Since lies seem to be the theme this morning and since there is so much to choose from:
"Few options for Obama on health care cancellations; Looking to help those who won’t get subsidies" by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar | Associated Press, November 09, 2013
WASHINGTON — President Obama says he’ll do everything he can to help people coping with health insurance cancellations, but legally and practically his options appear limited.
Hasn't he done enough already, and what, no executive orders issued forthwith?
That means the latest political problem engulfing Obama’s health care overhaul may not be resolved quickly, cleanly, or completely.
White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that the president has asked his team to look at administrative fixes to help people whose plans are being canceled as a result of new federal coverage rules. In an NBC interview Thursday, Obama said ‘‘I am sorry’’ to people who are losing coverage and had relied on his assurances that if they liked their plan, they could keep it.
I saw that:
"The president’s apology comes as the White House tries to combat a cascade of troubles surrounding the rollout of the health care law often referred to as ‘‘Obamacare.’’ The White House says fewer than 5 percent of Americans will have to change their coverage. But in a nation of more than 300 million people, 5 percent is about 15 million people. Officials argue that those forced to change plans will end up with better coverage."
And if it is 40-67% like the actual percent?
Related: Obama's Unhealthy Obfuscation
Do the lies never end?
And beyond the lie, forget all about the cancellations for a moment, and just ask yourself about the basic premise. It was implied by Obama that you wouldn't be forced to do anything as they force this law down our unwilling throats.
I know, I know, it will better for me and everyone else. That's why there really is no problem with lying, huh?
The focus appears to be on easing the impact for a specific group: people whose policies have been canceled and who don’t qualify for tax credits to offset higher premiums.
Aside from the fact we were told premiums might even go down, they now are going to have an angry-as-hell middle class (what is left of it) to contend with in the next election. That's why worried senators are meeting with Obama.
The administration has not settled on a particular fix and it’s possible the final decision would apply to a broader group.
Still, a president can’t just pick up the phone and order the Treasury to cut checks for people suffering from insurance premium sticker shock. Spending would have to be authorized by law.
If you were Wall Street banks they would have the money on its way within hours.
Another obstacle: Most of the discontinued policies appear to have been issued after the law was enacted, according to insurers and independent experts.
Legally, that means they would have never been eligible for cancellation protections offered by the statute. Its grandfather clause applies only to policies that were in effect when the law passed in 2010.
More than five weeks after open-enrollment season started for uninsured Americans, Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement is still struggling. Persistent website problems appear to have kept most interested customers from signing up. Repairs are underway.
Oh, repairs are underway, yay!
On Friday the administration said the website’s income verification component will be off-line for maintenance until Tuesday morning. An enrollment report expected next week is likely to reflect only paltry sign-ups.
Website woes have been eclipsed by the uproar over cancellation notices sent to millions of people who have individual plans that don’t measure up to the benefits package and level of financial protection required by the law.
‘‘It was clear from the beginning that there were going to be some winners and losers,’’ said Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, who supports the health overhaul. ‘‘But the losers are calling reporters, and the winners can’t get on the website.’’
I was told everyone was going to win. That's how Obama sold his lie.
In the House, a Republican-sponsored bill that would give insurers another year to sell individual policies that were in effect Jan. 1, 2013, is expected to get a floor vote late next week.
In the Senate, Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu has introduced legislation that would require insurers to keep offering current individual plans. Democrats, who as a group have stood firmly behind the new law so far, may start to splinter if the uproar continues.
I heard some cracking.
The legislation faces long odds to begin with, but it may not do the job even if it passes. The reason: States, not the federal government, regulate the individual insurance market. State insurance commissioners have already approved the plans that will be offered for next year. It may be too late to wind back to where things stood at the beginning of this year.
Now you need that healthcare cuz you just got $crewed.
‘‘It has taken the industry many months to rejigger their systems to comply with the law,’’ said Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant. ‘‘The cancellation letters have already gone out. What are these guys supposed to do, go down to the post office and buy a million stamps?’’
Oh, well, yup, can't do nothing now. Whole world must be set in stone! Once the letters go out, blah, blah, blah, f***ing blah! What insulting sophistry!
The insurance industry doesn’t like the legislative route either. ‘‘We have some significant concerns with how that would work operationally,’’ said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for the trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans.
Translation: It's not happening.
Behind the political and legal issues, a powerful economic logic is also at work.
Translation: It's a ca$h grab.
Shifting people who already have individual coverage into the new health insurance markets under Obama’s law would bring in customers already known to insurers, reducing overall financial risks for the insurance pool.
Yeah, patients, 'er, cu$tomers (meaning they want you sick so you keep coming back?) help the bottom line! Can't change it now!
That’s painful for those who end up paying higher premiums for upgraded policies. But it could save money for the taxpayers who are subsidizing the new coverage....
Yeah, you are gonna need that crappy corporate Obamacare they are forcing you to buy after that reaming.
--more--"
Also see: Covering Obamacare is Making Me Sick
Then maybe I should stop covering it and the Globe.
