cruiser_96;1750957 wrote:"...to stay solvent"????????? It doesn't have to stay solvent. Just raise taxes!

That's SOOOOO 2008....we don't raise taxes to pay for stuff any more, we just print more money.

You know what... That's on me. M'bad. I knew that.

Unless its the Social Security Trust Fund; then we have to raise taxes and/or the wage base in order to have enough funds to pay benefits. The Welfare Trust fund never runs out and is actuarially sound forever, but the fund paid for by employees and employers, well that one runs out of money.



And some people wonder why Trump is resonating with large numbers.

LAWMAKERS ARE SOUNDING an alarm over the rapid collapse of several so-called ObamaCare 'co-ops' — government-backed alternative health plans — that are failing, leaving tens of thousands of customers scrambling for coverage, and billions in taxpayer-funded startup loans at risk.



Whoda thunk

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/19/obama-scare-biggest-us-health-insurer-might-leave-exchanges.html?intcmp=hpbt2


United Healthcare, biggest insurer in US, looking to pull out ........


Change we can believe in ...

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/262360-cbo-projects-2-million-fewer-jobs-under-obamacare

• [h=3]ObamaCare to cut 2 million jobs' worth of hours: CBO[/h]
  • WAKE UP CALL?: Higher health care costs top concern for 2016: Fidelity
  • VIDEO: How ObamaCare is hurting the economy
  • VIDEO: Report: ObamaCare puts 2 million jobs at risk

[h=3]Internal Report Slams HHS For Failing To Heed Warnings Over HealthCare.gov.[/h]The Washington Post (2/23, Goldstein) reports that a two-year inquiry by the inspector general’s office within the Department of Health and Human Services found that officials in charge of creating HealthCare.gov “received 18 written warnings that the mammoth project was mismanaged and off course but never considered postponing its launch.” Among the warnings were an outside consultant’s “11 scathing reviews” that the Post says targeted “inadequate planning for the website’s capacity and deviations from usual IT standards.” The findings are set to be released Tuesday in an 84-page report the Post describes as “the most penetrating look ever” into the creation and launch of the healthcare marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.



And the disaster rolls on ................. crushing economic growth, and failing massively in its intent.

https://www.atr.org/watchdog-finds-billions-possible-fraudulent-obamacare-payments



and clinton continues to defend this disaster.

Administration To Rate Insurance Plans, Raise Maximum Out-Of-Pocket Costs. The New York Times (3/6, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that the Obama administration, responding to consumer complaints, is expected to publish new Affordable Care Act rules on Tuesday, including the introduction of a system for rating health insurance plans by “how many doctors and hospitals they include in their networks.” However, the administration also announced that the maximum out-of-pocket costs for consumers will rise to $7,150 for an individual and $14,300 for a family. Consumer advocates say the increase is “unsustainable” and will place a “significant burden for middle-income people who need a substantial amount of care.” Another new rule will require insurers to allow certain patients to continue seeing a doctor for up to 90 days if that doctor has been dropped by a network without cause.




obama's crushing of the middle class rolls on ............

Good article by Christopher Press in Monday's Wall St. Journal. Definitely worth a look.

QuakerOats;1785011 wrote:maximum out-of-pocket costs for consumers will rise to $7,150 for an individual and $14,300 for a family.

Which, by the way, is a really neat trick to artificially hide the rise in insurance costs. People will THINK they are making out with the rise in premiums slowing...until they actually get sick and get smacked with reality.

gut;1785344 wrote:Which, by the way, is a really neat trick to artificially hide the rise in insurance costs. People will THINK they are making out with the rise in premiums slowing...until they actually get sick and get smacked with reality.

I think they need to rename it something other than the Affordable Care Act. It did some good things but did absolutely zero to reduce costs or make it "affordable" for most people.

gut;1785344 wrote:Which, by the way, is a really neat trick to artificially hide the rise in insurance costs. People will THINK they are making out with the rise in premiums slowing...until they actually get sick and get smacked with reality.

Pretty much what most obamakare critics have been saying for the last 5 years. Nobody will care until it actually hits them.

sleeper;1785348 wrote:I think they need to remain it something other than the Affordable Care Act. It did some good things but did absolutely zero to reduce costs or make it "affordable" for most people.

About the only good thing I can think of is guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions. I doubt they needed to re-write the rules of an entire industry just to mandate people have coverage.

And they probably also could have just passed a law banning insurance companies from screening/rating on pre-existing conditions.

I do believe it was mainly pushed as a first-step toward single payer. Sure, we subsidize global healthcare...and if we stop doing that we can save money. And 20 years from now we'll be talking about what to do for the lack of medical progress and investment in R&D.

gut;1785353 wrote:About the only good thing I can think of is guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions. I doubt they needed to re-write the rules of an entire industry just to mandate people have coverage.

And they probably also could have just passed a law banning insurance companies from screening/rating on pre-existing conditions.

I do believe it was mainly pushed as a first-step toward single payer. Sure, we subsidize global healthcare...and if we stop doing that we can save money. And 20 years from now we'll be talking about what to do for the lack of medical progress and investment in R&D.

I'm actually for single payer but no one ever talks about the lack of R&D and medical progress that will come with it. I also worry about how quality will be affected when hospitals and doctors are capped at some arbitrary number by some bureaucrat who has no clue about what every procedure should cost.

If we don't go single payer, I think one of things we need is more cost transparency. I think its ridiculous that I can't shop around for non-emergency medical procedures and know what things are going to cost BEFORE I chose the provider.

sleeper;1785359 wrote: If we don't go single payer, I think one of things we need is more cost transparency. I think its ridiculous that I can't shop around for non-emergency medical procedures and know what things are going to cost BEFORE I chose the provider.

What's really ridiculous is a cash payer pays 10X the rate negotiated by insurance. Why? I guess, in theory, if you negotiate in advance you can get a much better deal, but you still don't know how that stacks up to what an insurance company pays. But if you come in for an emergency, as many costly visits often are, you can't really negotiate after the fact.

You can't afford not to have insurance because even a non-critical 2 night hospital stay will wipe out a decade of premiums.

sleeper;1785359 wrote:I think its ridiculous that I can't shop around for non-emergency medical procedures and know what things are going to cost BEFORE I chose the provider.

I agree. It's ridiculous. I used to work for an insurance company and it always cracked me up when the customer service have their disclaimer about payment not being guaranteed. Why the fuck were people calling them if they couldn't guarantee what would be paid?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/28/obamacare-may-force-employers-to-pull-plug-on-millions-health-plans-cbo-report-finds.html?intcmp=hpbt2


The disaster rolls on ..........

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2015/11/19/Obamacare-s-Bait-and-Switch-Has-Left-Consumers-Scrambling

The disaster rolls on ............. nice summary of the LIES of obamaKare

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/19/unitedhealth-pulls-back-on-obamacare-exchanges-amid-huge-losses.html?intcmp=hpbt1


This carnage worsens .........

Every dem who voted for this unmitigated disaster should be jailed.

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/04/21/Get-Ready-Huge-Obamacare-Premium-Hikes-2017



The crushing of the middle class continues unabated.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gracemarieturner/2016/05/23/walls-closing-in-on-obamacare-lawlessness/#28cee6eb250f

$5 million that was supposed to go to the treasury instead went to insurance companies to keep them in Obamacare. (The insurance companies were supposed to be paid after the treasury, but instead were paid first and little was left over for the treasury)

http://www.businessinsider.com/obamacare-price-change-for-every-state-in-us-2016-5?r=US&IR=T

The change in average premium for lowest cost silver plan. A reduction in 5 states. (12.1% in Indiana ) An increase in 45 states. (41.8% in Oklahoma)

Anecdotal, but mine just went up again, halfway through the year. About 40% increase in premiums and a drop in some of the coverages...what a deal we are getting...