Skip to main content

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Most of them appear to be young and probably misinformed.  There should be no excuse for the older crowd who shold have a little common sense when it comes to insurance and taxes.  Their time will come and theywill learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch.  Sooner or later it will be their turn to pay.

"Obamacare Will Increase Health Spending By $7,450 For A Typical Family of Four

Unfortunately, the experts working for Medicare’s actuary have (yet again[1]) reported that in its first 10 years, Obamacare will boost health spending by “roughly $621 billion” above the amounts Americans would have spent without this misguided law."

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/th...ical-family-of-four/

 

 

Far from free, its going to cost you.

Originally Posted by Quaildog:
Originally Posted by Kenny Powers:

The Union bosses disagree with you on Obomacare, QD.

you wish.

Union Letter: Obamacare Will ‘Destroy The Very Health and Wellbeing’ of WorkersComments (252)

<dl class="wp-caption aligncenter caption-centered"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd wp-cite-dd">Associated Press</dd></dl>

This story has been updated.

The roll out of President Obama’s health care reform package was always going to be tricky, with vehement opposition from his political opponents and pushback from employers large and small. But after announcing last week that penalties for companies failing to comply with the law will be delayed by a year, the Affordable Care Act has a new, high profile set of dissenters: Unions.

The leaders of three major U.S. unions, including the highly influential Teamsters, have sent a scathing letter to Democratic leaders in Congress, warning that unless changes are made, President Obama’s health care reform plan will “destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.”

If that’s not bad enough, the Affordable Care Act, if not modified, will “destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans,” the letter says.

The full letter, below:

———————-

Dear Leader Reid and Leader Pelosi:

When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

Like millions of other Americans, our members are front-line workers in the American economy. We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.

Now this vision has come back to haunt us.

Since the ACA was enacted, we have been bringing our deep concerns to the Administration, seeking reasonable regulatory interpretations to the statute that would help prevent the destruction of non-profit health plans. As you both know first-hand, our persuasive arguments have been disregarded and met with a stone wall by the White House and the pertinent agencies. This is especially stinging because other stakeholders have repeatedly received successful interpretations for their respective grievances. Most disconcerting of course is last week’s huge accommodation for the employer community—extending the statutorily mandated “December 31, 2013” deadline for the employer mandate and penalties.

Time is running out: Congress wrote this law; we voted for you. We have a problem; you need to fix it. The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. Perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios:

First, the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.

Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans.

And finally, even though non-profit plans like ours won’t receive the same subsidies as for-profit plans, they’ll be taxed to pay for those subsidies. Taken together, these restrictions will make non-profit plans like ours unsustainable, and will undermine the health-care market of viable alternatives to the big health insurance companies.

On behalf of the millions of working men and women we represent and the families they support, we can no longer stand silent in the face of elements of the Affordable Care Act that will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans.

We believe that there are common-sense corrections that can be made within the existing statute that will allow our members to continue to keep their current health plans and benefits just as you and the President pledged. Unless changes are made, however, that promise is hollow.

We continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.

We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.

James P. Hoffa
General President
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Joseph Hansen
International President
UFCW

D. Taylor
President
UNITE-HERE

Corrections & Amplifications 
An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the message from the unions as an open letter. It has been updated.

Originally Posted by Quaildog:

Kenny don't worry about unions because they support the democratic party. one of them might whine against the OBAMA Care but that will not be a factor.

Per that letter it is more than just "one" of them. Unions are in full on disagreement with the dems on this boondoggle.

 

This an example of one of the problems with being a sheep and always blindly agreeing with a political party. Sometimes it can come back and bite you.

I was looking closely at O'Bamacare for my unemployed daughter that lives in Section VIII housing and doesn't have a job.  I thought that we'd get a rebate or assistance under O'Bamacare to assist paying for her Blue Cross/Blue Shield healthcare policy (paid by me.)

I found that the very poor will be excluded from O'Bamacare.  It's really just for people that have the money to pay for their care, even if they're just paying part of it.

The people in the above pictures are probably the non-working poor.  They're just too ignorant to realize the politicians sold them down the river.  Their future healthcare will be just like it is right now--Medicaid.

And we all know that the good doctors refuse to take the pittance paid by Medicaid. 

I read in the Nashville Tennessean that Vanderbilt Hospital and their associated clinics have refused to continue taking Medicaid.  That also means 1,700 physicians are not available to provide healthcare to the poor.  Where do you think that leaves them?

The truth is finally going to filter down to those ignorant about their healthcare options.  Hopefully they'll fight back at the voting polls.

The Governors that choose to not participate in the ACA are putting all the citizens of the state at risk. They don't care. The reason Vanderbilt is having issues is because the Republicans in Congress slashed funding to hospitals. They also have no way of recovering money for the uninsured since TN has decided to not participate in the ACA. The answer is simple. Stop risking the health and lives of the citizens by political grandstanding and join in the ACA and expand their medicaid.

 

I'm not sure why you thought you would get a rebate for having your daughter on your insurance. Are you below the poverty level? Do you mean tax credits? Here is a link that might help you.

 

http://www.cbpp.org/files/QA-on-Premium-Credits.pdf

 

Other related links

http://www.tennessean.com/arti...dicaid-best-solution

 

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/0...ley_keeps_up_ob.html

 

 

There are provisions to set up sectors of insurance, much like Medicaid, that will be administrated by a board, which I think is set to be made up of doctors and about half from the community.  This board was to basically administer the insurance and then decide who would and could participate, how much it would pay, and so on.  Thus far not a single entity has signed up to help form these coalitions. No one wants to get suckered into providing care for less than what it is already costing them.  There may be plenty of newly "insured" but finding someone to take an insurance that does not pay the costs of treatment is gonna be pretty darn hard.  The alternative will be to set up government clinics to see these people.  Thus the long wait times and lack of access to high technology care such as PET scans and U/S guided biopsy.  They have already announced up to 50% decrease in reimbursment for the TC of labortory tests which will essentially eliminate access to those as well.

Shaping up to be a wonderful future for healthcare.

Originally Posted by Jankinonya:

The Governors that choose to not participate in the ACA are putting all the citizens of the state at risk. They don't care. The reason Vanderbilt is having issues is because the Republicans in Congress slashed funding to hospitals. They also have no way of recovering money for the uninsured since TN has decided to not participate in the ACA. The answer is simple. Stop risking the health and lives of the citizens by political grandstanding and join in the ACA and expand their medicaid.

 

I'm not sure why you thought you would get a rebate for having your daughter on your insurance. Are you below the poverty level? Do you mean tax credits? Here is a link that might help you.

 

http://www.cbpp.org/files/QA-on-Premium-Credits.pdf

 

Other related links

http://www.tennessean.com/arti...dicaid-best-solution

 

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/0...ley_keeps_up_ob.html

 

 

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"The reason Vanderbilt is having issues is because the Republicans in Congress slashed funding to hospitals."

 

I was unaware of any constitutional method whereby the House may bypass the Senate and the President to pass a bill (other than administration of DC).  Please elucidate!

Originally Posted by teyates:

There are provisions to set up sectors of insurance, much like Medicaid, that will be administrated by a board, which I think is set to be made up of doctors and about half from the community.  This board was to basically administer the insurance and then decide who would and could participate, how much it would pay, and so on.  Thus far not a single entity has signed up to help form these coalitions. No one wants to get suckered into providing care for less than what it is already costing them.  There may be plenty of newly "insured" but finding someone to take an insurance that does not pay the costs of treatment is gonna be pretty darn hard.  The alternative will be to set up government clinics to see these people.  Thus the long wait times and lack of access to high technology care such as PET scans and U/S guided biopsy.  They have already announced up to 50% decrease in reimbursment for the TC of labortory tests which will essentially eliminate access to those as well.

Shaping up to be a wonderful future for healthcare.

______________________________

 

Can you help me understand what you are talking about here? When you say "a board" or a "commission" what exactly do you mean. Who is supposed to do this? States? Federal? Are you talking about TN exclusively? I know that they have decided to try to set up their own form of healthcare reform.

 

Seems to me the reason that Hospitals are in trouble is because of the lack of medicaid dollars, not because of them. The Dean of Vanderbilt Dr. Blaser explains it well...

 

 

 
 
 

Question: If we expand Medicaid in Tennessee, like 25 other states already have done to provide basic health insurance to the poor, will we ultimately spend more money on health care for our citizens?

Let’s review the facts.

Fact 1: Hospitals — not clinics — that accept either Medicare or Medicaid, meaning 99 percent of all hospitals in this country, are required by federal law to provide services for anyone who needs health care, regardless of whether they have insurance or any other means to pay.

Fact 2: Providing health care in outpatient clinics is far less expensive than providing care in emergency rooms.

Uninsured patients can’t schedule appointments for routine health care at most clinics. Federally qualified community health centers that provide care to patients, regardless of their ability to pay, are cost-effective, but far too few in number to meet the needs of most communities. Most other outpatient clinics do not have the resources to accept patients with no insurance. So the uninsured come, by the millions, to the emergency rooms of our nation’s hospitals.

Performing what should be low-cost primary care in hospital emergency rooms is like using an aircraft carrier to cross Percy Priest Lake. It is the most costly way our society could possibly provide routine health care. The cost of this mismatch is borne by all of us: Tennessee’s businesses and taxpayers shouldering year-over-year increases in the cost of health insurance.

When has ignoring problems — particularly big problems — ever been a sustainable solution?

Fact 3: Failure to expand Medicaid is a major reason hospitals throughout Tennessee are in crisis.

It is not the sole reason, but a key component. Our aging population means more Americans are moving from commercial insurance to Medicare, which pays hospitals less. And federal legislation is driving Medicare revenues to Tennessee’s hospitals downward, to the tune of $5.6 billion over 10 years. In the midst of these massive revenue swings, Tennessee’s hospitals also are treating more uninsured patients than ever, providing more than $2.5 billion each year in uncompensated care.

The impact of uninsured care on hospitals, like Vanderbilt, is particularly significant. Nearly half of the nation’s uninsured care is managed in only 5 percent of U.S. hospital beds — beds in the nation’s teaching hospitals. Vanderbilt’s role in managing uninsured care in Tennessee mirrors the nationwide predicament. As the largest private employer of Tennessee residents, we also perform one-third of the uninsured care in Middle Tennessee.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported May and July as two of the worst months for job losses for hospitals in the past decade, with approximately 10,000 jobs going away during these two months alone. The health care industry is now bleeding, and without Medicaid expansion Tennessee is at the point of the spear.

Hospitals in Tennessee are experiencing a perfect storm — more elderly patients, fewer Medicare dollars and more uninsured patients without any financial support for their care. Among these factors, there is only one in our control — financial support for uninsured care. It is urgent that we ensure the job security and the health of all Tennesseans by expanding Medicaid.

Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., is vice chancellor for health affairs for Vanderbilt University and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Jank,

There are provisions for the different regions in the state to set up their own boards or commission which will oversee execution of these plans.  These will act sort of like an HMO.  Though I fully do not understand how these will work, I was told in a meeting last week that thus far there has been no one in our area who has stepped up to help set up these commssions.  The select groups will allow patients to purchase insurance coverage which will be administered thru these boards, who will decide who and how much the providers are paid.  Likely these are the commisions which were erroneously referred to as "death panels" in the initial release of Obamacare.

I would imagine that with the experience most providers have with Medicaid in the state of Alabama, there will not be many organizations or physicians who are going to jump on board a train that promises to pay less than Medicaid rates for services.

Like I said, if administered thru BCBS, they may have a chance.  I do doubt though that BCBS will provide a good policy that pays 80% with a less than $2000 deductible/yr/pt, and provides any type of prescription drug coverage in the state of AL for a family of four for less than $1000 a month.  What most people do not realize is that the difference in what they are quoted and the price of insurance is made up at the end of theyear in atax credit.  So they will still have to come up with that money each month.  BCBS is not in the habit of letting you wait till the end of the year to pay them for their product.

But Alabama is not participating in the exchange. Bentley has decided that he is going to make a political stand that will end up costing us millions of dollars and probably close down several rural county hospitals.

 

From what I understand the credits will be paid immediately to the insurance companies. You don't have to wait until tax time. If you go through the exchange then the amount in credits you are owed will be available to use right then.

Starting in January 2014, a new federal tax
credit will be available to help people purchase
health insurance in the newly established
health insurance marketplaces (also known as
exchanges). These“premiumtax credits”will
be available immediately upon enrollment in an
insurance plan so that families can receive help
when they need it rather than having to wait
until they file taxes.
Payments of the premium tax credits can go directly to insurers to pay a share of the monthly
health insurance
premiums
charged to individuals and families
 
 
 

If they can make that work it will be great.  However, what you do not want is to come up at the end of the year and not be in the same class, and have to owe money.  I cenrtainly hope that in this case the government provides up front. 

I do  know that at one of the hospitals they are currently setting up an office to help people register and get enrolled for the insurance.

Beware, however that this coverge is not retroactive.  You sign up now, but any care you receive between now and Jan 1 is not paid for by the coverage.  I do know they are having to make people aware of this up front.

 

But like I said earlier, a new federal tax credit will not be available to help people purchase health insurance in the newly established health insurance exchanges if the people are sub-poverty--part time workers or unemployed.  They are stuck in Medicaid with often poor quality physicians and nurse practioners willing to take the "crumbs" thrown at them for payment.  Without proper payment, doctors will see well insured patients first.  Doctors are already overworked prior to 30,000,000 newly insured coming into the healthcare system.  And with more patients comes substantially more paperwork, including doctors having to personally fight insurance companies, Medicaid and Medicare for services, procedures and medicines needed by their patients. 

 
We still don't know what's facing us in the near future about healthcare.  My concern is for my poor daughter, not for myself.  I have to pay deductibles and for her healthcare costs as she has no money and has numerous health issues.  And my coffers are being sucked dry on a monthly basis, too.

Bama I am concerned for your daughter too. I have a 26 year old son that is on his own for insurance so I know where you are coming from. How old is your daughter? From everything I have read I can't understand why she can't get low cost insurance and a credit to help her pay for it. The credits apply immediately.

 

The biggest problem I have with the ACA "obamacare" is that it did not go far enough. The only way we are going to truly get healthcare to a manageable place for all Americans is to have universal healthcare. Also, the law has been weakened by the feuding in Congress over it. So many people have no idea what they are eligible for or how to go about getting coverage because of all the infighting. Those that were supposed to help citizens learn how to use the system or get information have been blocked in many states. Those "navigators" could answer a lot of your questions and hopefully help you and your daughter find a solution. However, as we know, there are those in our state and federal government that will do what ever they can to prevent that from happening.

 

The issues you are facing with your daughters coverage were there before the ACA and at least now even if she has to remain on your insurance, if you find a better price in the exchange, she will still be covered, regardless of her per-existing conditions. At least until she is 26.

 

I don't know where all you have gotten information but if you haven't seen this, maybe it can help.

https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace/individual/

http://politicalticker.blogs.c...empt-from-obamacare/

 

 

2 days ago

Fact Check: Congress, staff are exempt from Obamacare

ASSERTION:
President Obama exempted members of Congress from Obamacare.

“President Obama recently issued a special rule for Congress and congressional staff to get a special subsidy to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare Exchange unavailable to every other American at similar income levels,” said Republican Sen. David Vitter. “That’s an exemption, plain and simple.”

FACTS:
When Obamacare was passed into law, Sen. Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican, attached language to the bill that mandated members of Congress and their staffers would have to buy health insurance on the newly created health insurance exchanges. What nobody accounted for at the time was that members of Congress and their staffers currently have health insurance through their employer – the federal government. No other employer has been legally required to drop its employee’s health care plan and have them buy coverage on the exchanges.

Like most other large employers, the federal government contributes a portion to the premiums of its employees. In fact, like many employers, the federal government pays most of the premiums for its workers; an average of 72 percent on Capitol Hill. The law didn’t account for the continued employer contribution for these federal workers who would now be buying their insurance on the exchanges. The exchanges were designed to help people without health insurance and people with overly expensive health insurance. It became clear that without their employer contribution, members and their staffers would essentially be getting a cut in pay and benefits equal to thousands of dollars. Even Grassley, the provision’s author, had said the government should continue to contribute to lawmakers’ and staffers’ premiums. What the Obama administration has done is ruled that the congressional workers will continue to receive the employer contribution to help them buy their insurance on the exchange.

VERDICT:

False. Congress is no more exempt than any other employer who drops coverage and then helps employees purchase insurance on the exchanges.

I basically work on the theory that if a program is good, the truth about it will insure it's success.

If a program is bad, the truth about it will insure it's demise.

To date, EVERY SINGLE  CRITICIZISM OF OBAMACARE HAS BEEN A LIE BASED UPON THE R'S IN CONGRESS AND FOX FAKE NEWS.

Since so many have told so many lies about it, it must be a pretty good thing.

remember, the TRUTH will set you free, and in time , the TRUTH about Obamacare will be learned and it will become a very popular program, like Medicare and Social Security before it. (both were demonized using almost the same language )

The Republicans will rue the day they decided to try to make the ACA "Obama's Waterloo".

 

Add Reply

Post

Untitled Document
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×