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Blowing off Obamacare — Idaho shows how
Washington Examiner ^ | 02/17/2018 | Washington Examiner

Posted on 02/19/2018 9:33:31 AM PST by MaxistheBest

Congressional Republicans failed to repeal or replace Obamacare. But one state has come up with a way to get around it. Idaho is dealing with Obamacare by just blowing it off. If it works, other states seem likely to follow.

Idaho’s Republican governor, Butch Otter, signed an executive order last year paving the way for non-Obamacare-compliant health insurance plans to be sold in his state, and Lt. Gov. Brad Little has since cobbled together what is sure to be the nation’s most controversial healthcare initiative.

Obamacare’s spiraling premium increases have especially hurt middle-income consumers, In Idaho, at least, they will be able to select from among plans that don’t fulfill all of Obamacare’s expensive criteria.

The scheme appears to flout federal law, so there was some doubt that insurers would be interested in participating at all. But this week, Blue Cross of Idaho stepped up and made it clear it would do so.

On Wednesday, the company provided information about one of the five such plans it intends to offer, called “Freedom Blue Standard.” This is designed to be comparable in most respects to Obamacare Exchange bronze plans. The two have similar deductibles, rates of coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximums.

But there are also a few critical differences. Because it allows some health underwriting, which is pricing based on health, and because it caps lifetime benefits at $1 million, the Freedom Blue Standard plan is available to the healthiest buyers for as little as 40 percent of what the bronze plan costs, depending on age. Setting aside the rate for the healthiest, the average buyer of Freedom Blue Standard saves 26-66 percent of the price he or she would pay for an Obamacare bronze policy, depending on age.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 0carenightmare; iaho; idaho; obamacare; obamacarepremiums

1 posted on 02/19/2018 9:33:31 AM PST by MaxistheBest
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To: MaxistheBest

Deep red state. Where’s the heavy lifting?


2 posted on 02/19/2018 9:36:00 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

I love it here in Idaho....where else can you get a : Otter, Labrador, and a Homer Simpson running the State, and Risch away the bad laws.


3 posted on 02/19/2018 9:40:27 AM PST by davidb56
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To: MaxistheBest

And it would be perfectly OK for Trump to allow this to occur - under the Obama doctrine of “prosecutorial discretion”.


4 posted on 02/19/2018 9:40:46 AM PST by circlecity
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To: MaxistheBest

If CA and other states can ignore federal immigration laws, we can ignore the unAffordable Care Act.


5 posted on 02/19/2018 9:41:20 AM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace-No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: MaxistheBest
the average buyer of Freedom Blue Standard saves 26-66 percent of the price he or she would pay for an Obamacare bronze policy,

Sign me up for that. I don't need free abortions, free condoms, flu shots, free sex changes, contraception, vasectomy, HIV testing or a lot of stuff. Just basic health care is what I need.

6 posted on 02/19/2018 9:43:29 AM PST by BipolarBob (At one time I held the world record as the worlds youngest person on the planet.)
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To: MaxistheBest

Idaho is blowing off Obamacare and Oregon is sucking it up


7 posted on 02/19/2018 9:46:51 AM PST by Cold Heart
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To: MaxistheBest
Two of our closest friends have moved to Idaho in the last year. One to Sand Point, one to Boise. My adult children are visiting their friends in Boise who moved there 6 months ago. We are all thinking about heading there permanently.

Oregon has gone totally California, need to get out! Oregon D's are swimming in Bloombergs anti gun money.

8 posted on 02/19/2018 9:51:04 AM PST by thirst4truth (America, What difference does it make?)
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To: MaxistheBest

While I’d have preferred to have a grand bonfire of Obamacare, complete with Republicans marching down a Hall with a gavel throwing their heads back in laughter a la Pelosi, I really think eliminating the individual mandate effectively killed it.


9 posted on 02/19/2018 9:57:54 AM PST by Persevero (Democrats haven't been this nutty since we freed their slaves.)
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To: MaxistheBest

Marijuana for some, affordable health care for others!

10 posted on 02/19/2018 10:31:04 AM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: davidb56

Been back here after a long while in California. Be sure to let liberals know that everyone has a machine gun with a 1000 round clip and we all shave our head. Oh yeah we eat meat too. Not a pleasant place if you don’t kill your own dinner or drive a big truck. Best for them to stay in their sanctuary city.


11 posted on 02/19/2018 10:36:04 AM PST by spudville
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To: MaxistheBest

Bookmark


12 posted on 02/19/2018 10:39:28 AM PST by Pajamajan ( Pray for our nationwide of n. Thank- the Lord for everything you have. Don't wait. Do it today.)
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To: BipolarBob

Sign me up too. After I lost my job and my health insurance I found out it would cost me $60,000 per year to insure 5 healthy people before the HMO coverage would begin and I could not use any of the doctors I have been going to for 20+ years. FUBO. I’ll pay cash.


13 posted on 02/19/2018 10:53:40 AM PST by Cheesehead in Texas
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To: Persevero
The individual mandate was never eliminated. Instead, they just reduced the penalty to $0. Nothing stops Congress from raising it again in the future.

That was the only way they could deal with the mandate without 60 votes in the Senate.

14 posted on 02/19/2018 11:15:43 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Go ahead, bite the Big Apple ... don't mind the maggots.")
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To: MaxistheBest

Where are all the law and order FReepers urging fedgov to enforce federal law at the expense of the 10th Amendment?

C’mon, where are your principles?


15 posted on 02/19/2018 11:24:17 AM PST by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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To: Alberta's Child
That was the only way they could deal with the mandate without 60 votes in the Senate.

Or with 51 votes they could just nuke the Senate cloture rule, then repeal Obamacare, followed by confirming every single Trump appointee with no further debate.

16 posted on 02/19/2018 11:28:34 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Big governent is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: PapaBear3625
Or with 51 votes they could just nuke the Senate cloture rule, then repeal Obamacare ...

The dirty little secret is that the GOP doesn't even have 50 votes to repeal Obamacare.

17 posted on 02/19/2018 11:42:33 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("Go ahead, bite the Big Apple ... don't mind the maggots.")
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To: Alberta's Child
The dirty little secret is that the GOP doesn't even have 50 votes to repeal Obamacare.

Same reason Mitch will not upset the cloture rule, he doesn't even have 50 votes.

18 posted on 02/19/2018 12:00:48 PM PST by itsahoot (There will be division, as long as there is money to be divided.)
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To: MaxistheBest

hey, if california can throw LEOs in jail and fine them if they don’t aid and abet illegal aliens, then i don’t see why states can’t ignore obamacare ...


19 posted on 02/19/2018 12:05:44 PM PST by catnipman ( Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: itsahoot
Same reason Mitch will not upset the cloture rule, he doesn't even have 50 votes.

Assuming he actually wants to repeal it, that is.

20 posted on 02/20/2018 1:14:23 PM PST by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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