Obamacare - DAMMIT! It Was Only A Matter Of Time Before This Happened!!!!

Socialism (in the form of Obamacare in this case) works slowly, but insidiously. It was only a matter of time before this happened, but I didn't realize it would be this fast. Damn the Democrats for giving us this disaster and damn the people who supported it. For those who supported Obamacare, how are you going to explain this to the thousands of people who are losing their health insurance? Socialists, liberals and Democrats make me want to puke. How can you BE so stupid???

Lawmakers sound alarm over failing ObamaCare co-ops



November 03, 2015

Congressional lawmakers are raising alarm over the rapid collapse of several so-called ObamaCare "co-ops" -- government-backed alternative health plans -- that are failing, leaving tens of thousands of customers scrambling for coverage, and billions in taxpayer-funded startup loans at risk.

To date, nearly half of the 23 co-ops established under the Affordable Care Act have gone or are expected to go under by the end of the year. The latest to be barred from selling insurance on the official marketplace is in Arizona.

In a letter to the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., pressed the Obama administration for answers on what is being done to address the crisis -- and recoup some of the federal taxpayer loan money that has gone to the failing start-ups.

The senators said nearly 870,000 people nationwide have enrolled in the co-ops, and noted they originally were intended to boost competition and provide more affordable options.

"The CO-OPs are not living up to these expectations," they wrote. "To date, eleven ACA CO-Ops -- in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Nevada, Tennessee, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah -- have collapsed.

"As a result, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their health insurance plans and will have to scramble to find new plans, most likely with higher premiums and deductibles."

Asked about the letter, an HHS spokeswoman stressed that the start-ups "face a number of challenges, from building a provider network to pricing premiums in a new market, and unfortunately, not all will succeed." She said in a statement that when regulators make the decision to close a co-op, "we work with local officials to do everything possible to make sure consumers stay covered."

HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell last week said the administration is looking at ways to help the remaining co-ops.

The co-ops -- or Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans -- were created within ObamaCare as a compromise for liberals unable to secure the creation of a government-run insurance program. Under the plan, taxpayers provided $2.4 billion in loans to set up the nonprofit co-ops as alternatives to major insurers.

The loans were used as start-up money and as reserve funds to meet solvency standards set by state regulators -- but, the alternative insurers have struggled to get off the ground. An inspector general audit released over the summer found that in 2014, only one -- Maine's -- of the 23 made money that year. And it found half of them lagged far behind their enrollment projections.

Over the last several months, many of those co-ops have failed.

In Arizona, the state Department of Insurance last week filed an order against Meritus Health Partners and Meritus Mutual Health Partners, as CMS removed it from the insurance marketplace. The co-op's ability to write and renew policies was in turn suspended, meaning roughly 59,000 Arizonans covered by Meritus now have to find new coverage during open enrollment, which started Sunday.

A similar situation is playing out in New York, where state and federal authorities say the shutdown of Health Republic Insurance of New York should accelerate after they found it is in worse financial shape than they knew when it was ordered to stop writing new policies a month ago.

New York's Department of Financial Services initially said coverage for about 100,000 individuals should continue through Dec. 31. Now it says it's in consumers' best interest to end policies Nov. 30. The department says the same applies to Health Republic's small group plans, which covered 101,500 people.

The issue flared at a hearing Tuesday before the House Ways and Means Committee.

"Only in Washington would a group of bureaucrats think they knew how to micromanage `competition' instead of letting consumers and markets do what they do best," said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who chairs the health subcommittee.

But Mandy Cohen, chief operating officer with CMS, told lawmakers that co-ops have played an important role in fostering competition and choice in the law's health insurance markets, now in their third year.

"There have been successful co-ops which have provided consumers in their states an additional choice of health insurance and have improved competition," Cohen said in written testimony. "And there also have been Co-ops that for a number of reasons have faced compliance, technical, operational, or financial difficulties."

Aside from concerns over the future of other co-ops, Hatch and Alexander questioned what could be done to recoup taxpayer loans. They voiced concerns that federal officials might be allowing "creative accounting" by the co-ops to make them look more profitable than they actually are.

They asked CMS to provide information on possible "remedies for the recovery of funds from terminated co-ops," on "enhanced oversight" for the insurers, and on other details.

Hatch is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Alexander is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the 11 co-ops in question represent a total cost to taxpayers of $1.1 billion.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...m-over-failing-obamacare-co-ops/?intcmp=hpbt1

 

I am embarrassed to admit this, but earlier this year when I had my taxes done, I was fined $95 by the Treasury department for not having any medical coverage. Additionally, when I recently went in for a health check up, it cost me $433 out of my own pocket just to have some blood checked along with the routine exam. Well, so much for Obama careless. Ha, ha! At least, I'm still in A+ condition at 51. We shall see how long it lasts.

 

But, Daniel, you're mandated (forced) to buy health insurance whether you like it or not here in America, the land of freedom and liberty. Our tyrannical government tells you that you MUST buy a product from a private company. Welcome to the USSA and the "benevolence" of our dear leader, ObaMAO.

 

Every day we hear new stories of how Obamacare is ruining our healthcare system and costing people so much more money.
In Ky we had a subsidized health program called Kynect that functioned pretty well. It gave participants the opportunity to work in exchange for their benefits. The work not only made people feel better about themselves but it created opportunities to develop new skills. Under Obamacare, the work aspect was banned.

 

Lets just hope, pray, and make darn certain the next president repeals ObaMao care! I am seriously considering donating $100 to Ted Cruz campaign because I believe he is most likely to repeal this destructive program. What do you think?

 

You are exactly what is wrong with the health care system in this country. If you show up at an emergency room with a heart attack without insurance, they won't kick you out, they will treat you. Your bill will be tens of thousands of dollars the rest of will end up paying it in higher insurance rates. It is people like you that want health care for nothing. You are a welfare queen by any definition. You seriously hope the next president repeals the ACA, I laugh for two reasons. 1. You'd need Democrats to do it, and 2. You don't even vote.

To be perfectly fair, I think that you should absolutely have the option to not participated in the U.S. health care system. All you have to do is, not be born in a hospital, never use any medical care, and sign something that says that you want no medical care under any circumstances. Then I'd be just fine with you not using the medical system in this country. Otherwise, your are simply another red state leech sponging off of the rest of us.

This is the reality that you guys can never acknowledge.

 

Kynect, formerly and also called the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, is the health insurance marketplace, previously known as health insurance exchange, in the U.S. state of Kentucky, created in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

While the state of Kentucky manages their own exchange, it is still Obamacare. Thank you for loving Obamacare. Your new governor has threatened to get rid of Kynect and get rid of the states medicaid expansion kicking hundreds of thousand of people off of private insurance rolls. Glad you liked it.

 

2 points. You seem to support illegal aliens abusing our health care system by flooding emergency rooms in CA, TX, AZ etc. with Hepatitis, Tuberculosis etc., and I pay with cash every time I ever go to clinics which is extremely rare since I take very good care of my health so I don't need to be forced into programs I don't need/want, thank you very much.

 

I have said absolutely nothing about undocumented immigrants using the U.S. health care system. ZERO! I think that was the only response you could think of because you know I am right about your situation. Are you going to show up after a car accident, or a heart attack, or with cancer and pay out of pocket as well? Doubtful! You are one emergency away from being a welfare case and then I have to pay for your flawed ideology. I don't need to be forced to pay for your health care.

 

The individual shared responsibility provision of the Affordable Care Act requires you and each member of your family to have qualifying health care coverage (called minimum essential coverage), qualify for a coverage exemption, or make an individual shared responsibility payment when you file your federal income tax return. Publication 5209 - Preparing your 2014 Tax Return- the shared responsibility payment, provides information for individuals who must make a shared responsibility payment about how to figure the payment and report it on their tax return. It is important to remember that choosing to make the individual shared responsibility payment instead of enrolling in minimum essential coverage means you will also have to pay the entire cost of all your medical care. You won't be protected from the kind of very high medical bills that can sometimes lead to bankruptcy.

 

Obamacare ruined Kynect.

 

Another brain-dead Republican. Without Obamacare, there is no kynect. Are you really that dumb? And I quote..... "created in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." I guess your 3 word response says...Yes!

Let's go over this one more time.
What is the difference between Obamacare, the ACA, and Kynect?
Answer: Nothing!

 

It would be great if

It would be great if you got this exercised over the billions of U.S. tax payer dollars squandered each year to pay for all those illegal aliens abusing our health care system, because then maybe we could make some serious progress. Regarding my personal budget, dare I say I earned 43K last year take home pay, and about the same this year while my monthly expenses average about $1,000. So, I can ganarerally afford to take care of myself, once again, thank you very much. Ha, ha!

 

Again, you have certainly taken the well-traveled Right-wing path of changing the argument to something you'd rather talk about than what was actually being discussed. I have no figures on or interest in immigrants using the US health care system and neither do you. Drop it, it is not a justification for you to make me and the rest of the people paying into the health care system pay for your lack of responsibility. I don't give a rat's ass what your income and expenses are, the fact is once you have any expensive medical costs, the rest of us are on the hook for your selfish lifestyle. Stop sponging off the rest of us and take personal responsibility for yourself. I am sick and tired of people thinking that they can cheat and steal from those of us that pay into a system while they live high off the hog shirking their responsibilities. I don't care how healthy you are right now, one car accident, one stroke, one medical emergency of any kind and the rest of us pick up your tab. You want to complain about immigrants but you aren't any different than they are. Look in the mirror buddy. There is the real problem.

Now is my compassionate conservatism rhetoric comforting?

P.S. You are also talking out of your ass....

The Affordable Care Act will significantly reduce the number of U.S. residents without health insurance to ensure appropriate access to health services, but the law specifically excludes one group from all its provisions: the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in this country.

 

"Socialism" buying private health care coverage. Someone still can't define Socialism I see.

 

Oh, come on, Theodore!!! Be honest with yourself for once. You must have some degree of interest in "undocumented immigrants", as you call them, otherwise, why even care at all if legal Americans choose to opt out of your favorite socialist haven A.K.A. Obama care?

 

If all you are going to do is change the subject when you are cornered like the rest of the Right-wingers here, there isn't any point in bothering with you. You've yet to address one thing I've brought up but you do keep changing the subject. Come on, don't be a typical Republican idiot. Move beyond the bubble.

I've already shown David how ignorant he is. You aren't faring any better to be honest.

 

Okay, I will answer your question as accurately as I can. If I were to fall seriously ill or injured, (and I have thought much about this) I would prefer to no longer endure living. In fact, I have made it a point to let people know I want to die rather than go through the living hell I tragically witnessed so many people I care about endure. There, I hope this answers your question. Am I a wimp? Maybe, but what would you do in that case?

 

So, if all you needed was a relatively routine surgery to survive, your plan would be to die instead? I seriously doubt that. The human instinct to survive is just a little bit stronger than that.

What would I do? I'd do the best thing I could for survival or if the chances were really, really small, I'd consider pain meds until I passed away. But the point is that you may show up in the ER unconscious and banged up and need a lot of medical care. You may have a mild heart attack and simply need medicine, expensive medicine. There are a thousand possible scenarios but you'd plan to die at the end of all of them? Again, so you say.

 

You do make a valid observation. It is so difficult to know what the outcome will be when these problems occur. And I will reveal a little secret about "survival instinct". I never much desired living, anyway. In fact, the 3 instincts (social, survival, sexual) were never all that strong in me. I don't know why. It must have just been the way I was made.