Obamacare wins? See you in 2014

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voguy
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Post by voguy » 10-29-2013 06:16 PM

To be honest, KBOT, I hope it doesn't swing back and just become a conservative country. What we need is for the pendulum to swing back and knock all party people off the perch and restore States Rights, and eliminate the fed's prying little paws from people's lives. If the pendulum hits them in their head, we should be kneeling on their chest with a dire warning of being good stewards of public funds, doing what constituents want, and being responsible. Anything less could be detrimental to their completion of term.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

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Post by Riddick » 10-29-2013 08:42 PM

And Now, The "Success" Propaganda
ACA Advocates Accentuate the Positive (What little there is, that is)


How can a PR company help when the main IT system is broken and people are angry about the cancellation of existing policies and higher insurance premiums? Specialists in public relations will be spreading "success stories" through social media and the press, trying to put a positive spin on Obamacare's dismal performance so far.

Time Magazine reports that Families USA, a lobbyist group for the healthcare industry, has received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for spreading stories designed to present Obamacare in a better light. Families USA is not a usual advocacy group. Previously, it has been involved in promoting healthcare legislation supported by the Clinton administration. Families USA has often been accused of working in the interest of companies like Johnson & Johnson that are involved in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Judging by the media reports and testimonials of disgruntled applicants, there are few, if any, real success stories available, but it is sure that Ron Pollack, the Executive Director of Families USA and a former Bill Clinton advisor, who is now tasked with giving the media something positive to report about Obamacare, will come up with such stories. Pollack told Time that his team already has “a bunch of stories that are in the hopper for vetting.”

While spreading success stories may be a good tactic to trick people into trying to sign up for Obamacare, maybe trying to fix its technical and economic flaws would be a better way to spend the money of taxpayers and big healthcare companies.

http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_10_28/PR- ... care-6611/

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Post by Riddick » 10-29-2013 08:57 PM

Excerpted from
White House glitches go beyond Obamacare
By Edward Luce at ft.com:
  • Six months ago, Max Baucus, the veteran Democratic senator, said that “Obamacare” – the Affordable Care Act – was a looming “train wreck”. Senior players had privately issued the same warnings in early 2012. The White House also brushed them off. “I tried to tell people at all levels there would be huge problems and they either didn’t listen or got irritated,” says a close ally of President Barack Obama, who works with large healthcare companies. “The White House was programmed to screen out bad news.”

    Whether Obamacare’s problems can quickly be resolved, or whether the law is unravelling, it is indelibly linked with Mr Obama’s name. It is his most cherished accomplishment and it will be his chief legacy. Yet it is only now, almost a month into its disastrous launch, and more than three years since it was enacted, that its implementation has been made a priority.
    ...
    How could Mr Obama have let things get so out of hand?...The simple explanation is that Mr Obama’s White House is dominated by a coterie of insiders who have learnt that their boss does not like to hear bad news. Nor are friendly whistleblowers made to feel welcome. Whether on Syria, spying revelations or the White House’s preferred candidate to head the Federal Reserve, the president has been caught off guard by recent crises.

    This is well into his fifth year in office. Even George W Bush grew in his job during his second term – to a large extent by freezing out Dick Cheney, the vice-president, as Peter Baker shows in his new book, Days of Fire. No doubt, Mr Bush had much further to grow after the monumental errors of his first term. But Mr Obama gives few signs of having found a learning curve. Although he will never again face election, the White House continues to behave as though he will. The problems with Obamacare are a feature, not a bug, of his administration.
    ...
    So far, only the sick and vulnerable appear to be struggling through the glacial website to buy insurance. This is the opposite of what Mr Obama needs. If the young and healthy do not sign up in large numbers, the system will suffer from adverse selection, which will unravel Obamacare’s cross-subsidy and raise costs for everyone.

    Young people, unlikely to be in terror of the $95 penalty they would incur for not signing up, are crucial to the project’s viability. Mr Obama has a month to win them over. In a city inured to countdowns, Washington faces two new ones – November 30 to get the exchanges working, and December 15 to finish the enrolments for next year.

    It is well known that Mr Obama barely consulted Kathleen Sebelius, health secretary, during Obamacare’s stormy passage through Congress in 2009 and 2010. And it is an open secret how little they had seen each other since before this month’s crisis. Having lacked good White House access all these years – particularly when bearing bad news – Ms Sebelius is now taking the rap for the problems of the programme.

    If Jeff Zients, who was last week made head of the White House tech surge, can help fix things then Ms Sebelius might keep her job. Either way, it is troubling how often the president’s appointees end up taking the blame for problems they have tried to flag. It is a sign of a dysfunctional White House. Mr Obama will never again face election. But his legacy will forever be linked to the fate of his signature reform.

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Post by Riddick » 10-29-2013 09:04 PM

NO GOING BACK
America's Health Care System: Broken Beyond Repair?
From a letter to the editor at ft.com
:
  • To describe the rollout of Obamacare as saddled by “glitches” is like labelling a tornado a “windy day” (“White House glitches go beyond Obamacare”, Edward Luce, October 28). It has been a disaster, with the system being dysfunctional. Unlike in the private sector, in which companies exhaustively beta test new programmes, the Affordable Care Act was begun with virtually no testing.

    Aside from the fact that consumers could not sign in, the system lacks the capability to verify peoples’ income to determine what level of subsidy they are entitled to. This opens the system to massive fraud on the scale of food stamps and welfare. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, has no qualifications to head such a programme, and the results show it.

    Ironically, the Obama administration may be better off that the rollout has been delayed. Most people familiar with it, including insurance agents and consumers, report that the prices and deductibles are higher than under their previous or existing policies.

    Moreover, despite numerous assurances by the president that people could keep their insurance if they liked it, existing policies are being cancelled with no hope that they will be revived. Thus, for most citizens, the current system is being destroyed with no good alternatives available.

    When the healthcare website is functional, Americans will find that their healthcare system is like Humpty Dumpty: it had a great fall and cannot be put back together.

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Post by kbot » 10-30-2013 05:55 AM

voguy wrote: To be honest, KBOT, I hope it doesn't swing back and just become a conservative country. What we need is for the pendulum to swing back and knock all party people off the perch and restore States Rights, and eliminate the fed's prying little paws from people's lives. If the pendulum hits them in their head, we should be kneeling on their chest with a dire warning of being good stewards of public funds, doing what constituents want, and being responsible. Anything less could be detrimental to their completion of term.


I think that this probably is what the country as a whole desires. We went from the conservative degree of government intrusiveness (example being requring a pre-abortion ultrasound) to the new progressive dgree of intrusiveness of requiring a whole range of must-do's under Obamacare administered by a completely new layer of bureaucracy covering all aspects of life. Oh, and new taxes on top of it all to support these new rules and regulations.

While I agrgee that the Right has a history of intrusiveness, I think that the Progressives just blew away any pretensions to intrusive greatness that the Right aspired to........

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Post by kbot » 10-30-2013 10:38 AM

I have to applaud Sebelius for falling on her sword, but I have to ask - can she be THIS naive? Anyone, with even half an ounce of common sense knows that if business is given an out, they will take it.

Kathleen Sebelius sorry for healthcare.gov 'debacle'

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized today for the botched rollout of the government's healthcare website, acknowledging it was a "debacle", while also blaming insurers for cancelling coverage for hundreds of thousands of people.

Sebelius, testifying at a congressional hearing on the troubled website at the heart of Obama's healthcare overhaul, vowed to win back the confidence of millions of disappointed Americans.

"Hold me accountable for the debacle. I'm responsible," Sebelius said in response to questions from Marsha Blackburn, the Republican U.S. Representative of Tennessee, about who was responsible for problems that have prevented people from signing up for healthcare insurance plans.

Technical glitches have dogged healthcare.gov since its launch on Oct. 1, preventing many people from signing up for insurance plans. But critics of Obamacare have seized on the hundreds of thousands of Americans due to lose their current plans because they fail to include essential benefits required by the law and are asking whether Obama misrepresented the law.

Sebelius, the cabinet official spearheading the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, drew intense criticism from Republicans including Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Upton accused Obama of breaking a 2009 promise that people with insurance could keep their current plans.

"They are now receiving termination notices, and for those who lose the coverage they like, they may also be losing faith in their government," the Michigan Republican said.

Sebelius defended the administration by describing hundreds of thousands who have received cancellation notices as the victims of a market long known for discriminating against the sick, cancelling policies and selling inadequate insurance.

"The individual market ... anywhere in the country has never had consumer protections. People are on their own. They can be locked out, priced out, dumped out," by insurers, Sebelius said.

Sebelius said Obama had not broken his promise because plans that have existed since the law was signed have had the option of remaining unchanged.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi- ... 5422.story

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Post by Riddick » 10-30-2013 11:08 AM

kbot wrote: Sebelius said Obama had not broken his promise because plans that have existed since the law was signed have had the option of remaining unchanged.
Sounds like a mealy mouthed explanation worthy of Mr. Haney from Green Acres!

Your plan isn't just as it was when I said you could keep it? Oh, too bad, so sad.

So much for 'change you can believe in'.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 10-30-2013 11:15 AM

...and while she talks -- the web site goes down!

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Post by kbot » 10-30-2013 01:49 PM

It makes you wonder - can these people really be this incompetent.

I think that Jay Leno asked the question: "The administration is saying that the website continues crashing because it's so popular......... If that's so, why didn't the Gangnam site crash?"

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Post by voguy » 10-30-2013 04:25 PM

kbot wrote: While I agrgee that the Right has a history of intrusiveness, I think that the Progressives just blew away any pretensions to intrusive greatness that the Right aspired to........


The malcontents and crazy-thinkers took over both parties a while ago. They became sort of like Brittany Spears where the weirder she got, the more people liked her.

The other thing I think people are starting to see are the blatant lies being told by members of both parties. In the past these people were rock stars to many. Now they are being seen for what they are, ill-educated lying shysters.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

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Post by Riddick » 10-30-2013 06:14 PM

kbot wrote: can these people really be this incompetent.
Possibly not. Then again, we're talking government here aren't we? Getting into office is job one, and so long as that's covered, none of the rest really matters. If stuff doesn't work, blame it on anyone and everyone else.

Never mind how Obamacare's upended the health insurance paradigm: by requiring anyone with pre-existing conditions need MUST be allowed in the risk pool, coverage becomes even MORE of a pre-paid scheme that penalizes people who pay in who've not yet had (and may well NEVER have) the risk event happen to them.

And at the same time never mind how Obamacare requires that ALL health policies now cover certain questionable 'preventative' and 'elective' services. How the blue blazes is THAT gonna mean lower premiums, co-pays and deductibles? Answer: it ain't. In fact, application of simple and elementary mathematics says quite the opposite -

Along with all the newly insured folks with pre-existing conditions, if everyone in a risk pool is guaranteed to have a claim at some point because everyone's policies cover far FAR more than catastrophic illnesses, pure and simple the 'pool' needs MUST raise far FAR more money than it had before, meaning some folks will be paying far far more.

Also, never mind how most Obamacare compliant policies have wicked in-network restrictions, meaning healthcare you receive "out of network" gets ZERO coverage, and "out of network" has gone from generally meaning within a STATE to within a COUNTY, with not one word of disclosure of any of this until AFTER you have bought the policy.

So we're to believe this is all for the greater good and for the betterment of all? Color me far from convinced.

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Post by Riddick » 10-30-2013 10:15 PM

Sajak Reacts to the Affordable Care Act

Television host Pat Sajak took to Twitter Wednesday afternoon to poke fun at Obamacare, saying that he’s considering a few rule changes at “Wheel of Fortune” to keep in line with the new law.

“Considering rule change for Wheel: If you like your vowels, you can keep your vowels,” he joked.

“Vowel Clarification: Ys will be covered if they meet minimum standards found in section XIV of guidelines,” the host continued. “Further clarification: Prices for vowels will go up for some, and you may be directed to other vowels. (Section XXVII.)”

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress Wednesday that she is responsible for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but ultimately admitted after prodding by Rep. Greg Harper that the president is in charge of all government-run programs.

“I think it’s great that you’re a team player and taking responsibility,” said Mr. Harper, Michigan Republican. “It is the president’s ultimate responsibility, correct?”

“You clearly — whatever,” Mrs. Sebelius said. “Yes, he is the president. He is responsible for government programs.”

Mr. Sajak, and many other Twitter users, jumped on her “whatever” comment, and a new hashtag was born.

“Tired of all the questions. Everything will be clear when you read the guidelines. #Whatever!” the “Wheel” host wrote.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... wels-you-/

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Post by kbot » 10-31-2013 06:14 AM

voguy wrote: The malcontents and crazy-thinkers took over both parties a while ago. They became sort of like Brittany Spears where the weirder she got, the more people liked her.

The other thing I think people are starting to see are the blatant lies being told by members of both parties. In the past these people were rock stars to many. Now they are being seen for what they are, ill-educated lying shysters.


I was watching the rerun of the Sebelius grilling on CSPAN before the game last night, and a Rep from California noted how, despite all their protestations to the contrary, and their alleged desire for this website to work, the GOP in fact has voted overwhelmingly for this law to just go away.

My view is that it would have been better had the administration rolled this out in stages rather than the way they did. Work out the bugs first - get the main issues of denials of coverage/ denials of service worked out first, then move on to something else. Clear-up the bugs there and then move on to something else.

As it is, both sides have ideologically dug themselves in even deeper. The GOPs intransigent inability to go along even one iota shows how their ideology has boxed them in to the point of increasingly being viewed as even more stone-hearted and cruel than they were under Reagan and Bush. The Democrats have shown that they have become so Progressive, that they are in such a rush to offer the world to everyone that they're willing to fork over the US Treasury and the middle classes' personal finances, to everyone - even non-citizens, just to gain votes in the next election.

I think that everyone agrees that we need healthcare reform and that what we have had up to now is sorely lacking in many respects. But, you're correct - both sides need to get a grip......

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Post by kbot » 10-31-2013 06:15 AM

Riddick wrote: Sajak Reacts to the Affordable Care Act

Television host Pat Sajak took to Twitter Wednesday afternoon to poke fun at Obamacare, saying that he’s considering a few rule changes at “Wheel of Fortune” to keep in line with the new law.

“Considering rule change for Wheel: If you like your vowels, you can keep your vowels,” he joked.

“Vowel Clarification: Ys will be covered if they meet minimum standards found in section XIV of guidelines,” the host continued. “Further clarification: Prices for vowels will go up for some, and you may be directed to other vowels. (Section XXVII.)”

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress Wednesday that she is responsible for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but ultimately admitted after prodding by Rep. Greg Harper that the president is in charge of all government-run programs.

“I think it’s great that you’re a team player and taking responsibility,” said Mr. Harper, Michigan Republican. “It is the president’s ultimate responsibility, correct?”

“You clearly — whatever,” Mrs. Sebelius said. “Yes, he is the president. He is responsible for government programs.”

Mr. Sajak, and many other Twitter users, jumped on her “whatever” comment, and a new hashtag was born.

“Tired of all the questions. Everything will be clear when you read the guidelines. #Whatever!” the “Wheel” host wrote.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... wels-you-/


Once something like this goes mainstream and is the constant butt of jokes by even what has been considered your base (in this case, the entertainment industy), you know you're in trouble....

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 10-31-2013 09:40 AM

and Obama - if you lost your insurance company "Shop Around"

---

How about we shop around for a new president, a new congress, ....

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