Posted on 03/25/2013 11:28:05 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Obamacare is falling apart before our eyes. The long-term care insurance program known as the CLASS ACT was deemed financially unworkable and shut down by the administration's own actuaries. Taxpayer-funded health care cooperatives never got off the ground and were shut down in the fiscal cliff deal. Last month the federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan stopped accepting enrollment applications. This week 79 U.S. senators, including 34 Democrats, voted to repeal the law's medical device tax. Premiums in the individual and small group markets could spike as much as 116 percent next year. The wheels are already wobbling and the worst is yet to come.
The exchanges at the heart of the new Obamacare entitlement are slated to be up and running for open enrollment beginning October 1. Millions of Americans will be dumped into these exchanges by employers dropping coverage and millions more will be forced to enter the exchanges by the individual mandate. But will there actually be functioning exchanges for them to go to? Maybe not.
The Obamacare law was written to incentivize states to do the heavy lifting of setting up and running the exchanges, which are administratively and technologically complex. But more than half the states said no thanks, looking at the proposed regulations and long-term operating costs and choosing to let the feds try to administer their own mess. And the states that did choose to play ball weren't able to make much progress because the Obama administration stalled key regulations until after the election.
Now the feds are rushing to get the exchanges ready.
"We are under 200 days from open enrollment, and I'm pretty nervous,'' confessed Henry Chao, the deputy chief information officer on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - which is setting up the federal exchanges. "The time for debating about the size of text on the screen or the color or is it a world-class user experience, that's what we used to talk about two years ago," Chao said. "Let's just make sure it's not a third-world experience."
So don't be surprised if open enrollment doesn't start October 1 as planned. And when the exchanges are up and running, what plans will be available to purchase through them? One effect of stalling the regulations past the election is that the choices offered in most states will be meager simply because there isn't much time to develop plans and make sure they are compliant.
The plans that are offered are going to be expensive because of the law's mandates and regulations. Every major insurer is now warning of a huge spike in premiums, especially for younger, healthier people who can no longer be offered significantly lower rates than older people who use more health care. Some people may get subsidies to help pay - after filling out a 21-page form - but others will find their families ineligible for subsidies unless they stop working full-time or, believe it or not, get divorced.
Democrats want to believe that the future of Obamacare was secured by President Obama's reelection. But if implementation ends up being the disaster that looks increasingly likely, the American people will have the final word.
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Phil Kerpen is president of American Commitment, a columnist on Fox News Opinion, chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition, and author of the 2011 book Democracy Denied.
American Commitment is dedicated to restoring and protecting America’s core commitment to free markets, economic growth, Constitutionally-limited government, property rights, and individual freedom.
I have a SENTRI pass. If you have a passport and no arrest record you can get one too. Google GOES (global online enrollment system) and apply on line. You will have to go in for an interview. I cross the border at San Diego. Without the SENTRI pass the wait time is 2-3 hours on most days for pedestrians and cars. I walk back and my wait time is about 5 minutes or less. I would never go there without the SENTRI pass. You can use it at the airport too.
No doubt this is going to be an upheaval regarding Obamacare. My city just won a contract to open a call center to help enroll ummm (fill in blank) people, yes people for Obamacare. Being out of work I just applied for a position in that new call center. I hope I do get a job that will help pay for rent however I do not wish success on this knowing it could jeopardize future jobs and Lord knows what else like bankruptcy.
Why couldn’t Congress demand or make a law demanding health insurance to accept preexisting condition. Almost everyone has at least 1 condition now these days. No need to dismantle the whole health care.
That would be a good ongoing FReeper thread: medical tourism places that bear recommendation.
I think there should be cruiseliners 12 miles offshore on all
three coasts, with their own small airlines.
Who is Bart Stupak Alex?
I believe he is an ex-congressman who has now declared he is against Obamacare.
I doubt Henry Chao’s plan will work! (What an appropriate name!)
Sounds like a great idea to me.
But Magic Johnson said it IS working. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3000608/posts
The corrupt GOP is the “away jersey” of the criminal lib-dem party.
RE: But Magic Johnson said it IS working
Never trust the opinion of a hundred millionaire on something that mainly affects the little people.
Obamacare does not affect guys like him.
I am not at all optimistic that Obamacare will go away. It is part of the great wealth redistribution system that our overlords are going to use to finance their futures. Add to that all the newly made citizens from amnesty and you have a sure win for the democrats for many years to come. When I see people in the streets with pitch forks, tar and feathers and guns or maybe a string of real conservatives elected in 2014 maybe then I might have some hope.
There is a question in my mind whether the primary (there is only one “primary”) purpose of 0bamacare
is wealth redistribution,
or the destruction of the economy.
Of course, we know that A invariably leads to B,
but leftists do not know, nor believe that.
We need all them Obama-ites to keep on spouting off about how great ObamaScare is gonna be - at least until the 2014 midterm elections.
“We are considering crossing over into Mexico for dental work later this year.”
Be careful if you haven’t done this before. You may need to provide documentation. That might include:
* A notarized medical report.
* A medical diagnosis by your dentist.
* Recommended treatment.
* Consent bonds.
You might also want to hire an in-country case executive to handle any paperwork and ensure that the proper medical procedures are followed.
Find a top-notch medical tourism company. There are a number of medical tourism organizations that can make recommendations.
And get a ransom, kidnap and extortion rider on your travel insurance policy so you can pay off the cops or cartels if you’re kidnapped. You might want to look at an executive travel policy that will cover all kinds of messy situations. No. I don’t sell insurance.
Since I don’t have any recollection of Americans being kidnapped recently in Mexico I don’T think I will be worrying about that.
I just realized I forgot the sarc tag.
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