With Enrollment Slow, Some Democrats Back Change in Health Law

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/us/politics/democrats-threaten-to-abandon-obama-on-health-law-provision.html?_r=0

Quote :

WASHINGTON — Anxious congressional Democrats are threatening to abandon President Obama on a central element of his signature health care law, voicing increasing support for proposals that would allow Americans who are losing their health insurance coverage because of the Affordable Care Act to retain it.

The dissent comes as the Obama administration released enrollment figures on Wednesday that fell far short of expectations, and as House Republicans continued their sharp criticism of administration officials at congressional hearings examining the performance of the health care website and possible security risks of the online insurance exchanges.

In addition, a vote is scheduled Friday in the Republican-controlled House on a bill that would allow Americans to keep their existing health coverage through 2014 without penalties. The measure, drafted by Representative Fred Upton, the Michigan Republican who is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, is opposed by the White House, which argues that it would severely undermine the Affordable Care Act by allowing insurance companies to continue to sell health coverage that does not meet the higher standard of Mr. Obama’s health care law.

But a growing number of House Democrats, reflecting a strong political backlash to the rollout of the law, are warning the White House that they may support the measure if the administration does not provide a strong alternative argument. The approaching House vote is shaping up as an important test for both the health measure and the unity that Democratic leaders have so far been able to maintain around it despite a fierce Republican attack.

The latest "leak" says a one year extension for those who lost their coverage. The problem here is the mandate(s) in the law requiring coverage many people don't want or need. These provisions were mandated to accrue a "pool" of money used to pay for or subsidize policies for others. This has a distinct odor of redistribution. Variations in Medicare qualifications would have been easier to allow formerly denied people access. I have a feeling this mess is going to get far worse before it gets better.

nochain wrote:

The latest "leak" says a one year extension for those who lost their coverage. The problem here is the mandate(s) in the law requiring coverage many people don't want or need. These provisions were mandated to accrue a "pool" of money used to pay for or subsidize policies for others. This has a distinct odor of redistribution. Variations in Medicare qualifications would have been easier to allow formerly denied people access. I have a feeling this mess is going to get far worse before it gets better.

And NOW he meets with insurance people after promising that those cancelled can keep coverage...shouldn't he have had that taken care of before announcing his "fix"....the inner circle advising the cowh is not doing him any favors or he's not listening...

Maybe the $500,000 grant he had an agency pass on to a lobbyist group to help folks "navigate the system" will drive up the ridiculously low number of people who actually bought insurance through the so called federal web site. But wait - didn't Oblamer make a campaign promise not to allow lobbyists? Just another of his many lies.

I'm all for changing the Health Law too.
To Single payer,  Medicare for everyone.

Just like the plans that exist in the whole rest of the industrialized world except for  here.

Place price controls on medical care and kill the private health insurance industry. They don't deserve to exist.

And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

Otter! You support single payer? Me, too.

Nochain has a good idea, though. Expand Medicare downward to those who are able to prove they can't obtain insurance due to a pre-exisiting condition. That just might have worked.

Melissa wrote:

Otter! You support single payer? Me, too.

Nochain has a good idea, though. Expand Medicare downward to those who are able to prove they can't obtain insurance due to a pre-exisiting condition. That just might have worked.

Yes, I definitely support single payer. And nochain's idea actually is a good idea. There has to be some solution to the problems of uninsured people in America,and I don't see that Obamacare is going to work.
John McCain's idea to lower Medicare to 55 was good, but I'm not sure he could have forced states to cover the working poor with Medicaid, because the SCOTUS said that was unconstitutional. In fact, helping the working poor with Medicaid was the best idea included in the ACA. The rest of it is far too complicated to ever work properly.

With the expected delay (not mandatory and who really insurance companies to go along) affected people and insurance have a real mess on their hands. Now that this effort at reform seems to be a failure on many levels perhaps it's time to hit the reset button and start over while avoiding all the mistakes of this program. Otherwise the guvmint will continue to slap bandaids on the ACA while throwing fist fulls of money at it until it would be a heckuva lot to expand Medicare - a system that is already in place.

Otter wrote:

Melissa wrote:

Otter! You support single payer? Me, too.

Nochain has a good idea, though. Expand Medicare downward to those who are able to prove they can't obtain insurance due to a pre-exisiting condition. That just might have worked.

Yes, I definitely support single payer. And nochain's idea actually is a good idea. There has to be some solution to the problems of  uninsured people in America,and I don't see that Obamacare is going to work.
John McCain's idea to lower Medicare to 55 was good, but I'm not sure he could have forced states to cover the working poor with Medicaid, because the SCOTUS said that was unconstitutional. In fact, helping the working poor with Medicaid was the best idea included in the ACA. The rest of it is far too complicated to ever work properly.

Florida is one of the states that refused to build a state exchange. Therefore, too many Floridians are being kicked into Medicaid. Medicaid was not expanded in Florida, so many if not most of those individuals will remain without insurance. Floridians who were bumped into Medicaid are receiving notices stating they will not be liable for the fine/tax.

I need to add that the parameters a family in Florida need to meet in order to claim a subsidy appear to be more restrictive than those explained on the Kaiser calculator site.

A Florida family of two, with one spouse not working and a projected 2014 income of close to $40,000, did not qualify for a subsidy.

What a bunch of snakes.....

"For Lawmakers, a Gold-Plated Insurance Exchange"

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress like to boast that they will have the same health care enrollment experience as constituents struggling with the balky federal website, because the law they wrote forced lawmakers to get coverage from the new insurance exchanges.

That is true. As long as their constituents have access to “in-person support sessions” like the ones being conducted at the Capitol and congressional office buildings by the local exchange and four major insurers. Or can log on to a special Blue Cross and Blue Shield website for members of Congress and use a special toll-free telephone number — a “dedicated congressional health insurance plan assistance line.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/us/politics/for-lawmakers-a-gold-plated-insurance-exchange.html?hp&_r=0

nochain wrote:

What a bunch of snakes.....

"For Lawmakers, a Gold-Plated Insurance Exchange"

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress like to boast that they will have the same health care enrollment experience as constituents struggling with the balky federal website, because the law they wrote forced lawmakers to get coverage from the new insurance exchanges.

That is true. As long as their constituents have access to “in-person support sessions” like the ones being conducted at the Capitol and congressional office buildings by the local exchange and four major insurers. Or can log on to a special Blue Cross and Blue Shield website for members of Congress and use a special toll-free telephone number — a “dedicated congressional health insurance plan assistance line.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/us/politics/for-lawmakers-a-gold-plated-insurance-exchange.html?hp&_r=0

Well they do work so freakin hard for us.......

More information about the "If you like it you can keep it" lie:

Almost 80 million people with employer health plans could find their coverage canceled because they are not compliant with ObamaCare, several experts predicted.

Their losses would be in addition to the millions who found their individual coverage cancelled for the same reason.

Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute said that in addition to the individual cancellations, "at least half the people on employer plans would by 2014 start losing plans as well." There are approximately 157 million employer health care policy holders.

Avik Roy of the Manhattan Institute added, "the administration estimated that approximately 78 million Americans with employer sponsored insurance would lose their existing coverage due to the Affordable Care Act."

Last week, an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, showed the administration anticipates half to two-thirds of small businesses would have policies canceled or be compelled to send workers onto the ObamaCare exchanges. They predicted up to 100 million small and large business policies could be canceled next year.

According to projections the administration itself issued back in July 2010, it was clear officials knew the impact of ObamaCare three years ago.

In fact, according to the Federal Register, its mid-range estimate was that by the end of 2014, 76 percent of small group plans would be cancelled, along with 55 percent of large employer plans.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/25/evidence-shows-obama-administration-predicted-tens-millions-would-lose-plans/

nochain wrote:

More information about the "If you like it you can keep it" lie:

Almost 80 million people with employer health plans could find their coverage canceled because they are not compliant with ObamaCare, several experts predicted.

Their losses would be in addition to the millions who found their individual coverage cancelled for the same reason.

Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute said that in addition to the individual cancellations, "at least half the people on employer plans would by 2014 start losing plans as well." There are approximately 157 million employer health care policy holders.

Avik Roy of the Manhattan Institute added, "the administration estimated that approximately 78 million Americans with employer sponsored insurance would lose their existing coverage due to the Affordable Care Act."

Last week, an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, showed the administration anticipates half to two-thirds of small businesses would have policies canceled or be compelled to send workers onto the ObamaCare exchanges. They predicted up to 100 million small and large business policies could be canceled next year.

According to projections the administration itself issued back in July 2010, it was clear officials knew the impact of ObamaCare three years ago.

In fact, according to the Federal Register, its mid-range estimate was that by the end of 2014, 76 percent of small group plans would be cancelled, along with 55 percent of large employer plans.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/25/evidence-shows-obama-administration-predicted-tens-millions-would-lose-plans/

Funny that a week ago in Florida....Sebelius was givng a speech and had a prop all set up to show the improvements in enrolling people...and just as soon as a women was brought up to begin the process....the system CRASHED!!!!....Another illustration of the 'trainwreck' known as [name] cowh healthcare...