo issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last week, shed some light on how another one would affect the rollout of the ACA.

OMB told federal agencies that they could continue to run "entitlement programs, such as social security benefits, for which an indefinite appropriation provides the funding."

During the longest government shutdown, from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan.6, 1996, similar procedure allowed almost all employees of the Social Security Administration to continue working (and get paid), because Social Security "is a permanent program" that does not require annual appropriations from Congress to operate, said Van de Water.

The benefits established under the healthcare reform law, including federal subsidies to help people pay insurance premiums, "are also entitlements provided in permanent law," he said. "Under the OMB memo it seems highly likely that CMS would conclude that the people necessary to carry out the ACA could continue to work."

Federal employees working on Obamacare could therefore keep reporting to their desks even if they are not deemed "essential." OMB defines essential employees as those "providing for the national security," which means the military continues to operate during a government shutdown, or "the safety of life and property," which means people such as meat inspectors, FBI agents and federal prison guards remain on the job.

CMS referred questions about who would work and what ACA-related functions would be affected by a shutdown to OMB. In a statement, OMB spokesman Steven Posner said "agencies are still in the process of reviewing relevant legal requirements and updating their plans. Determinations about specific programs are being actively reviewed as agencies undertake this process."

KEEPING THE HUB OPEN

Another key question concerns how a shutdown would affect Obamacare's core information technology (IT) component, called the federal data services hub.

The hub funnels personal information, such as income, from databases at the Internal Revenue Service, other federal agencies and private data companies back to the state exchanges, indicating whether someone is eligible for federal subsidies to purchase health insurance.

"I have not been provided any information from CMS on whether the hub would operate" in the event of a government shutdown, said Rocky King, executive director of Cover Oregon, that state's Obamacaremarketplace.

That will depend on how CMS interprets OMB's directive in two areas: contractors and information technology.

Contractors led by CGI Group Inc and Quality Software Services Inc have built and will operate much of the information technology (IT) underpinning the exchanges. Even if the data hub is allowed to operate during a government shutdown, "it needs continuous maintenance," said Michael Marchand, spokesman for Washington Health Plan Finder, that state's ACA marketplace.

OMB says that a contractor "may continue to proceed with its work" during a shutdown if the agency it's working for "already obligated funds representing the entire price under a contract" before the shutdown.

"This seems to say that if there is an issued contract, the contractors can keep working," said Van de Water.

CMS declined to say whether the IT contracts for Obamacare meet that criterion.

IT operations are allowed to continue only under limited circumstances, according to the OMB memo. One circumstance is if "their continuation is necessarily implied from a congressional authorization or appropriation of other continued functions."

States running their own Obamacare exchanges are also uncertain about whether their own employees will get paid in the event of a shutdown, and whether they will have access to the federal grants that support their operations. The ambiguity stems from the fact that the grants, totaling tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars, did not come in the form of a lump payment deposited in a state's bank account.

"These are draw-down grants so the money is not in our bank," said Oregon's King, referring to a system in which the federal government deposits funds in accounts that states draw from as expenses are incurred. "No information has been shared with me that we would be prevented from continuing that draw-down, but I just don't know."

Kevin Counihan, chief of Connecticut's Access Health CT exchange, said he should have enough money to operate for about four months in the event of a shutdown. Should the federal data hub not be operational, the state could still accept applications, he said. Officials in Colorado also said their exchange would function, but the state would have to make adjustments if the shutdown was prolonged.

Federal payments to subsidize insurance for eligible buyers - those with incomes less than four times the federal poverty level, or $62,040 for a couple - would not be in jeopardy because they are due just before coverage begins, not when someone enrolls. Anyone buying health insurance by Dec. 15, 2013, is covered as of Jan. 1, 2014.
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« Reply #81 on: September 23, 2013, 12:51:46 pm »

Quote
Filibuster the House CR? Cruz, Other Conservatives Say ‘Yes’ (Updated)

Updated 1:20 p.m. | Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday that Republican senators should, in effect, filibuster the House-passed continuing resolution in the Senate.
The Texas Republican is calling on his colleagues to oppose limiting debate on it, warning against what he calls procedural trickery.
 
“Step two is the Senate, where all accounts suggest Harry Reid plans to use procedural gimmicks to try to add funding back in for Obamacare,” Cruz said. “If Reid pursues this plan — if he insists on using a 50-vote threshold to fund Obamacare with a partisan vote of only Democrats — then I hope that every Senate Republican will stand together and oppose cloture on the bill in order to keep the House bill intact and not let Harry Reid add Obamacare funding back in.”
 
“Now is a time for party unity; Senate Republicans should stand side-by-side with courageous House Republicans,” Cruz said.

dont get your hopes up

Yeah, I think I see where this is going...

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/health-exchange/2013/09/23/most-oppose-obamacare-defund-if-it-means-government-shuts-down-poll/
9/23/13
Most oppose Obamacare defund if it means government shuts down: Poll

A trio of articles indicating Republicans’ attempt to defund President Obama’s health-care overhaul may be futile are headlining health-care news as the week begins, including a survey that says most Americans oppose the defunding effort if it means a government shutdown.

CNBC said Monday that a poll it sponsored of 800 people finds that 59% of those surveyed are opposed to the Republican plan to defund if it means shutting down the government or defaulting on the nation’s debt. Another 19% are in favor of a government shutdown and 18% say they are unsure.

The survey, conducted by Hart-McInturff, also finds that a plurality of Americans are opposed to defunding Obamacare in general: with 44% compared to 38% in favor. CNBC’s poll also found that men are split on defunding in general, with 43% in favor and 42% opposed. But if defunding means a government shutdown, 56% are opposed to defunding while 14% are in favor. Women oppose defunding under any circumstance, 47% to 33%.

Republicans support defunding in general 51% to 36%, but also are opposed if it means a shutdown, by a 48%-36% margin. Independents oppose defunding in general 44% to 40%, but the percent of those opposed to defunding jumps to 65% if a shutdown is to occur, compared with 14% in favor.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News is pointing out that even if there were to be a government shutdown, Obamacare would continue to be funded. An article from the business news service says that the law relies mostly on mandatory spending that can’t be stopped, putting it in the same category as Medicare and Social Security.

And the Washington Post says that, in a sign of concession, some Obamacare opponents are instead trying to reshape the law rather than repeal it.

“Why shoot for the moon?” the Post quotes Randel Johnson, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as saying. The chamber has been a vocal critic of the law and Washington’s biggest spender on lobbying.

“There may be five or six things we can get done — those are the ones we’re going to focus on,” Johnson went on to say.
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« Reply #82 on: September 23, 2013, 09:46:34 pm »

Apparently, this has been in the works for AWHILE now!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-27/do-republicans-really-want-universal-health-care-.html
6/27/12
Do Republicans Really Want Universal Health Care?

In 2007, Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina sent a letter to President George W. Bush.

DeMint said he would like to work with Bush to pass legislation that would “ensure that all Americans would have affordable, quality, private health coverage, while protecting current government programs. We believe the health care system cannot be fixed without providing solutions for everyone. Otherwise, the costs of those without insurance will continue to be shifted to those who do have coverage.”

Read that closely. DeMint does not say he wants legislation that would ensure all Americans have “access” to coverage -- the standard rhetorical dodge of politicians who don’t want to oppose universal coverage, but also don’t want to do what’s necessary to achieve it. He says that he wants legislation that ensures all American actually have coverage. He says that without making sure every American has coverage, “the health care system cannot be fixed.” For good measure, DeMint wants to achieve this “while protecting current government programs.”

DeMint was not alone. Signatories to the letter included Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell, Kent Conrad, Herb Kohl, Ken Salazar and Ron Wyden, and Republican Senators Robert Bennett, Mike Crapo, Trent Lott and John Thune. But it’s DeMint’s involvement that seems, in retrospect, most remarkable.

Conservative Champion

DeMint is arguably the Senate’s most conservative member, and he’s inarguably the chamber’s most aggressive champion of the Tea Party. He’s the guy, in fact, who has been helping the Tea Party knock off Republican incumbents for being insufficiently conservative. Yet in the letter to Bush, DeMint sounds like Barack Obama. That letter wasn’t an isolated incident. DeMint also endorsed Mitt Romney for president in 2007, telling National Review that Romney “has demonstrated, when he stepped into government in a very difficult state, that he could work in a difficult partisan environment, take some good conservative ideas, like private health insurance, and apply them to the need to have everyone insured.

Whatever the fallout from the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, the two parties have clearly laid out their health-care platforms for 2012. The Democrats’ commitment is to provide every American with health insurance. The Republican Party’s commitment is to prevent any American from being forced to have health insurance.

It wasn’t always this way. Democrats and Republicans used to argue over how best to achieve universal coverage, but both agreed on the goal. The first president to propose a serious universal health-care plan was Harry Truman, a Democrat. The second was Richard Nixon, a Republican. In the 1990s, when President Bill Clinton was arguing for a national health-care system based on an employer mandate, Republicans were arguing for one based on an individual mandate.

In the 2000s, Romney used the individual mandate to make Massachusetts the first state to actually achieve near-universal coverage. On the national level, Republicans as diverse as Newt Gingrich, Lamar Alexander and Lott joined him. Republicans sometimes like to present their support for the individual mandate as a youthful indiscretion, but as late as June 2009, Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, was telling Fox News that “there is a bipartisan consensus to have an individual mandate.”

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« Reply #83 on: September 24, 2013, 01:08:55 pm »

Filibuster the House CR? Cruz, Other Conservatives Say ‘Yes’ (Updated)

Updated 1:20 p.m. | Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday that Republican senators should, in effect, filibuster the House-passed continuing resolution in the Senate.
 
The Texas Republican is calling on his colleagues to oppose limiting debate on it, warning against what he calls procedural trickery.
 
“Step two is the Senate, where all accounts suggest Harry Reid plans to use procedural gimmicks to try to add funding back in for Obamacare,” Cruz said. “If Reid pursues this plan — if he insists on using a 50-vote threshold to fund Obamacare with a partisan vote of only Democrats — then I hope that every Senate Republican will stand together and oppose cloture on the bill in order to keep the House bill intact and not let Harry Reid add Obamacare funding back in.”
 
“Now is a time for party unity; Senate Republicans should stand side-by-side with courageous House Republicans,” Cruz said.

dont get your hopes up
 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, dismisses Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strategy on defunding Obamacare - @CNN

3 House Republicans propose legislation that requires federal healthcare officials to sign up for Obamacare - @thehill

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to vote for House-passed bill that defunds Obamacare, breaks with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strategy - @KellyO


Cruz Loses Support for Anti-Obamacare Tactic

U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz speaks to a cheerful crowd after he defeated Republican rival, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff election for ...
http://swampland.time.com/2013/09/24/cruz-loses-support-for-anti-obamacare-tactic/

Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn won’t back Ted Cruz Obamacare tactic

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will not join an effort in the Senate to block a House-passed spending bill that defunds Obamacare, a spokesman for McConnell said Monday.
 
“Sen. McConnell supports the House Republicans’ bill and will not vote to block it, since it defunds Obamacare and funds the government without increasing spending by a penny. He will also vote against any amendment that attempts to add Obamacare funding back into the House Republicans’ bill,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for the Republican senator.

The statement represents a divergence from the approach favored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), who want Republicans to oppose a procedural vote on the House bill before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to strip out the Obamacare defunding provision by a majority vote.
 
“If and when the majority leader goes down that path, Washington Democrats will have to decide — without hiding behind a procedural vote — whether or not to split with their leadership and join Republicans and their constituents in opposing the re-insertion of Obamacare funding into the House-passed bill,” Stewart added.
 
A spokeswoman for McConnell’s top lieutenant, Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, said that Cornyn too will break with Cruz and Lee.
 
“Sen. Cornyn will not block a bill that defunds Obamacare,” the spokeswoman said.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/mitch-mcconnell-john-cornyn-ted-cruz-obamacare-97228.html#ixzz2fppNri6v
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« Reply #84 on: September 24, 2013, 01:13:04 pm »

Quote
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, dismisses Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strategy on defunding Obamacare - @CNN

3 House Republicans propose legislation that requires federal healthcare officials to sign up for Obamacare - @thehill

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to vote for House-passed bill that defunds Obamacare, breaks with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strategy - @KellyO

Cruz Loses Support for Anti-Obamacare Tactic

I hate to say this, but when the USSC made their ruling in late June of last year, Obamacare became set in stone - Pt being that who do these people think they are trying to fool?

For years and years and years, even the GOP establishment was pushing for some kind of government-runned health care system, and they had no problems with Mitt Romney's universal health care plan in MA.
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« Reply #85 on: September 24, 2013, 02:02:08 pm »

It's just vain men exhalting themselves when they have opportunity so they can crow, "Look at me and what I did for you". They expect something in return for their "charity".
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« Reply #86 on: September 25, 2013, 11:01:53 am »

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303983904579091522214378410.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
Health-Law Implementation to Vary by State

As 'Obamacare' Kicks In, Americans' Experiences Are Set to Diverge Depending on Where They Live

9/22/13

There is just one federal health law, but the way Americans experience the debut of its main provisions on Oct. 1 will vary widely depending on where they live.

Every state, whether it supports the law or not, will have a health-insurance exchange where people will shop for coverage—the health overhaul's centerpiece.

But some states are running their own exchanges, while others are letting the federal government handle that task. Some are pushing ahead with the biggest expansion of Medicaid—the federal-state program for the poor—since its creation in the 1960s. Others aren't extending local eligibility rules for Medicaid. Some are giving generous funds to "navigators" who are supposed to help people sign up. Elsewhere, navigators face restrictions.

"Your prices, your consumer experience will differ dramatically across states or even regions in states," said Joel Ario, managing director at Manatt Health Solutions, a New York-based health-care consulting practice. Rural areas will likely have fewer insurer choices than urban areas, where insurers are competing more vigorously for new customers.

The divergences could make it harder to judge the law's success, at least initially. With the health law, President Barack Obama envisioned expanding medical coverage for most of the 48 million people who currently don't have it and placed confidence in governments to run the system smoothly. Critics called his plan a government takeover of health care that would result in bureaucracy run amok and higher costs. After coverage begins Jan. 1, gauging which of those scenarios will be closer to the truth could vary depending on the conditions in each area.

In general, the states that declined to run their own exchanges are the ones where conservative legislators and voters have been most hostile to "Obamacare." Many of those states also have had historically tight eligibility for Medicaid and are generally declining to expand it now. And they are also the states most likely to have added restrictions on navigators.

Not all the differences fall along a red state-blue state divide. Both Kentucky and Missouri voted against Mr. Obama, but Kentucky is running its own exchange and using state employees to encourage enrollment, while Missouri is relying on the federal government's exchange and barring state employees from helping.

The price of insurance policies available on the exchanges varies by area—and just as importantly, the perception of the prices is likely to be different. Some states have long had tight restrictions on the kind of policies that can be sold to individuals and small businesses, resulting in relatively higher prices. People in those states aren't likely to see big premium jumps. In states that left insurers with a freer hand, some people face greater price increases.

In Atlanta, before Georgia's new federally run health exchange kicks off, the cheapest plan available now has a monthly base rate of $43 for a healthy 30-year-old male nonsmoker, reflecting the state's light regulation. The median plan starts at $108 a month, according to a federal database of plans. Next year, that same customer will likely have to pay at least $188 a month, although some lower-income people could get subsidies toward premium costs.

Under the new system, insurers must accept all comers and can't charge sick people more. Currently, insurers in some states are allowed to offer healthy people skimpy plans with low rates, but those will go away when new federal requirements kick in this fall.

"I was always skeptical of Obamacare," Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, a Republican, said in a statement. "But I never imagined that it would lead to rates being doubled or tripled. Increases of this magnitude will make coverage less affordable and increase the number of uninsured in Georgia." Nationwide, people who forgo coverage next year face a fine of at least $95.

By contrast, health insurance has long cost more in New York, in part because the state has barred insurers from rejecting customers over pre-existing conditions. In the new health exchanges, the lowest-cost plan for a person living in Albany, regardless of age or tobacco usage, will be $237 a month, according to the state insurance regulator.

"These plans and rates deliver on the promise that the exchange will offer quality health insurance coverage at a price that works for New Yorkers," said the executive director of the New York Health Benefit Exchange, Donna Frescatore, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
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« Reply #87 on: September 25, 2013, 11:12:59 am »

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-23/doctors-brace-for-health-law-s-surge-of-ailing-patients.html
9/22/13
Doctors Brace for Health Law’s Surge of Ailing Patients

Holy Cross Hospital’s health center in Aspen Hill, Maryland, is bracing for more business.

The center treats the uninsured, and has been busy since it opened in 2012 with a waiting list of more than 400 people at its clinic. Now, as a result of the U.S. Affordable Care Act, it’s mulling adding staff and hours in anticipation of next year’s rush of newly-insured patients, many with chronic medical conditions that have gone untreated for years.

Poorly controlled diabetes can cause stroke, kidney failure and blindness. Undiagnosed cancer can translate into complex end-of-life care, and untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks. In effect, the 2010 health law’s biggest promise becomes its most formidable challenge: unprecedented access to care for a needy population when the nation is already grappling with overtaxed emergency rooms and a shortage of physicians.

“When you’re getting people that haven’t had insurance, they have significant health issues,” said Kevin Sexton, president and chief executive officer of Holy Cross Health, in a telephone interview. “A lot of people need these services.”

About 25 million Americans are expected to gain coverage under the health law, commonly known as Obamacare. Starting Oct. 1, as many as 7 million uninsured Americans will begin shopping for private plans through government-run exchanges, with many people eligible to have their premiums subsidized by taxpayers. On Jan. 1, Medicaid programs for low-income people will be expanded in about half the U.S. states.

Strained System

The increase in newly insured patients arrives at a time when the nation has 15,230 fewer primary-care doctors than it needs, according to an Aug. 28 assessment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And emergency rooms report being strained with visits that have risen at twice the rate of population growth.

“It’s like we’re handing out bus tickets and the bus is already full,” said Perry Pugno, vice president for medical education at the American Academy of Family Physicians, by telephone. “The shortfall of primary-care access is not an insignificant problem, and it’s going to get worse.”

Almost half of all uninsured, non-elderly adults had a chronic condition, based on a 2005 report by the Urban Institute and the University of Maryland. One in six with hypertension reported no visits to health professionals in a year.

Most who come to Holy Cross’s health center now lack insurance, and have lived for years with serious ailments, according to Elise Riley, the center’s medical director. “It’s frustrating to see diseases that could have been prevented,” she said in an interview in her office.

More demand may lead to months-long waits to see doctors, delays in finding specialists, and strains on hospitals and outpatient clinics, others said.

Patient Access

Ensuring patient access is critical to the Affordable Care Act’s success: if the newly insured swamp the medical system, it could hand critics pushing to derail the law another argument to fray public support. Sara Rosenbaum, a health-law professor at George Washington University in Washington, said she doesn’t believe it’s going to happen.

“It’s going to be a slow ramp up,” Rosenbaum said in a telephone interview. “It’s not like seven million people will get insurance at once. They’re not going to all come racing in the door.”

While that number of new patients can be debated, the status of those who do come in the door is not.

Patients who have had gaps in health insurance were more likely to have not gone to a doctor when sick or to have skipped getting prescriptions, according to an April 2013 report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based foundation that works for health-care access. The uninsured were less likely to be up-to-date on recommended cholesterol, blood pressure, colon cancer screenings and mammograms.

Massachusetts Overhaul

Massachusetts pioneered health reform in 2006 when it enacted near universal coverage under then governor Mitt Romney. Community health centers and hospitals that care for a larger share of lower-income residents saw a 12 percent jump in patient volume from 2009 to 2010, with almost 100,000 more visits to safety net hospitals during that time, according to a 2012 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

David Longworth, chairman of the Medicine Institute at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, was working in Massachusetts when the state passed near universal health coverage.

“Practices closed and patients would wait for eight to nine months to get in,” Longworth said by telephone. “We overwhelmed the primary care health system.”

In cities such as Lawrence, Massachusetts, a former textile city that has long been home to a large immigrant community, doctors have coped with rising volume.


Patient Surplus

The Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, which provides primary care and other medical services to a largely low-income patient population, saw an uptick in patients, said Joseph Gravel, chief medical officer and residency program director.

“When you look at the experience in Massachusetts, it’s going to be bumpy” when Obamacare rolls out, Gravel said in a telephone interview.

The percentage of family doctors in the state accepting new patients has dropped 19 percent in the past seven years and the percentage of internists accepting new patients has fallen 21 percent over nine years, according to a July report by the Massachusetts Medical Society, an advocacy group for patients and physicians. Only about half of family doctors were accepting new patients this year.

The Cleveland Clinic predicts as many as 90,000 new patients in northeast Ohio if everyone signs up for coverage. The health system is working to ramp up its primary care practices in anticipation.

Exciting Challenge

At Grady Health System in Atlanta, more patients are expected, especially at its six outpatient centers. San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center in California has some expanded hours its 19 primary care centers. The centers are located in the hospital and out in the community.

“We anticipate an increase in primary care and specialty,” Chief Executive Officer Sue Currin said.

On a recent Friday morning at the Holy Cross clinic in Aspen Hill, Riley donned a white coat and prepared to see patients. While there may be more patients under reform, Riley said an increase in business will be welcome.

“I’ve very excited,” Riley said. “I’ve been dealing with uninsured patients for a long time. If they get coverage, we can prevent a lot of problems.”
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« Reply #88 on: September 25, 2013, 11:18:07 am »

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/09/22/ala-residents-wont-get-any-details-about-obamacare-plans-before-insurance-options-go-online-oct-1/
9/22/13
Ala. Residents Won’t Get Any Details About ‘Obamacare’ Plans Before Insurance Options Go Online Oct. 1

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabamians hoping to find health insurance through a new federally developed insurance marketplace won’t get any details before October, when the insurance options are scheduled to go online.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports it is working on completing the list of health insurance plans that will be made public Oct. 1, when people can begin signing up for coverage that will start Jan. 1. That gives the uninsured a three-month window to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for individuals to have health insurance by Jan. 1 or face penalties at tax time in April.

“It’s frustrating that we are not going to be able to get a preview,” said Jim Carnes, spokesman for Alabama Arise, a Montgomery-based organization that addresses issues affecting Alabama’s poor. Because of that, Carnes predicts a slow start to people signing up.

The Affordable Care Act calls for each state to have an insurance marketplace, either run by the state government or federal government, to help the uninsured find coverage. The federal government is creating the marketplace in Alabama because Gov. Robert Bentley is an opponent of the federal law and opted for Alabama not to participate. The marketplace is also referred to as an exchange.

The state Department of Insurance announced in May that the federal government had asked it to review plans submitted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and United Healthcare to cover people statewide and by Humana to cover 50 of Alabama’s 67 counties.

Blue Cross spokeswoman Koko Mackin said the company’s products have received federal approval.

United Healthcare spokesman Tyler Mason and Humana’s Mitch Lubitz said the companies are awaiting final word.

The companies aren’t giving any previews of their plans before the federal government discloses details Oct. 1.

The Census Bureau says one in eight Alabamians younger than 65, or 13.3 percent, lacked health insurance in 2012. The Department of Health and Human Services recently estimated 642,738 Alabamians were uninsured and would be eligible to buy coverage in the insurance marketplace.

To help people navigate the new offerings, the Department of Health and Human Services is providing more than $3 million to pay for assistance from Alabama organizations and health centers that serve the poor.

Alabama’s attorney general, who has fought the Affordable Care Act, is warning consumers to be on guard about the privacy of information they supply. “The various groups and agencies involved in Obamacare will have significant access to consumers’ personal information. Yet HHS rules do not make clear provisions to protect the privacy of such information,” Attorney General Luther Strange said in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Helen Sebelius.

Sebelius and others in the Obama administration began a high-level effort Wednesday to reassure Americans about the privacy and security of the information submitted under the Affordable Care Act.

John Pickens, executive director of the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice in Montgomery, said it’s critical for uninsured Alabamians to go to the new website (http://www.healthcare.gov) to look at the options in the Alabama marketplace. He said they can also plug in financial information that will tell them if they qualify for subsidies available for people with incomes less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four that is $94,200.

He said small businesses with fewer than 25 employees should also check out the website because they can get tax credits by purchasing employee coverage through the marketplace.

“This is a historic time as it is the first time that no American will be turned down for health insurance because of a pre-existing health condition,” he said.
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« Reply #89 on: September 25, 2013, 01:14:39 pm »

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when the nation is already grappling with overtaxed emergency rooms and a shortage of physicians.

Uh, the medical schools, hospitals, and the government are to blame for that!

The very high-minded medical school system is and always has been the reason doctors are in short supply, if that is in fact true. I also think the government system is to blame for putting too much on doctors to learn, thus it severely restricts who can manage to learn how to be a doctor. Many procedures don't need a doctor, but a trained technician. Not even a Physicians Assistant (PA). With the supervision of a doctor, there is no reason a nurse cannot sew up minor wounds, etc. with just a little bit of hands-on training. My wife has managed to learn wound care to the point she surprises doctors with what she knows how to do, and she's just a Medical Assistant (in most states, that's equivalent to one step below a LPN). So effectively, regulations has caused excessive restrictions, which in turn puts more burden on doctors. Ultimately, it's another reason that causes prices to skyrocket for patients in the end.

Hospitals are to blame because they won't hire outside their "budget". Corporate boards won't allow it because they are in it for profit, not charity. They are driven mad with the determination to "keep costs down" and "increase profit margin".

True, a hospital has only so many beds they designed into the hospital emergency room. So at times, it's going to get crowded, but that doesn't excuse the excessive waits overall, yet hospital staff use that as an excuse all the time. When the reality is that there is an indifference settled into these people, I believe because of no faith in Jesus, and so they treat patients like cattle. "We'll see if we can't get you something for the pain" is basically code for "Your in for a LONG wait pal, so deal with it".

It's as if they have the attitude that if the patient isn't coding and is stable, they are fine and get in no hurry to treat them, regardless of the pain and discomfort the patient is feeling. It's easy for them to say to lay there on your back for the next 2 days, you cannot get up, blah, blah, blah. They lose touch with what patients have to endure. It's an emotional disconnect that they are taught, so their relationship with a patient "doesn't get personal". They don't want personnel to "get too close" to the patient.
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