Weak-Kneed on the Health Care Mandate

New York Times ^ | December 23, 2013 | DAVID FIRESTONE

[reaganaut1]

If the website malfunctions in October and November were infuriating to supporters of health care reform, the continuing parade of delays that followed it have simply been depressing. They have contributed to the impression that the Obama administration is desperately trying to keep the new system from spinning out of control, countering the good news that 1.2 million people have signed up for insurance through the federal and state exchanges.

The enrollment numbers have been rising every day in anticipation of the deadline for obtaining coverage, which was supposed to be at a minute before midnight tonight. But, as the Washington Post reported today, the deadline was postponed for 24 hours. The administration was worried the website would be overwhelmed by a last-minute surge in enrollments — hardly a sign of confidence.

The delay comes a few days after a far more troubling announcement last week, when the administration said that people whose insurance was cancelled would not have to sign up for coverage and would not be subject to the individual mandate penalty next year. That exemption could apply to as many as a half million people who lost their policies but not have not yet signed up for a new one on the exchanges.

There have been many other delays and postponements due to the inept rollout of the health law, but last week’s was the first to begin chipping away at the individual mandate, the heart of the whole system. The penalty aspect of the mandate for those who refused to get insurance — the subject of last year’s Supreme Court debate — was not terribly onerous, at least for the first few years, but was designed to be a psychological shove towards coverage.

[Venturer]

And they are not telling those on Medicaid that they have to pay back the money.

[Varsity Flight]

Total Propaganda

Resist the Satanic attempt to take over the temple of the Holy Spirit, and he will flee from you.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well... being poor in the US means being what a lot of the rest of the world calls comfortable. These displacements generally didn’t put people on the streets a la Calcutta, thank the Obama welfare state for at least this.

However! Sick is sick no matter where you are. And people have some memories. They knew what decent health care was. And now it will be gone. Access to health care my foot, dear president Obama! You really are a liar! Impeach, impeach! (And Democrats, eager not to get dragged down to hell with Obama, will probably consent to impeach. Just a guess.)

[Bull Man]

I’m a fairly bright guy. I read news regularly every day. I’m informed. But honestly I can barely keep up with the never ending changes and exceptions that come from this atrocious law every day. I can only imagine the chaos of confusion that must exist in the majority of “low information voter” that persist today. And that comment is only directed to the ones that are somewhat aware that something is going on...what about the ones that are totally clueless. You know the type I’m referring, the ones that don’t know Obama’s last name! Or the ones that call 911 because there are no more chicken mcnuggets...