The Affordable Care Act is Coming Home to Roost

[IDBillzFan]

I knew he looked famliar.

 

[Keukasmallies]

This dude just oozes confidence and insurability. Sorry, Rachel....

Edited December 19, 2013 by Keukasmallies

[B-Man]

Team Obama has rightfully earned pantloads of mockery for its ridiculous “Pajama Boy” tweet, but who’d've thunk that Obama pal Chris Christie would get in on the action? And yet, here we are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nanker]

The American Beta male: Obama's magical fundamental transformation of America... from Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, and William Holden to Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Sam Champion, and Pajama boy. Castration through Obamafication.

[JuanGuzman]

Seems as if Pajamaboy has got everyone talking about health care #gettalking

[birdog1960]

The American Beta male: Obama's magical fundamental transformation of America... from Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, and William Holden to Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Sam Champion, and Pajama boy. Castration through Obamafication.

you forgot the marlboro man. impotence, heart disease and lung cancer...the very definition of macho.

[OCinBuffalo]

Now here's something....funny? interesting? This is a piece about Max Baucus, and his fretting about the ACA http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/us/politics/baucus-still-fretting-over-health-law-he-shepherded.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0

 

It's all well and good, typical NYT trying to humanize the guy responsible for this mess. But, he's the guy who said "train wreck", first. And, if nothing else, at least the man appears to be somewhat honest in his introspection.

 

But, that's not the interesting part. All the way at the end of the article is the interesting part:

Looking ahead, Mr. Baucus said he views himself as an “enabler in chief” who can help the administration put the law on stable footing before he retires.

 

Then, after the interview, Mr. Baucus telephoned to say one last thing.

 

“I forgot to mention the president,” Mr. Baucus said, adding that without Mr. Obama, the bill would never have become law. “I just want to compliment him.”

Now, am I supposed to believe that a Stanford educated lawyer, with the "his own drummer" thing going on, makes "mistakes" like this?

 

I know this tactic. I've used it, I know people that use it, I've trained people to use it. Hell, I've seen it on TV, and so have you. "I'm sorry Mr. Suspect, jeez, I'm always forgetting things, I forgot to ask one more question....".

 

What's this doing here? "What happens when I push...this...button?"

 

For me, this invokes: "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong", you know, the Sesame street song? There's different versions, 3 things the same, kids rather than things, etc. Here, we use the: "But one of these kids is doing his own thing".

 

"Now it's time to play our game. It's time to play our game!" (Loved Sesame Street, and I still sing the 123..45, 6789..10...11,12 song, whenever appropriate, but that was The Electric Company)

 

So, what the hell? Is he trying to be sincere, and he just forgot? BS! So what then? Is this a backhand shot at Obama? Is this a message for the wiser among us? Or the wisasser of us? Or, is this a subtle acknowledgement, in the vain of, "I'm gonna say the nicest thing I can, while remaining truthful" that Obama was helpful to getting it passed, but....unhelpful in terms of getting it implemented? Criticism by omission?

 

The other question? Why did the reporter include this, this way? He could have completely left out the 2 phone calls, and just quoted what Baucus. The 2 phone calls weren't necessary for the story to be written. So, it the reporter showing us an example of how much Obama is still loved? Or, is he on to the game, and going along with it?

 

Who knows?

 

Interesting, isn't it?

[B-Man]

Leadership

 

Obama encourages moms to ‘tell stories in the grocery store’ about Obamacare

 

In a meeting with “eight moms from around America,” according to a White House pool report, President Obama encouraged the mothers to sing the praises of Obamacare while they’re out shopping at grocery stores.

 

Obama, speaking to the moms in the Oval Office, acknowledged that there have been problems with the roll-out of his signature health legislation, but insisted that a solid P.R. campaign will rescue Obamacare.

 

When people “hear about preventive care, the more they hear about no lifetime limits,” Obama said. “The more information they get, the more satisfied they’re going to be.”

 

And moms can play a special role in making Obamacare popular,the President went on.

 

“There’s something about moms,” Obama said, according to the report. “Nothing can replace telling stories in the grocery store to somebody who may be skeptical.”

 

Read more: http://dailycaller.c.../#ixzz2nt647h7W

 

 

[JuanGuzman]

Lots of People Are Saving Money Thanks to Obamacare

True story: I’m self-employed, so for several years we’ve been paying out of pocket for a family health insurance plan (me, my wife, my son) from Independence Blue Cross here in Pennsylvania. We have no group to join, no company plan; we effectively buy health insurance at retail cost. Our rates have steadily increased every year, to the point where as of today, we’ve been paying $1500 a month to cover the three of us, for a plan with good coverage (by U.S. standards) and a $500 deductible.

A few months ago, we got one of those controversial notices that our current plan was being cancelled because it wasn’t compliant with the Affordable Care Act, so we’d have to find a new plan before January. My wife went online, to Healthcare.gov, found a new plan from our same insurer with as good or better coverage — equivalent prescription coverage, same network of doctors and hospitals, same $500 deductible — and our new bill, starting next month, will be $1050 per month. No subsidies or anything like that. We’re just saving over $5000 per year, thanks to Obamacare.

Link: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/12/17/obamacare

[3rdnlng]

Link: http://daringfirebal...12/17/obamacare

Quoting this anectodal plan shows what a BS's you are. No one here is impressed.

Edited December 19, 2013 by 3rdnlng

[JuanGuzman]

Quoting this anectodal plan shows what a BS's you are. No one here is impressed.0o

 

I generally agree with you. Anecdotes alone are not very convincing alone. But mainly that was is what I'm hearing from the other side on this anecdotes about plans being cancelled,

 

Show me anecdotes with data, if you follow most of my posts in this thread they are either looking at big picture data or explaining the theory but once in a while it's nice to post a story about someone saving some money

Edited December 19, 2013 by JuanGuzman

[IDBillzFan]

Seems as if Pajamaboy has got everyone talking about health care #gettalking

 

Please. Pajama boy has got everyone laughing at how ridiculously out of touch the president is with the very people he needs to save his signature law.

 

There are few things more fun to watch than a progressive who refuses to admit they screwed up. The roll out wasn't bad enough. He's got to delegate its rescue mission to people who think a guy drinking hot cocoa in a onesie is their target audience.

 

But yeah...they're talking about health care.

 

Edited December 19, 2013 by LABillzFan

[JuanGuzman]

 

There are few things more fun to watch than a progressive who refuses to admit they screwed up. The roll out wasn't bad enough. He's got to delegate its rescue mission to people who think a guy drinking hot cocoa in a onesie is their target audience.

 

 

I don't mind admitting the roll out sucked, terrible that the exchange has so many bugs in it when it was launched. ACA is the administration flagship law, the other side just exhausted a lot of political capital shutting down the government in an attempt to repeal it. You should make sure the tech is working relatively well before you go live.

 

That being said tech failures get fixed, dumb advertising campaigns get replaced. The merits of policy are what matter, and like I said before this is policy is a big improvement on the previous statusquo.

[IDBillzFan]

That being said tech failures get fixed, dumb advertising campaigns get replaced. The merits of policy are what matter, and like I said before this is policy is a big improvement on the previous statusquo.

 

What you're not grasping is that it's a product most people don't want, and no matter what you fix, no matter what you adjust, no matter what law you pass mandating people by it, if it sucks...and everyone knows it sucks...not enough people are going to buy it. It's just the way this country works, and Obama's WH FUBAR'ed that very concept by thinking they could legislate behavior.

 

This is going to be worse than a repealed law. It's going to be a law everyone will WISH was repealed at the moment they realize that repealing it will only ....somehow...make things worse.

 

And it's only an improvement to the status quo to Barack Obama and his merry band of knob-gobblers. To the rest of the world, it's a shitstain of epic proportions no matter how many charts, graphs or speeches you present. America doesn't want it. Unfortunately, you're going to force it on America anyway, with fingers ridiculously crossed.

Edited December 19, 2013 by LABillzFan

[JuanGuzman]

What you're not grasping is that it's a product most people don't want, and no matter what you fix, no matter what you adjust, no matter what law you pass mandating people by it, if it sucks...and everyone knows it sucks...not enough people are going to buy it. It's just the way this country works, and Obama's WH FUBAR'ed that very concept by thinking they could legislate behavior.

 

I know the polls measure Obamacare as unpopular, part of that is the terrible roll out of the program, and part of that is the negative emphasis the republican's place on it. But I think when you ask American's about individual pieces of the law e.g., should insurers be dis-allowed from denying insurance based pre-existing conditions? you find general support for a lot of ACA principles

 

I'm of a mind the the polls will change once people see that the law is helpful and the tea party hyperbole is shown to hot air, Obama won the election that was the most important feedback the american people gave, he won a mandate. Sure if you want to repeal the law by all means do it through the elecoral process, elect a president promising to repeal obamacare, elect senators and congressman who will get rid of it etc. But you can't just go ripping up legislation because polls about a program that hasn't even been fully implemented show xx per cent of people are against it etc.

Edited December 19, 2013 by JuanGuzman

[OCinBuffalo]

Obama: in more dire need of a real-world marketing internship than any half-white man in history.

[B-Man]

 

Abandon ship! Four state Obamacare chiefs bolt post-launch

 

 

You can add Obamacare exchange boss to this year's list of "most dangerous jobs."

 

Four out of the 15 chiefs of Obamacare insurance marketplaces run by individual states and the District of Columbia have either quit or gone on leave since the botched Oct. 1 launches of their health exchanges.

 

And given badly lagging sign-up rates in Affordable Care Act insurance policies in several other states, some other bosses likely will follow those four out the exit door.

 

"I would expect to see some more turnover, because they aren't hitting their enrollment targets," said Mark Argosh, managing principal at the leading insurance brokerage Sterling Healthworks.

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101282949?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity

[IDBillzFan]

I know the polls measure Obamacare as unpopular, part of that is the terrible roll out of the program, and part of that is the negative emphasis the republican's place on it. But I think when you ask American's about individual pieces of the law e.g., should insurers be dis-allowed from denying insurance based pre-existing conditions? you find general support for a lot of ACA principles

 

I'm of a mind the the polls will change once people see that the law is helpful and the tea party hyperbole is shown to hot air, Obama won the election that was the most important feedback the american people gave, he won a mandate. Sure if you want to repeal the law by all means do it through the elecoral process, elect a president promising to repeal obamacare, elect senators and congressman who will get rid of it etc. But you can't just go ripping up legislation because polls about a program that hasn't even been fully implemented show xx per cent of people are against it etc.

 

Of course Americans will like parts of the law. It's the law in its entirety that they must live with, AND hate...especially the way in which the Obama's WH intentionally lied to them to get it passed. No matter how many times you suggest people like "parts" of the law, the fact remains it is - by your own admission - an all-or-nothing law: the people don't want all of it, so they prefer nothing, and trying to argue that Americans are wrong simply because you hope it will get better in a few years is a fool's game.

 

You can also drop the whole "Obama won the election, so he has a mandate" bit because if he truly had a mandate, the left would still hold both the House and Senate and Obama wouldn't be talking about how he really plans to pivot to jobs in his sixth year while actually having worse poll numbers than Bush at this point...an absolutely astounding fact.

 

But you keep choking on choad, Skippy.

Edited December 19, 2013 by LABillzFan

[DC Tom]

I know the polls measure Obamacare as unpopular, part of that is the terrible roll out of the program, and part of that is the negative emphasis the republican's place on it. But I think when you ask American's about individual pieces of the law e.g., should insurers be dis-allowed from denying insurance based pre-existing conditions? you find general support for a lot of ACA principles

 

I'm of a mind the the polls will change once people see that the law is helpful and the tea party hyperbole is shown to hot air, Obama won the election that was the most important feedback the american people gave, he won a mandate. Sure if you want to repeal the law by all means do it through the elecoral process, elect a president promising to repeal obamacare, elect senators and congressman who will get rid of it etc. But you can't just go ripping up legislation because polls about a program that hasn't even been fully implemented show xx per cent of people are against it etc.

 

Parts of the invasion of Iraq and response to Katrina were good, too...

[Alaska Darin]

I know the polls measure Obamacare as unpopular, part of that is the terrible roll out of the program, and part of that is the negative emphasis the republican's place on it.

The President's poll numbers are finally trending where they belong because people are somewhat waking up to the fact they've been lied to for 5 years. Blaming it, even in part, on the bumbling Republicans is laughable. "Obamacare" may be the straw that broke the camel's back but it's a single piece of straw in a huge bale.

But I think when you ask American's about individual pieces of the law e.g., should insurers be dis-allowed from denying insurance based pre-existing conditions? you find general support for a lot of ACA principles

Sure. About 2 pages worth. That's how it got sold in the first place. The problem, which has always been the problem, is the other nearly 3000 pages that are a cobbled together mess. The results of which are only starting to see the light of day. That's why "We have to pass it to know what's in it." was such a ridiculous statement.

I'm of a mind the the polls will change once people see that the law is helpful and the tea party hyperbole is shown to hot air.

"Obamacare" isn't going to be helpful on a mass scale. That's simply irrational.

Obama won the election that was the most important feedback the american people gave, he won a mandate.

WTF is your definition of a mandate? Losing the House and barely holding onto both the Senate and the White House hardly fits the description.

Sure if you want to repeal the law by all means do it through the elecoral process, elect a president promising to repeal obamacare, elect senators and congressman who will get rid of it etc. But you can't just go ripping up legislation because polls about a program that hasn't even been fully implemented show xx per cent of people are against it etc.

Actually, you can. That's exactly the way the system is designed. The law of the land says there is no branch of government that is more powerful than another, so when Congress doesn't like a law that's on the books they have ways to deal with it. Same with the President and the Courts.