The Affordable Care Act is Coming Home to Roost

[Nanker]

Somebody will complement him on how nice his suit looks.

Then the hard questions will begin...

 

"Do you think Shanahan will be the coach of the Washington team next year?"

"Can the Lakers win without CoB?"

"The stock market is doing great - any chance you will take the money you got from selling the GM shares and parlay that into a big win?"

"How tall is the White House holiday tree?"

[keepthefaith]

So POTUS is about to start a press conference after giving more waivers on Obamacare, and the site is crashed as his presser is about to start, and you have to wonder...will anyone bring it up to him? Or will they start off with Duck Dynasty first? Anyone laying some quick odds?

 

The man is a ideological coward.

[Nanker]

The man is a ideological coward.

 

No, no, no, NO! A Thousand times no! He's a leader. He's changing the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

"I pledge allegiance to the Obama flag, and the Banana Republic for which it stands.

One nation, under his control, with rules and regulations and fairness for all."

[B-Man]

_{Pounding on the Panic Button}

_{by Yural Levin}

_{If the move the administration announced last Thursday night suggested the White House was in panic mode about Obamacare’s prospects in January, the move they announced exactly a week later—last night—confirms it and then some.}

_{In a CMS notice released around 9 p.m. without fanfare (not the way an organized government announces important policy changes if it wants them to be noticed) the administration said it would allow people whose 2013 insurance plans had been canceled to be exempted from the individual mandate penalty in 2014, and would also allow such people — regardless of their ages — to purchase catastrophic-coverage plans that are otherwise available only to people 30 and under in the individual market under Obamacare.}

 

_{It is a stunning move, plainly driven by dread at the impending chaos and dislocation in the individual market in January. It is also pretty clearly moved by utter panic among some Democratic senators, and their desire to be given credit for some of the administration’s Obamacare “fixes”—as evidenced by the bizarre kabuki theater of having six Democratic senators (who voted to impose this system on their constituents, of course) send a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius on Wednesday asking her to take this step. If you think a regulatory change announced Thursday was made in response to a letter sent Wednesday, I’ve got a bridge over the East River to sell you.}

 

_{Based on this step and the one announced a week ago, you would have to conclude that the White House knows something it isn’t telling us — and of course that’s not surprising given how secretive they have been about the facts, assumptions, and projections motivating their decisions regarding Obamacare implementation. What they know might be something about panic among Democratic lawmakers, it might be something about enrollment patterns, it might be something about insurer concerns, or some combination. But whatever it is, it is quite significant, because the step they have now taken is a very big one that could seriously undermine the architecture of the law the administration is still pretending to implement.}

 

 

 

 

_.

Edited December 21, 2013 by B-Man

[OCinBuffalo]

Hmm? So...the "fixed by Dec 1" website...crashed? Boy, I am shocked I tell ya! Once again, I WIN!

 

But...but...but...what about hooking Google's search engine to it? I thought everything was going to be solved by a buttload of Apple, Google, and Facebook resources thrown at it? Few substances in the world are as pure as: California Hubris.

 

Once again, when you send e-commerce, or consumer application people....to do an enterprise consultant's job?

 

Yep. Boys vs. Men. That's because: the former operates in a world where they control the design and execution, since they literally own it.

 

The latter operates in a world where they control next to nothing, since they literally own nothing, and where the client takes every opportunity to re-establish that, especially when they are feeling insecure(all the time).

 

Yet the latter still survives and even thrives, because in addition to doing the IT work, they can do the considerable and constant business process/politics/organizational theory work, and are extremely good at constructing convincing arguments(without the benefit of having a little room whose rules they control, and a guy who wears a black robe as referee), as well.

 

Tell me again: which group is "elite"? Tell me which group considers massive integration efforts with multiple systems: a side project, and which group's existence is defined by it? Tell me: which group is going to be successful in an environment where the client keeps F'ing about with the requirements, if they deliver any at all? Which group considers that to be "normal"?

 

 

This is like gravity. It existed long before it was "discovered".

Edited December 20, 2013 by OCinBuffalo

[Nanker]

[B-Man]

 

They're packing for Hawaii..................

 

 

 

 

 

I’m surprised HHS decided to roll a grenade into the insurance industry’s tent last night, before O’s presser, rather than wait until this evening after he’s already on his way to Waikiki. Maybe he decided that was a touch too weaselly even for him.

 

Sure, he’ll dump a new load of chaotic “fixes” onto insurers right before Christmas to cover his ass politically and then jet off to Hawaii while they try to pick up the pieces.

 

And yeah, he’ll kneecap his biggest liberal fans by putting a major crack in the individual mandate and setting insurers up for serious adverse selection problems next year now that millions of consumers can opt for cheap “catastrophic coverage” instead.

 

But he won’t do it without giving the press a few minutes to make him squirm on TV.

 

That’s how a responsible leader, who’s now making the law up as he goes along, handles adversity.

 

 

 

 

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/12/20/open-thread-man-to-survey-smoking-ruins-of-his-credibility-in-year-end-press-conference/

[DC Tom]

So the administration has deemed that the constraints and regulations of the Affordable Care Act constitute a hardship under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act?

 

 

Oh, wait..."hardship" in the ACA is specified as in section 5000A(e)(5) of the IRS Code. So which law is the administration rewriting? The ACA or the IRS Code? And who's doing this? HHS?

 

And given that the IRS is the enforcing body for determining payment and coverage...what the hell is actually happening? Is HHS is amending the IRS Code directly, bypassing the Department of the Treasury? Or are they merely violating Treasury regulations and ignoring the IRS by adding this "hardship" to the ACA (which would therefore not be binding, since the IRS would be bound by the unamended IRS Code?)

 

This is unbelievably !@#$ed up. I wish I had standing to challenge it in federal court.

[keepthefaith]

So the administration has deemed that the constraints and regulations of the Affordable Care Act constitute a hardship under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act?

 

 

Oh, wait..."hardship" in the ACA is specified as in section 5000A(e)(5) of the IRS Code. So which law is the administration rewriting? The ACA or the IRS Code? And who's doing this? HHS?

 

And given that the IRS is the enforcing body for determining payment and coverage...what the hell is actually happening? Is HHS is amending the IRS Code directly, bypassing the Department of the Treasury? Or are they merely violating Treasury regulations and ignoring the IRS by adding this "hardship" to the ACA (which would therefore not be binding, since the IRS would be bound by the unamended IRS Code?)

 

This is unbelievably !@#$ed up. I wish I had standing to challenge it in federal court.

 

It has to be this way. Damn racist Republicans tried to prevent the ACA from becoming law and now they will stand in the way of fixing it. The President has no choice but to maneuver around our laws for the betterment of society. He know's what's best. We can only hope that the next President is equally artful and caring in his or her approach to improve the lives of Americans.

Edited December 20, 2013 by keepthefaith

[TakeYouToTasker]

So the administration has deemed that the constraints and regulations of the Affordable Care Act constitute a hardship under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act?

 

 

Oh, wait..."hardship" in the ACA is specified as in section 5000A(e)(5) of the IRS Code. So which law is the administration rewriting? The ACA or the IRS Code? And who's doing this? HHS?

 

And given that the IRS is the enforcing body for determining payment and coverage...what the hell is actually happening? Is HHS is amending the IRS Code directly, bypassing the Department of the Treasury? Or are they merely violating Treasury regulations and ignoring the IRS by adding this "hardship" to the ACA (which would therefore not be binding, since the IRS would be bound by the unamended IRS Code?)

 

This is unbelievably !@#$ed up. I wish I had standing to challenge it in federal court.

The only body with standing is President Obama's executive branch; and the various bodies, led by Obama appointees, would never challenge this President.

[IDBillzFan]

So the administration has deemed that the constraints and regulations of the Affordable Care Act constitute a hardship under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act?

 

You really have to be impressed with the level of incompetence it takes to shut down the government because you refuse to delay the individual mandate...right before you delay the individual mandate.

[boyst]

You really have to be impressed with the level of incompetence it takes to shut down the government because you refuse to delay the individual mandate...right before you delay the individual mandate.

I know, right! Those damn Tea-Party people shutting down the government only made this worse.

[3rdnlng]

It has to be this way. Damn racist Republicans tried to prevent the ACA from becoming law and now they will stand in the way of fixing it. The President has no choice but to maneuver around our laws for the betterment of society. He know's what's best. We can only hope that the next President is equally artful and caring in his or her approach to improve the lives of Americans.

 

I think Obama is thinking that the next president will be artful and caring in his approach to improve the lives of Americans exactly as this one has. He'll have big ears too. He'll pronounce corpsman as corpse man.

[DC Tom]

You really have to be impressed with the level of incompetence it takes to shut down the government because you refuse to delay the individual mandate...right before you delay the individual mandate.

 

It's the law of the land. It's not going to be changed...

 

...except by completely illegal and unconstitutional means. Damn obstructionist Republicans trying to work within the system.

[Nanker]

All Hail the Fiat King!

 

The new White House answering machine message:

Listen carefully, we have recently changed the laws of the land. If you know your party's extension, you may dial it now.

If you need to be lied to now - press B then O

If you need to be lied to later - press J then C

If you need advice on how to become thin and healthy - press M then O

If you want a recording of your conversation - press N then S then A

If you're a Tea Party member or Republican - press I then R then S

[B-Man]

Six Problems with the Latest Obamacare ‘Fix’

 

 

 

 

White House Damage Control: Obamacare Repeal Will 'Cost too Much'

 

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/19/White-House-Floats-Fear-that-Repeal-of-Obamacare-Will-Cost-too-Much

 

 

 

Look who's suddenly worried about cost ?

[Nanker]

I demand health care! It's now a right and I will sue if I don't get it!

Give it to me NOW!!!

[B-Man]

 

 

 

[Keukasmallies]

Damn that Laura Bush!

[Koko78]

Damn that Laura Bush!

 

I blame Nancy Reagan personally. The B word.