The White House Is Bribing Health Insurance Companies

Forbes ^ | 7/14/14 | Avik Roy

[Titus-Maximus]

Want to know what’s happening with Obamacare? Good luck finding out. The White House recently adopted a new approach for updating Americans on the country’s most consequential law. I call it the “needle in a haystack” method: Bury the announcement in hundreds of pages of regulations and hope no one finds it. The White House tried a test run several weeks ago. Hidden in the midst of a 436 page regulatory update, and written in pure bureaucratese, the Department of Health and Human Services asked that insurance companies limit the looming premium increases for 2015 health plans. But don’t worry, HHS hinted: we’ll bail you out on the taxpayer’s dime if you lose money. No wonder there wasn’t a press release. The White House is playing politics with Americans’ health care—and they’re bribing health insurance companies to play along. The administration’s intention is clear: Salvage the 2014 midterm elections. Typically, insurance companies release their premium rates between summer and early fall—i.e., right before voters cast their ballots in November. If premiums skyrocket—which looks increasingly likely—then voters won’t look too kindly on Senators and Representatives who voted for Obamacare and created this problem.

[Titus-Maximus]

Most transparent administration in history? What an embarrassment. So politically calculating that they cannot even own up to their so called greatest achievement and let it work, because they will lose votes. They cannot live by it because it is a disaster.

Buries it in regulations.

[boycott]

This is nothing new. They’ve been bribing health insurance companies since they started pushing husseinobamarcare.

[Antihero101607]

This will be forgotten about by most in a manner of days, and people will likely be slammed by premium increases after November.

[matthew fuller]

"Most transparent administration in history? What an embarrassment."

The real embarrassment is the 51.1% of the electorate that voted to RE-ELECT this illegal alien mooslim marxist with a third rate photoshopped birth certificate.

[CharlesOConnell]

The function of a quasi-governmental cartel/monopoly is not to benefit consumers.

It is to enforce economy of scale, raise prices and discourage competition to benefit elites.

[martinidon]

Where are the republicans? Everyone of them should be raising hell about this and warning the public about what is coming.... But we hear nothing....

[CharlesOConnell]

Re: "Where are the republicans? Everyone of them should be raising hell about this and warning the public about what is coming.... But we hear nothing...."

Unsuspected by Ordinary People, Economic Ultra-Elites Command the Base Institutions that Regulate Our Fundamental Living Conditions.

They Are Far Above Conventional Distinctions of “Right” and “Left”—They Grant Ruling Privileges to the Group that can Demonstrate the Ability to Deliver What They Require.

If The “Conservatives” Had A More Coherent, Political Gangster Force–As They Did in 2000–The Ruling Elite Would Have Supported “Conservatism”.

THE whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes being corrected. Even when the revolutionist might himself repent of his revolution, the traditionalist is already defending it as part of his tradition. Thus we have the two great types—the advanced person who rushes us into ruin, and the retrospective person who admires the ruins. He admires them especially by moonlight, not to say moonshine. Each new blunder of the progressive or prig becomes instantly a legend of immemorial antiquity for the snob. This is called balance or mutual check, in our Constitution. — G.K. Chesterton: ‘The Blunders of Our Parties,’ Illustrated London News, April 19, 1924

[jurroppi1]

Why do you think tax day is April 15th?

Think about it ~6 months before/after any given general election...

[garjog]

Sounds like a smidgen of corruption to me.

[catnipman]

“This administration already has a reputation for strong-arming dissenting businesses in other industries.”

Fascism is as fascism does.

[PieterCasparzen]

Republicans and Democrats - no real difference.

Same cake, different icing.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The thing about both that bugs us all is “WORLDLINESS.”

Both the port and starboard sides of the ship to hell will arrive there.

[Fai Mao]

“Most transparent administration in history?’

If they get anymore thin skinned with regard to criticism that will literally be true

[jsanders2001]

Anytime socialist healthcare programs replace private practices the result is always a significant decline in the quality and availability of healthcare.

[jsanders2001]

> Where are the republicans? Everyone of them should be raising hell about this and warning the public about what is coming.... But we hear nothing....

Too busy counting the money stuffed in their envelopes from taxpayer funded programs pushed by 0 that were either never used for said purposes as intended.

[SoFloFreeper]

BTTT...this needs to be getting some more attention...

[Incorrigible]

Bump

[dforest]

Good luck on that. There is no news now except for the airplane.

I think the war mongers want our CIC to head up another one just like the other ones.

[GailA]

Which makes me ask the question, when a patient misses a dose of med in the hospital are they still being paid for?

I had a incident last year, landed in the hospital, was given Bentyl for AB pain, well I had a real bad reaction to it in front of the nurse. She never RECORDED the reaction. Next duty nurse brought the Bentyl in on her shift. I told her what happened, she marked it as MISSED DOSE. Again never recorded as a Drug Reaction. This went on until the dr came in and I told him.

So was Medicare/Tricare Live charged for a drug not taken?

[jsanders2001]

> So was Medicare/Tricare Live charged for a drug not taken?

In our day and age it’s a given.