Obamacare crony capitalism hurts Americans employees helps attorneys medical companies, Lawyers top contributors to Obama in 2008, Health care providers and employers with part time workers benefit
“Rising medical costs, “combined with the costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, have made it increasingly difficult to continue providing the same level of health care benefits to our employees at an affordable cost,””…UPS memo
“Can we stop calling ObamaCare the Affordable Care Act now?”…Guilford College student
“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″
I began referring to Obamacare as a tax and control bill by at least March 26, 2010. It is certainly that.
But it is also another glaring example of Obama crony capitalism.
Obama rewarded his top 2008 industry contributor, lawyers and law firms, and one of his his largest crony groups, with no tort reform.
From Citizen Wells July 30, 2012.
“Doctor Shortage Likely to Worsen With Health Law”
“In the Inland Empire, an economically depressed region in Southern California, President Obama’s health care law is expected to extend insurance coverage to more than 300,000 people by 2014. But coverage will not necessarily translate into care: Local health experts doubt there will be enough doctors to meet the area’s needs. There are not enough now.
Other places around the country, including the Mississippi Delta, Detroit and suburban Phoenix, face similar problems. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed. And that number will more than double by 2025, as the expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of baby boomers drive up demand for care. Even without the health care law, the shortfall of doctors in 2025 would still exceed 100,000.”
“The American Medical Association recognizes there are shortages in certain geographic areas and in certain specialties. Part of that is due to the aging population and a stagnant number of medical-school applicants.
But there are other significant reasons. They include the increasing costs of medical malpractice coverage, higher practice costs, lower insurance reimbursement rates and insurance-company restrictions resulting in less autonomy over how patients are cared for.”
“Cost of malpractice insurance forcing doctors to leave high-risk specialties
Lawyers benefit from huge damage awards”
“In New Hampshire, many physicians are leaving as malpractice insurance costs soar. Specialty physicians have experienced a 50 percent increase in premiums from five years ago. The average premium is now close to $100,000 for obstetricians and neurosurgeons.”
Read more:
I was surprised and pleased to find the following article from CNN October 5, 2012.
“Health care act’s glaring omission: liability reform”
“But for all of the Obama administration’s work in creating this 906-page federal law, there is one glaring omission that could decrease the costs of health care and help relieve the upcoming physician shortage.
Medical liability reform.
How could the Obama administration create such a comprehensive overhaul of health care without addressing this issue? Although not a panacea for the health problems in the United States, the need for physicians to practice defensive medicine in order to avoid potential litigation has far-reaching consequences.”
“It’s a well-known fact that family medicine physicians and even obstetrician-gynecologists are giving up the practice of obstetrics because of the excessive cost of malpractice insurance and the fear of potential lawsuits.”
“So why hasn’t the Obama administration included medical liability reform in the Affordable Care Act? I suspect that it comes down to dollars. Not health care dollars or insurance dollars but campaign donation dollars.
According to OpenSecrets.org, since 1990, the American Association for Justice, previously known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, has given 92% of its $36.8 million in contributions to Democrats.
The association is also a large contributor to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. It is opposed to malpractice tort reform, for obvious reasons, and I suspect that it may have played a significant role in the absence of malpractice liability reform in the Affordable Care Act.”
Read more:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/05/health/youn-liability-reform/index.html
From Zero Hedge September 28, 2013.
“Barack Obama promised to fundamentally transform America, and when it comes to health care he has definitely kept his promise. Thanks to Obamacare, health care spending is up, health insurance premiums are up, the number of hours Americans are working is down and employer-based health insurance is becoming an endangered species. Of course employer-based health insurance will not disappear completely any time soon, but it has been steadily shrinking for over a decade, and Obamacare will greatly accelerate that decline. “
“And this is a huge reason why the shift from full-time work to part-time work in America has accelerated this year. Obamacare creates an incentive for companies to have more part-time workers and less full-time workers. In fact, almost all of the jobs that have been “created” by the U.S. economy in 2013 have been part-time jobs.
But it is incredibly difficult to try to support a family on a part-time job. Sadly, the quality of our jobs continues to decline rapidly and only 47 percent of all adults have a full-time job in America today. This is only going to continue to get even worse under Obamacare.
As a result of these trends, more Americans are going to be forced to go out and buy health insurance “on the individual market”. When they do, they are likely to be in for a really nasty surprise…
Andy and Amy Mangione of Louisville, Ky. and their two boys are just the kind of people who should be helped by ObamaCare. But they recently got a nasty surprise in the mail.
“When I saw the letter when I came home from work,” Andy said, describing the large red wording on the envelope from his insurance carrier, “(it said) ‘your action required, benefit changes, act now.’ Of course I opened it immediately.”
It had stunning news. Insurance for the Mangiones and their two boys,which they bought on the individual market, was going to almost triple in 2014 — from $333 a month to $965.
The insurance carrier made it clear the increase was in order to be compliant with the new health care law.”
Read more:
Citizen WElls 