ObamaCare Faces the Implementation Iceberg

RealClearPolitics ^ | November 26, 2012 | Paul Howard and Stephen Parente

[Seizethecarp]

Some of the recently issued rules, particularly on community rating (charging the same price to everyone regardless of health status) and limiting the premium difference between older and younger applicants are likely to increase prices for young people – and over half (55%) of the uninsured are under age 35.

If prices rise sharply for this group, they’re much less likely to buy coverage, since Obamacare lets them buy insurance for the same price even after they become sick. And if young people pass up coverage, the rates will rise for everyone else in the exchange – and for taxpayers who are footing the final bill.

The administration’s “damn the torpedoes” attitude toward implementation of Obamacare also ignores the significant amount of time it will take for stakeholders to comment on provisional regulations and for HHS to issue its final rules. Keep in mind that the law requires exchanges to begin enrolling people by next October.

To call this deadline ambitious given the enormous uncertainty facing the industry and state regulators is a massive understatement.

[Seizethecarp]

The big Obama voter demographic, the currently uninsured healthy under age 35, are going to get hit with big price increases (or face penalty tax refund withholding) for insurance they thought would be free to subsidize those over 35. Won't they be happy they "won"!

[Seizethecarp]

Contrast the sound warning of financial doom for Obamacare in the above article with the petulant whining of Ezra Klein (We won, you lost!) on MSNBC pitching a fit over John Boehner’s announced intention to kill the Obamacare to the extent possible using House oversight procedures:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/11/23/ezra_klein_elections_have_consequences.html

“Ezra Klein: Elections Have Consequences”

“MSNBC: Ezra Klein on the Affordable Care Act's inevitability, Speaker John Boehner’s amusing op-ed on the GOP’s plan to repeal it, and Enroll America’s campaign to get the plan to cover as many as 40 million people.”

[HiTech RedNeck]

An enormous game of financial chicken, to which all submit without flinching as though under a hypnotic spell.

Barack Obama and a whole clowder of Democrats are just Nucking Futs. And that’s all there is to it.

[MulberryDraw]

Republicans ... will have to figure out an “endgame” for health care reform that increases coverage and lowers costs.

The "coverage" (3rd party payer) is part of the problem. 3rd party payers don't result in lower costs.

[txrefugee]

Revising the old adage, now “There’s no fool like a young fool.”

They really thought there is such a thing as a “free lunch.” The younger generation will pay through the nose for this disaster, beginning with reduced hours of employment or no employment at all because business owners can’t afford ObamaCare.

[Kozak]

This is a feature, not a bug. The entire bill was a poisoned pill , it will be so awful, completely unworkable the sheeple will BEG for single payer to dump the mess.

[TheRobb7]

When you put it that way....as something that will be actually seen and felt on their 1040 form (or whatever form)....that would, probably for the first time, force them to see—at least in part—how they have voted to screw themselves and the rest of us.

For a lot of liberals, socialism is ok....until it reaches their wallet.

[Travis McGee]

[Daveinyork]

Obama knows all that. His goal is to undermine all confidence in our health care system, to make it crash and burn, to drive all insurance companies out of healthcare, so that the road is clear for single payer socialized medicine.

[Sooth2222]

"The big Obama voter demographic, the currently uninsured healthy under age 35, are going to get hit with big price increases (or face penalty tax refund withholding) for insurance they thought would be free to subsidize those over 35. Won't they be happy they "won"!"

Many (who are working in the legitimate economy) will end up as part time (under 30 hours) workers, or contractors/consultants. It's odd, but the groups that are going to be hurt by Obamacare the most supported his reelection the greatest extent, and the groups that are going to be hurt the least by Obamacare supported him the least.

I'm still amazed by the election results! It looks like "Idiocracy" wasn't just a science fiction comedy.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Some of the recently issued rules, particularly on community rating (charging the same price to everyone regardless of health status) and limiting the premium difference between older and younger applicants are likely to increase prices for young people – and over half (55%) of the uninsured are under age 35.
If prices rise sharply for this group, they’re much less likely to buy coverage, since Obamacare lets them buy insurance for the same price even after they become sick. And if young people pass up coverage, the rates will rise for everyone else in the exchange – and for taxpayers who are footing the final bill. “

I thought I read that the insurance companies will be able to discriminate based on age just not sex or pre-existing condition for the reason above; that they will separate risk pools by age.

But supporting the prediction above I also read that the dreaded personal mandate is only ~ $95 per individual until about 2016 where it rises to $695.
Given this many young health people (especially young men who wont get all those free-bees) would still be crazy to be insured before they actually get sick. Instead they can just pay the $95 and then demand ‘insurance; when that big illness hits them.

But heck, they voted for Obama twice.

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

When Obama and the Dems get through with us we will all be hoping for only a 30 hr work week!

Productivity drops under socialism and this requires full employment to get done what only a few did under capitalism.

Life is good!

Pass the vodka, comrade!