How to Protect Yourself From Obamacare

[Townsend]

The general numbers and messaging that took place to sell the program is not the reality that the majority of participants will encounter.

How do you know?

[Hoss]

How do you know?

[Gaspar]

How do you know?

I admire your hope and faith in government.  Unfortunately, I can't run on hope or faith.

We've been over all of this, but lets take a look:

1. it's already caused insurers to increase premiums and decrease offerings to makeup for regulations that require them to cover pre-existing conditions that will exceed the premium amounts for those people.  In fact, the high-risk pooling has already failed. The administration cut payments to doctors and hospitals before it ran out of money to fund the pre-existing condition insurance plan for people with cancer, heart disease and other serious conditions. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius simply announced "health care facilities and providers will get paid less" for providing the same services. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/health/lower-health-insurance-premiums-to-come-at-cost-of-fewer-choices.html?pagewanted=all


2. There is no increase in physicians, on the contrary their has been a steady decrease.  This translates into increased scarcity.  People will begin to rely more on clinics for prescriptions and general healthcare because "practitioners" will be more accessible than traditional healthcare providers. http://www.cnbc.com/id/100546118

3. While the program is designed to show short-term (imaginary) savings, The GAO reports Obamacare will increase the long-term federal deficit by $6.2 trillion. http://global.nationalreview.com/pdf/gao_022613.pdf

4. We have already seen the uncertainty in the private sector for the past few years generated by an inability to forecast costs.  A Gallup poll found more than 40 percent of small businesses have frozen hiring because of Obamacare.  As the increases have now become realities, we can expect this to continue. http://www.cnbc.com/id/100825782

5. U.S. Chamber of Commerce found half of small businesses affected by Obamacare plan to either replace their current full-time workers with part-timers or cut their workers' hours because of the law's requirements. http://news.investors.com/politics-obamacare/100413-669013-obamacare-employer-mandate-a-list-of-cuts-to-work-hours-jobs.htm http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/small-business-obamacare_n_3617493.html

6. The same survey found 24 percent of small businesses plan to cut staff to less than 50 to avoid paying penalties for not providing health insurance.

7. The program has become a political tool for the administration to reward or punish as they see fit. HHS acknowledged issuing businesses more than 1,200 waivers from parts of Obamacare by January 2012. After that, the department stopped updating the total number of waivers because of monthly ridicule from the public. So, HHS stopped accepting applications for one-year waivers and simply granted or denied waivers through the end of the year. http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/202791-hhs-finalizes-more-than-1200-healthcare-waivers

8. Fewer healthcare insurance providers means fewer options and increased gov/corp collusion.  Those participating in the co-op program are failing and that will leave only the largest and most powerful insurance companies. The Inspector General for HHS reported most of the 24 health care cop-ops created under Obamacare are in danger of running out of money before they even provide health insurance. http://washingtonexaminer.com/hhs-ig-fears-obamacare-co-ops-will-run-out-of-money-before-enrolling-first-customers/article/2534006

9. Because much of the country has been converted into a part-time economy due to the never-ending recession, to sell the program it was necessary to redefine (with little regard for the consequences) what constitutes full-time employment. The leaders of three major U.S. unions (including the Teamsters), which strongly supported Obamacare, now warn Democratic leaders that unless the health-care law undergoes major changes, it will "destroy the very health and well-being of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans." It will also "destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class."   http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/07/12/union-letter-obamacare-will-destroy-the-very-health-and-wellbeing-of-workers/

10. Expectations are declining, and the initial roll-out failures are not helping that. A Rasmussen poll finds 61 percent of Americans expect health care to get worse under Obamacare.  Many doctors fear they will be unable to continue private practice because of low reimbursement rates from Medicaid and Medicare and will end up working for a corporation hospital where the profits are distributed to shareholders.  These physicians are already punished under Medicare for spending too much time with patients, and now expect the same from private insurance regulated through the exchanges.

11. The major selling point for businesses has been suspended by executive mandate.  The law, and it is a law, mandating businesses to meet the standards regulated by the government through the exchanges was suspended by the president.  How?  Who knows?  The president does not have the authority to change a law, but he did.  He also did this for the unions, but it wasn't enough to mitigate the threat.  

12.  To combat medical scarcity, as Howard Dean describes it, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, "is essentially a health-care rationing body" that will "be able to stop certain treatments its members do not favor by simply setting rates to levels where no doctor or hospital will perform them." The rationing board will decide whether or not some patients get potentially life-saving treatments, which is basically how Palin described "death panel" in 2009, and was eviscerated by the media for it. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324110404578628542498014414.html

13. Only 17 states are participating in the exchange program at the state level.  This has completely overturned the original costing model for the program making it unsustainable.  This would have forced the law back to congress, but The Obama administration used the IRS to unilaterally rewrite the health-care law to fix a problem it did not anticipate, again without consulting Congress.

14. Cross-Subsudy not expected to work. Obamacare needs enough healthy people ages 18-34 to join health insurance exchanges to "cross-subsidize" people who are older and not as healthy.

15. Federal workers don't want to participate, neither does congress, nor do most of the president's primary campaign funding organizations, so they have all been branded wavers, extensions, and subsidies, effectively establishing the existence of a ruling class exempt to the burdens placed on the public.

16. Charity has been established as a threat to Obamacare, so part of the bill (that was never read) that changes IRS code, Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code taking effect under Obamacare, creates a web of bureaucratic paperwork to treat or offer discounted treatment to poor or indigent patients.  While this won't likely shut down most mission based hospitals (catholic, jewish, and other charitable) it will likely increase administrative costs and therefore make it more difficult for them to compete. Below:

The Affordable Care Act added new requirements for charitable hospitals. (See Notice 2010-39 and Notice 2011-52.) On June 22, 2012, the IRS issued proposed regulations which provide information on the requirements for charitable hospitals relating to financial assistance and emergency medical care policies, charges for emergency or medically necessary care provided to individuals eligible for financial assistance, and billing and collections. On April 3, 2013, the IRS issued proposed regulations on the requirement that charitable hospitals conduct community health needs assessments (CHNAs) and adopt implementation strategies at least once every three years. The proposed regulations also discuss the related excise tax and reporting requirements for charitable hospitals and the consequences for failure to satisfy the requirements. On Aug. 14, 2013, the IRS issued temporary regulations and proposed regulations. The temporary regulations provide information on which form to use when making an excise tax payment for failure to meet the community health needs assessment requirements and the due date for filing the form. The proposed regulations solicit public comments.

I mean there's a start.

Hoss, you are precious.

[Townsend]

I admire your hope and faith in government.  Unfortunately, I can't run on hope or faith.

You have hope and faith in the websites you frequent and the articles you pick to post.

Your past performance in prognostication for government and finance has been lacking.  You might look again.

[tulsabug]

You have hope and faith in the websites you frequent and the articles you pick to post.

I have no hope or faith in anyone who posts links to anything from nationalreview or the wsj. What's next? Newsmax? Free Republic? I'm sure they're at the top of Gaspar's favorites. 

[RecycleMichael]

14. Cross-Subsudy not expected to work. Obamacare needs enough healthy people ages 18-34 to join health insurance exchanges to "cross-subsidize" people who are older and not as healthy.

Is that not the case with any health insurance plan?

[Cats Cats Cats]

Is that not the case with any health insurance plan?

It is a secret!

[Gaspar]

Is that not the case with any health insurance plan?

To some extent, yes, but insurance companies used to be free to charge young healthy people less, and even offer discounts for their lifestyle choices (smoking, gym membership, skydiving).  Many young folks also opted for minimal coverage knowing that they would need to increase their coverage as they get older.

The burden on the young and healthy under Obamacare is much greater, because the subsidy for the lower income participants is "pooled" from the younger healthy folks.  Also most people (with any degree of financial intelligence) will only purchase a bronze or silver plan, because if you get sick or injured, there is no penalty for switching. Why would you pay $1,200/mo for a family of four, when you can pay $600 and just upgrade your coverage when someone gets sick?

As in the article posted earlier http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_24248486/obamacares-winners-and-losers-bay-area
Folks are learning this, and as Maryland reported today out of the 174,000 people who visited their exchange site, 13,532 accounts were created but only 326 have signed up, because once they learn the cost they fail to complete the application.  

Under the exchange, it's more expensive than what I pay now, but it is very attractive for low income folks, meaning they will sign up, and the people who are required to pay their way will not.

[Gaspar]

I have no hope or faith in anyone who posts links to anything from nationalreview or the wsj. What's next? Newsmax? Free Republic? I'm sure they're at the top of Gaspar's favorites. 

I don't ask for your faith.  I have cited some very liberal and some very conservative sources.  This conversation was started today with an article from San Jose Mercury, a very liberal publication.

Don't put your faith in any media.  Simply attempt to apply the filter of reason to all of them.

[Townsend]

Simply attempt to apply the filter of reason to all of them.

Anyone want to run with this?

[Hoss]

Anyone want to run with this?

[nathanm]

Maybe you should wait until it actually would help people to sign up before crowing that they're just browsing. There's almost 3 months to go before January 1st, bud.

Also, while the rates for very young people with no pre-existing conditions has in fact increased, that's not where the subsidies are coming from. (that's not a subsidy, that's how insurance works..odd that you don't have a problem with your employer putting people of all ages in their risk pool)

The subsidies are mainly paid for by the medical device tax, and it's a good thing we've got them. If you were in your 30s making $1200 a month before taxes could you afford to pay $225 a month for coverage? (That's what BCBS is charging in Oklahoma) If that still bothers you, what solution do you have that doesn't involve forcing hospitals to pay for care of the indigent and ensures the indigent have no way of getting care until they're literally dying?

Maybe next we can shut down SNAP and require that grocery stores supply food to any starving person that shows up on their doorstep?

[Gaspar]

Very **Dangerous** If they lose Jon Stewart, they lose the young Obama supporters.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stewart-grills-sebelius-on-obamacare-level-of-incompetence-thats-larger-than-what-it-should-be/
For someone who's been highly critical of Republicans opposed to Obamacare, Jon Stewart was really adamant in pressing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about issues he has with the health care bill, from the website bugs to the one-year business delay that individuals didn't get. He repeatedly pressed that last point and got noticeably frustrated at the lack of a clear response.

Stewart did not receive an answer after asking how many people signed up for the website, before bringing up the "legitimate criticism" about individuals not receiving the one-year delay. Stewart said it looks like "you were favoring small business," and despite Sebelius attempting to explain that this is only a small percentage of businesses and small businesses have no mandates, Stewart still couldn't figure the logic out.

When he went to commercial break, Stewart asked, "Can we come back and ask some more questions? Can I ask the same one?"

In the second part of the interview, Stewart kept going, calling the issues with Obamacare "frustrating" due to the "level of incompetence that's larger than what it should be." He pointed out that businesses are cutting worker hours to exploit a loophole in the law, but Sebelius said that's not true. Stewart also wondered if they could actually run it well, pointing out the issues the government has had managing the VA.

And then, very briefly at the end of the show, Stewart expressed his exasperation with the non-answers, and even wondered aloud if Sebelius was lying to him.

Stewart brings up good points, and he does it from a progressive interpretation of what is wrong with Obamacare, that echoes what conservatives said would be wrong with such a system. 

[Townsend]

Mullin hears support for Obamacare during telephone town hall

Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin heard a different story and told a different tale during his one-hour telephone town hall Monday night. Of the roughly two dozen callers who got through, none demanded the impeachment of President Barack Obama or seemed very supportive of Republicans' continued demand for changes to the Affordable Care Act in exchange for a budget deal. Two callers said they had signed up for insurance through the ACA, commonly called Obamacare. Another said co-workers had. When Mullin tried to tell her that insurance enrollment through the online exchanges that went active on Oct. 1 "isn't happening," she said, "It absolutely is!"

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/mullin-hears-support-for-obamacare-during-telephone-town-hall/article_df97b794-2fb9-11e3-a77b-001a4bcf6878.html

[Hoss]

Mullin hears support for Obamacare during telephone town hall

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/mullin-hears-support-for-obamacare-during-telephone-town-hall/article_df97b794-2fb9-11e3-a77b-001a4bcf6878.html

It's what the Teahadists fear; that people (even Republicans!) will like it.