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

Category: Health Care debate

  • Predictable. Absolutely Predictable.

    Remember that law passed in 2010? The one called the    Patently Pollyannaish, Asinine ,Calamitous Abominaton       Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA – AKA “Obamacare”? That law that was supposed to make healthcare more “affordable”?

    Well, it seems there have been a few little hiccups along the way. Premiums haven’t gone down. For most, they’ve gone up – substantially.

    And it certainly looks like those Obamacare premiums might be about to get a lot more expensive.

    The nation’s largest private health insurance company, UnitedHealth Group, is losing money on Obamacare. It’s losing so much money that it recently told investors it “may exit the program’s exchanges” in the reasonably near future – as in as early as 2017. Why? Because they simply can’t sustain their current losses on Obamacare.

    Gee. Insurers are having trouble getting young, healthy folks to sign up – just as was predicted by Obamacare critics. The requirement to cover preexisting conditions is leading to large losses for insurers – just as was predicted by critics. Oh, and did I mention that several Federal programs intended to “backstop” insurers (and thus limit their financial risk) end in 2017? That will also further limit choices and raise premiums – just as was predicted by critics.

    The bottom line: insurers are losing money on Obamacare – just as was predicted by critics. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what insurers are going to do under that scenario.

    Seems to me like the law is looking more and more each day like a SCoaMF – just as was predicted by critics.

    But maybe that’s just me.

  • And In the “Shoulda Seen This Coming” Department . . . .

    Remember that little thing called “Medicaid expansion” that was an optional part of ObamaCare? You know, the one where states could optionally expand Medicare eligibility and the Federal government would pick up the tab – for a while?

    Well, guess what. Pretty soon (2017) part of the bill starts getting transferred to the states.  (Even so, the Federal government still will pick up 90% or more of the cost for the expansion.)  And guess what that means?

    If you guessed “big bills for the states who signed up” – give yourself a pat on the back.

    Moreover, those bills are significantly larger than originally projected. Because you see – enrollment under those “expanded eligibility” guidelines has been much higher than projected.  Many states are seeing an overage of over 100% of projections.

    Gee – people finding out that they can get “free sh!t” and taking advantage.  Why would anyone ever think that might possibly happen in greater numbers than expected?  Sheesh.

    Predictably, several states are now re-looking their ObamaCare Medicare expansions. I can’t say that I blame them; in the case of one state – Florida – the projected additional cost to the state is about $5 billion over the first 10 years. Guess who’s going to pay for that if they stick with it?

    You see, when it comes to goods and services – like medical care – there isn’t really any such thing as “free”. Someone, somewhere pays for it.

    And if it’s a government giveaway like ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion . . . that means we pay for it in the form of higher taxes and interest rates. Well, at least those of us who ever pay taxes or borrow money do.

    Fox today has an article that gives more details.  It’s worth a read.

  • Another State Healthcare Exchange Says “Bye-Bye”

    Well, it looks like we have yet another casualty among the state healthcare insurance exchanges created to support that       Putrid Pile of Amazingly Counterproductive Asininity       2010 law called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), AKA “ObamaCare”.  And I think this one going belly-up is gonna make someone very unhappy – as well as maybe leave a mark, politically speaking.

    The state exchange that’s shutting down is in the POTUS’ home state of Hawaii.  According to Alexander Hendrie at Americans for Tax Reform,

    “ . . . . the Hawaii Health Connector will stop taking new enrollees on Friday and plans to begin migrating to the federally run Healthcare.gov. Outreach services will end by May 31, all technology will be transferred to the state by September 30, and its workforce will be eliminated by February 28.”

    It’s clear that Hawaii and the Federal government simply must have starved the program for resources.  After all: taxpayers (and since most of the funding was Federal, that means “you and I” regardless of where in the USA you live) only spent about $205M in Federal tax money to set up that exchange. In its first year of operation, it only spent about $23,400 per individual to sign people up. Now, it’s only going to cost Hawaii (and/or the Federal government) about another $30M to transition to the Federal healthcare exchange.  Clearly they’d have been successful if only they’d spent more money!

    For those who perhaps missed it:  yes, the preceding paragraph was pure sarcasm.  From day one this effort was following the same course as the SS Titanic’s maiden voyage.

    It turns out that the Hawaii Health Connector failed simply because not enough people used it.

    Its business model funded continuing operations from fees assessed to each enrollee’s plan.  Unfortunately, only about half as many people used the Hawaii Health Connector to obtain their health insurance as was required for the system to sustain operations.  And when you err that much in forecasting demand, the end result is almost always easily predictable.

    Gee, yet another state healthcare insurance exchange bites the big one – after pouring literally tens of millions in taxpayer dollars down the toilet, of course. What a surprise.

    Add to Hawaii’s total of $205M the Federal funds flushed by Oregon ($305M); Maryland ($190M); New Mexico ($123M); and Nevada ($101M) and you’re up to nearly $925M in cash down the tubes.  With Massachusetts ($225M), Vermont ($200M), and Minnesota ($189M) looking like they might throw in the towel any day now, the total of Federal cash flushed down the toilet on unused ObamaCare “healthcare exchanges” may soon be well over $1.5 billion – from those 8 failed state healthcare exchanges alone.  God only knows how much of the other roughly $4 billion in Federal funds spent to date setting up health exchanges has will eventually join it.

    Hell, even that “success story” in California can’t seem to do any better than around 40% of its estimated potential for enrollment.  “Only” somewhat over $1.065 billion in Federal tax money was spent on that      PoS operation      wonderful healthcare exchange.

    It’s got a great website, though.  Yelp was so impressed that they gave it a highly noteworthy “one-star” rating.

    I didn’t know better I might start thinking that maybe this whole concept might be flawed.

    But our      Fearless Leader       current POTUS keeps telling us that this ObamaCare stuff is a “really good deal” and will “make healthcare more affordable”.  I guess that means something else must be causing all these failures.

    And everyone knows that the current POTUS would never lie to us about healthcare.  After all:  everyone that liked their health insurance or doctor got to keep them when ObamaCare rolled out, right?

  • Another Group Gets Their Eyes Forced Open – Maybe

    Well, here we go. Another group is raising hell about having to pay a fee for not having the “proper” kind of healthcare. Predictably, they don’t much like it.

    Seems students at Cornell are being “strongly encouraged” to join the University’s healthcare system. For those that don’t, there’s now a mandatory fee for not joining up. That’s true even if the individual doesn’t need it because they are already covered by other legally-mandatory health insurance.

    If you ask me, that sounds quite reminiscent of the “wonderful system” commonly called Obamacare. There’s a penalty for opting out there, too – even if you don’t believe you need it.

    Yeah, right. Cornell’s students get little sympathy from me. That’s what happens when a regime that merely gives lip service to concepts of individual liberty and freedom – but in reality aspires to be a Soviet-style dictatorship controlling every aspect of people’s lives – is in power. They’ll tell you what you must do, and take away choices you previously had.

    Besides: by and large, their parents voted for such       a regime      an Administration in DC.  Why should they expect anything different at Cornell?

  • Just When You Think They Can’t Get ANY Stupider . . . .

    . . . you read something like this.

    Seven months after federal officials fired CGI Federal for its botched work on Obamacare website Healthcare.gov, the IRS awarded the same company a $4.5 million IT contract for its new Obamacare tax program.

    The Daily Caller today has an article with more details. It’s worthwhile – if depressing and infuriating – reading.

    It will be so damn nice to see the current      band of clueless idiots      DC clown krewe      Administration end. Maybe then we’ll see adult leadership again.

  • Aww . . . Aren’t They So Cute When Their Eyes Finally Open?

    Vermont is an . . . interesting state.  They have some true      Communist idiots      lost-in-the-past Socialists       Progressives in high places there.

    Who?  Well, like their      good Communist      self-avowed Socialist Senator, Bernie Sanders.  And their highly Progressive Governor, Peter Shumlin.

    Shumlin has been advocating a “single payer” medical care system in Vermont for some time.  (For those who aren’t fluent in Progressive NewSpeak, that essentially means “government-run Socialized medicine paid for by your taxes”.)  It was planned to go into effect in 2017.

    However, Shumlin has now thrown in the towel on single payer.   It’s not going to happen.

    Hey, you don’t suppose the fact that paying for it would have required an 11.5% payroll tax – plus an additional income tax of up to 9.5% – had anything to do with that, do you?  Plus the fact that a report prepared for the governor on Vermont’s proposed single payer system indicated that implementing single payer medical care would not save money?

    Well, yes – those facts did have something to do with it.  Even that good      Socialist tool      Progressive fella Shumlin finally figured out that simply wasn’t affordable and just wasn’t going to work.  Reality smacked him in the head and made him listen – after, unfortunately, much time and many Vermont taxpayer dollars had been wasted.

    Took him long enough.  Anyone with common sense could have told him that on day one.

    Here’s the problem:  on the surface, the idea of getting free sh!t sounds great.  The problem is that when it comes to real goods and services, “free” . . . doesn’t really exist.  One way or another, someone always pays for it.  That’s called “basic economics”.  That fact is succinctly summarized in the following nine words:  “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”.

    And if it’s government-provided “free” sh!t, guess who’s paying for it?  Yep – taxpayers.  You and me.

    Even dyed-in-the-wool Progressives like Shumlin sometimes are forced to acknowledge the above truths.  Problem is, sometimes it takes them getting whacked in the head by reality before they acknowledge the truth.

     

  • “Louisiana Purchase” Turns Out Toxic

    Well, the next-to-last results are in from the 2014 elections.* And there’s a story related to that today which simply warms my old, cold heart. (smile)

    Remember Mary “Louisiana Purchase” Landrieu? You know, that Senator from Louisiana who sold her vote on Obamacare in exchange for “special financial considerations” for her Louisiana constituents? And did so in spite of the fact that most of her constituents didn’t want ObamaCare to pass?

    Well, Louisiana held a runoff election for US Senator yesterday. And in what was IMO a fine example of Karmic retribution, Mary “Louisiana Purchase” Landrieu . . . lost.

    Seems like the people of Louisiana doen’t much care for ObamaCare – with or without their special financial considerations. Or maybe they just didn’t like having a senator that blatantly sells their vote. Either way, they decided to remember that fact when they went to the polls.

    Bye-bye, Senator. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out of your office, and enjoy looking for a job in that “wonderful economy” the current POTUS has created since he took over.

  • So . . . Ebola Quarantines Are an “Overreaction”, Eh?

    Well then, I guess authorities in India are just “overreacting” too:

    India isolates man with Ebola-infected semen

    The unfortunate fellow contracted Ebola in Liberia.  He was lucky – he was treated there, and survived.

    That was nearly 2 months ago.  He was released from the hospital in Liberia on 30 September.  He returned to New Delhi from Liberia on 10 November.

    On arrival, body fluids were tested.  His semen still contained measurable Ebola virus.

    Yes, that’s post-recovery.  And we already knew some people carried the virus for a substantial amount of time after recovery, and could still be infectious for months.

    But don’t forget, my “liberal brethren” – early tests fairly often provide false negatives, too.  That’s why advanced treatment for latest guy to die in this nation from Ebola was delayed.

    Quarantines exist – and are used – for a reason.  They freaking work.