From San Jose Mercury News via RedState
Marilynn Gray-Raine, a breast cancer survivor, is thrilled to find out that her premiums dropped several hundred dollars per month. This was primarily because her cancer was no longer penalizing her as a pre-existing condition. Ending the penalties for pre-existing conditions was one of the few parts of Obamacare that received widespread bi-partisan support. In fact, during the famous “Healthcare Summit,” Paul Ryan & others specifically mentioned that they believed any health care reform should include it.
But of course the cost of offsetting the risk of covering someone with a pre-existing condition is going to find its way into someone’s wallet. For the purposes of this article, that someone was Cindy Vinson, a huge supporter of Obamacare who is seeing her premiums skyrocket.
There are many choice quotes from Cindy that show how the reality of Obamacare is not squaring with her rosy expectations, but the one that prompted my headline was this:
“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”
As Lady Thatcher famously said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
This very simple concept was somehow not relayed in a way that pulled people to our point of view in 2012. They continued to rally around a law, ignorant to the cost to themselves, only now awakening to its difficulties.
There were other enlightening quotes from Obamacare supporters saddled with the new reality of their premiums. Tom Waschura, who saw annual premiums for his family raise by $10,000 per year said this:
“I was laughing at Boehner — until the mail came today,” Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.“I really don’t like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family’s pocket each year, that’s otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy.”
Apparently, Republican messaging was so bad in 2012 that harsh reality has become the only thing capable of getting people to understand where we are coming from. This guy had to be saddled with $10,000 in new bills to finally believe that Boehner wasn’t a rich jerk trying to hurt the poor.
It just amazes how people don't understand a simple concept like insurance.
ReplyDeleteThere is a pool of money(premiums) that cover medical care and a small profit for providing the service. If law demands that you must cover more procedures and more people then that money pool(premiums) must increase. If said law also prevent premiums from being increased on sick people, then premiums on healthy people must increase even more.
http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-myths.php
ReplyDeletegreat link Mick of course Live Free isn't going to look it over. He already has been told by Faux News and the conservative talking heads that he is doomed under this law. Fox and only Fox knows the real truth you know.
Delete'great link'? It's a site the purpose of which is to defend PPACA, yes? 'Facts'? Please. Look at some of the content.
DeleteYou actually think it's going to present the truth, whole and nothing but? You both realize, I hope, that we can all contend until we're blue in the face, but reality won't be known until this thing has been implemented for a year or two, at least?
Jean
The link counters the Republican myths with Democrat myths. As you point out, it will be years before we know if Obamacare works, so my myths vs your myths point out the futility of the current arguments on both sides.
DeleteActually Live Free the repub message was very good. That is what has caused all the confusion and myths about the ACA. And check this out . The twenty seven states that are struggling the most are the 27 that decided to be obstructionist instead of complying with the law. For example Rick Perry's Texas refused to expand Medicaid although it would have cost the state nothing as the fed was going to provide the funds under the ACA. Now Rick Perry's Texas will have to foot about $700,000 in medical payments through state programs, for uninsured folks that he could have covered for nothing. Where my friend is the sense in that. One by one the dominoes will fall under the weight of their own stupidity.
ReplyDeleteI tell you..... Only a liberal could look at the answers to those ‘myths’ and not see the doubletalk.
DeleteJust a small for instance but the site is riddled with them.... blaming Obamacare for increases in insurance premiums.... answer: "blaming ObamaCare" is an oversimplification of the truth. (....but the truth none the less....)
And Obamacare doesn’t create insurance..... well it stands to reason that if 45million people have no insurance and they are compelled to by it.... insurance companies well get to write about 45million new policies. So yes Obamacare creates a force market for insurance.
Double talk about federal staffers and their exclusion from being forced to by the same bronze coverage as others who earn what they do must take.
Standard of Living Will Decrease – so what I get from this line of bunk is that the reduced cost of medical and tax subsidies will more than compensate you for your new part time job....
And I like all the talk lately about how Obamacare is just a makeover Romney care (A true blue republican) who got his ideas from Newt Gingrich who got them from the heritage foundation... Only problem is – there were a couple of major details that were changed and after looking at Romneycare they revised errors in some of their assumptions even further.... but lets not let facts get in the way.
As far as the states who are opting out of this program.... Every since the progressive implementation of the 17th amendment, states have been sucked farther into the web of federal control because of legislation like this. We can see vividly today why getting in bed with the federal government is a bad idea.... private estates like mount Vernon are effectively shut down because they co-opted with the federal government to cost share parking. Scenic pulloffs closed on state highways because the fed helped pay for them. Accepting these opt-in’s will have effects on hospitals, doctors, schools and business...... Sometimes the price isn’t worth the cost and people living in these states have two choices.... stay or leave..... I think that Texas is in a very good position to tell the fed where to stick it.... I think you will find more and more states finding independent solutions to their problems....
Rick Scott, the Republican Governor of Florida was in favor of accepting Federal funding for Medicaid but he was stymied by the Republican dominated legislature. My question for the Tea Party group is: Why not get some of the income taxes we paid in back to benefit our state? But they think, for some unknown reason, that our tax money, once it is paid to Washington, is somehow tainted and becomes poisonous "Federal Money". Also, the Tea Party candidates say they hate the Federal Government, yet they want to be elected to run it. Now, why on God's green Earth would you want to elect someone to run the government who hates government? That would be like electing someone to your local school board who hates education, and possibly children. How about hiring a preacher who is an atheist, or a doctor who hates medicine.
DeleteScotty, Obamacare is, of course, not healthcare at all, it should be called Obamainsurance. And Jean is right, it will be years before we know whether it works or not. If it does, it will probably become as popular as Medicare. If it doesn't then it will be revised of abandoned entirely.
DeleteMick, for the nth time. The Tea Party movement does not hate government. The Tea Party supports limited government.
DeleteThe only way to reform the beast is to get inside the belly of the beast.
1773-2009
Mick, thank you for making my case precisely..... I have held for decades that progressives really scuttled the intent of the constitution with the 17th amendment. As I told pfunky elsewhere, we would not be having this budget gridlock or the debt ceiling ‘crisis’ or indeed conversation about this healthcare fiasco had state legislatures appointed senators that represented their interests as it is the states that have to implement and manage most of the arcane junk that comes out of Washington. Obamacare or if you prefer, Obamainsurance never would have become law in the first place.
DeleteYou like to harp on about hating government. Please get over this impulse as it is simply propaganda that you have listened to over and over again until you start to repeat it. Say this over and over and then you can understand the position of the Teaparty and Libertarians as a whole: “Limited government, constitutional government, distributed government..” ..... and again: “Limited government, constitutional government, distributed government..”. Please keep saying that until it sticks and you can start thinking rationally about what people are calling for and why they know the present situation is soooooo screwed up.
You are right again.... It isn’t ObamaCare..... it isn’t the plan that he had already prewritten without discussion from one single Republican before he was elected. It is his plan ‘B’ and I am almost 100% convinced that he knows all of the flaws that reside in this crap legislation. This is precisely why he won’t allow anyone to tinker with it at all. He knows its crap, he knows it is unaffordable and I belief that he knows it will eventually come undone...... BUT.... he also knows that by letting it go forward in its present form, regardless of what its failure might superficially do to his ‘legacy’, he will have managed to pull off 3 huge democratic desires.... National ID, Single Payer healthcare(because unwinding this from the state managed record system will be almost impossible) and giving all government agencies access to the data, iron clad Stazi like files on each and every person living in the country, including every single gun owner over time.....
One thing I have never said about Obama is that he lacks intelligence ...... but he will prove to be the most harmful president the United States of America has ever elected.
Limited goverment, constitutional government, distributed government, okay. Now, why shouldn't a state take the money for Medicaid when it's their money in the first place? If we don't take it, it will go to some other state like say Mississippi which takes back more from the Federal Government than they pay in. Inquiring minds want to know.
DeleteWell Mick..... We currently have a dysfunctional system any bad cycle must be broken some how and understanding that limited government means that the federal government should not be collecting money in Florida and passing it to Mississippi in the first place....
DeleteIf citizens of a state or municipality want some kind of social program and the states constitution provides for it then so be it.... raise taxes, let bonds. If people who work hard and find the system against their principles or becomes a magnet for people from other states who are looking for a free lunch, they can move to a state that shares their beliefs. That's how pursuit of happiness is suppose to work
One more thought Mick... if it angers you that money you worked hard for is being collected and spent imprudently in another state, I would suggest that you start writing letters to you state legislators and your congress members....
DeleteThe state of Maryland says it has thousands of people interested in buying health insurance on its new state-run exchange, but only 326 so far have actually enrolled in new coverage. …
ReplyDeleteOn Monday, the state said it is still working through technical issues and conceded that MarylandHealthConnection.gov “may be inconsistent, especially during periods of peak usage.”
Those problems are reflected in the Maryland numbers released Monday, the first of what the state said would be regular data releases. The state said 13,532 accounts with verified identity were created as of Sunday evening, and it has seen 170,000 unique visitors to the website. But only 326 people were actually enrolled in new health-insurance plans.
Informational hits as I have said before. The repub smear campaign of the program has confused many people. Now instead of taking ANY news account I did my own research. By changing my DOB (posed as 27 and 28 years old because the assertion that young people are being charged astronomical prices.)and my wife's I was able to price a similar plan to the one provided for me by my employer. I pay $236 in premiums for what would be a silver plan on the exchange. On the exchange the similar plan was $243. In addition on the exchange I added dental and eye care to my inquiry. my total is $266 at work it was $365 on the exchange. The dental and eyecare were quite a bit more on the exchange. My dental is 40 per month the exchange was 75. My eye care is $20 a month the exchange was $47. But without the upgrades the exchange price was pretty much in line with an employer based plan, but assuming the employer is paying part of your insurance the exchange was actually a better price overall.
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DeleteThis is an interesting and principled missive from a unabashed liberal Keith Olbermann in 2009. While he looks at health care reform from the prospective of a liberal, his assessment of Obamacare is right on the money.... You don't have to agree with his desire to have a single payer healthcare system to absolutely agree with his assessment of the damage that this law does to America via the individual mandate.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Fc95R5xAc&feature=youtu.be
In response to a query from CNNMoney, HHS provided a list of the federal data sources its hub will be gathering, and from where:
ReplyDelete• Internal Revenue Service: adjusted gross income, family size, filing status (married or single), calculation of any tax credits the applicant is eligible for to subsidize their health insurance premiums
• Social Security Administration: Social Security number validation, Social Security benefit payments, incarceration status
• Department of Homeland Security: verification of immigration status
• Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Personnel Management and Peace Corps: checks to see if the applicant is enrolled in health care programs run by these departments