Category Archives: Health Insurance

House Oversight Committee Obamacare letter, What White House wants, Shop for health insurance without registering feature removed, Obamacare will dramatically increase premiums

Posted on October 24, 2013 | 26 comments

House Oversight Committee Obamacare letter, What White House wants, Shop for health insurance without registering feature removed, Obamacare will dramatically increase premiums

“We need an educated citizenry that values hard evidence.”…Barack Obama

“If you’ve got health insurance we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president.”…Barack Obama

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

 

 

 

Below are exerpts from the House Oversight Committee letter to Steve VanRoekel, U.S. Chief Information Officer and Administrator, Office of Electronic Government Office of Management and Budget and Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Office of Management and Budget.

The letter paints a disturbing picture of the implementation of the Obamacare website and confirms many of our suspicions.

“Dear Messrs. VanRoekel and Park:

The recent problems associated with ObamaCare’s health insurance exchanges and the colossal failure of healthcare.gov has revealed systemic and pervasive failures within the Administration’s implementation of ObamaCare. Many individuals have demanded accountability for these failures.’ Most notably, on MSNBC, Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s first-term press secretary, stated:
I hope they are working day and night to get this done. When they get it fixed, I hope they fire some people that were in charge of making sure that this thing was supposed to work.2
As the Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer for the Obama Administration, and as leading advocates of the OMB-led TechStat3 vetting and review process, you surely maintained significant involvement in the oversight and development of ObamaCare’s critical information technology (IT) infrastructure. As such, we are writing to ask you for more information about the Administration’s development of the healthcare.gov website and its related components.”

“CGI officials provided a second briefing to Committee staff on October 16, 2013, after the failure of healthcare.gov became obvious to the public. CGI officials told Committee staff that CMS officials and employees constantly mentioned the “White House” when discussing matters with CGI. For example, CMS officials would routinely state: “this is what the White House wants.”I2 Moreover, CGI officials told Committee staff that the ability to shop for health insurance without registering for an account — a central design feature of the health insurance exchange — was removed “in late August or early September.”I3 Although, CGI officials were not able to identify who within the Administration made the decision to disable the anonymous shopping feature, evidence is mounting that political considerations motivated the decision.”

“Many IT experts have suggested that the decision to disable the anonymous shopping feature contributed to the failure of healthcare.gov on October 1, 2013, and in the weeks that have followed.I6 Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, a policy and marketplace consulting firm, stated:
I think what happened was when they designed their system they were so paranoid about that that they wanted to make sure people browsing got the lowest price. That required signing in so you could see subsidies. And my theory is that’s why they went to the architecture they did even though the IT systems people wanted to go another way.”
On October 17, 2013, the Washington Examiner reported that there was a lack of testing prior to the roll out of healthcare.gov. It stated:
Federal officials did not permit testing of the Obamacare healthcare.gov website or issue final system requirements until four to six days before its Oct. 1 launch, according to an individual with direct knowledge of the project.
The individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the troubled Obamacare website project as suffering from top-level management disarray, changing systems requirements and recurring delays.
The root cause of the problems was a pivotal decision by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services officials to act as systems integrator, the central coordinator for the entire program. Usually this role is reserved for the prime information technology contractor.
As a result, full testing of the site was delayed until four to six days before the fateful Oct. 1 launch of the health care exchanges, the individual said.

“Normally a system this size would need 4-6 months of testing and performance tuning, not 4-6 days,” the individual said.
The source said there were “ever-changing, conflicting and exceedingly late project directions. The actual system requirements for Oct. 1 were changing up until the week before,” the individual said.I8
ObamaCare will dramatically increase premiums for the groups of individuals the Administration is hoping to enroll in the exchanges. A recent study from the Manhattan Institute found that Obamacare increases premiums for men by an average of 99 percent and premiums for women by an average of 62 percent when comparing the cheapest plan offered in a given state before and after ObamaCare.I9
Given the information gathered by the Committee thus far, we are concerned that the Administration required contractors to change course late in the implementation process to conceal ObamaCare’s effect on increasing health insurance premiums. We believe that the political decision to mask the “sticker shock” of ObamaCare to the American peopleyrevented contractors from using universally accepted and OMB-advocated IT “best practices”” in the development and roll out of this massive federal government IT project. When prudent design and programming decisions are subordinated to politics2I, it is easy to see why chaos would likely ensue.22 Moreover, we are also concerned that the obvious lack of testing means that sensitive consumer information flowing through the data hub and exchanges are vulnerable to security breaches.”

http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2013-10-21-DEI-Lankford-Jordan-Farenthold-Mica-to-VanRoekel-OMB-re-healthcare.pdf

26 Comments

Posted in 1984, Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama, US House of Representatives

Obamacare scarier than nonfunctioning website higher premiums and skyrocketing deductibles, Lack of physicians, Rural areas not covered, Doctors forced to alter their practices

Posted on October 23, 2013 | 17 comments

Obamacare scarier than nonfunctioning website higher premiums and skyrocketing deductibles, Lack of physicians, Rural areas not covered, Doctors forced to alter their practices

“We need an educated citizenry that values hard evidence.”…Barack Obama

“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.”…NY Times July 28, 2012

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

When Obama and the left began pushing “health care reform” I was concerned.

When Obamacare was passed I knew we had a serious problem.

How did I know this?

First of all, soon after I started Citizen Wells in January of 2008, I spent a few days researching Obama. That alone told me that we had a problem.

He has a history of lying, associating with radical elements of society and pay to play politics. Crony capitalism.

I am well read and well informed.

I have known and spoken to many medical doctors over the years. They all have had a common concern. Malpractice insurance, it’s cost and impact on their practice.

The impact of malpractice insurance, a direct result of rampant lawsuits in this country, has been known for years.

From the NY Times October 4, 1987.

“Students are also alarmed over the threat of malpractice suits and the increasing cost of malpractice insurance. When UConn asked prospective students what there concerns were about practicing medicine, 40 percent cited the fear of malpractice suits, said Dr. Markowitz. A year of malpractice insurance in the Northeast could cost as much as $100,000, he said.”

It came as no surprise that Obama omitted tort reform from Obamacare. Afterall, he and Michelle were attoneys at one time and attorneys and law firms were his biggest contributors in 2008.

Much has been reported about the Obamacare website, rising premiums and skyrocketing deductibles.

Perhaps an even scarier aspect of Obamacare will be the lack of physicians and the ways they will be forced to alter their practices.

From WND October 22, 2013.

“DOCTORS IN CONGRESS: OBAMACARE WORSE THAN YOU THINK”

“At least 12 doctors in Congress have expressed serious concerns about Obamacare, and now President Obama admitted the recently unveiled online health insurance exchanges have been a technological headache and that he’s “frustrated” by them.

Obama also insists once those problems are fixed people will discover that the exchanges offer wonderful health plans at affordable prices, but a prominent congressman says the facts are not on the president’s side.

“They’re still trying to sell a program that the American people know won’t work,” said Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., a former physician who authored a free-market version of health-care reform that is still awaiting House consideration. “And it won’t work because the same things that are wrong with the website, that is the challenge of getting into it and having it work are the same things that are going to be wrong throughout the entire health-care system when Washington is running it.”

The exchange woes are very real in Price’s district as well. At a town hall on Monday, many constituents had tried to navigate the website with no success. Price stresses that whenever the online problems are fixed, the biggest problems will just be starting.

“The real problem is not that the website won’t work,” Price said. “It’s that the program won’t work because it puts Washington in charge and that’s not what people want.””

““This system won’t work because it can’t work,” he said. “It doesn’t work for patients. It doesn’t work for families, doesn’t work for doctors and certainly doesn’t work for employers or employees. At this point, we’re seeing how it doesn’t work for states from an exchange standpoint or the federal government from a financing standpoint. I think the whole thing will implode. The sad thing about all this is there will be real people who will be harmed from a quality health care or accessibility aspect that wouldn’t have otherwise.””

Read more:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/10/doctors-in-congress-obamacare-worse-than-you-think/

From Citizen Wells July 30, 2012.

“What I am about to write about and explain is simple. It is very similar to governments taxing businesses. Doctors are businessmen as well as physicians.
When their cost of doing business rises, the costs are passed along to consumers, patients. It is that simple. The same applies to hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

Doctors, just like any business person, must decide what service they will provide. They must weigh cost vs benefit and the current and potential risks they will take. Many areas of practice are too risky, especially in our litigious climate. This prevents many doctors from engaging in a type of practice or forces them to join larger groups.

This has been mostly downplayed or ignored by the mainstream media. News outlets like the NY Times have tap danced around the subject which is probably why some of my so called learned friends have been so ill informed. When George Bush brought up tort reform he was ridiculed. But Bush was right and he was not in bed with law firms and attorneys like Obama and the Democrats.

From the NY Times July 28, 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.

Health experts, including many who support the law, say there is little that the government or the medical profession will be able to do to close the gap by 2014, when the law begins extending coverage to about 30 million Americans. It typically takes a decade to train a doctor.

“We have a shortage of every kind of doctor, except for plastic surgeons and dermatologists,” said Dr. G. Richard Olds, the dean of the new medical school at the University of California, Riverside, founded in part to address the region’s doctor shortage. “We’ll have a 5,000-physician shortage in 10 years, no matter what anybody does.”

Experts describe a doctor shortage as an “invisible problem.” Patients still get care, but the process is often slow and difficult. In Riverside, it has left residents driving long distances to doctors, languishing on waiting lists, overusing emergency rooms and even forgoing care.

“It results in delayed care and higher levels of acuity,” said Dustin Corcoran, the chief executive of the California Medical Association, which represents 35,000 physicians. People “access the health care system through the emergency department, rather than establishing a relationship with a primary care physician who might keep them from getting sicker.”

In the Inland Empire, encompassing the counties of Riverside and San Bernardino, the shortage of doctors is already severe. The population of Riverside County swelled42 percent in the 2000s, gaining more than 644,000 people. It has continued to grow despite the collapse of one of the country’s biggest property bubbles and a jobless rate of 11.8 percent in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro area.

But the growth in the number of physicians has lagged, in no small part because the area has trouble attracting doctors, who might make more money and prefer living in nearby Orange County or Los Angeles.”
“The pool of doctors has not kept pace, and will not, health experts said. Medical school enrollment is increasing, but not as fast as the population. The number of training positions for medical school graduates is lagging. Younger doctors are on average working fewer hours than their predecessors. And about a third of the country’s doctors are 55 or older, and nearing retirement.

Physician compensation is also an issue. The proportion of medical students choosing to enter primary care has declined in the past 15 years, as average earnings for primary care doctors and specialists, like orthopedic surgeons and radiologists, have diverged. A study by the Medical Group Management Association found that in 2010, primary care doctors made about $200,000 a year. Specialists often made twice as much.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/health/policy/too-few-doctors-in-many-us-communities.html?_r=3&partner=MYWAY&ei=5065

The Times did not mention the cost of malpractice insurance or tort reform and blamed the problem on the aging baby boomers and alleged increased coverage from Obamacare.

From Forbes May 5, 2008.

“Reasons Not To Become A Doctor”

“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.”
“Reasons Not To Become A Doctor”

“But for potential physicians, there is a future of looming medical-school debt, which is higher than ever. Students who graduate from a public medical school have a median debt of $100,000; private-school students graduate with a median debt of $135,000, according to a 2003 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Compare that with 1984, when median debt for public-school graduates was $22,000 and private-school students was $27,000.

Monthly payment on a debt of $150,000 at the end of residency at an interest rate of 2.8% is $1,761, according to the study.

The amount of time it takes to pay off debt depends on the specialty. The average physician’s net income, adjusted for inflation, declined 7% between 1995 and 2003, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change. In order to enter the most lucrative specialties, like radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology and dermatology, doctors must continue with their training into their 30s. That means they can’t start chipping away at their debt–let alone make money–until a time by which their counterparts in law or business are usually prospering.

Meanwhile, getting sued by a patient is a major concern. Of course, doctors who make fatal mistakes and who are unqualified should be held responsible. But there’s evidence that the bulk of lawsuits brought are frivolous. Of all malpractice lawsuits brought to jury trial in 2004, the defendant won 91% of the time. Only 6% of all lawsuits go to trial; those that aren’t thrown out are settled. Only 27% of all claims made against doctors result in money awarded to the plaintiff, according to Smarr, president of the trade association for medical malpractice companies.

Regardless, doctors need to defend themselves against the possibility of damages–and that’s an extremely expensive proposition. It takes about four-and-a-half years from the start of a lawsuit to the end, and the average cost to the defense in legal fees was $94,284 in 2004, according to the American Medical Association.

Many states are trying to establish laws to protect doctors from baseless suits. Texas went from the state with the most lawsuits filed to the only state that wrote tort reform into its constitution after its citizens voted it into law. Since tort reform was enacted in 2004, the yearly premium doctors pay in Texas for malpractice insurance has dropped by 40%. Now, the most plaintiffs can recoup for emotional damages is $250,000 from doctors and $500,000 from hospitals. Most interestingly, the number of claims filed against doctors has dropped by about half.”

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/05/physicians-training-prospects-lead-careers-cx_tw_0505doctors.html

From the Concord Monitor March 13, 2008.

“Cost of malpractice insurance forcing doctors to leave high-risk specialties

Lawyers benefit from huge damage awards”

“I am an emergency physician. I care for about 5,000 patients a year. I have been practicing for 12 years and thus have cared for roughly 60,000 patients.

I receive deep satisfaction from my job and the privilege of the “laying on of hands” as the physician-patient relationship is called in medical school. Most of the time, I rely on the good graces and expertise of the primary care physicians, surgeons and many other specialists to help take care of the people who come to me seeking help. However, recent trends suggest that our hospitals’ ability to deliver that care with the help of appropriate specialists is eroding.

A great deal of this quiet but steadily growing crisis is caused by the direct and indirect costs of medical malpractice. The article about the malpractice suit involving Dr. Eric Leefmans (“Man wins $1.75 million suit against area doctor,” Sunday Monitor, March 9) demands a response from the medical community.”

“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.

Soaring insurance costs

Concord and Manchester have seen a significant decrease in subspecialty coverage in the past five years, including neurosurgical and oral surgery coverage for call. Several small hospitals in the state practice without an anesthesiologist. Only one obstetrician remains to deliver babies in the northern part of the state. Locally, many subspecialty groups have had significant challenges recruiting new physicians to practice in this area. General surgery, one of the most coveted residencies just 10 years ago, now struggles to fill residency positions. Several recent studies and articles predict a significant and increasing gap between the demand and availability of physicians of all types.”
“Our medical system is going through significant difficulties, including increasing health insurance costs, a growing uninsured population, rising medical costs and loss of specialists and primary care physicians. However, the cost of malpractice contributes to those problems – while making less money available to care for the uninsured. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated medical liability costs add $60 billion to $108 billion to the cost of health care each year. Interestingly, the estimated annual cost of covering all of the uninsured patients in the United States is $100 billion.”

http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/cost-of-malpractice-insurance-forcing-doctors-to-leave-high-risk-specialties?SESS0da5adf917ca993fd9972fb4069845a6=google&page=full

Why was tort reform not included in Obamacare?

From the NY Times March 23, 2000.

“To trial lawyers, especially those involved in the tobacco litigation, Mr. Bush has become their worst nightmare. He has made attacks on lawyers a campaign centerpiece, pointing with pride to his record in Texas of curbing civil litigation, capping legal fees and limiting jury awards.”

“To that end, while trial lawyers have long been heavy Democratic Party donors, the prospect of a Bush candidacy, along with the possibility that like-minded Republicans would retain control of Congress, has ratcheted up the stakes, and the donations.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/23/us/trial-lawyers-pour-money-into-democrats-chests.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Why Obama ignores tort reform?

Top Recipients, 2011-2012

Candidate Office Amount
Obama, Barack (D)  $12,116,092
Romney, Mitt (R)  $5,205,273
Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY) Senate  $1,999,202
Nelson, Bill (D-FL) Senate  $1,376,064
Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)  $1,158,556

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=K01

Don’t be fooled by the false logic arguments, Orwellian wordsmithing and smooth talking devil attorneys. I have spoken to many physicians over the years and they all echoed the statements of the doctor above.

Oh, and did I mention John Edwards?”

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/obamacare-and-no-tort-reform-why-healthcare-costs-skyrocketed-why-there-is-a-doctor-shortage-obama-and-democrats-in-bed-with-attorneys-and-trial-lawyers/

17 Comments

Posted in Attorneys, Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Law firms, Lawyers, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, ObamaCare, Pay to play politics, The Case Against Barack Obama

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Sean Hannity calls Obamacare hotline, October 21, 2013, Healthcare.gov down for next 42 hours, Glitches continue, Higher premiums deductibles glitches portend failure

Posted on October 22, 2013 | 60 comments

Sean Hannity calls Obamacare hotline, October 21, 2013, Healthcare.gov down for next 42 hours, Glitches continue, Higher premiums deductibles glitches portend failure

“The study says 27-year-old men in Nebraska will see a whopping 279 percent increase in premiums and 27-year-old women in Nebraska will get an also-shocking 227 percent increase in rates.”…Watchdog.org

“Every day, new questions about the president’s health care law arise, but candid explanations are nowhere to be found,”
“This decision continues a troubling pattern of this administration seeking to avoid accountability and stonewall the public.”…John Boehner

“…and Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They [socialists] always run out of other people’s money. It’s quite a characteristic of them.”…Margaret Thatcher

 

I listened to the following Sean Hannity Radio Show segment live.

Higher premiums, deductibles and glitches, and of course the authors, portend failure for Obamacare.

From The Blaze October 21, 2013.
“FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SEAN HANNITY CALLS OBAMACARE HOTLINE”

“Fox News and conservative radio talk show host Sean Hannity called the Obamacare hotline on-air Monday afternoon — and things quickly got awkward.

Hannity, who first had to navigate through the automated menu, was eventually connected with representative Erling Davis.

“You are on the radio, you are on the Sean Hannity radio show,” the radio host informed Davis. “You’re on the radio. Is that OK with you? You have to say yes if you want to be on.”

“It’s OK, sir,” Davis replies.

“How is the call volume today?” Hannity then asked. “Because the president gave out your phone number today. Did you know that?”

“I did not know that, sir,” she says.

Hannity then explained to Davis that he is having problems enrolling in President Obama’s signature health care program using the healthcare.gov website.

“Right now from what I heard our system is down for the next like 42 hours,” Davis said. “So no one is able to get in, but if they call us we can help them fill out an application as long as they went online to create an account first.”

“Well that’s the point, I can’t get online to create an account, so how would I be able to create the account if the website is down for the next 42 hours?” Hannity asked.

“You would have to wait until those 42 hours is up,” Davis replied.”

Read more:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/21/find-out-what-happens-when-sean-hannity-calls-obamacare-hotline/

60 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, ObamaCare, Sean Hannity, The Case Against Barack Obama

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Obamacare website company choice reflection of Obama experience and government vs private sector performance, Obamacare website company fired by Canadians

Posted on October 21, 2013 | 57 comments

Obamacare website company choice reflection of Obama experience and government vs private sector performance, Obamacare website company fired by Canadians

“The study says 27-year-old men in Nebraska will see a whopping 279 percent increase in premiums and 27-year-old women in Nebraska will get an also-shocking 227 percent increase in rates.”…Watchdog.org

“If you’ve got health insurance we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president.”…Barack Obama

“…and Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They [socialists] always run out of other people’s money. It’s quite a characteristic of them.”…Margaret Thatcher

 

 

Barack Obama has no real experience in the  world of business.

Is anyone surprised at the failure and cost of the Obamacare website?

As Rush Limbaugh has stated, Obama is incompetent.

From Gateway Pundit October 18, 2013.
“Bombshell: Obamacare Website Company Was Fired by Canadian Government for Poor Performance”

“Oh well. It only cost $634 million.
The Canadian government fired the parent company of CGI Federal, the prime contractor for the problem-plagued Obamacare health exchange websites, last year for poor performance.

So it only makes sense that the Obama Administration would be working with them.
Heck, it’s not their money.”

“Canadian provincial health officials last year fired the parent company of CGI Federal, the prime contractor for the problem-plagued Obamacare health exchange websites, the Washington Examiner has learned.

CGI Federal’s parent company, Montreal-based CGI Group, was officially terminated in September 2012 by an Ontario government health agency after the firm missed three years of deadlines and failed to deliver the province’s flagship online medical registry.”

“Oh… And the company used 10 year-old technology to build the Obamacare website.
USA Today reported, via Guy Benson:”

Read more:

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/10/bombshell-obamacare-website-company-was-fired-by-canadian-government-for-poor-performance/

From Zero Hedge October 20, 2013.

“While some have proclaimed the 36,000 enrollment in The Affordable Care Act “a good start,” the online marketplaces that Obamacare has become more infamous for have been plagued with problems in the brief two weeks since launch. Politico provides 25 of the most telling and colorful comments made about the “glitches” the online exchanges have faced…”

“1. “I hope they are working day and night to get this done. When they get it fixed, I hope they fire some people that were in charge of making sure that this thing was supposed to work.” —former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on MSNBC’s “Now with Alex Wagner,” Oct. 14

2. “A thousand Social Security numbers being sent to the wrong people is not a glitch!” — CNBC contributor Carol Roth on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Oct. 12

3. “How can we tax people for not buying a product from a website that doesn’t work?” — House Speaker John Boehner, Oct. 10

4. “Despite the widespread belief that the administration was not ready for the health law’s Oct. 1 launch, top officials and lead IT contractors looked us in the eye and assured us all systems were a go. Instead, here we are 10 days later, and delays and technical failures have reached epidemic proportions.” — Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) in a statement, Oct. 10

5. “We’re going to do a challenge. I’m going to try and download every movie ever made and you are going to try to sign up for Obamacare — and we’ll see which happens first.” — Jon Stewart to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on “The Daily Show,” Oct. 7

6. “It’s a new rule: If something doesn’t work, you get rid of it! If the post office is late today, let’s get rid of the post office! If the plane is late an hour, get rid of airplanes! It’s ridiculous!” — MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Oct. 12“

Read more:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-20/obamacare-glitch-explained-25-quotes

 

57 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare

Obamacare increases premiums in 45 states, Deductibles skyrocket, 27 year old in VA up 252 percent, Obama lied about keeping your insurance and reducing costs

Posted on October 17, 2013 | 91 comments

Obamacare increases premiums in 45 states, Deductibles skyrocket, 27 year old in VA up 252 percent, Obama lied about keeping your insurance and reducing costs

“The study says 27-year-old men in Nebraska will see a whopping 279 percent increase in premiums and 27-year-old women in Nebraska will get an also-shocking 227 percent increase in rates.”…Watchdog.org

“If you’ve got health insurance we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president.”…Barack Obama

“Can we stop calling ObamaCare the Affordable Care Act now?”…Guilford College student

 

Obamacare is increasing healthcare premiums in 45 states.

A 27 year old in Virginia will see an increase of over 252 percent.

And one of the biggest under reported Obama scandals is the skyrocketing deductibles under Obamacare.

From the Heritage Foundation October 16, 2013.

“Enrollment in Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges has proven to be a somewhat difficult process amidst technical glitches and delays. Aside from the issues associated with actually purchasing health care, once an individual gets a quote for health insurance on an exchange, is the premium higher or lower than before?

“Our research finds that for many states, the insurance on health exchanges will cost more than existing insurance. This study illustrates that the general experience for individuals shopping on the exchange is that of increasing premiums from what was available to them prior to implementation of the exchanges. Many families and individuals will face this reality as they apply for coverage, and the implications of experiencing sticker shock are important to consider if enough people choose not to sign up for coverage for various reasons.”

Individuals in most states will end up spending more on the exchanges. It is true that in some states, the experience could be the opposite. This is because those states had already over-regulated insurance markets that led to sharply higher premiums through adverse selection, as is the case of New York. Many states, however, double or nearly triple premiums for young adults. Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, and Vermont see some of the largest increases in premiums.”

ObamacareIncreasesByState

Read more:

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/10/enrollment-in-obamacare-exchanges-how-will-your-health-insurance-fare

A young father was interviewed recently on the Glenn Beck Radio Show.

91 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, Obama taxes, ObamaCare

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Obamacare sticker shock, Huge premium increases, Higher deductibles, Young Obama supporters hit hard, Low information Americans continue to be deceived, Obamacare Facebook page angry comments

Posted on October 6, 2013 | 48 comments

Obamacare sticker shock, Huge premium increases, Higher deductibles, Young Obama supporters hit hard, Low information Americans continue to be deceived, Obamacare Facebook page angry comments
“The study says 27-year-old men in Nebraska will see a whopping 279 percent increase in premiums and 27-year-old women in Nebraska will get an also-shocking 227 percent increase in rates.”…Watchdog.org

“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

 

We told you so.

Obamacare is causing huge increases in health care premiums as well as higher deductibles.

And some of the groups being hit the hardest are young people. The core of Obama’s support.

From Last Resistance October 5, 2013.
“Americans Shocked At Obamacare Premium Increases”

  • ““Obama promised would see $2,500 in annual savings as far as the eye could see…Between 2014 and 2022, the increase in national health spending (which the Medicare actuaries specifically attribute to the law) amounts to $7,450 per family of 4.” – Forbes
  • “The study says 27-year-old men in Nebraska will see a whopping 279 percent increase in premiums and 27-year-old women in Nebraska will get an also-shocking 227 percent increase in rates.” – watchdog.org
  • “Based on a Manhattan Institute analysis of the HHS numbers, Obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for younger men by an average of 97 to 99 percent, and for younger women by an average of 55 to 62 percent. Worst off is North Carolina, which will see individual-market rates triple for women, and quadruple for men.” – Avik Roy

The above quotes are just three of many describing the premium increases average Americans will suffer under Obamacare. During his campaign, President Obama promised that families would save an average of $2500 a year under the affordable care act. However, for months, data has been pouring in, telling us otherwise. In addition to that, basic sense tells us that socialized medicine is a dangerous idea.

Despite all the evidence and the decades of history backing up the claim that Obamacare was a very bad idea, average, low-information Americans continued to allow themselves to be deceived. Now that Obamacare has officially hit the streets, those same Americans have become indignant about the cost increases.

On the Obamacare Facebook page, numerous people posted angry comments regarding cost increases:

  • “I am so disappointed…These prices are outrageous and there are huge deductibles. No one can afford this!””

“What did these people expect? Are they living in an alternate universe where information is inaccessible? How do they go about their days without sussing even a modicum of factual information from the world around them regarding Obamacare?

This is just so sad. We are a country of empty-headed followers. King Obama issues edicts from on high, and we just eat it up like so much food. We are a peasant class. We have a King making false claims—otherwise known as telling lies—and we simply take him at his word, because we believe him to be benevolent.”
Read more:

http://lastresistance.com/3327/stupid-americans-shocked-obamacare-premium-increases/#pDYwR1XRrH08SBwF.99

48 Comments

Posted in Americans, Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama

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California health care costs higher than reported, Obamacare impact, Produce price increases, $ 5000 deductible, College students already doubled tripled and more nationwide

Posted on September 25, 2013 | 6 comments

California health care costs higher than reported, Obamacare impact, Produce price increases, $ 5000 deductible, College students already doubled tripled and more nationwide

“The cost of health insurance will climb from a range of $61 to $77 monthly to a range of $118 to $133 monthly, according to a memo sent from UNC President Tom Ross to the UNC Board of Governors. On an annual basis, most students will pay about $500 to $700 more in 2012-13, depending on the campus.”

“Mallette said the insurance increases are due to the health care usage of UNC system students during the past couple of years, plus federal regulations on preventive care and pharmacy services issued in March. The process is complicated, he said, by the new provisions of the Affordable Care Act.”…Charlotte Observer May 1, 2012

“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

One cannot escape the lies from the Obama camp, mainstream media and low information voters.

I recently observed a pro Obamacare protestor touting the health care savings in California.

Since I am a well informed, high information voter I knew that was a lie.

For example.

From Forbes May 30, 2013.

“Rate Shock: In California, Obamacare To Increase Individual Health Insurance Premiums By 64-146%”

“Last week, the state of California claimed that its version of Obamacare’s health insurance exchange would actually reduce premiums. “These rates are way below the worst-case gloom-and-doom scenarios we have heard,” boasted Peter Lee, executive director of the California exchange. But the data that Lee released tells a different story: Obamacare, in fact, will increase individual-market premiums in California by as much as 146 percent.

One of the most serious flaws with Obamacare is that its blizzard of regulations and mandates drives up the cost of insurance for people who buy it on their own.

This problem will be especially acute when the law’s main provisions kick in on January 1, 2014, leading many to worry about health insurance “rate shock.””

“For both 25-year-olds and 40-year-olds, then, Californians under Obamacare who buy insurance for themselves will see their insurance premiums double.”

Calif-rate-shock-graph1

Read more:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/05/30/rate-shock-in-california-obamacare-to-increase-individual-insurance-premiums-by-64-146/

From the NY Times August 20, 2013.

“Tacking Health Care Costs Onto California Farm Produce”

“On a recent morning, Jose Romero pulled weeds from a row of lush tomato plants. Mr. Romero, 36, arrived at the field around 5 a.m. and worked until sunset. Like many of the other workers in the tomato field, he was surprised to learn that his employer, Mr. Herrin at Sunrise Farm Labor, would have to offer him health coverage, and that he could be asked to contribute up to 9.5 percent of his wages to cover the costs.

“We eat, we pay rent and no more,” Mr. Romero said in Spanish. “The salary that they give you here, to pay insurance for the family, it wouldn’t be enough.”

There seems to be widespread agreement among agricultural employers, insurance brokers and health plans in California that low-wage farmworkers cannot be asked to pay health insurance premiums. “He’s making $8 to $9 an hour, and you’re asking him to pay for something that’s he’s not going to use?” Mr. Herrin said.

The minimum compliant health plan for employee coverage under the new law will cost about $250 a month in California’s growing regions, according to insurance brokers, and includes a $5,000 deductible for medical care, although insurers cannot charge co-payments for preventive visits. “It’s unacceptable,” Mr. Herrin said of the cost.”

Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/us/tacking-health-care-costs-onto-california-farm-produce.html?_r=0

You read that right.

$250 a month for health insurance with a $5,000 deductible.

College students across the country saw huge increases in their health insurance beginning in 2012 directly attributed to Obamacare.

6 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama

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HHS 2012 report on Obamacare savings, Market Watch Orwellian spin Obamacare saved consumers $1.2 billion in 2012 premiums, HHS Obama Ministry of Obamacare Truth

Posted on September 12, 2013 | 8 comments

HHS 2012 report on Obamacare savings, Market Watch Orwellian spin Obamacare saved consumers $1.2 billion in 2012 premiums, HHS Obama Ministry of Obamacare Truth

 
“If you’ve got health insurance we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year.”…Barack Obama

 
“In the individual market, the average rate request increase dropped by 12 percent (from 8.1 percent to 7.1 percent) after rate review, saving consumers an estimated $311 million.”…HHS Rate Review Annual Report September 2013

“He was alone. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure for ever? Like an answer, the three slogans on the white face of the Ministry of Truth came back to him:

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”…George Orwell, “1984”

Obamacare has been nothing but bad news for Obama and Americans. That is why many of us believe that he wants attention focused on Syria.

Report after report from credible sources such as major corporations as well as state and local governments tells of rising health care costs, layoffs, increased part time hours and delayed hiring plans.

Here are some of the news headlines and facts regarding Obamacare’s impact on Americans and health care costs.

“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)[1] imposes numerous tax hikes that transfer more than $500 billion over 10 years—and more in the future—from hardworking American families and businesses to Congress for spending on new entitlements and subsidies. In addition, higher tax rates on working and investing will discourage economic growth both now and in the future, further lowering the standard of living.”…Heritage Foundation

“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 said in a memo to employees.”

“While acknowledging that overall health spending continues to rise, the company also blamed cost increases on the Affordable Care Act’s research fee (initially $1 per health plan member, then rising to $2) and an a temporary fee of $63 per member to stabilize new online marketplaces for consumers buying directly from insurers.”…Kaiser Health News August 21, 2013

“However … health insurance rates and benefit coverage plan costs have continued to increase. As a result of those increases, county employees have experienced a pay decrease that has grown larger each year.”…Guilford County Interim Manager Sharisse Fuller

“Rate Shock: In California, Obamacare To Increase Individual Health Insurance Premiums By 64-146%”…Forbes May 30, 2013

“The State University of New York in Plattsburgh raised their premium from $440 per student to between $1,300 and $1,600;

Lenoir-Rhyne University (Hickory, NC) raised theirs from $245 to $2,507; and
· The University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA) raised theirs from $165 to between $1,500 and $2,000” …CNS News August 27, 2012

ObamaInsuranceRatesClimb

Naturally, HHS, AKA Obama’s Ministry of Obamacare Truth and Obama’s minions at Market Watch had to rectify all of these negative news stories and facts.

From Market Watch September 12, 2013.

“Obamacare saved consumers $1.2 billion in 2012 premiums, HHS says”

“With all the Obamacare broadsides being traded back and forth, here’s another salvo the Department of Health and Human Services launched Thursday: the controversial health-care overhaul saved consumers at least $1.2 billion in premiums last year.

The savings came via the “rate review” portion of President Obama’s signature legislative achievement and affected 6.8 million policyholders, or roughly $176 per consumer. Obamacare’s “rate review” calls for no more than a 10% increase in premiums during a fiscal year.

In a 16-page report, HHS says that the average rate went up 7.1% for individual market policyholders in 39 states during 2012, saving them $311 million from the requested 8.1% hikes. For the small-group market last year, rate increases averaged 4.7%, down from the 5.8% requested in 35 states. That resulted in a savings of $866 million.”

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/health-exchange/2013/09/12/obamacare-saved-consumers-1-2-billion-in-2012-premiums-hhs-says/?mod=MW_home_latest_news

The astute commenters at Market Watch saw through the Orwellian spin.

“PATRICK MCMANUS2 minutes ago

Are Americans this dumb? Really? An increase of less than what it theoretically could have been IS NOT SAVING! Your costs still went up, didn’t they? You paid more, didn’t you? So tell me again, HOW MUCH did you SAVE?

1Dennis KoesterLikeReply

Steve Po2 minutes ago

Here come all the critics!!!!!   Excuse after excuse after excuse….

LikeReply

Randy Merrell2 minutes ago

Offset by hundreds of billions in tax increases. WTF?!?!?!!?!?!?!

LikeReply

Jum Multher3 minutes ago

Since the insurance premiums could have gone up 10% and they only went up 7.1% this is a savings?  Talk about government accounting.  Foney.  I saved $100 today by not buying that new golf club.  SAY WHAT!!!!??

2Dennis KoesterW GrooverLikeReply

Dennis Koester5 minutes ago

Bull  Common sense telsl you that when you add requirements to a policy, the money has to come from somewhere. That somewhere is the Premium. This Rodeo Clown has cost our company thousand more per year! We have less than 20 and we provide insurance because we want good people.

Thanks to Sen. Joe Donnelly (IN) who as a congressman blindly voted in Obamacare and now is “surprised” by what was actually in that bill. What a moron!. I told him he needs to have a better Attention Span when they start talking about Syria. But he’s a Democrat, so that attention span will last for these few words “Good morning Senators, free coffee and donuts are in the corner” he will then spend the rest of the day trying to find the corner in a round room!

1Josh GroveLikeReply

Dave Zickefoose8 minutes ago

When you appraise your own performance anything is possible…..yet, it is just rhetorical rhetoric that Obamacare has anything to do with health.

It is all about Leftist centralized control of $5.1 trillion in Gross Domestic Product from the Insurance and Health industries, formerly under the control of the private sector, and control of the citizens.  When Leftist centralized government controls your health it controls you.

Defund it now!

3Yooper DooperW GrooverJum MultherLikeReply

Darin Pope8 minutes ago

With a population of 300 million in the US, $1.2 billion is equal to $4 per American.  And in July, it was announced that the government was going to spend more than half of these “savings”, $684 million, to hire celebrities to promote Obamacare…even bad non-profits don’t spend half of what they raise for marketing!

2W GrooverJosh GroveLikeReply

fritz baier9 minutes ago

im still paying the same amount for coverage , didn’t Obama say the rates would come down ?

1Josh GroveLikeReply

Josh Grove3 minutes ago

@fritz baier I’m paying more for mine!

LikeReply

Lah Onep13 minutes ago

Hey if HHS says so then it must be true.”

HHS Report.

Click to access ratereview_rpt.pdf

8 Comments

Posted in 1984, Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, Lies, Ministry of Truth, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, Orwell, Orwellian, The Case Against Barack Obama, Thought Police, Washington DC, white house

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Obama Obamacare part time job economy lowers household income, Sentier Research household income index June 2013 92.8, Dropped from over 98 when Obama took office

Posted on August 26, 2013 | 132 comments

Obama Obamacare part time job economy lowers household income, Sentier Research household income index June 2013 92.8, Dropped from over 98 when Obama took office

“11.4%: What the U.S. unemployment rate would be if labor force participation were back to January 2008 levels.” …James Pethokoukis, American Enterprise Institute, June 2013

“Middle-class people who have never been out of work find themselves chronically unemployed and slipping into poverty.”…Greensboro News Record August 25, 2013

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

The truth about jobs, unemployment and the economy has been reported here.

You were warned not to believe the stated unemployment rate and the alleged improvement in the jobs situation and the economy.

You have been given the facts about the huge numbers of workers who have dropped out of the labor force since Obama took control of the White House in January of 2009.

The US Labor Force Participation Rate dropped 2.3 percent since Obama took control.

The NC Labor Force Participation Rate dropped 1.4 percent from January to July of 2013.

The huge increase in part time workers and jobs under Obama, in many cases directly attributable to the impact of Obamacare, is an underreported but very important story.

Remember, part time workers are counted as employed and improve the unemployment rate.

However, numbers do not lie.

Sooner or later the truth emerges and here is a good example.

From Sentier Research.

“The Household Income Index for June was 92.8”

“Our household income index permits monthly tracking of median annual household income before taxes. The index has been computed monthly beginning in January 2000. The base index value for January 2000 is 100.0. Each month the latest estimate of median household income is adjusted to reflect changes in prices since January 2000 and then seasonally adjusted to account for seasonal variations in the way households report their income in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS). The median annual household income for each month is divided by the January 2000 median to compute the index.

Data have been compiled from each monthly CPS survey taken since January 2000 (as of June 2013, 162 surveys in total). Each of these surveys collected data for a nationally representative sample of more than 50,000 interviewed households and their members (approximately 130,000 per month). The survey collects the detailed information needed to determine the employment characteristics of all civilians age 16 years old and over and to compute the official unemployment rate. It also collects key demographic and social characteristics for all household members, including children.

Estimates of household income from the survey are based on a single question that asks respondents to report the total income received by the household during the 12-month period prior to the survey month. The definition of income used in the survey includes the following:

  • Wages and salary
  • Nonfarm self-employment income
  • Farm self-employment income
  • Social Security and Supplemental Security Income
  • Interest, dividends, net rental income, and royalties
  • Cash public assistance (federal and state)
  • Unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation
  • Retirement income from pensions, annuities, other retirement plans
  • Veterans’ pensions and compensation
  • Child support and alimony
  • Other cash income excluding capital gains or lump sum, one-time amounts”

Read more:

http://www.sentierresearch.com/HouseholdIncomeIndex.html

The Household Income Index was over 98 when Obama took office.

HouseholdIncomeIndex_UnemploymentRate_06_2013

The cost of Obamacare and Obama policies is taking its toll.

132 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Economy, Employment, Family, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama, Unemployment, US economy, Washington DC, white house

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UPS drops 15000 spouses from health care insurance, Obamacare blamed, Shrinking corporate medical benefits, Costs associated with the Affordable Care Act

Posted on August 22, 2013 | 83 comments

UPS drops 15000 spouses from health care insurance, Obamacare blamed, Shrinking corporate medical benefits, Costs associated with the Affordable Care Act

“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.”…Barack Obama

“However … health insurance rates and benefit coverage plan costs have continued to increase. As a result of those increases, county employees have experienced a pay decrease that has grown larger each year.”…Guilford County Interim Manager Sharisse Fuller

“Can we stop calling ObamaCare the Affordable Care Act now?”…Guilford College student

 

From Kaiser Health News August 21, 2013.

“Partly blaming the health law, United Parcel Service is set to remove thousands of spouses from its medical plan because they are eligible for coverage elsewhere.

Many analysts downplay the Affordable Care Act’s effect on companies such as UPS, noting that the move is part of a long-term trend of shrinking corporate medical benefits. But the shipping giant repeatedly cites the act to explain the decision, adding fuel to the debate over whether the law erodes traditional employer coverage.

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 said in a memo to employees.

The company told white-collar workers two months ago that 15,000 working spouses eligible for coverage at their own employers would be excluded from the UPS plan in 2014. The Fortune 100 firm expects the move, which applies to non-union U.S. workers only, to save about $60 million a year, said company spokesman Andy McGowan.

UPS becomes one of the highest-profile employers yet to bar working spouses from the company plan. Many firms already require employees to pay a surcharge for working-spouse medical coverage, but some are taking the next step by declining to include them at all, consultants say.”

 

“To explain the switch, UPS gave workers a memo, obtained by KHN, that repeatedly mentions the health act.

While acknowledging that overall health spending continues to rise, the company also blamed cost increases on the Affordable Care Act’s research fee (initially $1 per health plan member, then rising to $2) and an a temporary fee of $63 per member to stabilize new online marketplaces for consumers buying directly from insurers.”

Read more:

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/August/21/Insurance-For-Working-Spouses-At-UPS.aspx

 

 

83 Comments

Posted in Barack Obama, Citizen News, Citizens for the truth about Obama, CitizenWells, Family, Health Insurance, Healthcare bill, News, Obama, Obama administration, Obama lies, Obama Nation, Obama records, ObamaCare, The Case Against Barack Obama

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