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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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christistruth
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« Reply #360 on: February 24, 2016, 05:12:49 pm »

http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/02/19/donald-trump-says-supports-obamacare-mandate/
2/19/16
Donald Trump Says He Supports the ObamaCare Mandate

Last night Donald Trump was on CNN with Anderson Cooper. The subject of health care came up. Naturally it resulted in a dumpster fire of nitwit-ish blather from Trump and cowed silence from Anderson Cooper.


TRANSCRIPT

COOPER: If Obamacare is repealed and there’s no mandate for everybody to have insurance what’s to… and why would insurance company not have a pre-existing insure somebody…

TRUMP: I like tne mandate. Okay, so here’s how I’m a little bit different. I don’t want people dying on the streets and I say this all the time. And I say this… Look I did five speeches maybe six speeches today we had a lot of rallies with thousands and thousands of people. I mean we get big crowds. Everytime I talk about this I get standing ovations. The Republican people, they’re wonderful people, they don’t want people dying on the streets. Sometimes they say, “Donald Trump wants single-payer.” Because there is a group of people, as good as these plans are, and by the way your insurance will go way down you’ll have better players, you’ll get your own doctor

COOPER: Which…

TRUMP: Obama lied. Remember this…

COOPER: A person with a pre-existing condition should be able to get insurance?

TRUMP: Yes. Obama lied when he said you’re gonna keep your plan, you get to keep your doctor. I was a pure lie. Frankly many democrats went along only because they believed him. He lied twenty-eight times. Twenty-eight times he said it. Twenty-eight times. If that were in the private sector you be sued for fraud. Okay? He lied to get the plan through. He got it through and it’s turned out to be a disaster. The wrong people are buying it. You know what’s happening. It’s dead. It’s gonna… Look, ObamaCare is dead. It’s gonna be repealed, gonna be replaced. But I will say this, Anderson, if we don’t do something quickly you can have a health care problem that you… like you’ve never seen before in this country. Now the new plan is good, it’s going to be inexpensive, it’s going to be much better for the people. But there’s gonna be a group of people at the bottom people that haven’t done well, people that don’t have any money that won’t be able to be taken care of. We’re gonna take care of them through maybe concepts of medicare. We have hospitals that aren’t doing well. We have doctors aren’t doing well. You cannot let people die on the street, okay? Now some people would say “that’s not a very Republican thing to say.” Every time I say this at a rally, or even today I said it, once again a standing ovation, I said, you know, the problem is everybody thinks that you people as Republicans hate the concept of taking care of people that are really, really sick and are gonna die. And that’s not single-payer, by the way, that’s called “heart.” We’ve gotta take care of people that can’t take care of themselves. But the plans will be much less expensive than Obamacare, they’ll be far better than Obamacare, you’ll get your doctor you get everything you want to get, it’ll be unbelievable. [Italics are mine, read this a couple of times.] But you’ve got to get rid of the lines. You’ve got to have competition. those people that are left, we gotta help them live and everybody likes it when I say it, and that includes Republicans and it’s not single-payer.

It is hard to get any further from the mainstream of conservative and Republican philosophy or the national mood than supporting the ObamaCare mandate. How the ObamaCare mandate, which rather requires you to have a job in order to pay the premiums, keeps anyone from “dying on the street” is a mystery. Likewise, the existence of a plan predicated on killing off the sick and vulnerable by neglect is new to me.

There are a few takeaways from this. First and foremost, Trump doesn’t have a freakin clue as to what he’s talking about. What he’s obviously done is extract a few focus group tested themes, like “dying on the street,” and “get rid of the lines,” and he simply says these over and over with connecting verbiage. The plan Trump refers to, the one that apparently suspends the idea of supply and demand and guarantees everyone a free lunch, simply does not exist. In the tech field it is a concept known as vaporware.

Trump is in favor of an ObamaCare that is more efficient. His support for the ObamaCare mandate should unsettle anyone who thinks they are not voting for an old style populist Democrat. This willingness to use the coercive power of the state to achieve an end is reminiscent of the experience of the widow in Atlantic City whose house Trump tried to take.


Indeed, Obamacare’s individual mandate is not only coercive but unconstitutional. Obama’s congressional allies claimed that passing it was a valid exercise of their authority to regulate interstate commerce, but the mandate was rejected as unconstitutional on those grounds by the Supreme Court—with Justice Scalia in the majority on this question—because in truth it was an effort to compel commerce, not regulate it. The mandate was rescued only because five of the Court’s nine justices decided that it could plausibly be reinterpreted as a constitutionally permissible “tax”—even though Obama had insisted all along that it wasn’t a tax, and even though the legislative text declares it to be an “individual responsibility requirement” paired with a “penalty” for noncompliance.

In fact, his support of the individual mandate makes him a fan of Chief Justice John Roberts which is in contrast to his criticism of Ted Cruz supporting Roberts’s nomination while he was Texas Solicitor General.

The other thing to notice is that Anderson Cooper follows Joe Scarborough’s lead during this interview. He asks one question, about pre-existing conditions and coverage for them, and accepts “Yes” as an answer. Can you imagine any other candidate, other than Hillary Clinton, getting away with this? What this election season is showing is that television networks with a small audience are prone to tossing any pretense at journalism aside when covering someone whom they perceive will increase that audience.


First they decide what's a human and what's a "fetus", then they decide what marriage should be, then they want to run your healthcare, later they will want to worship their religion, the religion of the antichrist.
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« Reply #361 on: April 19, 2016, 06:07:13 pm »

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/unitedhealth-flees-obamacare-after-posting-1-billion-in-losses/

UnitedHealth Flees Sinking Obamacare After Posting $1 Billion In Losses

CEO Stephen Hemsley says his company UnitedHealth “cannot continue to broadly serve the market created by the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion due partly to the higher risk that comes with its customers,” as reported by the Associated Press.

4/19/16

UnitedHealth, America’s largest health insurance provider, says it will exit from most ObamaCare exchanges next year, citing more than $1 billion in losses.

CEO Stephen Hemsley says his company “cannot continue to broadly serve the market created by the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion due partly to the higher risk that comes with its customers,” as reported by the Associated Press.

The announcement came after UnitedHealth revised its projection for 2016 to $650 million in losses, up from a previous estimate of $525 million, after ending 2015 some $475 million in the red.

As the AP tells it, UnitedHealth had “second thoughts” almost immediately after announcing it would expand participation from four state exchanges to 34.

As of last November, the company was debating a complete exit from all ObamaCare exchanges, but has apparently decided to remain active in a “handful” of states, which Hemsley did not specify in his conference call to report company earnings. It has already been announced that the company was pulling out of Arkansas, Georgia, and Michigan.

The Washington Post cites a Kaiser Family Foundation study that estimated about 1.1 million ObamaCare customers would be left with a single insurance provider to “choose” from, if UnitedHealth withdrew from every ACA exchange. According to this analysis, “the impact could be significant in some areas, particularly in rural areas in Southern states.”

The Associated Press notes that some other big insurance players, such as Aetna, have reported heavy losses from the ACA exchanges, and are expected to “trim their exchange participation in 2017.”

“A dozen nonprofit health insurance cooperatives created by the ACA to sell coverage on the exchanges have already folded, and the survivors all lost millions last year,” the AP adds.

The Hill relates Obama Administration efforts to spin the UnitedHealth disaster by arguing that despite its status as the nation’s largest insurance provider, and its expansion to 34 states, it was a “fairly small player on the ObamaCare marketplaces.”

However, The Hill acknowledged that some of the much larger players, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, “have also raised the prospect of dropping off the marketplaces.”

Some of these providers have made it clear that only substantial premium increases – which taxpayers will be looted without mercy to subsidize, so ObamaCare enrollees don’t panic and drop their coverage – will keep them in the program.

The AP also reports that the Administration is planning to rewrite the Affordable Care Act yet again, presumably through regulatory fiat or executive orders, to make it harder for customers to “sign up for coverage outside regular enrollment windows and then dump expensive claims on their books.” UnitedHealth evidently didn’t want to stay in the game for another year to see how that new adventure in hyper-regulation worked out.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a statement yesterday declaring its “full confidence” that the ObamaCare marketplaces “will continue to thrive for years ahead.”

UnitedHealth, at any rate, will thrive now that it’s casting aside the ObamaCare albatross. The rest of Hemsley’s earnings call was upbeat, with Forbes reporting first-quarter earnings that “overshadowed its retreat from public exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.” The AP adds that UnitedHealth shares jumped 2.2 percent in morning trading.

In other words: a gigantic health insurance company that is turning a handsome profit in its other product lines decided to drop its relatively small ObamaCare business, because it was losing far too much money to sustain, and investors rejoiced at the news.

The greatest walking-dead public policy disaster of the modern age shambles along, waiting for a few more big insurance providers to shoot it in the head, and put it down for good.

Update: Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) swiftly responded to the UnitedHealth announcement: “This isn’t about spreadsheets and quarterly reports – it’s about the President’s broken promise that families would have more choices under ObamaCare. This year, in 36 percent of the nation’s counties, families could pick between only one or two insurers on the exchange and, given today’s news, next year looks like it could be even worse.” source
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« Reply #362 on: June 15, 2016, 05:30:33 pm »

New evidence of rising 'Obamacare' premiums

Premiums for popular low-cost medical plans under the federal health care law are expected to go up an average of 11 percent next year, said a study that reinforced reports of sharp increases around the country in election season.

For consumers, the impact will depend on whether they get government subsidies for their premiums, as well as on their own willingness to switch plans to keep the increases more manageable, said the analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

The full picture on 2017 premiums will emerge later this summer as the presidential election heads into the home stretch. The health law's next sign-up season starts a week before Election Day. Democrat Hillary Clinton wants to build on President Barack Obama's health overhaul, which has reduced the uninsured rate to a historically low 9 percent. Republican Donald Trump wants to repeal it.

The Kaiser study looked at 14 metro areas for which complete data on insurer premium requests is already available. It found that premiums for a level of insurance called the "lowest-cost silver plan" will go up in 12 of the areas, while decreasing in two. The changes range from a decrease of 14 percent in Providence, Rhode Island, to an increase of 26 percent in Portland, Oregon.

Half of the cities will see increases of 10 percent or more. Last year, only two of the cities had double-digit increases.

"Premiums are going up faster in 2017 than they have in past years," said Cynthia Cox, lead author of the analysis.

Among the cities studied, the monthly premium for a 40-year-old nonsmoker in 2017 will range from $192 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to $482 in Burlington, Vermont.

Final rates may change if regulators push back on the requests from insurers. The foundation plans to analyze major cities in all states as more data becomes available.

Most workers and their families are covered by employers, but about 12 million people get private coverage through HealthCare.gov and online insurance markets run by states. Nearly 7 in 10 pick silver plans, a mid-tier option that allows consumers with low to modest incomes to also get financial help with out-of-pocket costs when they receive medical care.

Income-based premium subsidies designed to keep pace with costs will cushion the impact for many. But not all consumers get help. About 2 million marketplace customers make too much to qualify for the subsidies. And an estimated 3 million to 5 million people who buy their policies outside of markets like HealthCare.gov do not receive financial assistance.

For both the subsidized and the unsubsidized, willingness to switch plans and insurers may be crucial in keeping premiums more manageable next year.

The lowest-cost silver plan in a community often changes from year to year, and Cox said the estimated 11 percent increase is based on an assumption that consumers will switch.

"If they stay in their same plan they may see a higher premium increase," she said.

The premium increases come after major insurers reported significant losses on their health-care business. Enrollment was lower than hoped for, new customers were sicker than expected, and the government's system to help stabilize the markets had problems.

Medicare and Medicaid administrator Andy Slavitt, whose agency also oversees the health law, said in a speech last week that the health insurance markets are still in an early trial-and-error stage. He estimated that could go on for another couple of years, or well into the next president's term.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2e1d5fe5385d461f9db65e1faa47cc61/report-new-evidence-rising-obamacare-premiums
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« Reply #363 on: June 22, 2016, 06:27:42 pm »

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/obama-administration-forces-california-churches-pay-abortions-via-obamacare/

Obama Administration Forces California Churches To Pay For Abortions Via Obamacare

The troubling situation began in 2014 when the California Department of Managed Health Care reclassified abortion as a “basic health service” under the Affordable Care Act and ordered all insurance plans in the state to begin covering surgical abortions immediately.Even churches are not exempt from funding abortions.


Churches in California are officially subject to an onerous state regulation that requires them to pay for abortions, thanks to a ruling by the Obama administration.

The troubling situation began in 2014 when the California Department of Managed Health Care reclassified abortion as a “basic health service” under the Affordable Care Act and ordered all insurance plans in the state to begin covering surgical abortions immediately.Even churches are not exempt from funding abortions.

The churches filed a lawsuit against the regulation last October, and it has been moving through the courts.

President Obama 2009 Address to Congress: ‘No Federal Dollars Will Be Used to Fund Abortions’

They also asked the Obama administration to uphold the Weldon Amendment — federal law that protects conscience rights. But, today, the HHS Office of Civil Rights released the results of its investigation into the California abortion mandate, stating it found no violation and is closing its investigation of the complaints without further action.

OCR’s decision is based on a flawed reading of the Weldon amendment.  They argue that the Weldon amendment only protects health insurance plans, and not the purchasers of such plans, and state that the insurance companies have not complained.  To say that a previously existing plan that excluded abortion must be discontinued is discriminatory against the life-affirming abortion-free plan.  Whether the insurance company objects or not, the mandate is discriminatory.

Furthermore, OCR states that the insurance companies do not hold a religious or moral objection to covering abortion.  The Weldon amendment is not limited to religious or moral objections.  It is not even based on an objection being raised.  It simply states no funds may be made available to a government that subjects a health care entity (health plan in this case) to discrimination on the basis that the entity “does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortion.”

Pro-life leaders in Congress are furious with the Obama administration.

“Nearly two years after California imposed its draconian mandate that requires all insurance companies to pay for abortion the Obama Administration has reached a new low — reinterpreting the Weldon amendment to allow the mandate to continue,” said Rep. Chris Smith, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus in comments to LifeNews.com. “This means that Californians, including churches, will continue to be forced to pay for elective abortions in their insurance plans.”

Smith continued, “The Weldon amendment – named for the Florida Congressman Dave Weldon who authored it – has been renewed and signed into law annually, including by President Obama. The Weldon Amendment protects against state-imposed abortion mandates. But Obama’s Administration has again shown blatant disregard for the rule of law. This decision illustrates the far reaches of Obama’s radical pro-abortion ideology – forcing churches and communities of faith that have pro-life convictions to participate in and pay for a practice that dismembers and chemically poisons unborn children.

“Congress must not let this discrimination stand. We must take this issue out of the hands of the Obama Administration by moving enforcement of current conscience protections to the courts. Congress needs to enact legislation so churches and other victims have a “private right of action” so they can have their day in court.”

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Casey Mattox also commented on the Obama administration’s decision in an email to LifeNews. he said:

“The Obama Administration is once again making a mockery of the law, and this time in the most unimaginable way. Churches should never be forced to cover elective abortion in their insurance plans, and for ten years the Weldon Amendment has protected the right to have plans that do not include coverage for abortion-on-demand. But the state of California has ordered every insurer, even those insuring churches, to cover elective abortions in blatant violation of the law. The Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce this law continues its pattern of enforcing laws it wants to enforce, refusing to enforce others, and inventing new interpretations of others out of whole cloth. We will continue to defend churches from this clear violation of the First Amendment and federal law and call on Congress to hold the Department of Health and Human Services accountable.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing three churches in the case Foothill Church v. Rouillard, will ask a federal court to allow the lawsuit against California to proceed.

The lawsuit is on behalf of Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, according to ADF. In 2014, ADF and Life Legal Defense Foundation filed formal complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services against DMHC regarding California’s mandate and its violation of federal conscience law. Those came on the heels of a complaint filed directly with DMHC, which responded by affirming its decision to force all plans to cover all abortions without any explanation as to how that decision squares with the Constitution and contrasting federal law. source
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« Reply #364 on: June 30, 2016, 12:02:02 pm »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/obamacare-insurers-are-looking-for-a-taxpayer-bailout/ar-AAhO76S?li=AA4Zjn&ocid=spartandhp
Obamacare insurers are looking for a taxpayer bailout
6/30/16

Insurers helped cheerlead the creation of Obamacare, with plenty of encouragement – and pressure – from Democrats and the Obama administration. As long as the Affordable Care Act included an individual mandate that required Americans to buy its product, insurers offered political cover for the government takeover of the individual-plan marketplaces. With the prospect of tens of millions of new customers forced into the market for comprehensive health-insurance plans, whether they needed that coverage or not, underwriters saw potential for a massive windfall of profits.

Six years later, those dreams have failed to materialize. Now some insurers want taxpayers to provide them the profits to which they feel entitled -- not through superior products and services but through lawsuits.

Earlier this month, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina joined a growing list of insurers suing the Department of Health and Human Services for more subsidies from the risk-corridor program. Congress set up the program to indemnify insurers who took losses in the first three years of Obamacare with funds generated from taxes on “excess profits” from some insurers. The point of the program was to allow insurers to use the first few years to grasp the utilization cycle and to scale premiums accordingly.

As with most of the ACA’s plans, this soon went awry. Utilization rates went off the charts, in large part because younger and healthier consumers balked at buying comprehensive coverage with deductibles so high as to guarantee that they would see no benefit from them. The predicted large windfall from “excess profit” taxes never materialized, but the losses requiring indemnification went far beyond expectations.

In response, HHS started shifting funds appropriated by Congress to the risk-corridor program, which would have resulted in an almost-unlimited bailout of the insurers. Senator Marco Rubio led a fight in Congress to bar use of any appropriated funds for risk-corridor subsidies, which the White House was forced to accept as part of a budget deal. As a result, HHS can only divvy up the revenues from taxes received through the ACA, and that leaves insurers holding the bag.

They now are suing HHS to recoup the promised subsidies, but HHS has its hands tied, and courts are highly unlikely to have authority to force Congress to appropriate more funds. In fact, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services formally responded by telling insurers that they have no requirement to offer payment until the fall of 2017, at the end of the risk-corridor program.


That response highlights the existential issue for both insurers and Obamacare. The volatility and risk was supposed to have receded by now. After three full years of utilization and risk-pool management, ACA advocates insisted that the markets would stabilize, and premiums would come under control. Instead, premiums look set for another round of big hikes for the fourth year of the program.

Consumers seeking to comply with the individual mandate will see premiums increase on some plans from large insurers by as much as 30 percent in Oregon, 32 percent in New Mexico, 38 percent in Pennsylvania, and 65 percent in Georgia.

Thus far, insurers still claim to have confidence in the ACA model – at least, those who have not pulled out of their markets altogether. However, massive annual premium increases four years into the program demonstrate the instability and unpredictability of the Obamacare model, and a new study from Mercatus explains why.

The claims costs for qualified health plans (QHPs) within the Obamacare markets far outstripped those from non-QHP individual plan customers grandfathered on their existing plans – by 93 percent. They also outstripped costs in group QHP plans by 24 percent. In order to break even without reinsurance subsidies (separate from the risk-corridor indemnification funds), premiums would need to have been 31 percent higher on average for individual QHPs.


The main problem was that younger and healthier people opted out of the markets, skewing the risk pools toward consumers with much higher utilization rates – as Obamacare opponents predicted all along. With another round of sky-high premium increases coming, that problem will only get worse, the study predicts.

“Higher premiums will further reduce the attractiveness of individual QHPs to younger and healthier enrollees, resulting in a market that will appeal primarily to lower-income individuals who receive large subsidies and to people with expensive health conditions,” it concludes. “To avoid such an outcome, it is increasingly likely that the individual insurance market changes made by the ACA will have to be revised or reversed.”

Galen Institute senior fellow Doug Badger, one of the study’s co-authors, wonders how long insurers will continue to publicly support Obamacare. In an interview with me this week, Badger noted how critical that political cover is for the White House, but predicted it won’t last – because the system itself is unsustainable, and no one knows this more than the insurers themselves, even if they remain reluctant to voice that conclusion. Until they speak up, however, the Obama administration can keep up their happy talk while insurers quietly exit these markets, an act that should be speaking volumes all on its own.


Even the Kaiser Foundation, which has supported Obamacare, has admitted that the flood of red ink has become a major issue. “I don't know if we're at a point where it's completely worrisome,” spokesperson Cynthia Cox told NPR, “but I think it does raise some red flags in pointing out that insurance companies need to be able to make a profit or at least cover their costs."

Red flags have flown all over the Obamacare model for six years. Instead of suing the federal government for losses created by a system for which they bear more than a little responsibility, insurers should finally admit out loud that the ACA is anything but affordable – not for insurers, and certainly not for consumers or taxpayers. When that finally happens, we can then start working on a viable solution based on reality rather than fealty to a failed central-planning policy.
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« Reply #365 on: August 09, 2016, 12:45:04 pm »

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/08/08/louisiana-what-difference-democrat-makes/SsWMOft2LgMDOdpIMa8J3M/story.html
8/8/16
In Louisiana, what a difference a Democrat makes

The state of Louisiana is receiving a crash course in “elections have consequences.”

Last January, Louisiana voters elected John Bel Edwards governor (the only Democrat governor in the Deep South). On just his second day in office he signed an executive order that made Louisiana the 31st state to expand Medicaid, which is a crucial part of Obamacare. Edwards’s predecessor, Bobby Jindal, rejected the measure on the grounds – and I’m not making this up – that expanding access would “jeopardize the care of the most vulnerable in our society.”

At the time, Edwards noted that Louisiana “consistently ranked one of the poorest and unhealthiest states” and that improving Medicaid access would break the cycle of the state’s residents having to choose “between their health and their financial security.” Indeed, Louisiana is fourth from the bottom, among states, in life expectancy.

Seven months later, the impact of Edwards’s executive order is being felt across the state. Though applications for the new Medicaid benefit did not begin until June, already 265,723 Louisianians have signed up.

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« Reply #366 on: August 16, 2016, 02:16:15 am »

Aetna, one of the country's largest health insurers, is ditching 70% of its Obamacare business

 Aetna, one of the country's five largest health insurers, announced on Monday evening that it will be pulling out of nearly 70% of the counties in which it offers Obamacare coverage.

The firm said that, after a review of its public health-exchange business, it determined that the nearly $200 million in pretax loss that it was sustaining on an annual basis was not worth the business.

In its new plan, it will offer healthcare options through the public exchanges in just 242 of the 778 counties where it operates. These will be mainly in Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, and Virginia.

In 2016, Aetna offered plans in 15 states.

The firm announced that it was conducting a review during its second-quarter earnings call on August 3.

"Providing affordable, high-quality health care options to consumers is not possible without a balanced risk pool. Fifty-five percent of our individual on-exchange membership is new in 2016, and in the second quarter we saw individuals in need of high-cost care represent an even larger share of our on-exchange population," Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said in the statement.

"This population dynamic, coupled with the current inadequate risk adjustment mechanism, results in substantial upward pressure on premiums and creates significant sustainability concerns," he said.

Aetna isn't the only company concerned about the exchanges. UnitedHealthcare has said that it will also drastically reduce its footprint in exchanges.

Many companies have said that the patients coming to the exchanges are older and more expensive to cover and that there are not enough young people to offset the costs.

Aetna's and UnitedHealthcare's decisions to scale back is problematic for customers because the number of insurers competing through the exchange is closely linked with the affordability of the plans.

Additionally, this is another insurer of the big 5 to roll back plans, as both United and Humana have made annoucements. Aetna is the largest ACA player of the three, however, with 911,000 people covered through the exchanges at the end of 2015, according to its first quarter earnings call.

Aetna has been pursuing a merger with rival Humana, but the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in July to block the proposed merger.

Here is the statement from Aetna in full:

"Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark T. Bertolini made the following statement with regard to the company's 2017 participation in the Affordable Care Act individual public exchanges:

"Following a thorough business review and in light of a second-quarter pretax loss of $200 million and total pretax losses of more than $430 million since January 2014 in our individual products, we have decided to reduce our individual public exchange presence in 2017, which will limit our financial exposure moving forward. More than 40 payers of various sizes have similarly chosen to stop selling plans in one or more rating areas in the individual public exchanges over the 2015 and 2016 plan years, collectively exiting hundreds of rating areas in more than 30 states. As a strong supporter of public exchanges as a means to meet the needs of the uninsured, we regret having to make this decision.

"Providing affordable, high-quality health care options to consumers is not possible without a balanced risk pool. Fifty-five percent of our individual on-exchange membership is new in 2016, and in the second quarter we saw individuals in need of high-cost care represent an even larger share of our on-exchange population. This population dynamic, coupled with the current inadequate risk adjustment mechanism, results in substantial upward pressure on premiums and creates significant sustainability concerns.

"The vast majority of payers have experienced continued financial stress within their individual public exchange business due to these forces, which also are reported to have contributed to the failure of 16 out of 23 co-ops. We are encouraged by a recent announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will explore new options to modify the risk adjustment program, and remain hopeful that we can work with policymakers from both parties on a sustainable public exchange model that meets the needs of the uninsured.

"We are committed to a health care marketplace that gives every American the opportunity to access affordable, high-quality care. We will continue to evaluate our participation in individual public exchanges while gaining additional insight from the counties where we will maintain our presence, and may expand our footprint in the future should there be meaningful exchange-related policy improvements.

"Aetna will reduce its individual public exchange participation from 778 to 242 counties for the 2017 plan year, maintaining an on-exchange presence in Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska and Virginia. The company will continue to offer an off-exchange individual product option for 2017 to consumers in the vast majority of counties where it offered individual public exchange products in 2016.

"This decision does not impact Aetna's products, services or benefits for the 2016 plan year. The company will communicate options to impacted members before the 2017 open enrollment period begins, and provide resources to assist them in transitioning to other plans as appropriate."

http://www.businessinsider.com/aetna-ditching-70-of-obamacare-business-2016-8
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« Reply #367 on: August 16, 2016, 04:11:35 am »

Obamacare Sticker Shock: Average 2017 Premium Surges 24%

The reference, of course, was to the state by state surge in proposed 2017 Obamacare premiums, contrasted with what the government contends is a modest 1.0% inflation rate. Now, courtesy of a new study by independent analyst Charles Gaba - who has crunched the numbers for insurers participating in the ACA exchanges in all 50 states - we can also calculate what the average Obamacare premium increase across the entire US will be: using proposed and approved rate increase requests, the average Obamacare premium is expected to surge by a whopping 24% this year. 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-15/obamacare-sticker-shock-average-2017-premium-surges-24
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« Reply #368 on: August 16, 2016, 08:58:06 am »

One Payer System coming soon.
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« Reply #369 on: October 14, 2016, 12:53:36 pm »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/more-than-1-million-in-obamacare-to-lose-plans-as-insurers-quit/ar-AAiXk1t?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
10/14/16
More than 1 million in Obamacare to lose plans as insurers quit

A growing number of people in Obamacare are finding out their health insurance plans will disappear from the program next year, forcing them to find new coverage even as options shrink and prices rise.

At least 1.4 million people in 32 states will lose the Obamacare plan they have now, according to state officials contacted by Bloomberg. That’s largely caused by Aetna Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and some state or regional insurers quitting the law’s markets for individual coverage.

Sign-ups for Obamacare coverage begin next month. Fallout from the quitting insurers has emerged as the latest threat to the law, which is also a major focal point in the U.S. presidential election. While it’s not clear what all the consequences of the departing insurers will be, interviews with regulators and insurance customers suggest that plans will be fewer and more expensive, and may not include the same doctors and hospitals.

It may also mean that instead of growing in 2017, Obamacare could shrink. As of March 31, the law covered 11.1 million people; an Oct. 13 S&P Global Ratings report predicted that enrollment next year will range from an 8 percent decline to a 4 percent gain.

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« Reply #370 on: October 24, 2016, 05:50:50 pm »

http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/24/news/economy/obamacare-premiums/index.html
10/24/16
Obamacare premiums to soar 22%

Obamacare premiums are set to skyrocket an average of 22% for the benchmark silver plan in 2017, according to a government report released Monday.

The price hike is the latest blow to Obamacare. Insurers are raising prices and downsizing their presence on the exchanges as they try to stem losses from sicker-than-anticipated customers. Enrollment for 2017 will be closely watched since insurers want to see younger and healthier consumers enroll.

The benchmark silver plan -- upon which federal subsidies are based -- will cost an average of $296 a month next year. That figure is based on prices for a 27-year-old enrollee in the 39 states that use the federal healthcare.gov exchange, plus the four states and Washington D.C. that have their own exchanges.
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« Reply #371 on: October 24, 2016, 08:01:31 pm »

More Obama Lies=> Average Obamacare Premiums Will Increase By Double Digits in 2017

Oct 24th, 2016 6:39 pm by Jim Hoft

Barack Obama promised Americans Obamacare would reduce insurance premiums by $2,500 per family per year Obama made this claim at ...

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/10/obama-lies-average-obamacare-premiums-will-increase-25-2017/
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« Reply #372 on: October 25, 2016, 04:38:42 pm »

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-all-club-employees-are-suffering-on-obamacare-but-manager-says-vast-majority-arent-on-it-162436570.html
Trump cites ‘all’ club employees to slam Obamacare, but manager says ‘vast majority’ aren’t on it
10/25/16

Donald Trump held an unusual press event at his golf club outside of Miami on Tuesday to seize on the news that Obamacare premiums are set to jump by more than 20 percent on average next year.

“Obamacare has to be repealed and replaced, and it has to be replaced with something much less expensive,” the Republican nominee said at Trump National Doral, where he was surrounded by some of the resort’s staff. “Otherwise, this country is in even bigger trouble than anybody thought.”

Trump then touted the work of the club’s more than 1,000 employees, but said they are having trouble accessing President Obama’s signature health care plan themselves.

“All of my employees are having a tremendous problem with Obamacare,” Trump said, pointing to some in the front row. “You folks, this is another group. Is that a correct statement? What they’re going through is horrible because of Obamacare.”

The real estate mogul then invited several of them to speak.

But after Trump was done speaking, Trump National Doral general manager David Feder told reporters that nearly all of the club’s full-time workers are not using Obamacare.

“The company typically picks up 75 percent of the premiums and the employee only picks up about 30 percent, so it’s really a good deal for our staff,” Feder said. “There really isn’t a need for the vast majority of our employees to purchase Obamacare.”

Feder estimated that 95 percent of Trump Doral’s full-time workers are using insurance provided by the company, though part-time seasonal staffers may be purchasing insurance on their own through the Obamacare market.

Asked whether Trump was mistaken when he said all of his employees are having problems with Obamacare, Feder said he wouldn’t put it that way.

“I wouldn’t say he’s incorrect,” Ferer said. “I would tell you that the only employees that I know — again I don’t have the books in front of me — that may purchase Obamacare are typically part-timers.”
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« Reply #373 on: October 26, 2016, 06:22:16 am »

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/26/politics/election-2016-obamacare-future-hillary-clinton-donald-trump/index.html
10/26/16
Obamacare woes to linger long after Obama is gone

(CNN)President Barack Obama leaves the White House in 12 weeks, but the law that bears his name will polarize politics long after he's gone.

Big price hikes to Affordable Care Act premiums announced this week mean that Obama's proudest legislative achievement will fail to resolve the decades-old controversy surrounding the government's role in managing the cost of and access to health care.

It will fall to the next administration whether to fix Obamacare's shortcomings -- including rising premiums and deductibles, slowing enrollment growth and the increasing number of insurers pulling out of the ACA marketplaces -- or to trash the system and start again. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump have laid out a detailed plan for how they would revise or replace the law or how they would navigate the toxic politics that surface in Washington whenever health care is on the agenda.

Republicans go on offense over Obamacare
Trump has proven better at condemning Obamacare -- his stump speech includes vows to repeal and replace it -- than saying how he would tackle the crisis over access and cost. He hasn't made health reform a centerpiece of his campaign.

"My first day in office, I'm going to ask Congress to put a bill on my desk getting rid of this disastrous law and replacing it with reforms that expand choice, freedom and affordability," Trump said Tuesday in Florida. "Hillary Clinton wants to double down on Obamacare and make it even worse. She wants to put the government totally in charge of your health care."

Still, Clinton has been far more up front about what she would try to accomplish.

"The President and I have talked about it," Clinton told WHCQ Radio in Florida on Tuesday. "We're going to get copays and premiums and deductibles down. We're going to tackle prescription drug costs. And we can do that without ripping away the insurance that people now have."

Clinton's campaign said she would increase competition among insurers to improve choices for Obamacare customers, including a public option, and would take on pharmaceutical companies over rising drug prices and provide tax relief for out of pocket expenses. Her plan also includes incentives for states to expand Medicaid. Plans previously published by her campaign include pledges to tackle diseases like Alzheimer's and autism, substance abuse and Zika and aims to improve public and rural health infrastructure.

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« Reply #374 on: November 09, 2016, 10:43:05 am »

Trump will successfully push the one payer system through without any resistance from his evangelical/patriot crowd - you watch it! (on the contrary, these same 2 bases would resist Hillary tooth and nail!)

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/the-future-of-obamacare-looks-bleak/ar-AAk5UGt?ocid=spartandhp
The Future of Obamacare Looks Bleak

11/9/16

Republicans in Congress have been calling for the repeal of Obamacare since it passed in 2010. With control of both houses of Congress and the presidency, they may finally get their chance to undo huge, consequential parts of the health law next year.

If they succeed, about 22 million fewer Americans would have health insurance, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Without a 60-vote supermajority in the Senate, Republicans can’t repeal the entire Affordable Care Act. But they can eliminate several consequential provisions through a special budgetary process called reconciliation.

We have a pretty good idea of what such legislation would look like. Last year, the Senate passed a reconciliation bill that undid large portions of the health bill. The House passed it. And President Obama vetoed it.

That bill, the “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015,” would eliminate Obamacare programs to provide Medicaid coverage for Americans near or below the poverty line. It would eliminate subsidies to help middle-income Americans buy their own insurance on new marketplaces. It would eliminate tax penalties for the uninsured, meant to urge everyone to obtain health insurance. And it would eliminate a number of taxes created by the law to help fund those programs. (It was written to kick in after two years, meaning the programs wouldn’t disappear immediately.)

We don’t know, of course, exactly what legislation a new Congress would pass. And we can’t be sure that the vote would go down the same way a second time. But last year’s bill is a good template for what Republican leadership believes it can achieve through the special process. The Republican-led House has voted for dozens of total and partial Obamacare repeal bills. If we believe Donald J. Trump, who has vowed repeatedly to repeal Obamacare, he would seem likely to sign such a bill.

Many parts of Obamacare can’t be repealed through reconciliation. Among them: reforms to the Medicare program, a provision that requires insurers to cover young adults on their parents’ policies, and requirements that health insurers sell policies to anyone regardless of their health history. Those parts of the law are very likely to remain law.

The kind of partial repeal possible through the reconciliation process could lead to greater instability than total repeal. That means that it could lead to more people losing health insurance than the estimated 20 million who have gained it under the law. The health law was designed with a number of interdependent provisions devised to keep insurance affordable. By removing only some of them, a partial repeal could disrupt insurance arrangements not just for people newly insured under the law, but also for those who had purchased their own insurance before the law.

Republicans often talk about “repealing and replacing” the Affordable Care Act. But without a Senate supermajority, the replacement part may be politically impossible. Making the kind of legislative changes to stabilize disrupted markets — or to enact the kind of broader health care reform Mr. Trump has spoken about on the campaign trail — will require 60 votes in the Senate. Without those votes, the new Republican government will have the power to repeal substantial parts of the health law, but it may not be able to replace them.
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« Reply #375 on: November 09, 2016, 01:06:03 pm »

As said above, it's going to be impossible to repeal Obamacare, which has been known for the last 3 or so years.

Again, more proof the whole game is rigged.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/09/health-care-stocks-skyrocket-after-donald-trump-stuns-market-with-white-house-win.html?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cheadline%7Cstory&par=yahoo&doc=104092679&yptr=yahoo
11/9/16
Health-care stocks skyrocket after Donald Trump stuns market with White House win

Health-care companies saw their stocks shoot through the roof on Wednesday after Republican Donald Trump's shocking White House victory.

Shares of Dow component Pfizer and Mylan rose 5 percent and 6.3 percent before the bell, respectively. Allergan and Amgen shares followed, both gaining more than 3 percent. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) skyrocketed, trading more than 6 percent higher as of 7:32 a.m. ET.

The biotechnology sector has been under pressure over the past year as investors feared a victory from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would bring about drug-pricing pressures.

In a Wednesday note, Deutsche Bank analysts said health-care stocks are "likely to rally most near-term," adding they see upside of at least 20 percent within the sector.
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« Reply #376 on: November 09, 2016, 05:46:32 pm »

What ‘Trumpcare’ will look like
11/9/16
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/what-trumpcare-will-look-like-211405713.html

Donald Trump’s election has placed Obamacare on the gallows, as the candidate has repeatedly vowed to repeal and replace it.

The precise plans for its execution are unclear, however. Fully repealing Obamacare may be untenable given a narrow-enough majority that can’t override a Democratic filibuster, but President-elect Trump would have other means to dispatch his predecessor’s major project, by failing to fund it, tweaking it significantly, or weakening the law in other creative ways with the Republican Congress. As Georgetown professor of health policy Jack Hoadley told NPR, “They are probably, practically speaking, talking about leaving the ACA, as is, in place.

Leaving it in place in some fashion could allow Trump to hijack the Affordable Care Act and use it to host his own plans. As he said continuously in his campaign, he does not support the mandate that requires everyone to have health insurance. In Trump’s view, that should be a choice. (Proponents of the mandate say making insurance a choice would result in people who only buy it when they’re sick, making it extremely expensive.)

If key parts of Obamacare were gutted, 21 million people, many of whom are low-income, would likely lose their insurance, unable to pay for it without subsidies. This would double the number of uninsured Americans, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

It would also make for some bad publicity, so shutting off the faucet immediately isn’t likely.

Details of the actual plan are scant. But under “Trumpcare,” you would purchase your healthcare on the open market, which would be opened up further, allowing insurance companies to sell plans across state lines. Trump has said this will increase competition, and the premiums would be completely tax deductible.

The main part of Trump’s vision is the use of health savings accounts, or HSAs. Essentially, you pay for your medical expenses with your savings—if you have them. According to the Trump platform, this is advantageous for young people who may not have many health expenses and can choose high-deductible healthcare. His plan would let consumers spend HSA money on family members and pass the funds onto children.

According to the CRFB analysis, dismantling Obamacare’s major features—whether this is an actual “repeal” or not—and implementing Trump’s plan would cost $550 billion, increasing the deficit in the long run. It would also only recover 5% of the 21 million that would lose their Obamacare insurance.

The other element of Trumpcare is a restructuring of Medicaid, giving each state a block grant to divvy up as it chooses. (Obama, for his part, expanded Medicaid massively to cover low-income people in states that opted-in.) Doing this and keeping the grants from increasing with inflation and prices could be an interesting way to square Trumpcare’s cost. “If Mr. Trump intends to generate aggressive savings from block granting Medicaid, it could more than pay for the cost of repealing and replacing Obamacare,” the CRFB wrote, “though perhaps at the cost of a further reduction in coverage.”

As for keeping people with pre-existing conditions insured—something Republicans don’t often support—Trump did indicate in the Feb. 25 primary debate that he would like to keep that part of Obamacare in play.

For the most part, the other factors of his health plan are hard to quantify: adding price transparency for drug companies and healthcare providers, and intense negotiating. As of now, if Obamacare or key features are in fact repealed, we have nothing more than a very murky picture of what might replace it.
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« Reply #377 on: November 11, 2016, 06:55:24 pm »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-says-hes-considering-keeping-parts-of-obamacare-wsj/ar-AAkbUAO?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
Trump says he's considering keeping parts of Obamacare: WSJ

President-elect Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal he is considering retaining parts of President Barack Obama's healthcare law including provisions letting parents keep adult children up to age 26 on insurance policies and barring insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

The Republican businessman during the U.S. presidential campaign called for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and labelled the 2010 law "a disaster."

In an interview published on Friday, his first since winning Tuesday's election, Trump told the Journal a big reason for his shift was his meeting at the White House on Thursday with Obama, who suggested areas of the Affordable Care Act to preserve.

"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that," Trump said.

"Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced," Trump told the Journal.

Some Republican lawmakers and advisers have recommended keeping those two provisions in place even if they are able to repeal the law in Congress, as they have attempted to do for years.

The law has enabled millions of Americans who previously had no health insurance to obtain coverage, but Republicans oppose it and call it a government overreach.

Other urgent priorities during his first few weeks as president, Trump said, would be deregulating financial institutions to allow "banks to lend again," and securing the U.S. border against drugs and illegal immigrants.

Asked whether he would pursue a campaign promise to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while secretary of state, Trump told the paper: "It's not something I've given a lot of thought, because I want to solve healthcare, jobs, border control, tax reform."

Trump also told the Journal he would create jobs through infrastructure projects and improved trade deals, and would preserve American jobs by potentially imposing tariffs on the products of U.S. companies that relocated overseas.
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« Reply #378 on: November 22, 2016, 11:18:09 am »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-billion-dollar-obamacare-business-with-trump-family-ties/ar-AAkzFFJ?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
The billion-dollar Obamacare business with Trump family ties

Donald Trump has long ignored the conventional wisdom about never doing business with family. Yet the president-elect might soon get a lesson in how familial ties can complicate commerce.

Trump has promised to repeal and replace Obamacare, a vow that could threaten Oscar Insurance, a $2.7 billion technology startup co-founded by Ivanka Trump’s brother-in-law, Joshua Kushner. Oscar has also received funding from Trump adviser Peter Thiel, who could face a loss on his investment if Oscar folds under a Trump-led overhaul of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Just three years after it was founded, Oscar appears to be ailing, but it’s not only because of Trump’s vow to dismantle the health care law. Oscar has struggled to make good on its promise to revolutionize health insurance, with Bloomberg News reporting that it had lost $45 million in just three states during the third quarter. The company is also leaving two markets, New Jersey and the Dallas area, as it seeks to manage costs.

In a blog post to Oscar customers following Trump’s victory, Kushner and co-founder Mario Schlosser wrote that they continue to believe that providing universal, affordable health care is “ethically right,” but that Obamacare has shortcomings that “any new government would have had to address.”

“Some of the current proposals being discussed would surely encourage more of the consumerization and individualization that are required to create real competition across the entire healthcare industry, and thus force necessary improvements,” they wrote.

In an email to CBS MoneyWatch, a spokesman for Oscar said the company isn’t commenting beyond what Kushner and Schlosser wrote in their blog post.

The problems encountered by Oscar aren’t unique to the startup. Other insurers participating in Obamacare have also incurred higher-than-expected costs, with the pool of individual customers tending to be older and sicker than originally projected. Aetna (AET) and Humana (HUM) are among the U.S. insurers that have exited the program’s health-care exchanges amid cost issues.

Kushner and Schlosser pointed to what they view as a significant problem with Obamacare: “weak enforcement” of the individual mandate, which states that every American must obtain health insurance or else face a penalty amounting to as much as $2,085 for a family. But millions of Americans remain uninsured because in many cases the penalty remains less expensive than purchasing health insurance through the exchanges.

Trump campaigned on repealing the individual mandate, stating in his policy positions that “no person should be required to buy insurance unless he or she wants to.”

Oscar’s headaches may only be beginning, however. Although it’s unclear whether Trump will seek to completely overturn Obamacare, his administration is likely to challenge aspects of the health care overhaul. For instance, with support of the Republican-controlled Congress, Trump could approve legislation that would eliminate the tax credits that help millions of Americans afford insurance plans through Obamacare’s exchanges.

Watch: Ivanka Trump zinged over marketing of bracelet worn on 60 Minutes

If that occurs, many Obamacare customers would likely drop their insurance plans as their premiums become less affordable. That could significantly reduce revenue at Oscar and other insurers, leading to significant operating challenges.

Still, Kushner and Schlosser painted a positive picture of the changes that they see through the lens of the new administration, writing that the plans proposed by Congressional Republicans “would enable individuals to buy insurance with pre-tax dollars, just like employers have always been able to do.”

But the survival of Obamacare’s tax credits appears central to their vision, with the co-founders noting that the individual insurance market “can be made to work through a smart combination of continuous coverage provisions and tax credits.”

Watch: Fraudsters targeting ATMs, and other MoneyWatch headlines

Joshua Kushner is the younger brother of Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, who could end up as a top White House advisor. Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and a Trump supporter, is among the investors who have provided more than $700 million in funding to Oscar, according to Crunchbase.

Both Jared and Joshua Kushner are graduates of Harvard, the highly selective Ivy League college which received a pledge of $2.5 million from their father, real estate developer Charles Kushner. At Harvard, Joshua Kushner was roommates with Alexander Blankfein, the son of Goldman Sachs (GS) CEO Lloyd Blankfein.

After graduation, Kushner worked at Goldman Sachs before attending business school and later co-founding Oscar.
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« Reply #379 on: December 26, 2016, 06:47:26 pm »

https://www.yahoo.com/news/analysis-gop-vexed-factions-replacing-143457387.html
Analysis: GOP vexed by factions on replacing health law
12/26/16

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are united on repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, but ideologically and practically speaking, they're in different camps over replacing it. Getting the factions together won't be easy.

Some Republicans would revise and rebrand "Obamacare," junking unpopular provisions like its requirement that most Americans carry health insurance, while preserving well-liked parts. Others would rip up the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, and not replace it.

President-elect Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders will have to unite the groups on complicated changes affecting the financial and physical well-being of millions of people. For some constituents in fragile health, it's literally a life-and-death debate.

Republicans have "a really narrow path," says Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute, a free-market health care research organization. "They've got to deal with the politics of this, they've got to make sure they come up with good policy, and they also have process challenges."

Success is not guaranteed, and Republicans may come to regret that their party defined itself as totally opposed to "Obamacare."

Yet House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady seems unfazed by the challenge. "It's like tax reform," says Brady, R-Texas, explaining that many pieces will be pulled together. "Unlike Obamacare, which ripped up the individual market, this will be done deliberately, in an appropriate timetable."

Republicans say they will move quickly to repeal the ACA, while suspending the effective date to allow them to craft a replacement. Here's a look at the GOP camps and who's in them:

REVISE & REBRAND

Many Republicans may quietly be in this contingent, but fear being accused of promoting "Obamacare-lite."

They'd strip out some of the ACA's taxes and requirements. The unpopular "individual mandate" to carry health insurance or risk fines could be replaced with other persuasion short of a government dictate. Rules on insurers would be loosened.

But popular provisions such as protecting those with pre-existing health conditions would be retained in some form, as well as financial assistance for low- and moderate-income people. The requirement that health plans cover adult children until age 26 would be fairly easy to preserve, since employers have accommodated it.

A rebranded version of Obama's law may well cover fewer people. But its GOP advocates believe most Americans will find their goal of "universal access" politically acceptable when measured against the Democratic ideal of "universal coverage" underwritten by government.

Many GOP allies in the business community favor revising the ACA. That includes major players among hospitals, insurers and pharmaceuticals.

Trump may have given this group some cover by saying that he wants to keep parts of the law, but his bottom line remains unknown.

BUDGET HAWKS

For budget hawks, unwinding the Obama health law is a beginning. Next they could move on to much bigger objectives like restructuring Medicaid and Medicare, and placing a cost-conscious limit on tax breaks for employer coverage.

Budget hawks see health care as the main driver of government deficits, and they are loath to address that imbalance by raising taxes. Instead they want to rewrite the social compact so individuals accept more responsibility and risk for their health care.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is the most prominent member of this camp, and his "Better Way" agenda is its roadmap. Georgia Rep. Tom Price, Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services, is a budget hawk. Vice President-elect Mike Pence has been in the same orbit throughout his career.

The problem for budget hawks is that the 2016 political campaign did not give them a mandate. Issues like Medicare and Medicaid were scarcely discussed. Trump said he wouldn't cut Medicare, and sent conflicting signals on Medicaid.

Many Democrats can't wait for Republicans to follow the call of the budget hawks. Betting that will backfire, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is rallying her lawmakers against "attacks on the ACA and Medicare."

THE RIP-IT-UP SOCIETY

The most conservative lawmakers want to "pull Obamacare up by the roots as if it never existed," says Republican political consultant Frank Luntz. That sentiment is embodied by the 40 or so members of the House Freedom Caucus, and it's probably broadly shared among conservatives.

Some do not believe the federal government should be involved in health care, and they couldn't care less about replacing the ACA.

"They would say that Obama's plan has failed," said Luntz.

GOP leaders may need these lawmakers to advance on replacement legislation; coaxing them to a middle ground might not be possible.

Trump calls the ACA "a disaster," and that's pleasing to those farthest on the right. It's unclear if he'd walk their walk.

PRAGMATISTS

At the core of this small group are legislative veterans who understand the excruciating difficulties of getting major bills to a president's desk. GOP Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Susan Collins of Maine are pragmatists.

They may find support from Republican governors who expanded Medicaid under the health law. GOP congressional leaders could gravitate to this camp.

The biggest challenge for pragmatists will be to win over some Democrats for replacement legislation. While repealing most of "Obamacare" is possible with a simple majority in the Senate, 60 votes would probably be needed for a replacement. There will only be 52 GOP senators next year.

"Republicans need a fancy Rose Garden repeal ceremony...and I expect them to have one," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of the consulting firm Avalere Health. "On the other hand, there's 20 million people with health insurance under the ACA, and they don't want to dump them. There's no clear path for how to square that conflict."
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« Reply #380 on: January 12, 2017, 05:41:10 pm »

Senate approves measure launching Obamacare repeal process

The U.S. Senate on Thursday took a first concrete step toward dismantling Obamacare, voting to instruct key committees to draft legislation repealing President Barack Obama's signature health insurance program. The resolution now goes to the House of Representatives, which is expected to vote on it this week. Scrapping Obamacare is a top priority for the Republican majorities in both chambers and Republican President-elect Donald Trump. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN14W0MC
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« Reply #381 on: January 21, 2017, 02:34:04 pm »

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/healthcare/what-trumps-obamacare-executive-order-means/ar-AAm5pM6?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp
1/21/17
What Trump's Obamacare Executive Order Means

Hours after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing the federal government to start dismantling the Affordable Care Act.

The order offers few specifics, but in a few paragraphs, it does give agencies affected by the ACA the authority to waive or delay implementation of any part of the law that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, insurers, drug companies, etc.

It also promotes the creation of a system to allow the sale of insurance across state lines, something Republicans have said will increase competition in the health care market.

Trump cannot fully repeal the law by executive order. And Friday night's order offers no concrete policies or rules, so it's impossible to say exactly what will happen, and on what time frame. But Larry Levitt, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, tweeted that the biggest change could be waivers to bypass the individual mandate.

However, he also said that any changes Trump wants to make will take a long time - regardless of the executive order. In an interview with Vox, Levitt said that it's more a symbolic indication that Trump isn't waiting on Congress to start making big change.

It directs federal agencies to start taking steps to use their administrative authority to unwind the ACA in all sorts of ways, he said. This could include things like not enforcing the employer mandate, and cutting taxes that were imposed on the wealthy to cover some of Obamacare's costs.

Republicans, who control the House and the Senate, have already started the budget process necessary to repeal parts of former president Barack Obama's signature law.

They have introduced no replacement plan yet, however -leaving more than 20 million people who have received health insurance as a result of the ACA to wonder what will happen to their coverage in the future.


 
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« Reply #382 on: March 13, 2017, 08:22:14 pm »

Seems that Trumpcare is going to be worse than Obamacare? ?

CBO Report: Under Ryan Plan, 14 Million to Lose Insurance by 2018…
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/13/cbo-report-ryan-plan-drops-number-of-insured-24-million-by-2026/


…24 Million by 2026
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/13/cbo-report-ryan-plan-drops-number-of-insured-24-million-by-2026/


CBO Releases Score of Paul Ryan’s American Health Care Act
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/13/cbo-releases-score-paul-ryans-american-health-care-act/


Trump Signals ‘Big Fat Beautiful Negotiation’ on Healthcare Bill
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/13/donald-trump-signals-big-fat-beautiful-negotiation-on-house-healthcare-bill/

We just want the whole thing gone, the Gov should not be involved at all. Trump needs to make good on his promise
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« Reply #383 on: March 13, 2017, 09:17:29 pm »

GOP Plan May Shove Single-Payer Medicine Down America’s Throat

Perhaps inadvertently, but as sure as day follows night, the Grand Old Party may shove single payer socialized medicine down America’s throat.

Ordinary citizens feel the financial pain with every invoice from a hospital, lab or physician. The sum total of consumer invoices for medical services and pharmaceuticals is the cost of U.S. healthcare. It is that simple. Insurance is just a way to pay these bills – it is just financing. Premiums skyrocketed because medical bills skyrocketed.

The U.S. government’s own projections confirm that growth in medical pricing will drive the growth in total national health costs: “Throughout the 2016-25 projection period, growth in national health expenditures is driven by projected faster growth in medical prices.” The GOP’s focus on insurance premiums while totally ignoring the pricing of medical services, is madness!

The healthcare industry spends more on lobbying than the defense, aerospace, and the oil and gas industries combined. Politicians have sold us out, permitting hospitals, labs and physicians to avoid the very price competition that is our nation’s only pricing constraint.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/13/gop-plan-may-shove-single-payer-medicine-down-americas-throat/#ixzz4bGLhd4Hu
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« Reply #384 on: June 27, 2017, 02:32:11 pm »

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=83480
6/26/17
BREAKING: Republicans Could Kill Healthcare Deal; See Why

At least five Senate Republicans could oppose the healthcare bill due to either too many cuts in Medicare, or not enough elimination of regulations.

From Zerohedge:

A handful of Republican senators took to the morning talk shows on Sunday to explain their reservations about the latest version of the Republicans’ bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. Sens. Susan Collins (R, Maine), Rand Paul (R Ky.) and Ron Johnson (R Wis.) all said they believe the bill won’t pass this week.

As we noted Thursday, at least five Republican lawmakers said they couldn’t support the bill – more than the two maximum defections that Republicans could afford, assuming none of the 46 senate Democrats and neither of the two independent candidates who caucus with them break ranks to vote for the bill. NBC’s Chuck Todd says that number could actually be as high as eight.

Two themes appear to have emerged. Moderates like Collins and Nev. Sen. Dean Heller fear backlash from their constituents related to cuts to Medicare that would reduce coverage for senior citizens, who typically vote in larger numbers than younger cohorts of the population.

Conservatives like Paul and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz believe the bill doesn’t go far enough to eliminate regulations that they say have helped drive up the cost of health care, and are rapidly pushing the US insurance market into a “death spiral” – a situation where most healthy people opt out of insurance markets because premiums have risen to unaffordable levels.

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« Reply #385 on: June 28, 2017, 07:38:06 am »

If you believe Obamacare was a win for everyone, take a look at this!
http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=83829
6/27/17

Please share and comment.

Obamacare is failing, and it has been failing since its inception.

Take a look at these testimonies of Americans who were affected by Obamacare.


https://twitter.com/VP/status/879817559440105473

https://twitter.com/VP/status/879835489573904384

https://twitter.com/VP/status/879833984712138753

https://twitter.com/VP/status/879833225811509248

https://twitter.com/VP/status/879830724773163009

https://twitter.com/VP/status/879830399513264128
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« Reply #386 on: August 28, 2017, 04:43:25 pm »

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« Reply #387 on: September 22, 2017, 04:18:04 pm »

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/house-democrats-ask-for-obamacare-medicare-extension-in-wake-of-hurricanes/article/2635174
House Democrats ask for Obamacare, Medicare extension in wake of hurricanes
by Kimberly Leonard | Sep 21, 2017, 2:01 PM

House Democrats have asked the Trump administration to extend the open enrollment period during which people can sign up for Obamacare and Medicare health plans to account for customers who will be recovering from hurricane damage.

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have hit U.S. states and territories in recent weeks, demolishing homes and causing medical facilities to be evacuated. The Department of Health and Human Services has several tools at its disposal to allow people in these areas to access healthcare services more quickly.

"We ask that you use your authority to provide additional leeway for enrollment-related choices," wrote Democrats from the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. "Many residents are focused on securing their houses, taking care of elderly neighbors, rebuilding amid flood damage and ensuring access to food, water and necessary treatment and medication. During this period of response and recovery, HHS should allow residents of affected states and territories additional leeway for both of the upcoming enrollment seasons."

The Trump administration shortened the sign-up period for Obamacare's open enrollment, which begins on Nov. 1, from three months to six weeks. The timeline now aligns with Medicare's, but the House committee is asking that both deadlines extend into January. Democrats have blasted the tightened timeframe as an attempt to "sabotage" Obamacare.

The Obama administration extended deadlines several times during the first open enrollment for Obamacare as customers faced website glitches on healthcare.gov, the federal exchange, that prohibited them from signing up for coverage.

Some states that operate their own exchanges, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia, have extended their open enrollment periods past the deadline set by the administration.
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« Reply #388 on: October 12, 2017, 03:40:04 pm »

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=99253
10/12/17

BREAKING: Trump's Executive Orders To Change Everything!

Details on President Trump's executive orders on healthcare have been released.

From Fox News:

The White House announced Thursday that President Trump is taking executive action on health care as Congress stalls on efforts to overhaul ObamaCare, calling for a plan that could let employers band together and offer coverage across state lines.

An executive order Trump plans to sign Thursday morning aims to offer “alternatives” to ObamaCare plans and increase competition to bring down costs.

“The time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across state lines, which will create a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring costs way down and provide far better care,” Trump said in a statement.

According to officials, Trump will direct the secretary of Labor to consider expanding access to Association Health Plans, which could allow employers to form groups across state lines offering coverage. According to the White House, these plans could offer lower rates.

The order also calls on other federal agencies to consider expanding coverage in low-cost, short-term insurance plans not subject to ObamaCare rules.
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« Reply #389 on: October 12, 2017, 05:06:48 pm »

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/918501231819190273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.embedly.com%2Fwidgets%2Fcard.html%23sid%3De56688c207ff4fff92876fdd151bcc3c
Sen. Rand Paul calls Trump’s executive order the “biggest free market reform of health care in a generation”
10/12/17
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