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Monday, August 22, 2016

ObamaCare Fail


Stranded patients! 854,872 individuals enrolled in failed ObamaCare Co-ops, costing the taxpayers $1,711,040,390 in federal loans!

From The 16th Obamacare Co-Op Has Collapsed: Here’s How Much Each Failed Co-Op Got in Taxpayer-Funded Loans (July 12, 2016):
...The co-ops, or consumer operated and oriented plans, were intended to create competition and choice in areas of the country where consumers had few options.

The 23 co-ops—not including Vermont’s co-op, which never opened its doors—received $2.4 billion in startup and solvency loans from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The 15 co-ops that have since closed their doors received more than $1.5 billion in loans. The federal government awarded Oregon’s Health Co-Op specifically $56.6 million....

[...]

Health policy experts expect more co-ops to collapse in the wake of the federal government’s announcement.

Just eight of the 23 co-ops that launched remain....
Read the entire article HERE.

And there's this, dated August 16, 2016: Aetna decision exposes weaknesses in Obama’s health-care law. Excerpt:
...Insurance giant Aetna’s decision to stop offering much of its individual coverage through the Affordable Care Act is exposing a problem in President Obama’s signature health-care law that could lead to another fraught political battle in Congress.

Aetna’s announcement...was the latest sign that large insurers are losing money in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, heightening concerns about the long-term stability of a key part of Obama’s domestic policy legacy. But addressing this issue could open the door to a nasty political fight, given that some Republicans have vowed to repeal the law outright.

If insurers continue to lose money, more are likely to withdraw from the marketplaces, a move that would reduce choices for consumers and could contribute to higher premiums. In one county, Aetna’s exit in 2017 could leave no insurers offering policies through its marketplace....
Read the rest HERE.

Only those riding unicorns under rainbows can possibly believe that any insurance provider, private or public, can survive by disregarding the law of the balance between high-risk/low-risk in the pool of insureds.

52 comments:

  1. Leftwing progs cannot be trusted with any issue that hinges on an understanding of economics.

    I wonder how the DemonCraps will try to blame the Repubes for the Vermont and Oregon collapses?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The DemonCraps will find a way to shift the blame. I guarantee it.

      Delete
    2. GREAT POSTER! I've shared it with many.

      Delete
  2. More dispatches, this one from that hub of Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    "... it’s becoming clear that the market for health insurance has not evolved as expected, or hoped.

    The market is smaller than projected. The people who have bought health plans overall are sicker than predicted. And health insurers have incurred larger losses than anticipated."

    "The proposed increases could range from 5.44% to 37.88% statewide"


    This is your government on DemonCrack Hopium. Manic euphoria at the first snort, big crash at the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As much as a 37.88% increase in premiums? YE, GODS!

      And, then, there is the annual deductible.

      sicker than predicted

      Anybody with half a brain could see that coming! Deferred wellness maintenance and the aging population -- two major factors in the pool of insureds. High risk!

      Delete
    2. AOW... putting aside the partisanship for a few moments...

      As Silver pointed out, and you stated, we had two realities converging here. A too sick population, many a result of no previous insurance, and people growing old, sure to add more stress to a system.

      If we had a do over, what should we have done? What was the conservative response to these two issues? To pre-existing conditions? To us paying for, through whatever other means, the uninsured, too sick, aging population in America?

      Delete
    3. You confute "necessary" health care with "perfect health", Dave. The system will never spend enough money to achieve the latter.

      Delete
    4. Good point about necessary vs. perfect.

      About 10 years ago, I bypassed necessary for perfect -- so as to get the best neurologist for my back injury. Big medical bill! Worth every penny. I'm still seeing him once a year. Again, worth every penny.

      Delete
    5. A good point... not what I was going for... but a good point, none-the-less.

      The real problem is that "health care" differs from "cures", and that a great deal of "health care" has little to do with "curing".

      Delete
  3. Who in his/her right mind ever thought that a 2,700 page bill with 20,000 pages of regulations could possibly work? I seem to recall a certifiable NUT CASE, in the House, emoting to the effect that: 'we should pass the bill to find out what's in it'. Well, it was passed (I believe without one Republican in support)and now we see "what's in it". This legislated monstrosity is NOT repairable and Trump, et al are correct in that the ACT, in its entirety, should be repealed. While there are many responsible reforms to consider for healthcare in America, a "single payer" system is NOT the answer; one needs only to look at the , reported,nearly $80,000,000,000,000 in unfunded Medicare liability to see the fallacy of that. Nevertheless look for [it] to be the next, purposed, DemocRAT boondoggle (think Bernie)!

    http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/03/12/photo-20000-pages-of-obamacare-regulations-n1532069

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can bet cuckoo clock Pelosi and the rest of the DC criminal class are suffering no ObamaCare-related failures. They voted themselves the gold-plated plan while shoveling us the toxic sludge. Damn them all...

      Delete
    2. SF,
      Yes, the political elite shielded themselves.

      "Some animals are more equal than others."

      Delete
  4. Must-read article from The Hill: How ObamaCare is splitting America into two.

    Excerpt:

    Increasingly, there are two ObamaCares.

    There’s the one in coastal and northern areas, where the marketplaces include multiple insurers and plans. And there’s the one in southern and rural areas, where there is often little competition, a situation that can lead to higher premiums.

    There's really two kind of stories that are playing out,” said Cynthia Cox, who studies insurer competition at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

    The trend is likely to be accelerated by the departure of Aetna and UnitedHealthcare from ObamaCare marketplaces in 2017. The loss of those insurers won’t affect all parts of the country equally, experts say.

    “The combined effect of these exits is mostly concentrated in southern states and particularly rural counties within those states,” Cox said.

    [...]

    The dearth of options in rural, sparsely populated areas is a far cry from what Democrats promised when selling the Affordable Care Act....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AOW... the article is probably right in that the rural and southern areas of the US are going to get stiffed the most in this.

      It is interesting to note that those areas are mostly Republican and have fought implementation of the ACA at every level.

      Is is possible that if the GOP had worked alongside the Dems and Obama to craft the legislation, as opposed to standing against it at every turn, that maybe they could have avoided the pitfalls we now see?

      Delete
    2. "Is is possible that if the GOP had worked alongside the Dems and Obama to craft the legislation, as opposed to standing against it at every turn, that maybe they could have avoided the pitfalls we now see?"

      Is it a [fact] that that the Republicans didn't try or is it even [probable] that "the Dems and Obama" would have allowed interference with their whackadoodle plans? The above quote is the first installment, that I've seen out of many to come, which attempts to place blame on the Republicans for this mess. Just imagine trying to reason with Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and B.O.; OMG!

      Delete
    3. Well Jon, I guess it can go either way. If we want to get partisan about it. Clearly, each side wanted a specific outcome. The best example we have is when GW was president and he wanted to expand Medicare, the Dems weren't too keen on it.

      But once it was approved by the mostly GOP, with only 16 Dem votes, the Dems worked with the GOP to improve the bill.

      However we got the ACA is largely not important to me, or my question which is this... after the bill was passed, what did the GOP do to try and improve the bill, apart from vote to repeal the entire thing?

      Did they offer any bills to improve the act? Did they offer a replacement to offer similar access to insurance for people with preexisting conditions? Did they offer any specific changes with the goal of improving the ACA, like the Dems did with the Medicare Expansion that they opposed?

      Delete
    4. "after the bill was passed, what did the GOP do to try and improve the bill"

      WHAT(!) "after the bill was passed" how could anyone "improve" 22,700 pages of convoluted legal BS that those who passed it, admittedly, didn't even read? PLEEEEEEZ!

      Delete
    5. Jon...exactly right....IMPROVE THE BILL? WHEN and HOW? what UTTER BS.

      Delete
    6. Jon,
      Yes, the ACA is a convoluted and self-contradictory tome. Can't fix such a thing!

      Delete
    7. You're right Z, as long as we have this conservative government there is going to be no movement toward single payer.

      Neither Trump or Clinton will do anything to loosen the control of health insurers.

      Delete
    8. "there is going to be no movement toward single payer"

      THANK GOD! Just look at Medicare.

      Delete
  5. Let's all remember that the GOP had some excellent ideas for improving the existing health insurance situation in America....buying insurance over state lines, examining hospital costs, etc etc......What the Republicans wanted to do was not completely overhaul and lie and obfuscate to get more covered, but to tweak and improve and do all we could to help all get insurance at better costs...That's ignored at every turn and some commenters above here even allude to it, having bought into the lie. "Affordable?"
    May I remind you that Santa Monica, California is not 'rural southern America" yet I have many friends here, middle class, who are getting killed in their 'affordable' insurance...which was $750 four years ago, is now $1500 and they're hearing it could go up another 23% next year. For a family of 4. It's destroying their family's financial equilibrium.
    If ONLY the Left had thought of going slowly and carefully instead of what they did....not listening to the fact that we tried to point out: there aren't enough young payers AND, many of my friends' kids are NOT buying insurance because the fine is less than the insurance costs.. DUHHHH.

    But, of course, when Single Payer's the goal, it looks pretty damned good to that family of four whose costs are going sky high, doesn't it? Thankfully, these are good Conservatives who wouldn't destroy their country's founding principles or its budget for a break in their personal costs....Sadly, there aren't enough like them.
    Founding principles being "you work hard, you can afford whatever plan you want to afford..." "you can't work, you appeal to those who can help and thank God they're there to help"...not socialism, not breaking the country's financial back as it pays for everyone, including those who aren't even its citizens.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Z,
      The idea that the ACA is affordable is a hideous scam! The ACA is the road to serfdom -- individually and nationally!

      Besides, the more affordable Bronze Plan usually has a $6500 deductible. If someone cannot afford the high premiums which would reduce that deductible, how can that person POSSIBLY afford that annual deductible?

      Good points about some of those GOP solutions!

      Delete
  6. AOW and Z... those solutions from the GOP were just ideas. When did they ever pass any of those things? They've had the house for years and have shown they can pass legislation they like, yet not once have they passed those.

    Why?

    Not one of those "solutions" addresses the very real issues of pre-existing conditions and our aging population.

    What happens if you work hard and still can't afford health care?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dave,
      Health care is a service, a commodity -- not a right.

      Anything that a GOP Congress might have passed would have been summarily vetoed.

      Delete
    2. Rights are what we as a society determine are rights.

      Delete
    3. I'm SO glad you're asking this because it's clear you don't even know they had no chance..they talked, they suggested, they did what they could...they get trounced...shut up....the media doesn't pass on their messages...Seriously, I'm starting to believe I shouldn't be as hard on the leftwingers at our blogs because the simply don't GET THAT. I honestly appreciate your comment for this reason, DM.

      Delete
    4. You're going to have to move in pretty mysterious ways to demonstrate any effort by the Republican house to deal with the issue of preexisting conditions or high premiums.

      They do a lot of mumbling about "free market" solutions and then shut their mouths when Anthem and Humana attempt to merge and maintain a tighter monopoly on insurance.
      That's the free market solution to rising premiums, monopoly.

      Delete
    5. I know, and the Left got it all right, didn't it.
      Nice try.
      The free market solution is competition.....

      Delete
    6. How can you have competition in a monopoly like health insurance?

      Delete
    7. We have competition with regard to automotive insurance.

      Delete
    8. And AOW, government requires people to have a certain level of car insurance and regulates that industry.

      Maybe that helps.

      Delete
    9. Ducky... You noticed no one chimed in on the pre existing conditions questions...

      Delete
    10. I have a lot to say about pre-existing conditions. But my blogging schedule revolves around my pain (Dietl's Crisis) and the pain management thereof.

      A rough day today and today so far.

      I'll be back -- if I can manage it.

      Delete
    11. PS: I've fought the pre-existing conditions battle on behalf of my husband.

      Delete
    12. Here's my take on pre-existing conditions (short version)....

      If an individual has had health insurance for 10 consecutive years with the same health insurance company or a different health insurance company, an individual should not be “rated” for pre-existing conditions. In my view, 10 consecutive years of paying in premiums = having paid “one's dues.”

      I also believe that children should not stay on their health insurance policy once those children are adults.

      Again, health insurance cannot stay solvent without a kind of balance between low-risk and high-risk insureds.

      Delete
    13. I also favor abolishing employer-based health insurance coverage.

      Delete
    14. Hey duck - I was BORN with certain rights that you or no one else gets to determine.

      Ma Einstein was right - there is nothing more infinite than human stupidity and you and davey prove it by the minute each and every day.

      You getting paid by soros or are you putting your ignorance on display for free? :) I'm guessing Free.

      Delete
    15. Kid,
      I was BORN with certain rights that you or no one else gets to determine.

      Well said! But the Left holds to an "evolving" definition of the word rights. That's how our nation got to the sorry state of special little snowflakes running around all over the place.

      Delete
  7. What not is included in this failure was all of the Regs that Doctors and hospitals were forced to comply with resulting in physicians becoming employees and hospitals going bankrupt or headed there resulting in major mergers. Major layoffs, no money to invest in the latest technology. All of this impacting our care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bunkerville,
      The Regs are surreal -- as I've found out firsthand ever since the ACA went full bore.

      Delete
  8. Dear Mr. President …
    Louisiana Cajun Angels It's 2 am and I can't sleep. I know I've called you a piece of shit. I'm sorry. I tend to say things like that when I’m mad. It’s just that us Cajuns here, floating on what seems like little islands in Louisiana, have been waiting for over a week now. A WEEK. We’re waiting for support or aid, but we’d happily settle for your concern for now. Some sign that our lives matter to you. Just a moment of your time. A visit would be nice.
    We are tired of you watching us suffer while not acknowledging what’s happening to us. It’s more than just this catastrophic flood, but also the social and political strife across our country and around the world. The long, tired wars on multiple fronts. Our country is facing a variety of terrible hardships and you’re off the clock, playing golf again.We know by now the “charitable” organizations who claim to be saving us are all about the money and our government could truly give two shits about it’s people or our youth. The world knows this because we are owned and sold out to the every foreign nation in the world, especially our land. Has it actually been a week now and did I read that in 2.5 days so many trillion gallons of water just coincidentally fell from the sky and flooded most of the southern part of our state? Seriously?!I mean.. What day is it? I think many kids are still out of school. Who's even worried about school at this point? That’s the least of our worries as some can't even find their dogs and kitties and the hooves of our cattle are rotting in the richest soil in America. You've stripped us even of our seeds. The richest culture in America where Cajuns were dumped to survive. Period.We are cut, bruised and traumatized. Our hearts are bleeding and we are thirsty not just for water, but for the love we are getting from our OWN people.We are hot, we are tired and some are sick, and you know it. You've abandoned us and stranded us and manipulated us in one of the worst disasters in the United States.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hear you’re on vacation right now, playing golf, spending time with your family is luxurious surroundings. A real leader would have jumped onto Air Force One and come down here to survey the damage and deliver words of sympathy and support. We honestly don't have time to get mad at you about your lack of concern because we’re too busy cleaning up this mess.Any words of support for the state of Louisiana would be nice. It's quite easy these days to use a smart phone and reach out to the people, and you’re never too far from a flock of reporters. We understand how strong our country could actually be if the truth went viral. I guess the problem is that you do, too. I suggest you come down here for a visit. Survey the damage with your own eyes. Gain perspective; I realize it’s difficult to fathom the scope of this. Talk to our citizens, but more importantly, listen. Even though Louisiana is going through hell right now, you’ll hear stories that will inspire you.The last few days have been life-changing for me and many others. So many are displaced and suffering, and others like myself are fortunate to be in a position to reach out and help them. I’ve grown a deeper appreciation for the dry bed I’ll sleep in tonight, and a deeper insight of how quickly someone could lose such comfort, their home, and their livelihood. How quickly someone could be reduced to sleeping on a cot in a shelter, living in their car, or desperate to return to their devastated home as mold begins to grow. We won't discuss drinking water boil advisories at this time.Ask anyone in Louisiana that was not flooded and the truth is that they too were shocked. No one saw this coming, and no one was prepared to deal with it. Supposedly we have government agencies like FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers and Homeland Security whose very purpose is to take care of us in times like this. Were they also not prepared? Isn’t that the point of them?Today was a LONG day and so was yesterday and so will be tomorrow. I was one of the fortunate few dry natives in Louisiana and even I couldn't mentally go back to work. Even I can't sleep at night. It's 2:55am. It's ok. Sleeping is for the dead and apparently these days it seems easier to stay asleep.I remember being on the beach in Florida during the oil spill. I remember the most foul smell and thousands of air vehicles. And that was just ONE day laying on one beach. As we gathered and delivered food and whatever supplies we could get our hands on to the flood victims over these past few days, we passed through even more flooded areas. The rain continues to fall, and the flood waters spread further as they drain and recede into more communities.Today I saw people nearly fall to their knees with gratefulness and Praise about prayers being answered as we unloaded supplies. It was almost like we were angels but we are just like everyone else. Never before in my life have I experienced anything like these past few days.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I ask you to please read the stories that have popped up, not nationally but locally.Today I saw a lady cooking bacon for a stray dog today. A 91 year old African-American woman with the most beautiful wrinkled skin. Does her story matter to you?I feel that the media has an agenda to divide us, creating racial tension and poverty, creating drama instead of allowing us to come together as a nation. Maybe that’s why the media won’t sow the rest of the nation how we’re working together and supporting ench other in this time of great need, with no concern at all about our social and racial differences. All lives matter in equal measure. The only priority is in who is hurting the most. The people of Louisiana are not only stranded and displaced but their hearts are broken into a million pieces. Their babies are hungry and their animals are scared, lost or dead. They’re left only with the clothes on their backs, without identification or transportation, with a disaster of a home that they may or may not be able to return to. Their entire life’s work is lost. The flood can destroy their world, but their strength cannot be washed away.We've been waiting to see these “charitable” organizations working for our people but all we do is hear about them as they ask for our money and develop new attempts to raise funds that never seem to cure any illnesses. Their publicists tell us all about their humanitarian efforts and we want to trust that these good deeds are being done... But can we? Do their budgets match their efforts? Are they just filling their pockets while their charitable causes remain unfulfilled? How can we ever know for sure? I hope I'm wrong. Unfortunately in times of disaster, money has a way of falling through the cracks and lining the pockets of crooked opportunists.The people of Louisiana are invested in our land. We rarely ever leave. And even if we do, our hearts can't stay gone. Abandoning our homes and communities for drier territory is not an option. We are invested in this place, and our country and our President needs to respect, acknowlege and support our commitment with an effort of support in return. Some of our towns are washed away, roads broken. Wildlife dead. The list is seems infinite, and it’s still growing. Louisiana is sad but strong. Thousands of people have lost their homes, cars, and jobs. We’re determined to rebuild, and together as a state, we can accomplish it. But with our nation’s support, we can do so much more in better time.The lack of love from my country is truly heartbreaking, but I suppose it’s not their fault when the media is more occupied with reporting on this joke of a Presidential election, green swimming pools in Rio, what the Kardashian's are wearing, and debate whichever live matters most as they riot and loot and try to justify it.Louisiana will continue to stand strong and rebuild stronger. I apologize for interrupting your golf game. Enjoy your vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Z, you be hard pressed to see in my comments over the years a belief that the left always has it right. Even on the ACA, I've said many times it is not perfect, so let's work together to fix it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can't fix evil dave, you can only kill it.

      Delete
  12. "Even on the ACA, I've said many times it is not perfect, so let's work together to fix it."

    So do you also have plans to refurbish the Titanic?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jon,
      So do you also have plans to refurbish the Titanic?

      LOL! LOL!

      Delete
  13. As I said from day 1 - this was designed to fail so that they'd go single payer and all that health ins money would be re-routed through DC, where they'd steal it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kid,
      That has been the plan, all right.

      Can Americans not see that?

      Delete

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