Archive for the ‘Health Care Costs’ Category

Very Low ObamaCare Enrollments Reported in Central & Southern California

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

How Dare They...How Dare They–Covered California is Trolling ‘A Christmas Story’
Image: Ellen Carmichael@Twitter

(Santa Cruz Sentinel) ObamaCare/Covered California reported today that only a mere 2,626 people have signed up in Region 9 which consists of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties during October and November, that is only about 1% of Santa Cruz population of 266,776

Likewise, the Ventura County Star reported today that only about 5,200 people in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties enrolled in ObamaCare during October and November.

Southern California Public Radio reported on Monday, that ‘Covered California’ admitted that some of the October enrollment numbers were incorrect but claims it was just an innocent error of transposing numbers in two categories.

On the 30 November, I wrote here that more than 1.1 Million health insurance policies have been canceled in California due to ObamaCare. How many of these residents will be without health insurance come New Years Day because of President Obama’s signature legislative achievement?

In related news, Brietbart reported last week that low Latino enrollment numbers in California are dreadful, despite the millions spent on advertising targeting Spanish speaking California residents. Overall, less than 4,500 people Latino’s have enrolled in ObamaCare using the Covered California exchange.

Related: Covered California Rates More Than Current Plan, Covers Less

“Sick and Tired of Covered California” –Mariella K Stockmal@Facebook

ObamaCare/Covered California Subsidies Will Allow Limited Access to Providers, Ripe For Fraud

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Obamacare Covered CA Subsidy

What could possibly go wrong with 35 year old parents of three, earning $90,000 annually and receiving a $210 ObamaCare/Covered California subsidy?

Just about everything.

Many middle class Americans will be harmed by the design of ObamaCare’s cost-sharing subsidies for lower income enrollees reports The Heritage Foundation, though relatively little attention has been given to this feature, understanding it is crucial  to accurately projecting the results of its implementation.

Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Ed Haislmaier has studied this feature of the bill and found that its effects will be unattractive for many people.

ObamaCare’s cost sharing subsidies pay insurers to offer coverage to lower income exchange enrollees with no deductibles and only nominal patient co-pays. As a result, Medicaid/MediCal managed care insurers are participating the the exchange and many insurers are offering exchange plans with ‘narrow networks’ that limit coverage to providers willing to accept low reimbursement.

Haislmaier points out: “ObamaCare’s complicated income based design of premium and cost-sharing subsidies will result in the exchange market offering something like Medicaid managed care for the middle-class.

Ripe for Fraud: In a new audit from the Treasury Dept Inspector General for Tax Administration dated 27 September, the Tigta report found that the IRS responsible for administrating ObamaCare subsidies, has not put in place a fraud strategy for its ObamaCare system development, initial deployment or long term operations.

Marguerite Bowling, writing in The Foundry on the 03 December explained “The IRS doesn’t have the necessary systems in place to effectively root out ObamaCare subsidy applicants who report an income lower than their true income so they can qualify for a higher subsidy. They’ll have unfairly high subsidies on the back of the American people who follow the rules.”

Making matters even worse is when ObamaCare Navigators, tasked with helping Americans to sign-up for health care insurance, have been providing people misinformation and in some cases, actively encouraging some people to commit fraud in order to raise their subsidy, according to a new report obtained by Breitbart News scheduled to be released today by the House Oversight and Govt Reform Committee.

Skyrocketing Deductibles and the Affordable Unaffordable Care Act: On the 09 December, I wrote here ObamaCare high deductibles are fueling new worries–many people with modest incomes are encountering a troubling element of the health care law, deductibles so steep, they may be unable to afford the portion of medical expenses that insurers won’t cover, subverting one of ObamaCare’s stated goals to ensure more people receive needed health care.

Stanford Economics Professor Michael J Boskin writing in The Wall Street Journal Sunday further explains, “The ‘sticker shock’ that many buyers of new ACA compliant health plans have experienced–with premiums 30% higher or more than their previous coverage has only begun. The costs borne by individuals will even be more obvious next year as more people start having to pay higher deductibles and co-pays.”

“The next shock will come next year, when scores of millions outside the individual market–people who are covered by employers, in union plans or on Medicare and Medicaid, experience the downsides of ObamaCare. There will be longer waits for hospital visits, doctors appointments and specialists’ treatment as more people crowd fewer providers.”

Already with 70% of California physicians reportedly boycotting and refusing to participate in ObamaCare/Covered California how much longer will it be before problems grow exponentially and become totally unmanageable?

Related: ObamaCare Chaos in California –Breitbart News

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean: ACA Subsidies Will Drive Up Spending

Ewww: Creepy Covered Calif Touched More Than 21 Million Americans

ObamaCare Website Goes Offline Again

Sunday, December 15th, 2013

ObanaCare WebsiteObamaCare: Wait Like Its 1995–Use the Phone
Image: Ray Watts@Twitter

(Reuters) In a sign of the times, the malfunctioning ObamaCare website  goes down again, HHS in a statement said the website would remain offline for 12 hours today.

About 15,000 ObamaCare enrollees forms have not been transmitted properly to insurers the Obama Administration conceded yesterday, adding that the error rate has plunged in recent weeks–if this is any consolation to those that won’t have health insurance coverage in about two weeks.

Related: Secret ObamaCare Handbook the Feds Don’t Want You To See

Efforts to Enroll Young People in ObamaCare Heads to Late-Night Haunts

HHS Secy Sebelius: Millions Have Received Cancellation Notices Thrilled

ObamaCare Sticker Shock: High Deductibles Fuel New Worries

Monday, December 9th, 2013

Affordable“Affordable? Canceled Plan Due to ObamaCare Had $0.00 Deductible–ACA Compliant Plan Comes With $10,000 Deductible”
My Cancelation.com@Twitter

This Is ObamaCare Plan“This is ObamaCare/Covered California Plan $5,000 Deductible. So BEFORE You Are Covered at All, You Come Out of Pocket $5,000”
Image: Ur Tweetheart@Twitter

Sen Carper Afforable Really“Sen Tom Carper (D-DE) Affordable Really? Over $1,000 Per Month. Cheaper Plans Have $12,000 Deductibles. Way to Go Dems!!”
Image: PhilsFlysBirds@Twitter

(Yahoo Finance) ObamaCare high deductibles fuel new worries–many people with modest incomes are encountering a troubling element of the federal health care law, deductibles so steep, they may not be able to afford the portion of medical expenses that insurance doesn’t cover, subverting one of the ACA stated goals, which to ensure more people receive needed health care. Hospitals in the meantime are bracing for a rise in unpaid bills.

For policies offered in the federal exchange as in many states, the annual deductible often tops $5,000 for an individual, $10,000 for a couple.

In El Paso, Texas for example, a husband and wife both age 35 one of the cheapest ObamaCare compliant plans on the federal exchange offered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield has a premium less than $300 but the annual deductible is more than $12,000 For a 45 year old couple seeking health insurance on the federal exchange in Saginaw, Michigan a policy with a premium of $515 has a deductible of $10,000

In Santa Cruz, California, Robert Aaron a self-employed 56 year old Engineer said he was looking for a low cost plan on Covered California, the best one he could find had a premium of $488 a month but the annual deductible was $5,000 and that he said, “sounds really high.”

More here from the NY Times

Related: High Deductibles Fuel New ACA Sticker Shock Worries –WSJ

ObamaCare Architect: If You Like Your Doctor You Can Pay More

ObamaCare Website Costs Now Exceed $1 Billion Yet We’re to Believe Govt is Going to Manage Health Care Efficiently

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

ObamaCare Site Puts On a New FaceObamaCare Website Puts on a New Face –Image: Caleb Howe@Twitter

ObamaCare Navigation Page‘Clicking “Save & Continue” Is What Made This Message Pop-Up’
Image: Mark Jaquith@Twitter

(Zero Hedge) After three and half years and we now know at a cost of over $1 Billion the feds still do not have a fully functional ObamaCare website yet we’re supposed to believe that somehow the government is going to efficiently manage health care that works.

Riiight…

Related: NY Couple’s Baby Declined ObamaCare Family Coverage

Malfeasance: Obama Administration Official Admits ACA Payment Systems Still Needs to be Built

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

ObamaCare Blame Bush --Color Me RedObama “I’m Sorry…Its All Bush’s Fault.” –Image: Color Me Red@Twitter

(National Review) Ooops…The information technology (payment) systems of ObamaCare are still anywhere from 60 to 70% unfinished according to Henry Chao, Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who testified at a Congressional Hearing today.

After spending wasting some $634 Million over the past 3.5 years on an unfinished website the Obama Administration rolled out ObamaCare with great fan fare on the 01 October with 60 to 70% of Healthcare.gov not even built yet.

How inept must one be before they are terminated by the Obama Administration?

Related: Hackers May Have Already Compromised Healthcare.gov

Security Flaws in ObamaCare Website Endangers Americans

ObamaCare Sticker Shock at Colleges, Students That Once Bought Health Ins to Go Without

Monday, November 18th, 2013

Insanity of Covered CaliforniaInsanity of  Covered California –Image: Soquel by the Creek @Twitter

(FOX News) While millions are watching their individual health insurance plans  get canceled due to ObamaCare mandates, the new health care rules are also having a major impact on college campuses.

For decades, colleges and universities offered bare-boned health insurance plans but because of ObamaCare, those policies no longer cut it–colleges and universities are being forced to decide whether to offer significantly higher cost health insurance or cancel coverage all together.

At Bowie State University in Maryland, the cost of student health care plans went from roughly $100 annually to $1,800 annually thanks to Obama’s Affordable Unaffordable Care Act.

The sticker shock didn’t sit well with some students at Bowie State Univ who spoke to Campus Reform about ObamaCare price spikes:

  • “We don’t have that money…We can barely afford to buy books.”
  • Another said, “Its stupid and it’s Obama’s fault…You haven’t done anything Obama and I’m disappointed in you.”
  • “What it was hyped up to be was that it was supposed to solve a lot of problems and help a lot of people and its not really doing that,” said another.

Its been a similar story across the country.

Malynda Birozy@Twitter writes regarding Covered California: “I could actually afford health coverage before ObamaCare! Now I can’t afford any!!!”

Related: My Experience Enrolling in ObamaCare/Covered California

More Than 1 Million Health Insurance Policies Canceled in California as a Result of ObamaCare

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

INsurance CacellationsInsurance Cancellations  Across the U.S. Because of ObamaCare
Ken Gardner@Twitter

(CBS News Sacramento) More than 1 Million cancellation notices have been sent to California residents because of ObamaCare mandates.

Related: Rep Kurt Schrader (D-OR) Obama Was Grossly Misleading Public

Only 33% Strongly Favor ObamaCare in California –LA Weekly

California ObamaCare Navigator has Sordid Past –Daily Caller

Obama’s Approval Hits Record Low of 39% –Washington Times

California Non-Profit Corp Drops Employee Health Insurance Due to ObamaCare

Friday, November 8th, 2013

ObamaCare Steve JobsObamaCare Website Failures Explained –Seth@Twitter

(KRCR TV) Ninety employees of California Vocations a state funded non-profit corporation that supports adults with developmental disabilities, learned that their health insurance with Blue Shield will be terminated at the end of the year.

California Vocations Executive Director Bob Irvine says its been frustrating for the organization and its employees–Irvine said the organizations Board of Directors canceled its policies because the new Obama regulations forced it to purchase more expensive  policies that it simply can not afford.

“That would have been another $250,000” said Irvine.

Instead, its cheaper to pay a $100,000 per year fine tax for not providing health care insurance saving the company $150,000 per year by canceling the policy.

Employees are left to fend for themselves, thanks to ObamaCare.

Related: Most Uninsured Lack Interest in ObamaCare Exchanges

ObamaCare/Covered California: Unaffordable Care Act

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013

Covered California Premiums“Covered California health insurance exchange–Lowest estimate for premium health care for our family is $27,064” –SCAQTony@Twitter

“My insurance agent sent me the “Covered California” application, 31 pages of nonsense questions!” —LanaSchott@Twitter

Related: Loyal San Francisco Obama Supporters Canceled by ObamaCare

Obama Admin Blames State GOP’s for O-Care Sign-Up Suckfest

ObamaCare Threatens Substitute Teachers

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Spends the Most of Any Agency