Posted on 04/07/2010 4:29:12 AM PDT by autumnraine
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.
Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups.
"They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.
McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were hoping that the overhaul would translate into instant, affordable coverage. That widespread misconception may have originated in part from distorted rhetoric about the legislation bubbling up from the hyper-partisan debate about it in Washington and some media outlets, such as when opponents denounced it as socialism.
"We tell them it's not free, that there are going to be things in place that help people who are low-income, but that ultimately most of that is not going to be taking place until 2014," McLean said.
Adults with pre-existing conditions are frustrated to learn that insurers won't have to cover them until 2014 (though those under 18 will be protected in late September); then they become both hopeful and confused upon learning that a federal high-risk pool for them will be established in the next few months. "Health insurance is so confusing. You add this on top of it and it makes it even more confusing," McLean said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
I suggest people ask every time they deal with any govt employee.
Gee, people who don’t have health insurance are confused. I’d say that is a pre-existing condition that isn’t going to change no matter how much you give them.
I had an exchange with someone at Facebook who was delighted with Obamacare becoming law....he said he could not afford insurance...boy did he SHUT UP when I informed him that he HAD to BUY insurance or get FINED up to 2.5% of his income...
...the dimwit REALLY thought it would be FREE...
As P.J. O’Rouke said: “If you think healthcare is expensive now, just wait until it is free.”
“Where’s my pie at”...
The free Obama care will be packaged with the free Obama car and free Obama-paid-up mortgage. The check is in the mail as they say...
These people NEVER shut up long enough for the truth to enter their thought processes. That's why they have all the answers. Communism has never raised the living standard for anyone (other than the commissars) anywhere it's been tried. It drags everyone down to the same level of misery. But the DemonRATs, as always, are convinced that if they just double down, THIS TIME it will be better.
The only thing that will prevent us from another “civil” war in this country is that Obama is working overtime to invite our outside enemies to attack us first. He needs a crisis...
“They’re saying, ‘Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?’ “
Yeah - and remember to tell your Facebook acquaintance that the IRS will be in contact with them soon to explain the “free” program.
Excellent time-line links at the bottom of the article.
Here’s an automated crap reply I received from Chris Carney ( (PA) when I emailed him that his butt was toast in November because of his positive vote for Obamacare.
He really couldn’t have read the bill according to what he wrote in his reply.
Thank you for your message regarding health insurance reform. Hearing from the people of northeast and central Pennsylvania is an integral part of my job in Congress and I appreciate you taking the time to contact me.
The debate about how to reform our health insurance system, with good reason, has been passionate and at times contentious. Over the past several months, I have traveled throughout Northeast and Central Pennsylvania , listening to people on all sides of this issue. Last year, I held town halls in each of the 10th District’s 14 counties, met with constituents, and read hundreds of pieces of mail. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent by groups from across the political spectrum to influence how we here in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania think about health insurance reform.
This debate began with Republican President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago and has continued ever since. And what President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in 1955 still rings true: “Two fundamental problems confront us: first, high and ever-rising costs of health services; second, serious gaps and shortages in these services.”
I supported the health insurance reform legislation because the cost of inaction is too great and because, no matter what the scare tactics would have us believe, these measures bring down costs and improve access to quality healthcare.
As a cancer survivor, I am fortunate that my treatment was covered and that I can still get insurance. But I hear every day from individuals who can’t get covered because of their “pre-existing conditions.” This bill ends that problem. Those who cannot get insurance because they have a so-called “pre-existing condition” will be able to get coverage. Also, the many families whose employers provide coverage will be able to keep their current plans.
Time and again, I have heard from small businesses that skyrocketing healthcare costs are their biggest concern. Small businesses will be eligible for a tax credit to make coverage more affordable. There will be help for businesses with workers who have been uninsured for months, or denied a policy based on “pre-existing conditions.” A high risk pool will offer insurance and assistance to help pay premiums to cover those workers. The legislation prevents insurance companies from charging more because of an employee’s health status, protecting our small businesses from unreasonable rate increases.
Many benefits of the legislation will be implemented almost immediately. This year, seniors who have seen their prescription drug costs soar will receive a $250 rebate to begin closing the prescription drug “donut hole.” This loophole will eventually close completely, protecting 11,500 seniors in our district. Young adults who can’t find affordable insurance on their own will be able to stay on their parents’ plan until the age of 26. This bill bars insurance companies from dropping people from coverage when they get sick and prevents insurers from placing lifetime limits on benefits. Preventive care will be covered by both private insurers and Medicare without co-payments.
This bill also rightly continues the longstanding ban on public funding for abortion, a factor that weighed heavily on my mind when considering this legislation. I played a central role in helping to broker an agreement between the White House and pro-life members of the Democratic caucus. As a result, the White House agreed to issue an Executive Order ensuring that the health insurance reform legislation continues the longstanding ban on federal funding for abortion under the Hyde Amendment. In addition, insurers will be required to cover maternity care, a critical step to ensure the health of mothers and unborn children.
All Americans will be able to have the same insurance choices enjoyed by Members of Congress and their families. For those who cannot afford health insurance because costs have climbed too high, this bill provides tax credits that amount to the largest middle class tax cut for health care in American history.
Our nation has grappled with the effects of skyrocketing healthcare costs for decades. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the health insurance reform bill will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first decade after enactment and by $1.2 trillion over the second. This bill also extends Medicare’s solvency for an additional nine years.
I agree with many voters who are fed up with the hyper-partisanship we see in Washington . That’s why I’m one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress. I vote for your interests and not to please Democratic leaders, the White House or my Republican friends. As a Commander in the Navy Reserve, I’ve dedicated my career to serving this country with honor and integrity. I stood with the people of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania in supporting health insurance reform.
Thank you again for contacting me and please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Christopher P. Carney
Member of Congress
“Yeah - and remember to tell your Facebook acquaintance that the IRS will be in contact with them soon to explain the “free” program.”
Ya know, I did just that...I pointed out that he could afford a computer, the internet, the whiskey that he mentioned he loves,.... that he had a good job and he had made a CHOICE to wait for FREE insurance...that once the IRS Healthcare Brownshirts check out his bank account, they will encourage him to purchase their insurance that comes with all of the compassion of the DMV and efficiency of the US Postal Service.
“...Obama is working overtime to invite our outside enemies to attack us first...”
Let ‘em nuke Washington. They would be doing us a favor.
This Carney jackass should stop calling it “Health Insurance Reform” when he knows damn well it’s a complete government takeover of the entire health care industry.
Thank you.
THere is an interesting article on Yahoo right now. I won’t be able to use my flex savings account for otc meds next year. With a teething 18 month old, I can’t tell you how much ibuprofen, acetominaphen, and Hyland’s teething tabs we go through. We are fairly health, so our flex account is used for otc meds and my glasses. We rarely go to the doc, so very little of that money is used for co-pays and prescriptions. I was pissed off before, but now I’m get so angry I need duct tape for my head!
Plus, I’m sure my and my husbands employer have both done the math. I deny my insurance for a bonus, but the school system pays $18,000/year per employee. They would save $16,000/year per employee if they dumped our coverage and took the $2000/employee fine. In addition to that, they will not even get fined for the first 30 employees!
I suggest people ask every time they deal with any govt employee.
oooh...yeah....drive those Census workers crazy...I like it!
Can the insurance companies charge more customers with pre-existing conditions? If someone with no insurance gets sick and suddenly decides they need insurance, can the insurance company set the price for their product? I mean, how do they make money (and stay in business) if they can’t?
Respectfully?? Are you new here ? :) Thanks for that!
The arguments are different between conservatives and liberals. To conservatives the entitlements are owed because we paid for them (which was in reality involuntary taxes taken to give to other voters.) To liberals entitlements are owed to them by nature of them only by being born, or race, or income, or sex; well you get the idea.
I am not suggesting at all that we agree to cuts in our SS or medicare by Obama to tackle the Obama debt or fund his new spending (short something dramatic like cutting federal pensions including congress) . Just that SS and medicare are now being partially funded by general revenue, by progressive income taxes having nothing to do with SS (worse yet you have EI tax credits and taxes on SS benefit s that make it even more redistributed). it was a great way to get us hooked.
The previous thread was locked because of this one.
“Hey, dese chocolate skittles ain’t skittles!”
Then call all of the insurance companies in the phone book and demand your 'free health care'
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