Free Republic

A watershed moment in the ongoing disaster of ObamaCare, as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius finally admits that health insurance premiums are rising because of the President’s health insurance takeover, per the Wall Street Journal: Ms. Sebelius’s remarks come weeks before insurers are expected to begin releasing rates for plans that start on Jan. 1, 2014, when key provisions of the health law kick in. Premiums have been a sensitive subject for the Obama administration, which is counting on elements in the health law designed to increase competition among insurers to keep rates in check. The administration has...

Last week, politicians who helped craft the Affordable Care Act (ACA) celebrated in self-congratulatory style the third anniversary of that monstrosity which will soon extinguish health care as we've known it. The president's promises about the ACA saving money and allowing you to keep your existing health plan are proving false, as many predicted. The Department of Health and Human Services maintains the law will make health care more affordable and accessible. The Wall Street Journal, reminding readers of that claim, reported last week that health insurers are privately warning brokers: "premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase...

The online application draft for health care insurance under Obamacare inquires if the applicant would like to register to vote and directs the applicant to a registration page if they answer in the affirmative.Page 59 of the 61 page draft application, “List of Questions in the Online Application to Support Eligibility Determinations for Enrollment” developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and first reported by The Washington Examiner, asks applicants “Would you like to register to vote?” The “yes” answer linking to a blank registration form.On Monday, House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany of Louisiana...

Rep. John Barrows (D-Ga.) said Friday that legislation was necessary to rein in the regulatory power of the Food and Drug Administration over food served from take-out outlets and convenience stores as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. “That’s why it’s essential that we be able to come together in this manner to provide this kind of relief from legislation that wasn’t fairly vetted enough and regulations that are coming down the pike that are way too onerous,” Barrows said at a press conference in support of the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2013....

“Wow, what can go wrong here?… The federal government is going to build 50 exchanges… the design hasn’t been solidified, and must be accessible to a variety of data processing technologies… Each of the 50 states have different eligibility rules, and with a significant number of states opting out, the federal government now has to learn the intricacies of each state’s Medicaid eligibility models which then scale to different applicability rules for different members of a given family. "The thousands of pages of rules that will drive requirements haven’t been completed,… and those requirements are needed to drive design not...

The 61-page online Obamacare draft application for health care includes asking if the applicant wants to register to vote, raising the specter that pro-Obama groups being tapped to help Americans sign up for the program will also steer them to register with the Democratic Party. On page 59, after numerous questions about the applicant's identity and qualification for Obamacare, comes the question: "Would you like to register to vote?" The placement of the question could lead some to believe they have to register to vote to get health care. In the introduction of the document, the Centers for Medicare &...

In a move that reminiscent of the tyrannical actions of Abraham Lincoln that led to the War of Northern Aggression, Barack Obama says that he will not wait on states to enforce Obamacare. Instead his administration has announced its intent is to completely disregard the state’s Tenth Amendment rights to nullification of the Obamacare law, via their passed legislation and state constitutions. In fact, his administration has said that in states where they refuse to comply with federal healthcare mandates that agents from the Department of Health and Human Services will assume absolute control over the state’s health insurance industry....

Over one-third of the 9.1 million full-time jobs among America's diverse business franchises could be cut back or eliminated by Obamacare as small businesses struggle to maintain profitability while coughing up money to pay for Washington-mandated health care coverage, according to the International Franchise Association. The threat of hitting 3.2 million full-time workers as the Affordable Care Act takes effect next year is prompting the owners of fast food restaurants, service companies and other franchises to urge Congress to make significant changes in Obamacare. To help their cause, the association on Friday released a new state-by-state breakdown on the potential...

Deep breath. I am going to write this in the calmest way possible. I am not here to air out dirty laundry but just like my last post back in Jan about Obamacare and law enforcement officials and doctors...this one leaps another level. I went to a doctor this morning for a follow up to an appointment I went to at the end of January. During my last appointment other than just getting some prescriptions refilled we went over some MRI results and talked about a different course of action regarding an injury. This morning I show up for a...

By denying coverage to spouses, employers not only save the annual premiums, but also the new fees that went into effect as part of the Affordable Care Act.