The Affordable Care Act II - Because Mr. Obama Loves You All

[ALF]

BIG STEP TOWARD TAX REFORM: Senate Republicans narrowly passed a $4 trillion budget plan, taking their first big step toward a tax reform package promised by President Donald Trump ...

Approval of the nonbinding plan allows the Senate to use a special process known as "budget reconciliation" that would forestall a Democratic filibuster.

The Senate plan, approved on a 51-49 vote, calls for $473 billion in cuts from Medicare over 10 years and more than $1 trillion from Medicaid.

Take money from the healthcare of the poorest and elderly to give tax breaks ?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-senate-budget-sets-up-a-tax-giveaway-to-the-rich_us_59e649cce4b0432b8c11ea82

It calls for cuts in domestic spending of $5.1 trillion total (over 10 years )

They can use the same reconciliation process that they used in their failed effort to enact Trumpcare. That process, which they plan to use to pass so-called “tax reform” with only 51 votes, allows them to increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion. If they include cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, the tax giveaway can be trillions of dollars larger.

Edited October 20, 2017 by ALF

[TakeYouToTasker]

"Tax giveaway" is just about the most disingenuous and prejudicial language possible.

 

It's language which presumes that the money actually belongs to the Federal government rather than the individual tax-payer who earned it, and casts the individuals paying more than 70% of all tax receipts as villains even though they pay the freight for the rest of the country who have done nothing to earn their Federal largess.

[ALF]

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.

11:38 AM - May 7, 2015

[Boatdrinks]

Donald J. Trump

 

✔@realDonaldTrump

 

 

 

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.

11:38 AM - May 7, 2015

 

Remember in liberal terms a " cut" is a reduction in the rate of growth ( i.e an increase of 10% when 12% was anticipated is a " cut") and a tax " giveaway" is allowing people to actually keep more of their own money instead of surrendering it to Uncle Sam.

[ALF]

Cheaper Health Plans Promoted by Trump Have a History of Fraud

But these health plans, created for small businesses, have a darker side: They have a long history of fraud and abuse that have left employers and employees with hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid medical bills.

“Fraudulent association health plans have left hundreds of thousands of people with unpaid claims,” he said. “They operate in a regulatory never-never land between the Department of Labor and state insurance regulators.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/21/us/politics/trump-association-health-plans-fraud.html

hmm

[Magox]

 

Cheaper Health Plans Promoted by Trump Have a History of Fraud

 

But these health plans, created for small businesses, have a darker side: They have a long history of fraud and abuse that have left employers and employees with hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid medical bills.

 

Fraudulent association health plans have left hundreds of thousands of people with unpaid claims, he said. They operate in a regulatory never-never land between the Department of Labor and state insurance regulators.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/21/us/politics/trump-association-health-plans-fraud.html

 

hmm

The fraud isn't perpetuated by the carriers but rather from the unscrupulous agents that sell these plans. Typically they are these limited indemnity policies that pay out a fixed about per medical occurrence and are being packaged as these 0 deductible plans that don't deliver the benefits that they claim to have.

[Alaska Darin]

The fraud isn't perpetuated by the carriers but rather from the unscrupulous agents that sell these plans. Typically they are these limited indemnity policies that pay out a fixed about per medical occurrence and are being packaged as these 0 deductible plans that don't deliver the benefits that they claim to have.

Which is only part of the larger problem. Hospitals and medical providers shouldn't be treated differently than any other service industry. They should be forced to publish their prices.

[Doc Brown]

Remember in liberal terms a " cut" is a reduction in the rate of growth ( i.e an increase of 10% when 12% was anticipated is a " cut") and a tax " giveaway" is allowing people to actually keep more of their own money instead of surrendering it to Uncle Sam.

I'm sure that's what Trump was thinking when he made that tweet.

[Deranged Rhino]

Which is only part of the larger problem. Hospitals and medical providers shouldn't be treated differently than any other service industry. They should be forced to publish their prices.

[B-Man]

Iowa Pulls Waiver Requesting Obamacare Overhaul

 

Governor called Obamacare “inflexible” and “unworkable.”

 

In August, Iowa officials submitted a request to make changes to its Obamacare market as it faced doom due to high premiums and insurance companies dropping out.

 

Officials wanted to make changes that would “provide consumers with age- and income-based tax credits as well as using a reinsurance mechanism for insurers for costly medical claims.

 

Now Governor Kim Reynolds ® and Iowa Insurance Division Commissioner Doug Ommen have announced that the state withdrew its request since it “cannot be approved under terms that would be workable for Iowa.”

(more…)

[Doc Brown]

Fox News Poll

 

 

Meanwhile, 60 percent disapprove of how Trump’s handling health care. One third approves (33 percent). At a net negative 27, that makes health care his worst issue rating.

 

In addition, a record 54 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of ObamaCare. Forty-two percent view it negatively.

 

Also hurting his overall rating. Make the damn CSR payments. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/25/fox-news-poll-voters-frustrated-with-tax-system-democrats-ahead-in-ballot-test.html

 

Edited October 26, 2017 by Doc Brown

[DC Tom]

Fox News Poll

 

 

 

BREAKING NEWS: People are !@#$ing stupid.

[row_33]

Polls are as useful as a tit on a ball until Election Day

Hillary still commanding a 12 point lead over The Donald?

[B-Man]

 

BREAKING NEWS: People are !@#$ing stupid.

 

Proof.............

 

 

The Associated Press‏Verified account @AP

FollowFollow @AP

More

BREAKING: Independent study: Premiums for most popular plans under Affordable Care Act rising in 2018 by an average of 34 percent.

12:11 PM - 25 Oct 2017

 

 

 

"I will sign a bill and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year." - Barack Obama

[DC Tom]

 

Proof.............

 

 

 

"I will sign a bill and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year." - Barack Obama

 

Well, yeah...but it would have been $2500 more if it weren't for Obama...

[Doc Brown]

Polls are as useful as a tit on a ball until Election Day

Hillary still commanding a 12 point lead over The Donald?

We're not voting for Eric Cartman vs. Cersei Lannister in the midterms and healthcare is probably the biggest issue that drives people to the voting booth. Not being able to repeal/replace the ACA and then purposely increasing people's premiums even more by withholding the CSR payments to try and crash it doesn't seem like a winning strategy to me.

[row_33]

Doc, isnt the this all a big kerfuffle like pretending to reduce the deficit or arms limitation talks? Theyll maybe cover a few more citizens while increailsing costs and lowering services.

[B-Man]

Don't worry, they'll find another judge.................

 

Federal Judge Refuses to Force Payment of Obamacare Subsidies

[Doc Brown]

Doc, isnt the this all a big kerfuffle like pretending to reduce the deficit or arms limitation talks? Theyll maybe cover a few more citizens while increailsing costs and lowering services.

I don't know, but a lot of the damage is already done. Anthem pulled out of a lot of states marketplace yesterday and expect a 70% decline in individual plans because of mixed signals from the White House (specifically the CSR's). Ohio's premiums will rise on average about 34% instead of 23% because of Trump's decision. The federal government will be paying more and less people will be insured because of Trump's decision. It screws over the working middle class taxpayers more than anybody else.

 

The new CBO score for the bipartisan Alexander-Murray healthcare bill will reduce the deficit by 3.8 billion dollars over 10 years. As the markets are pretty much set for 2018, it won't have a significant impact this coming year, but projects premiums to decrease starting in 2019. They expect more young people to buy cheap "copper" plans and make it easier for states to get waivers.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bipartisan-health-care-plan-reduce-deficit-cbo/story?id=50712730

[Tiberius]

The number of Americans signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act during the first few days of open enrollment has spiked this year compared to previous years, The Washington Post reports, citing federal officials. On Nov. 1, the first day of open enrollment, more than 200,000 Americans chose a health-care plan through Obamacare, more than double the number from the same period last year. More than 1 million people visited HealthCare.gov, roughly 33 percent more than last year. The high numbers come after Republican lawmakers repeatedly sought to repeal Obamacare at the insistence of President Trump. Obamacare advocates had accused the Trump administration of attempting to sabotage enrollment by slashing outreach and reducing the enrollment period. So far, however, state officials have expressed optimism about enrollment activity. “Enrollment year five could be a record year. It’s way ahead of where we were last year, and a big surprise,” Connect for Health Colorado spokesman Luke Clarke told The Washington Post. The open-enrollment period ends Dec. 15.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obamacare-signups-surge-after-fears-of-republican-sabotage