This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Health Care debate

  • Looking for An “ObamaCare” Health Co-Op? Good Luck.

    Remember that       truly asinine exercise in socialist idiocy        healthcare “innovation” called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – AKA “ObamaCare”?  Remember how it was supposed to use “nonprofit healthcare cooperatives” as an integral part of its design?

    Well, as I’ve written before here those cooperatives haven’t exactly been doing that well.  As of March, roughly half of them had gone bankrupt.

    Last week, the axe fell on another two ObamaCare cooperatives:  HealthyCT and Oregon’s Health Co-Op.  The former is now operating under an order of supervision, having recently been ordered to pay the CMS risk adjustment program more than $13M.  The latter is being placed into receivership and liquidated.

    A third cooperative had already gone belly-up between March and last week.  This means that of the original 23 ObamaCare cooperatives, only 8 remain in operation.  The rest have all failed.  And those that are still in business aren’t doing so well.

    These new failures aren’t exactly a surprise, either.  Back in March – when 11 of the cooperatives still were in operation – only 1 was expected to finish the year “in the black”.   The rest were collectively expected to lose in excess of $200M total – and it looks like that may well turn out to be accurate.

    That’s not exactly a sustainable business model.

    And that’s not all.  We still haven’t seen the large expected premium hikes experts say we’ll see for next year – and which will be announced this fall.

    So if you need to use one of those ObamaCare cooperatives to procure health insurance – best of luck to ya.  Either way (no cooperative serving your area, or too expensive) you may well be SOL.

    Sheesh.  When it came to this ridiculous concept, even Stevie Wonder could have told Congress he could see failure down the road.

    Well, he could have had they let him read the bill before passing it.

     

  • Yer Monday Smile: Wonder If Anyone We “Know and Love” Might Be Interested?

    Ain’t modern medicine wonderful?

    First penis transplant in U.S. performed in Boston

    This not a worldwide first.  The first successful such surgery was apparently performed in South Africa some 2 years ago.  It is, however, the first such surgery in the US.

    The individual concerned has yet to heal, so it’s unknown whether or not he’ll eventually be able to “cometh” or not.  (smile)  There’s also no word on whether the procedure was/will be covered under Medicare, Medicaid, or an ObamaCare policy – which would mean American taxpayers help pay for it.

     

  • Gee. That’s Too Bad.

    Seeing this certainly makes me smile:

    Judge rules for House Republicans in ObamaCare lawsuit

    No, it’s not the final word on the matter; the decision will certainly be appealed.  But it’s a promising first step towards correcting that damnable, idiotic error called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – AKA “ObamaCare”.

  • More “ObamaCare” News

    Well, we have some more news about that       Plainly Pathetic Abominable Collection of Asininity       Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, AKA “ObamaCare”.  And as is usual, the news isn’t all that good for the US taxpayer.

    First, here’s an Item I apparently overlooked previously.  Remember those “non-profit cooperatives” that were supposed to provide much of ObamaCare’s insurance coverage?  Remember that as of last October, nearly half of them had folded?

    Well, about a month ago more info was released about just how badly those cooperatives did, financially, in 2014 and 2015.  (Short version:  they lost their butts.)

    By March, the number of failed cooperatives was up to 12.  These cooperatives lost $376 million in 2014.  In 2015, their losses are estimated at $1 billion.  And they apparently still owe hospitals and doctors around $1 billion as well.

    The “rest of the story”?  Well, the Federal government apparently loaned cooperatives around $2.4 billion collectively at start-up.  The 12 failed cooperatives apparently still haven’t repaid $1.2 billion that the Federal government loaned them.

    Gee.  That means one of two things will happen.  Either we the taxpayer will eat the cost of those loans –  or their parent firms will raise future premiums to cover losses as well as repaying them.  Which means that you and I will pay for them through increased premiums in the future.

    Wonderful.  Just freaking wonderful.

    In fact, it appears that the higher premiums may take effect later this year.  The new 2017 “ObamaCare” premiums are expected on 1 November.  Premiums announced in November (for next year) are expected to show rather marked increases over last year’s ObamaCare exchange premiums.

    How much?  Well, I’m not sure – but last year, premiums were up an average of “only” 8% or so, and the current       gang of fools in DC who foisted this idiocy on the American public         Administration touted that fact as “good news”.  I’m not really sure why, though – in contrast, CPI inflation for 2015 was 0.1%.  (Yes, that is a zero to the left of the decimal point.)

    Gee – losing money out the wazoo, billions in outstanding debts and loans, and substantial future price increases virtually guaranteed.  What’s not to like?  (smile)

    Sheesh.  We need to kill this idiotic mistake of a law posthaste.  Then burn its corpse until its ash, mix the ashes with quicklime and water, and dump the resulting slurry down an abandoned mine shaft.  Then dynamite the mine shaft so it collapses.

  • Another Chapter In That Continuing “Good News Story” Called ObamaCare

    We have some recent news about that        Patently Puerile, Asinine Current Administration concept       current Administration initiative called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – AKA ObamaCare.  And, as usual, the news isn’t all that good.

    A few weeks ago, news articles surfaced saying that insurance carriers were worried about ObamaCare.  Specifically, they began warning the public that losses sustained by policies issued through state exchanges were unsustainable.

    Well, yesterday the other shoe fell.  UnitedHealth – the nation’s largest provider of health insurance – has announced it will pull out of most state ObamaCare exchanges next year.

    Why?  Simple.  They want to stay in business.  UnitedHealth estimates their losses due to policies issued through ObamaCare exchanges over the last two years at approximately $1 billion.

    Gee, who’d a thunk it?  I mean, insurance is only based on the market model that the insurer sells many policies, but pays out a comparatively small number of claims.  Specifically, over the long term an insurer must take in more in income than they pay out in claims and other expenses to stay in business.  Otherwise, over the long term they go belly-up.

    That’s a major reason why health insurance companies typically have an exclusionary period for preexisting conditions.  It’s also why truly bad drivers end up in the “shared risk” insurance pool in most states – and then pay through the nose for their auto insurance.  Both practices are designed to bring revenues above expected claims payouts; and both practices are supported by hard statistical data.

    ObamaCare’s prohibition on the exclusion of preexisting conditions radically changes the financial basis for ObamaCare insurance policies – it’s raised the amount paid out in claims hugely.  This means there are two options an ObamaCare insurance provider has if they want to stay in business:  raise premiums dramatically, or cease participation.  United Health has just begun the process of doing the latter.

    But wait – ObamaCare has made insurance cheaper, right?

    Yeah, right.  Now, tell me another shaggy dog story – this time one that’s funny.

    It turns out that both patient medical costs and health insurance premiums are rising under Obamacare.  Given basic economics, that was also eminently predictable.  A recent study by Blue Cross/Blue Shield found that on average ObamaCare policy holders are sicker and require more medical care, at larger cost, than people who obtain health insurance through their employers.  Wanna guess where the money for those extra costs comes from?

    If you guessed “increased premiums”, give yourself a gold star.  Well, that plus subsidies – which are paid out of your taxes.

    Gee.  What a surprise.

    Bottom line:  ObamaCare is based on flawed economic analysis, bad assumptions, and with wishful thinking.  It’s the equivalent of King Canute ordering the tide not to rise.

    However, there is a major difference.  King Canute didn’t expect the tide to obey him; he was making a point to his courtiers concerning the limits of his authority.  The imbeciles that brought us ObamaCare actually expected basic economics to change on command.

  • “. . . a passive approach to identifying and preventing fraud.”

    Well, that      Patently Pathethic, Asininly Puerile Abomination      law called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA – AKA “ObamaCare” – is in the news again. And as usual, it’s not in the news in any good way.

    Essentially, it’s a huge fraud magnet. We already knew that, and I’ve written about that before. In fact, I’ve written about that as an ObamaCare issue more than once.

    Turns out the government knows all that. And you know what? The      clown krewe running DC today     current Administration doesn’t seem to give a sh!t that people are using ObamaCare to rob the American taxpayer blind.

    The GAO recently conducted a study of ObamaCare. The “money quote”? Here ya go:

    “CMS has assumed a passive approach to identifying and preventing fraud.”

    For those who might not recognize the acronym, CMS is the Federal entity that oversees Medicare, Medicaid . . . and the abomination known as ObamaCare.

    Fox News has an article today that gives a good overview of the situation. The full GAO report can be found here.

    Sheesh.  We really need to kill off this abomination of a law.  Now.  Then burn the remains, mix them with quicklime – and bury them in an abandoned mine shaft at least 1000′ deep.

  • Another $750M Down the PPACA Toilet

    Remember that law called the        Piss-Poor and Amazingly Convoluted Abomination        Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – AKA ObamaCare?  The 1,000+ page law where, as SanFranNan put it, “we (Congress) have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it”?

    Well, today we have some more “good news” about just how well that whole deal is going.  And that news is . . . interesting.

    Illegal immigrants aren’t eligible for health insurance subsidies under the PPACA, which are apparently given in the form of tax credits.  Yet some unqualified individuals have managed to “slip through” and receive those tax credits anyway.

    Whenever someone is found to have received those subsidies in error, the procedure is to notify the IRS of that fact.   The IRS then attempts to recoup the money.

    That’s the theory.  But in actual practice . . . well, “That don’t seem t’be a workin’ out too damn good, Cletus.”

    Predictably, since this was “oh so well” thought out before hand it now looks like Uncle Sam has indeed been taken it in the shorts.  It’s estimated that somewhere over 500,000 ineligible individuals – most believed to be illegal immigrants – have gotten subsidies they don’t rate.

    So, in total how much did they scam from Uncle Sam?  Best estimate is somewhere around $750 million.

    It also looks like the IRS isn’t going to have much luck in getting much if any of the money back, either.  Which, in turn, means that the US taxpayer (that would be you and me) are out around $750 million.

    Wonderful.  Just freaking wonderful.

    Another example of “Your tax dollars at work” from the current Administration.  Or maybe that should read “Your tax dollars at waste.”

    The linked Fox News article (2nd link above) has more details.  It’s worth reading.

    Well, it’s worth reading unless you have high blood pressure.  Then maybe give it a pass.

    Sheesh.  We need to kill that asinine excuse for a law called the PPCA immediately.  Then burn its remains, and afterwards mix the well-sifted ashes with quicklime – and bury them.  Deeply.

  • Yet Another ObamaCare “Success” . . .

    . . . this time, courtesy of the CBO.

    The CBO has analyzed the economic impact of ObamaCare over the next decade. And the results are in.

    Obviously, it’s a rousing success.

    I mean, we all know just how “overheated” the economy has been the past few years, right?  Isn’t pretty much every employer out there attempting to hire more employees – and failing because they can’t find them?  Isn’t the US civilian labor participation rate at an all-time high?  Isn’t underemployment virtually unknown?   Isn’t inflation threatening to spiral out of control?

    But it’s ObamaCare to the rescue!  By 2025, the effects of ObamaCare are projected to remove the equivalent of 2 million jobs from the US economy!   That will certainly cool things down,won’t it? Hurrah! We’re saved.

    Yes, the above was sarcasm.  All of it is bullsh!t.

    Well, all of it was bullsh!t except the “remove the equivalent of 2 million jobs” part.  Because that’s exactly what the CBO is now projecting ObamaCare will do by 2025 – remove the equivalent in labor hours of 2 million jobs from the US workforce.

    It’s pretty much what everyone with two or three working brain cells predicted a priori.  The law gives employers a disincentive to hire full-time workers; ObamaCare subsidies gives people an incentive to quit working or reduce their hours.  The results are entirely predictable – and were indeed predicted ahead of time by many.

    And for that “wonderful” outcome, we can thank the       clueless fools and tools running the show in DC in 2009       majority in Congress and the Administration in power in 2009.  Anyone remember who those were?