Obamacare upheld

[T-Dub]

 

This is where welfare in the US varies from welfare in Europe (where many welfare champions here like to compare the US to in terms of "works for them, must work for us")... there is an exceptionally different dynamic here regarding an enormous segment of recipients being comfortable staying on welfare forever, having gangs of children to boost benefits, turning to crime etc etc etc and its a vicious cycle of government dependance rather than an assistance to get to a better place in life. Thats why the European systems and America cannot be compared as apples to apples when discussing welfare/healthcare and what is realistically fair to expect in comparison.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, are you aware that the majority of welfare recipients are white & live in the rural South? Or that the majority of people receiving food stamps have jobs?

[Jamie_B]

 

This is where welfare in the US varies from welfare in Europe (where many welfare champions here like to compare the US to in terms of "works for them, must work for us")... there is an exceptionally different dynamic here regarding an enormous segment of recipients being comfortable staying on welfare forever, having gangs of children to boost benefits, turning to crime etc etc etc and its a vicious cycle of government dependance rather than an assistance to get to a better place in life. Thats why the European systems and America cannot be compared as apples to apples when discussing welfare/healthcare and what is realistically fair to expect in comparison.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAOxY_nHdew

[MichaelWeston]

 

 there is an exceptionally different dynamic here regarding an enormous segment of recipients being comfortable staying on welfare forever, having gangs of children to boost benefits, turning to crime etc etc etc and its a vicious cycle of government dependance rather than an assistance to get to a better place in life.

Prove it.

[Homer_Rice]

WaPo article about impact just down the road a bit.

[Go Skins]

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/25/news/economy/obamacare-job/index.html?iid=Lead

 

Now that Karen Willmus can get health insurance through Obamacare, she plans to quit teaching 9th grade English at the end of the school year.

The 51-year-old found policies on the Colorado state exchange for about $300 a month. That's less than what she's paying now for employer-sponsored coverage and less than half what she paid on the individual market in 2007.

 

Like Willmus, millions of people could quit their jobs or cut back on their hours in coming years because of Obamacare, according to a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office.

 

The report found that Obamacare could reduce the labor force by the equivalent of 2.5 million workers by 2024, as many Americans may opt to work less to retain eligibility for Medicaid or subsidies. That sparked a fresh round of criticism that health reform is hurting the economy.

 

But for some, Obamacare is allowing them to become entrepreneurs or retire a few years early since they'll be able to find affordable individual coverage for the first time.

Instead of eating bonbons on her couch, Willmus plans to start her own business with her teen daughter publishing materials for non-native English speakers and others looking to improve their literacy. She expects to work even more than she does now and hire two or three people.

[Go Skins]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/obamacare-january-bea_n_4892267.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=3244900,b=facebook

 

Glenn Beck once said Obamacare would mean "the end of prosperity in America forever." But so far, it turns out President Obama's 2010 health law is actually putting money in Americans' wallets.

To be exact, President Obama's 2010 health law was responsible for about three-quarters of a surprising January rise in U.S. consumer spending and American income growth, according to calculations by the Wall Street Journal.

While not exceptional, the gains were significant: a 0.4 percent rise in consumer spending ($45.2 billion) and a 0.3 percent rise in personal incomes (up $43.9 billion), according to new figures released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth came in spite of the expiration of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed and all that horrible winter weather.

[|kennethmw|]

7.1 million.  Bad start and all.

[BengalBacker]

lol

[Go Skins]

http://www.vox.com/2014/4/16/5620020/the-uninsured-rate-is-falling-three-times-faster-in-states-that-like

 

States that embraced Obamacare are seeing a much faster decline in their uninsured rate, Gallup announced Wednesday.

 

The polling firm's data shows states that set up their own exchanges and expanded Medicaid had their uninsured rate fall by 2.5 percent, compared to a 0.8 percent drop in states that have opted out of at least one of the health law programs.

 

[sois]

So far I love my obamacare

[Go Skins]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/mcauliffe-explores-whether-he-can-expand-medicaid-coverage-without-legislatures-okay/2014/05/01/8ff591f2-d090-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html



RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is considering expanding health coverage for the poor without the approval of the state legislature, a move that would muscle his top priority past Republican opponents but also throw his young administration into a partisan firestorm and uncertain legal territory.

 

McAuliffe and his top advisers have consulted lawyers, health-care experts and legislators on how to bypass the GOP-dominated House of Delegates, according to three people familiar with the discussions. A fourth, who like the others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal private strategy, said the office of Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) has been researching the matter.

 

The move would allow Virginia to take advantage of a key state option under the Affordable Care Act, and it could help break a budget stalemate and avert a looming government shutdown. But it would be a daring action; only two other governors have done anything similar to bulldoze Medicaid expansion past opponents.

 

If McAuliffe follows through, he would raise far-reaching constitutional questions about the chief executive’s power and the rule of law — issues cropping up with increasing frequency in the states and in Washington, as governors and President Obama seek to push past adversarial legislatures and Congress.

 

The action would also surely create a politically toxic environment for McAuliffe, a new governor who just passed the 100-day mark of his term, and it could launch legal challenges that he is by no means assured of defeating.

[Go Skins]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2558106?utm_content=bufferd1a84&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
 

As many as 3.4 million people who received Obamacare subsidies may owe refunds to the federal government, according to an estimate by a tax preparation firm.

H&R Block is estimating that as many as half of the 6.8 million people who received insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act benefited from subsidies that were too large, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

“The ACA is going to result in more confusion for existing clients, and many taxpayers may well be very disappointed by getting less money and possibly even owing money," the president of a tax preparation and education school told the Journal.

While the Affordable Care Act fines those who don't have health insurance, it also provides subsidies for people making up to four times the federal poverty line ($46,680).

But the subsidies are based on past tax returns, so many people may be receiving too much, according to Vanderbilt University assistant professor John Graves, who projects the average subsidy is $208 too high, the Journal reports.

Tax preparers, who frequently advertise their ability to deliver big refunds, have been working feverishly to avoid customer anger stemming from lower-than-expected refunds due to insurance premiums. They also are trying to make sure customers understand the potential fines for not having insurance.

"Eighty-five percent of our customers get a refund," said Kathy Pickering, who directs the H&R Block Tax Institute, according to theWashington Post. "That refund could be offset by the penalty. And if that happens, they're going to be understandably angry."

The fine for not having insurance in the second year of Obamacare is $325 or 2 percent of taxable income, whichever is greater.

[Go Skins]

I didn't want to start a new thread, but I read an article last week that people that paid the penality are getting their tax refunds "reviewed".

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102409314

 

The federal government is willing to shoulder a share of the medical costs with millions of people, but many of them are still saying, "Thanks, but no thanks."

A new analysis reveals that nearly 14 million people next year could get financial help to pay out-of-pocket costs if they enroll in Obamacare health plans, a new analysis finds.

 

That federal aid, known as cost-sharing reductions, can reduce the amount people pay in deductibles, co-payments, co-insurance and maximum out-of-pocket costs that they incur when they go to the doctor or hospital. Those costs are the share of services not covered by a person's health plan.

 

But large numbers of the relatively low-income people—nearly half of whom live in the South—who are eligible for that aid are not taking advantage of it, even though it could save them an average of $479 in health costs annually.

 

"Enrollment is ramping up more slowly than originally expected," noted Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation health policy research group.

The new analysis issued by the Urban Institute sheds light on who the potential beneficiaries of that aid are, and underscores how much they could save.

[Go Skins]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2564763?utm_content=buffer31692&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

High out-of-pocket costs or deductibles resulted in 31 million people becoming underinsured last year, nearly double the amount in 2003.

The new estimates released by the Commonwealth Fund Wednesday illustrate that Obamacare may not be doing enough to provide healthcare at an affordable cost. The study shows that more Americans are not feeling the slowdown in healthcare costs in their wallets.

The problem is most Americans, more than 150 million people, get their insurance through their work, the think tank said.

Before Obamacare, employer coverage was "generally far more comprehensive than individual market coverage," the study said. "However, premium cost pressures over the past decade have led companies to share increasing amounts of their health costs with workers, particularly in the forms of higher deductibles."

Someone is considered underinsured if his or her out-of-pocket costs, excluding premiums, over the past year equal 10 percent or more of his or her income, or if his or her deductible is 5 percent or more of his or her income. In addition, underinsurance occurs if the out-of-pocket costs are equal to 5 percent or more of household income if income is under 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The poverty level is $22,980 for an individual and $47,100 for a family of four.

The figures were culled from the Commonwealth Fund's 2014 Biennial Health Insurance Survey, which interviewed about 3,000 people. The survey age was between 19 and 64 years old.

While the number of underinsured have nearly doubled since 2003, the first time it was measured, the number is essentially unchanged from 2012.

[MichaelWeston]

Thanks Obamacare!

[|kennethmw|]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/21/obamacare-premiums-2015_n_5691773.html

[Jamie_B]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/21/obamacare-premiums-2015_n_5691773.html

 

 

What is this? Context? GTFO with this Kenneth

[BengalBacker]

We had coverage we were very happy with, I was covered under my wife's plan and it was good insurance for the most part. As of the end of the year they will no longer cover spouses, and her rates and deductibles will go up. I will have to get coverage from my employer which is crappy, most Doctors don't accept it and it will be much more expensive with a very high deductible. My employer is considering not even offering it anymore and telling everyone to use the exchanges. Obama said if you like your plan you can keep your plan. He said the average family would save $2500 per year. He knew he was lying. Everyone knew he was lying. Now we're fucked. The goal was never to fix anything, it was to break everything.

 

This guy is exactly right.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qEQdivdsNY

[|kennethmw|]

We had coverage we were very happy with, I was covered under my wife's plan and it was good insurance for the most part. As of the end of the year they will no longer cover spouses, and her rates and deductibles will go up. I will have to get coverage from my employer which is crappy, most Doctors don't accept it and it will be much more expensive with a very high deductible. My employer is considering not even offering it anymore and telling everyone to use the exchanges. Obama said if you like your plan you can keep your plan. He said the average family would save $2500 per year. He knew he was lying. Everyone knew he was lying. Now we're fucked. The goal was never to fix anything, it was to break everything.
 
This guy is exactly right.
 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qEQdivdsNY

And you'd have had the same thing or probably worse without The Affordable Care Act. But, hey let's just bitch because my conservative masters tell me I should, let's not look at the fact that the premium rate of increase is the lowest it's been in the last 20 years. His only mistake is that he used a conservative idea, instead of blowing the shit up and going to single payer.

[BengalBacker]

But, hey let's just bitch because my conservative masters tell me I should

 

 

Hi Kenneth,

 

I don't have any masters, conservative or otherwise. If I do, they're doing a piss poor job considering I'm atheist, don't think religion belongs in government in any form, don't care if gays marry, don't think abortion should be illegal and don't think anyone should be in jail for offenses involving weed, among other things I disagree with them on. I think for myself, and I think Obamacare is a ruse designed to fail in order to lead to exactly what you said, single payer healthcare. I don't fit into any neat little box you want to put me in, although you probably do, albeit a different box controlled by your liberal masters.

 

Are there any examples of things that you disagree with the left on, but agree with the right? I just find it hard to believe that anyone who thinks for themselves, marches in lock-step with either party or ideology about everything. Anyone who feels inclined is encouraged to answer the same question.

[|kennethmw|]

Hi Kenneth,
 
I don't have any masters, conservative or otherwise. If I do, they're doing a piss poor job considering I'm atheist, don't think religion belongs in government in any form, don't care if gays marry, don't think abortion should be illegal and don't think anyone should be in jail for offenses involving weed, among other things I disagree with them on. I think for myself, and I think Obamacare is a ruse designed to fail in order to lead to exactly what you said, single payer healthcare. I don't fit into any neat little box you want to put me in, although you probably do, albeit a different box controlled by your liberal masters.
 
Are there any examples of things that you disagree with the left on, but agree with the right? I just find it hard to believe that anyone who thinks for themselves, marches in lock-step with either party or ideology about everything. Anyone who feels inclined is encouraged to answer the same question.

Backer,

You always say things like you're your own man, but you constantly parrot republican talking points. Looks like there are some areas of agreement between us, if you're not just saying it to look more moderate. I am a progressive but not controlled, educated but not indoctrinated. Sure, there are things that I stand outside the mainstream, and used to vote for good republicans over democrats, but now realize that any vote for a republican is a vote to move backwards. A poster said it right, Politics is like transmissions, you pick D to move forward, and R to go backwards.

[BengalBacker]

LOL. That R and D thing is actually pretty funny.

 

I don't say anything to look more moderate, or to look more anything. I say what I think. Like Neil Young said, "It doesn't mean that much to me, to mean that much to you." If it looks like I parrot Republican talking points, it's probably because the rest of you have the Democrat talking points covered very well. Any current examples of things you disagree with the left, and agree with the right on?

[Homer_Rice]

Being the Neil Young-oholic that I am, I think it merits posting the lines immediately preceding your more well-known excerpt: "Lullabies, look in your eyes, run around the same old town...."

 

Were Heraclitus alive today, he might say, "You can't walk down the same Main Street twice."

 

The human desire to disassemble complex situations and then recombine them into categories which are both more palatable and understandable is a virtue and a potential failing. It all depends on how much of the onion we are willing to peel as we do our own personal recombining.

 

In any case, here's a cogent criticism of the Obama administration and the media from the someone who wishes this admin had acted differently. You'll note that these criticisms kind of put to bed the notion that this admin has gone too far. It's a clear review of why this admin has not gone far enough.

It’s not just Fox News: How liberal apologists torpedoed change, helped make the Democrats safe for Wall Street

[Jamie_B]

Good article Homer

[BengalBacker]

Do you have a source besides Salon?   ^_^

 

j/k, that was for Jamie who constantly posts articles from places like Salon, Mother Jones, Huffington Post, Daily Kos and so forth as gospel, but ridicules anything posted from a right leaning site.

 

I didn't read it. I read some of it. Might go back and read it all at some point, probably not.

 

Respectfully Homer, what preceded my Neil Young quote has no relevance to my point about not trying to look more moderate. I took a simple line from a song to make my point. Doesn't mean that much to me, to mean that much to any of you. I assume you all feel the same. I'm not looking for acceptance, or trying to be one of the cool kids. Occasionally I share what I think on here, but any thoughts of it being something you all will agree with went out the window years ago. Remember when Go had the word filter that turned Republican into Dumbass? Yeah.