Free Republic

The basic idea that for the first three years of Obamacare, the Treasury has committed to protecting against an industry-wide death spiral — and that could well occur if insurance customers continue to avoid the Obamacare exchanges...This is well worth a vote, because it will highlight the bailout provision, which most Americans aren’t aware of at all...

Under this president, even if you like the law of the land, you can’t keep it. His administration, no stranger to ignoring or refusing to enforce pages of the Federal Register, is now rewriting another key part of the Affordable Care Act to escape the political fallout from the insurance cancellations that are an integral part of its design. Using its preferred legislative tool, lawless executive decree, the administration has decided not to enforce some of Obamacare’s costly mandates in 2014, allowing insurance companies, in theory, to renew plans that don’t meet them. Insurers may cancel many of the plans...

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz previewed a new plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it with different health care reforms. "The only way to stop the problems is to admit this idea was fundamentally flawed to begin with," Cruz told Fox News' Megyn Kelly. "At this point, starting over, stopping Obamacare, is the essence of pragmatism." Cruz's approach differs from some congressional Republicans and Democrats who are working to pass a bill delaying the Obamacare individual mandate or help Americans keep their current health care plans. Cruz said that he would release a bill to empower Americans to purchase health...

"...Please Arizona, Quit Working Against Us. You can do Better than this. John McCain is serving a six year term that doesn’t end until 2016. His career in which he has earned the title of “maverick” was built by betraying the fundamental principles upon which the Republican Party was founded and his name adjoins legislation sponsored and co-authored by the most odious of leftist Democrat legislators. John McCain has earned the right to retire as a recalled US Senator. Not all states enable their voters to do this but ... continued (couldn't post all material here due to charts, video...

After repeatedly bashing senators like Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) over their crusade to defund Obamacare, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for the “total repeal” of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday. It’s a stunning turnaround after the longtime senator in September proclaimed that it was “not rational” to think Obamacare could be defunded or repealed. McCain then laid out his “solution,” which culminated in an admission that he is now calling for “total repeal.”

I don’t get it. Sebelius claims that “the marketplace is working.” What is there to talk about? Actually, I can think of two items on the agenda. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday will convene a special meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus and senior White Officials to discuss the troubled rollout of ObamaCare…The Senate leader said President Obama called him Tuesday evening to discuss healthcare and other issues.Several Democrats have signed onto a proposal sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) that would force insurance companies to let people keep their health plans if they like them.Sen. Tim...

Did anybody else watch John McCain today on Greta Van Susteren call for REPEAL of ObamaCare? If someone can get a video link or transcript of McCain's call for REPEAL of ObamaCare, please post here. Here is the observation of this by a commenter on the Gun & Game Website: Just turned on FOX News and Greta Van Sustern and John McCain was on with Greta and the headline said "Senator John McCain calls for total repeal of Obamacare." Was anyone else watching this? Did I read that right? I about fell over backwards when I saw what I thought...

All Congressional Republicans should vote 'Present' on the Keep Your Plan Act (or any other Dem bill regarding Obamacare). If they vote for it, they will be complicit when the crap hits the fan, and will be obligated to help fix the mess that results (putting the toothpaste back in the tube). If they vote along with the Dems, they will be sending the message "we're all in this together now." If they vote against it, the Dems will use it as an albatross, and use it to hang blame on the republicans forever. It's a trap, and seemingly a...

The time has come for a coherent, multi-step strategy for rolling back Obamacare. It is not enough for conservatives to focus just on the website problems, or to wait and hope the misnamed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) collapses on its own. The websites will ultimately get fixed well enough to function, and the “just wait” strategy underestimates both the appeal the new entitlement may hold for many and the serious damage that is being done to the private insurance market, whose viability is the foundation of any alternative to government mandates. Ultimately, the only way to minimize...

Texas doesn’t want to hear anymore of President Obama’s “false promises” about the Affordable Care Act, according to Senator Ted Cruz. He’s urged the president to drop his plans to visit Dallas on Wednesday to deliver a speech on Obamacare. “President Obama should take his broken promises tour elsewhere so Texans can continue focusing on the solutions that have allowed our state to become and remain the nation’s economic and job creation powerhouse,” Cruz said in a statement. He went on to list a series of unfulfilled promises the president has made, all related to health care. Emphasizing that the...

I keep hearing this Democrat talking point being trotted out, accusing the Republicans of harming their constituents by not doing everything in their power to "fix" the Affordable Health Care Act. This one must test well in focus-groups because it keeps getting repeated. I've yet to hear one Republican answer this coherently. Here's my suggestion for a response: "If I saw a friend's house being looted would I do everything in my power to stop the looting, or would I walk over and try to negotiate with the looters? Would I call the police and try to get some neighbors...

Thank you for contacting me with your views on the health reform legislation passed by Congress in 2010. Three years after its passage, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) remains one of the most controversial bills ever considered in Congress. While I support improving our health care delivery system to bring down costs and increase access to affordable health insurance, and have put forth several detailed proposals, the PPACA is not the answer. As written, this legislation would lead to higher health care costs, increased taxes, trillions of dollars in new federal spending, $715 billion in cuts to...

A Democrat led Congress did this before. They have forced elderly Americans into the “Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act (MCCA); and almost immediately it became obvious that they had made a big mistake. In June of 1988, both Parties patted themselves on the back and bragged that they had solved the problem of how to pay for nursing home care. They were very wrong in this boast. Nevertheless, Democrats don’t miss any opportunity to socialize America and this crisis was no different. They jumped on the bill as a chance to push for what became Hillarycare just a few years later....

Meet the Press | September 29, 2013 Cruz: Defund different from repeal Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas argues about the difference between delaying and defunding the Affordable Care Act.

It may be sunny in Los Angeles, but dark clouds hang over union members at the final day of the AFL-CIO convention. Union leaders are so unhappy with Obamacare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that the convention is expected to vote on a resolution calling for changes to the law. According to Bloomberg, the unions are worried that the health care law will endanger member health care benefits and argue that the “multi-employer plans should be eligible for tax subsidies.” The law currently only allows for low-income individuals who do not have employer-sponsored health care coverage, or...

Freshman Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Friday accused Republicans of pursuing a "wet dream" by pushing for the repeal of ObamaCare as part of a short-term spending bill. "I rise in strong opposition to this radical right-wing effort to walk our economy off of a cliff and cause a government shutdown," Swalwell said in today's debate. "I invite my colleagues on the other side to wake up from this radical, ideological wet dream, and come back to reality." Swalwell might be the first member to use the phrase "wet dream" on the House floor — at the very least, it...

Earlier this week, there were reports and commentary to the effect that the House Republican leadership had surrendered and fallen in with those conservatives who think that the continuing resolution to fund the government can be used to stop funding for Obamacare. Then there were claims that Senator Cruz had given up on fighting Obamacare in the Senate. Both of these perceptions were false, and they’re related. Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor are just as convinced as ever that a partial government shutdown would not advance any conservative goal, and just as determined to avoid one. They...

Republican Rep. Tom Graves’ budget plan to defund Obamacare while avoiding a government shutdown is rapidly gaining House support, but President Obama’s advocacy group Organizing for Action (OFA) is still using claims that Republicans want a shutdown in its fundraising pitch. Graves’ Stability, Security, and Fairness Resolution now has 70 House cosponsors after 11 more lawmakers cosponsored Tuesday. The continuing resolution proposal for fiscal year 2014 actually avoids a government shutdown and funds all facets of the federal government, with the exception of spending related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Graves introduced the plan last Thursday. “There...

Nearly 7 out of 10 voters are concerned about their personal health care under the Affordable Care Act and a majority wants to take the health care system back to 2009, according to the latest Fox News national poll. The poll, released Tuesday, finds that 68 percent of voters are concerned about their health care under the new system. That includes 43 percent “very” concerned and another 25 percent “somewhat” concerned. The number feeling concerned is more than twice that of those who are unworried (31 percent). Even a 56-percent majority of Democrats feels concerned (31 percent “very” concerned). By...

Reuters) - The Obama administration has delayed a step crucial to the launch of the new healthcare law, the signing of final agreements with insurance plans to be sold on federal health insurance exchanges starting October 1. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified insurance companies on Tuesday that it would not sign final agreements with the plans between September 5 and 9, as originally anticipated, but would wait until mid-September instead, according to insurance industry sources. Nevertheless, Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for HHS, said the department remains "on track to open" the marketplaces on time on...