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All the hoopla and hand wringing over President Obama',s recent extension of the deadline for enlistment in the Affordable Health Care Act calls to mind George W. Bush's similar, but much, much more generous extension of time to enlist in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program without incurring the statutory penalty for late application:

 

<<<"The Obama administration will announce on Wednesday that individuals who had experienced difficulty signing up for the Affordable Care Act will still be able to enroll in insurance after the March 31st deadline and obtain coverage until mid-April. The move, the latest in a series of administration efforts to simply the enrollment process following a rocky rollout, echoes the Bush administration’s 2006 decision to help seniors enlist in Medicare Part D after the official enrollment deadline."

 

"In May of 2006, just days before the end of open enrollment, President Bush took administrative action to waive “penalty fees for very low-income seniors and people with disabilities who sign up late” and allowed “the same impoverished beneficiaries to sign up for Medicare drug coverage until Dec. 31.”

 

“In other words, you can apply after May 15th without penalty,” Bush told seniors during an event in Florida. “And that’s important for low-income seniors to understand.”

 

Like Obamacare, the launch of President George W. Bush’s prescription benefit plan was hampered by technical glitches, setbacks, and mass confusion. As the May 15 deadline for enrollment loomed, a bipartisan group of lawmakers advocacy organizations, and a surprising number of newspaper editorials, urged the administration to extend the enrollment period and protect seniors from the penalties associated with late enrollment.

 

“'In the months leading up to the initiation of the Medicare Part D program, beneficiaries were inundated with information about coverage options, which often caused confusion and frustration among seniors,' former Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), who introduced legislation to extend the deadline, said. 'It is only fair to provide beneficiaries with the time necessary to properly choose an appropriate plan." The bill attracted bipartisan support and companion legislation was introduced in the Senate.">>>

 

http://thinkprogress.org/healt...or-medicare-part-d/#

 

Where were all the defenders of separation of powers and all the opponents of legislating by the Executive Branch when this SEVEN-MONTH extension was arbitrarily declared by that power-mad President Bush?

I yam what I yam and that's all I yam--but it is enough!

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Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

OK. Busted.  You got him. BUT.....how many OTHER times did Bush violate 'separation of powers'?  How many times has B.O. violated the same 'separation of powers'?

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If you want a "box score", then devise your own.  My point is that there was not a peep from anyone when Bush did his thing.  

Wait, is this more os the "so'se your ole man"  strategy?  Not that I care, but one has to ask themselves exactly why this has to be done.  Supposedly there were millions out there just waiting to get health insurance, so the biggest boondaggle ever to be passed by the Legislature was passed (just so we could see what was in it, according to Pelosi) and now the milions aren't running running fast enough to the slaughter to sign up for it?  Right? Well according to my calculations the reason is because not enough of the young insurables have signed up and the administration knows that without them this whole program is going to fall on it's already egg covered face.  insurance premiums are going to skyrocket next Fall, just about the time the Dems are headed to the polls.  Independents are going to see this failure and stay away or vote vengefully in the election.

I suspect that one reason that Obamacare is moving slowly is a matter of literacy. reasoning ability, and mathematical competence.  The stories of confused applicants and bad decisions is apparently a reflection of what is happening to people who thus far are uninsured. Those already enrolled in group plans, e.g. public school teachers and other gummint workers are NOT reporting the kinds of problems that Fox News likes to spotlight.  A high proportion of persons in the uninsured category (altogether about 15% of the U.S. populace) are on average poorer and less-well educated. They have difficulty doing such analytical tasks as comparing available plans.  Many of them are not  taking into account the federal subsidy available to them as they compare plans and costs.   These are folks who need close-on guidance in identifying a plan suitable for their particular needs, and it appears that many of them are not getting that kind of help. 

Condie's mem is that ignorance is the reason -- that, I assume, they are victims of a public education system. Slightly convincing. 

 

Those enrolled in group plans are not subject to the vicissitudes of  applying thru the system setup for the individual plans.  Therefore, Condie's explanation is not founded in reality.  Also, such group plans are mostly funded by employer contributions. 

 

Even older government internet applications have problems.  When, I reached 65, I decided to delay social security for a few years for a higher annuity.  I applied for medicare, only.  However, the online form insisted I apply for SS first.  Finally, disgusted, I went to the Social Security Administration office and completed the transaction in less than15 minutes.  And, I've used computers since MSDOS 4.0, and Mosaic dial-in internet.

Last edited by direstraits

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