Free Republic

Kevin McCarthy of Thousand Oaks, California, was surprised last spring, when he learned his family doctor of 14 years could not accept the Blue Shield insurance he'd purchased under Obamacare. He said he was "outraged" because when he was shopping for his policy, Blue Shield confirmed his doctor was covered. "We were duped," McCarthy said. "Hoodwinked is another good term." Here's what happened. Insurance companies -- to save money -- are quietly selling what are called "narrow networks." They sharply restrict the number of doctors and hospitals people can see. In some cases, people may be limited to 30 percent...

What would happen if the Supreme Court rules that ObamaCare doesn't allow subsidies through the federal exchange? There's plenty of speculation, ranging from no big deal to absolute, total catastrophe. An article published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine tries to answer the question with a little bit more precision. It's conclusion, however, is that disallowing those subsidies would be a devastating blow to ObamaCare.

This so-called insurance meant from the beginning not merely compulsory insurance it also meant compulsory membership in a unitary system controlled and enforced by the state. The concept of a social safety net is well accepted throughout the Western World. The idea that some provision should be made for those who through no fault of their own are unable to provide for themselves first appeared as a state policy in Germany in the 19th century as the Iron Chancellor, Bismarck, sought to co-opt the popular appeal of socialism and strengthen the newly founded German Imperial state. The idea struck a...

If you’re a New Yorker who is dissatisfied with the original set of chromosomes you were dealt at birth, good news is on the way. Historically, various types of reassignment surgeries involved in switching genders have been considered to be either cosmetic or optional by insurance companies and have generally not been covered. These procedures are not cheap, so they remained beyond the reach of a lot of people. But now, Governor Andrew Cuomo has sent a letter to insurers in the Empire State letting them know that they are going to have to start footing the bill. Now...

Lee Albertorio felt like a man trapped in a woman’s body. After serving in the Air Force, he began taking hormones, which deepened his voice and made his physique more masculine. He changed his passport to reflect that he was male, and last year he decided to have a mastectomy, known as top surgery. But his insurance company told him the operation was cosmetic and refused to cover it, he said Wednesday. Now Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is warning insurance companies that they will no longer be allowed to deny gender reassignment surgery or other treatment to change a person’s...

ST. PAUL — (AP) State legislators are working on ways to better identify Minnesota residents who drive without auto insurance. Motorists don't have to show proof of insurance when renewing a vehicle's registration. People who drive without insurance can lose their licenses and be fined about $300. The state has a law mandating insurance but doesn't have a meaningful verification system, said Sen. Susan Kent, who heads the uninsured motorist task force that is expected to come up with recommendations by Feb. 1. The committee has explored options ranging from increasing fines to seizing license plates of uninsured drivers. "There's...

I never got around to posting about my October trip to the hospital, I was out in four days, just another lung bug, and things were popping here on the forum and I just dug in.I had already fired the doctor who screwed up, almost fried my kidneys and caused a case of gout with too many diuretics. The insurance plan assigned a new doctor anyway so when I landed in the ER I gave his name. He never showed up, but the one I fired did. I told him to go away and 10 minutes later his sidekick showed...

I just got off the phone with Blue Cross. They informed me that my premium for Obamacare will be going from $84.00 to $204.00 per month starting January, 2015. The bill will be here just before Christmas. We are very low income and have not made any changes to warrant this increase. We cannot afford it. So if you have Obamacare, you might want to call and find out what your Christmas surprise will be.

Dear Blue Cross CEO: Just yesterday, I received your glossy brochure encouraging me to apply for Obamacare insurance through your company. No doubt this is because my husband lost his job recently, and we are now on COBRA. COBRA also tried to entice us to use Obamacare, saying we could have less costly insurance through the government exchanges. Your brochure went to great pains to tell me about the possibility of subsidies if our household income was below certain levels. Since my husband is now unemployed and I have been either mom or grandma-on-call for the past 30+ years, our...

Imagine a health reform plan that gives a boost to big insurance companies while leaving patients less able to pay their medical bills. Think progressives would cheer about it? They will if it's called ObamaCare.

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday dismissed the recent comments by ObamaCare consultant Jonathan Gruber, though she acknowledged that “a lot of Americans have no idea what insurance is about.” Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, came under fire last month for saying the process of passing ObamaCare was purposefully obscured and for calling voters “stupid” because they did not understand healthcare. In an Q&A with USA Today, Sebelius called him “dead wrong” on the issue of transparency. But she added that throughout her tenure as HHS secretary, she learned that many Americans...

I was a part of my family member's business, and as an employee of this small family business was able to get myself and 4 kids covered by a private insurance company with a great ppo plan though pricy. Every year, this coverage grew more expensive by a couple hundred a month, until this year when it has gone up by $500 a month. I can't afford it and the business will be closing in 2015. I don't want to join CA Covered because it's ObamaCare. What do any CA FReepers do for insurance when they aren't getting it paid...

* Many CEOs are angry with the Obama administration thanks to three new cases challenging parts of his 'wellness program' * In order to participate in the 'wellness program' and receive a low health care rate under Obamacare, employees must take a physical * Now it is being argued in three cases that forcing someone to take a physical for work violates the Americans with Disabilities Act * The CEOs now have a number of ways they can undermine Obama because of this developmentLeading U.S. CEOs, angered by the Obama administration's challenge to certain 'workplace wellness' programs, are threatening to...

Because many doctors and hospitals have been dropped from ObamaCare, their services are not eligible for ObamaCare payments. What would happen to their patients who are now suddenly forced into ObamaCare? The Affordable Care Act specifies in Section 1401of its voluminous content that subsidies cannot be paid to people residing in states that do not have a State Exchange. The decision was upheld in the D.C. Federal Circuit Court and the Supreme Court will make a decision in June 2015. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, no subsidy will thus be paid on the 80 percent of subscribers’ premiums who enrolled...

On October 20, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan lost in the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices dismissed their case without review. The charges of fraud, as well as the court-ordered $6 million penalty, are now a matter of record. Blue Cross is guilty of "self-dealing," or looking after its own self-interests. Blue Cross stole money for years. Since 1993, it inflated hospital bills and charged hidden administrative fees to Michigan-based Hi-Lex Controls Inc. Hi-Lex is not the only one. At least 50 other lawsuits have been filed. Hi-Lex Controls is a self-insured auto parts dealer. Thus, it uses its...

LANSING, Mich., Nov. 17 -- The Michigan State Senate Republicans issued the following news on the behalf of Michigan State Sen. Patrick Colbeck: On Saturday, November 15, state Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, spoke at the national ProFamily Legislators Conference in Dallas on potential health care changes in Michigan that would lower prices, provide better care and reduce bureaucracy.

Crony Capitalism: The New York Times this week reports that ObamaCare has made strange bedfellows between the insurance industry and the federal government. Who could have imagined that?

Members enrolled in Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act plans will see their premium rates rise by an average of 6.9 percent in 2015. Officials for the Wilkes-Barre-based insurer declined to specify how many members are covered by its Affordable Care Act plans. Its website shows 12 available 2014 “Blue (Affordable Care Act) Metal” plans. “The increases are necessary to meet the coverage requirements, including essential health benefits, of the (Affordable Care Act) and to keep up with the cost of care for members in our ACA products,” said Anthony Matrisciano, spokesman for Blue Cross of NEPA, which...

Happiness is having health insurance only institutionalizes the idea that one can’t enjoy life if they don’t have coverage In all likelihood, you haven’t taken a look at the new vocabulary of healthcare and the change that it has instituted in how we perceive health and, as a result, healthcare—these perceptions that underlie the concept of necessary healthcare. In fact, it goes to the very core of what we think health is. If someone asked you to define health, would you say it was well being? Or a state or condition of the body and/or mind? Common usage, anymore, lies...

Next year, thousands of English professors head to Vancouver for the annual Modern Language Association (MLA) convention. Let’s hope they stay healthy so they don’t get to use the type of national health care they’ve always wanted. The Canadian Frasier Institute offers a depressing recap on the results of Canada’s single-payer system: “Since 1993, the average wait for treatment has almost doubled (to 18.2 weeks in 2013), per capita public healthcare expenditures have increased by about 40 per cent (after adjusting for inflation), and it is becoming increasingly apparent that patients are suffering the consequences,” Bachus Barua reports in the...