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Welcome in Obama Care

October 1, 2013
Stew Jenkins

Stew Jenkins

OPINION By STEW JENKINS

For fear mongers who have tried selling doubt, facts already show that the Affordable Care Act is bringing down health insurance costs making coverage available to everyone.

Passed by Congress and upheld by the United States Supreme Court, the law ended insurance company abilities to exclude for cancer and chronic diseases; extended the time families could cover children; and removed lifetime coverage limits.

Health care exchanges opened in California Tuesday, making it simple and easy for people to find, compare, and buy inexpensive plans covering their needs. More choice and incentives for insurance companies to compete for your business!

Examples will now abound of people saving money or being able to afford coverage they never dreamed they could secure.

As a small business owner I can share with your readers our own experience. Just the advent of California’s Health Insurance Exchange (Covered California) provided my insurance company with incentives to compete to keep our business. With a few phone calls and internet exploration our big blue suddenly was more than happy to offer a plan that had never been available at almost half the price, with half the deductible and more coverage in spite of preexisting conditions including cancer.

Let the fear mongers stew in their own juices. Pick up the phone and call 800-300-1506; or visit Covered California at http://www.coveredca.com.


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November 12 2013

I was wondering if Mr. Jenkins would like to revise his article at this time?


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Darn Ram. Beat me to it. Let me add only; being Liberal means never having to say I was wrong, just an incorrect promise.


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The sad thing is they will get what they want. Single payer…most of us will all be on the health care exchanges one day and the fact that the federal Government is in charge of your health from spoon to scalpel will unfortunately be accepted by far too many of us. What you eat and drink and smoke will be the business of Uncle SAM. If uncle SAM is paying the freight then he can call the shots.


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Mr. Jenkins, I challenge your opinion post. Particularly this part:


“With a few phone calls and internet exploration our big blue suddenly was more than happy to offer a plan that had never been available at almost half the price, with half the deductible and more coverage in spite of preexisting conditions including cancer.”


I own an insurance agency and have been a licensed agent for over 30 years. I represent all the major health insurance companies and would like to see your policy. I do not believe you have more coverage, half the deductible, and half the price. What about the MOP?


I myself have “big blue” and my group plan, and ALL the present group plans are being terminated and new, Obamacare friendly plans are being offered. Higher MOPS, higher Deds, HIGHER PREMIUMS.


I would be happy to show you my INCREASED costs if you show me your DECREASED plan cost.


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You realize that Jenkins will never reply, of course. Now that the whole gigantic debacle is unfolding before everyone’s eyes, the big boosters of this nightmare are pretending they never heard of it. Un-freakin’-believable!! And those of us who had the temerity to raise doubts about this thing were and continue to be called racists, haters, Tea Baggers, etc., by the very people who foisted this disaster on us. The only hope now is that it fails so spectacularly that everyone finally agrees to repeal the damn thing and try something else. Even the adult Democrats are wising up:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/25/9-senate-democrats-sign-shaheen-letter-pushing-for-open-enrollment-extension/


And how’s it going so far?


http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/24/health-insurance-cancellation-notices-soar-above-obamacare-enrollment-rates/


But no one saw this coming, right?


http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50157815n


I’d do more but I need to go eat dinner now. I’ll be interested to see if Jenkins has the guts to reply to your comment.


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Guess you mustn’t be one of the hundreds of licensed agents certified to sell CoveredCA plans in our area.


I’m in a Grandfathered plan and know from shopping at CoveredCA and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield sites that plans at many price points, MOPs and deductibles are available for 2014. In all the years, I’ve never seen so much choice and clear explanation of the different plans.


The reason I’ll be fleeing my Grandfathered plan is because, as they remind me in the letter, my rates will rise if my health status changes. Yep, just when I would need care I’ll be facing higher rates. Who needs that, since I can buy an Exchange plan with better benefits at less cost than I have been paying.


And don’t tell me about I might not get to see my doctors. In SLO are plans are PPO which mean I’ll get coinsurance for out of network visits. I hope my doctor does stay out since it will be less costly to see him with coinsurance that the copay in the policy.


There is no down side I can see to the CoveredCA plans and the upside is monthly savings and peace of mind that they can’t cancel or price me out if I get sick.


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Health care is not what our medical community is about…..it is about “SICK CARE”! Health care would more likely come under eating a healthy diet (lose fast foods), exercise, spiritual guidance and so forth. The last thing the medical community wants is people to be healthy! They would lose millions of dollars if it were to get out that cancer can’t grow in a healthy alkaline body! You want to cure cancer, you teach people to eat raw vegetable diets and drink plenty of fresh water, exercise daily to help your lymph glands clear of waste. We have been duped for years with the lobbyist’s paying our government officials to make dairy a food group for instance! The FDA has been attempting to close “The Optimum Health Institute” for over 38 years. This institute is responsible for untold thousands of people curing themselves from cancer and many other illnesses caused by our diet and lack of true HEALTH CARE! Check it out and I challenge you to spend one week there and not see thing differently. I say we teach our young to be healthy and not reliant on such a sick group of people who thrive on illness to the point they block solid healthy living.


http://www.optimumhealth.org


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I don’t like the ACA AKA Obamacare, I think unless there are some serious changes it will go the way of the HMO. No one will want it. Once the bill is fully enacted and operational, everyone in the country will pay more for insurance. I don’t care who you are and what your financial status is you will pay more. It’s the way the bill was designed….no freeloaders and everyone pays something either in premiums or out of pocket costs.


The bill is actually a conservative approach and when that is discovered it will lose even more support from left of center folks in the middle and lower class. That is why it resembles Romney’s health care law. He’s a conservative. The biggest fear I have regarding this health care law is the involvement of the embattled IRS. That is the first change that needs to happen. The IRS must be removed from this legislation completely. The funny thing is, it’s the Obama supporters that may become this bills biggest foes once the full bill is up and running.


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Romney care is going strong after 7 years. But really with you tieing the IRS into your dislike of ACA, are just more tea party terrorist talking points.


“The funny thing is, it’s the Obama supporters that may become this bills biggest foes once the full bill is up and running.”

It’s funny because you made it up.


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“The funny thing is, it’s the Obama supporters that may become this bills biggest foes once the full bill is up and running.”


That’s my opinion…if you mean I made my own mind up and stated my opinion you’re correct.


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You do realize that the IRS is the agency that’s responsible for forcing you to buy insurance even though you may not want it right? That’s the only way it made it through the Supreme Court. It was ruled a tax. Hence why the the IRS is involved.


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H1 visas for any qualified foreign doctor, we need them much more than tech workers. Build as many medical schools as there are qualified students to fill them. End the AMA medical aristocracy and restraint of trade.


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I love reading this stuff. Pure entertainment. The Dem’s truly are blessed by the quality of their competition.


Let’s list what we learned from Roy:


He has no clue as to what his employer paid for his old health insurance policy.


His employer has evidently canceled it’s sponsored or subsidized employee health insurance plan, and is laughing all the way to the bank while no-doubt blaming the change on “Osamacare”.


He believes that buying mandatory medical insurance from a private company is “products and services from our government”, and so assumably also believes that his AAA auto policy is also a “government purchase”.


Rails against “socialized” anything so for sure he will not be signing up for Medicare or Social Security.


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UncleCharlie,


Since it is fully known that r0y despises Socialism, therefore as you point out, he can’t be a hypocrite and sign up for Medicare and SOCIAL Security. He also can’t use the listed entities below as well because, in part, Socialism is responsible for the following, to wit:


Fire Departments

Police Departments

Ambulance Service

Postal Service

Highways and roads

Garbage collection

Bridges

Public Schools

Public Parks

Sewer System

Disability Insurance


Then, to make matters even worse, r0y is a hypocritical Christian as well as it has been shown ad infinitum by me in previous threads! What’s left? Did I leave anything else out of the hypocritical r0y equation?


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Yes, all the taxes we must pay for the privilege of using the services you listed. He helped pay for them! There is a difference Brother Ted for paying sales, property, gas tax, fire tax, car tax, excise tax, real estate tax, transportation tax, utility tax, death tax, unemployment tax, disability tax, Income tax (state and federal) and of course employment tax. That is because we pay a tax whereby a service is maintained for its citizens. There is a group of us that don’t mind helping with food stamps, housing, education, ipads, cell phones, school meals, transportation because we are investing in the future. I think the problem here is that when are they going to start paying back into the system for all these privileges. 50% of the workforce is no longer working. They are draining the system and bringing us all down. Sad day in American when people think earning $10,00 an hour is for full time employment and not a temporary learning job for your future. When Social Security started up, the ratio was 7 working to support 1 client. Today that ratio is a little below 3 hence the issues coming and must be addressed in the near future. People need to pull themselves together, get off the piety train, get motiviated and do something with their life’s. Get a truck and do yard work, wash windows, start somewhere and stop sucking the system dry! We are better than this…


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Brother Ted …good list ( praise ! ), but here are a few more:


rOy should not vote, as elections are funded and paid for by some form of government…no matter who wins or loses. Likewise, all elected officials are paid by government no matter what their particular political affiliation.


rOy should not attend any church or other religious assembly, as they are subsidized by government in not having to pay taxes.


rOy should also not eat any commercial food products because of the socialistic agriculture subsidies provided by government.


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brother slower faster,


Yes, those are great editions to the Socialist list that Jesus would be so proud of and hold so dearly because of His TRUE teachings within the scriptures.


But, as we can see, we have red “thumbs down” dislikes from so many non-christians that don’t believe in the word of Jesus the Christ! How sad for them since they take the position of knowing more than the leader of Christianity.


You’ll notice that r0y has remained eerily silent to our posts. We can only assume that he knows that I personally will give him another patent pending “Jesus Slap Down” again towards his total ignorance of the scriptures, and you’ll proffer political fact to him once again that gets in the way of his talking point conservative arguments.


We can gain solace in knowing that some people learn their lessons, praise!


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“We can gain solace in knowing that some people learn their lessons, praise!”


Ah, YES…Brother Ted; though we both know that many will only be aware of their mistakes while having their skin scalded off while in the sulfur pits of the lower reaches of Gehenna while the Devil laughs at them.


Poor suckers !

But…They should have OBEYED Christ, whose message is QUITE clear!


Halelujah ! Eloi, Eloi !!!!!


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Wrong, all the “services” you list are funded by capitalism. The sale of goods and services.


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I was able to get into CoveredCA.com right now (I did have to bypass the initial screens, but I’m a net-ninja like that).


I entered my data, and the cheapest plan offered was:

Athem Blue Cross Bronze 60 PPO for $760/month.

Which is $11,625/year and a $5,000 deductible (including co-pays), $10,000 family deductible.


Essentially, my family doesn’t come close to using $5,000 a year in medical anything, so it will essentially be cash-only for us AND we pay the $11,625/year for emergency high-cost things (which, thank God, have not befallen us in the last… well, ever – apart from the birth of our children way back when).


What we USED to pay was $4,872.96 per year. The employer covered the rest, and we were happy with that. All things taken into account, the difference we will see in our pocket book is $6,752.04 MORE per year. An extra $562.67/month. That’s a significant amount… of COST for us.


Again, I fail to see how this is a better system. Oh, and we have to pay MORE (as in the total cost of visits and meds). Whereas the other plan was a $10 co-pay, and generic drugs near free.


The most expensive plan offered was: Anthem BlueCross Platinum 90 PPO with a monthly premium of $1418… which is $17,817 per year w/ $4000/8000 max cost individual/family, but there’s no co-pay… so it’s a nice plan if you use more than $17K worth of health needs.


I see black markets and cash ramping up, just like every other country with socialized medicine has. It’s just too bad we are now legally FORCED to purchase products and services from our government.


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Hahaha!


Clearly you would benefit from a single payer system funded by a FICA increase and should round up your fellow tea baggers for just such a lobbying effort.


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You know Charlie, I’m curious. What is with your fascination with tea bagging. Hmmmm


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Since the Affordable Care Act is primarilly based on income, you must indeed br fortunate to begin with.


Also, you fail to mention how much of your previous plan through an employer was covered by the employer. You just say, “the rest”.

If it was a 50/50 plan, that would make the total premium $9,745.92 a year, or $1,879 less than the Blue Cross plan under AFA.


IF your employer based plan was 40/60 ( as many are ), that would mean your yearly premium of individual contribution plus employer contribution was $12,182.40 per annum; or a little over $500 MORE than the comparable ACA plan.


I suggest you shop a little more, and stop trying to scare people….or don’t earn so much.


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I suggest you shop a little more, and stop trying to scare people….or don’t earn so much.


This speaks volumes about you.


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‘This speaks volumes about you.”


How so ? ( Not that I am that worried or insulted ).


I am not one that has been whining, bitching, and projectile vomiting ‘Chicken Little’ scenarios of doom with no empirical evidence.


But please…continue. I find the humorless to be an endless source of amusement.


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Why would you want Roy to earn less? Isn’t he (and I) already buying your food, paying for your education, paying for your housing? Seems like you’re getting a pretty good deal to me. You should encourage Roy to work harder so you don’t have to.


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r0y, You indeed must be Ninja… Check this out:


Americans Flood Obamacare Facebook Page With Complaints


Recently, an announcement on the page thanked Americans for their feedback regarding the Obamacare enrollment process, which, in the very rare instances that it even works, frightens Americans with premium rates typically double and even triple what they were paying for before.


http://www.infowars.com/americans-flood-obamacare-facebook-page-with-complaints/


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r0y, And here’s another to add to the clunker collection:


Obamacare Exchanges: Feds claim the worse the glitches, the bigger the success!


All across America yesterday, people were running into frustrating technical problems because the online Obamacare exchanges are full of glitches. Over fifty percent of the exchanges demonstrated critical failures, CNN reported. This is astonishing because CNN has long taken a pro-Obamacare stance….


This is all happening because too many people tried to use the system, explained Obama today. Apparently, the Obamacare IT infrastructure was designed for a nation the size of Somalia, not the United States of America….


To compare Obamacare to Apple is downright comedic, especially considering the fact that more than half of all Americans don’t want Obamacare, and at least a quarter of the people using Obamacare’s online exchanges are mostly just trying to find out how they can be exempt from its requirements….


http://www.naturalnews.com/042311_Obamacare_exchanges_epic_fail_technical_glitches.html


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To my esteemed Brother in Christ; slowerfaster,


You have asked in why the Republicans hate poor people? I am assuming that you’re talking about hypocritical Christian Republicans, because they are one in the same, therefore, it is because they don’t know any better, or if they do, then they take the position of knowing more than God and Jesus in this matter. Both of these aforementioned offences will land them an E-ticket ride to the sulfur lakes of Hell upon their demise!


For the most part, this aforementioned faction is totally ignorant of the Hebrew and Christian part of the bible God’s inspired word regarding the poor. Why? Back to my first point, they are totally ignorant of the scriptures, or they disregard them altogether as being “Burger King Christians” where they want their Christianity “their way!”


There’re MANY narratives in the bible where the true Christian is to ALWAYS help the poor, but another refresher course once again is in order, to wit;


Our Socialist Jesus friend stated: “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth like many Christian Republicans.


Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10: 21-25)


The above direct words of Jesus’ “redistribution of personal wealth” is Utopian Socialism in action, and that the rich hypocritial Christian Republicans do not follow, and will therefore NOT go to Heaven. Do they know more than Jesus in this respect and example? No, I think not.


Brother slowerfaster, the Hebrew and Christian part of God will sort them out in the end, praise!


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So, Brother Ted ( In Christ’s name….Amen ! ), You are saying, that Republicans hate the poor, because they have great wealth, and that makes them sad.

Or is it because they are sad that they have great wealth, so they have to share the misery by hating the poor ?


These conundrums are what puzzles Jesus, too. My prayer circle had over half of them saying that they all had basically the same angel thought given to them.

That’s why I ask.


One of the celestial sisters had knitted special “Jesus Blankets” for the purpose of the Circle to be shrouded under…to keep any devil thoughts, or anything other than holy replies from entering.

To all of us, it seemed as we had been in heavenly communication for hours when the answer came, but when we looked at the clock, it had only been FIVE MINUTES !

Truly, a miracle ! Praise !


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There are few (if any) more complex administrative efforts than the management of health care in America today. The Affordable Care Act is the most significant change in health care history and the only thing we can say with certainty is some folks will be better off and some will be worse. As to which side of the scales one finds oneself too often colors our positions.

It is, in my view, too early to tell whether, as a whole, our nation will be better or worse off. My suggestion is, given that it is the law of the land and absent a miracle will remain so, we should hold off our conclusions for a while and judge after things settle.

The attempt to take sides now merely reflects our ordained political positions.


Gordon Mullin


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Gordon,


What I’d like to know is: when did INSURANCE stop being insurance?


You know, GEICO does not pay for my brake jobs, new tires, fuel, or any other preventive maintenance… and it’s car insurance. What should my life insurance pay for? What is Health Insurance (often mis-labeled as Health Care).


Automotive CARE is different from Automotive INSURANCE.


Health CARE somehow is not different from Health INSURANCE?


No one wants to have this discussion, and even the media (as poorly-trained as they are) cannot recognize there should be a distinction between CARE and INSURANCE. Then again, it was always the administration’s desire for a single-payer SYSTEM. They just lied to everyone and called it insurance.


No one listens to anyone anymore.


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r0y,

We’ve long since moved away from the pure ‘insurance’ model and our system in the US is now more like a managed care model. Not quite, but closer to the latter than the former.

Insurance companies have become the health care managers of the system providing services similar to ‘contracted out services’ acting as surrogates of the government and working under the regulations imposed by the federal and the state governments.

Whether there is a single payer, i.e. the taxpayer, or multiple payers as we have today doesn’t change the model we use to provide services, merely the means which we use to collect the dollars needed to fund the system.

Collecting the money to pump into the system is a separate issue from how and where we spend it.

Gordon Mullin


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The answer ?


Insurance companie provide a valuable service: for the unanticipated replacement of THINGS, not people.

If it’s an individuals car, house, other pssessions…FINE. Those THINGS are replaceable, with a cost value attached.


People are different. Health care IS a right, not a privilege.

It is a societal obligation, much like education. We don’t view education ( K-12) as a purview of only the upper class ( not anymore, not since the mid 19th century ), so we don’t require families of child bearing age to take out insurance on the possibility that they may someday have the need for education for their children. We ALL contribute, in some way, through taxes, to support schools.

Even though there are many ( like myself ) that has NEVER had children….we pay our taxes, because most of us know that it is better for everyone.


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Health care IS NOT a right, and here’s why.


You feel you have a right to something, you therefore are entitled to receive it, no?


OK. So, you show up at your doctor’s office and ask for your government-granted(?) right for health care. Your doctor refuses.


You explain that “health care IS a right, not a privilege” and he recommends you go somewhere else to get this right fulfilled.


You go to the next doctor, demanding your right to health care be honored. The doctor refuses. You explain to her, “health care IS a right, not a privilege” – she does not understand.


You try to explain it to her: “It is a societal obligation, much like education. We don’t view education ( K-12) as a purview of only the upper class ( not anymore, not since the mid 19th century ), so we don’t require families of child bearing age to take out insurance on the possibility that they may someday have the need for education for their children. We ALL contribute, in some way, through taxes, to support schools.”


She then looks at you. Square in the eye, and asks, “What right do you have to my labors?” You can get your own health care from yourself, it is your right. You have no right to my labors.


But, you try to explain, we have this great tax system, that takes more from the wealthy (because they likely stole it, right?) and distribute it evenly so we all have health care covered.


The doctor then explains how they did not sacrifice decades of their life to give away their services (the greedy wench!), she says she not only expects to be paid well, but paid what she feels it is worth.


You then have to explain that she does not get to decide that. Her labor’s value is determined by the people that take the taxes from those evil, thieving rich people (bastards that they are, right?). So now it is her LEGAL OBLIGATION (because it is a right, right?) that she provide health care labor to you… to anyone.


She ends with some foolish notion that SLAVERY was abolished. That whole part just went right over your head. Call the authorities on this one. Re-education is sorely needed.


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I read all of her books in juinior high and was infatuated…until high school when I applied some independent thought and realized how unaligned her fiction is with reality. It was a work of fiction by a mentally unstable woman.


I can assure you that you are not John Galt.


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“So, you show up at your doctor’s office and ask for your government-granted(?) right for health care. Your doctor refuses.

”

Necessary, not elective, healthcare IS a right.

Any doctor refusing to treat someone that needed the help would be violating THEIR Hippocratic oath, and not be worthy to legally practice medicine.


Thankfully, there are thousands of healthcare professionals that have not forgotten their oaths and purpose…that do not have greed and personal enrichment at the top of their list.


I pity you if your doctor is anything like the mythical one you describe.


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And I am sure you will have no problem with any future legislation that mandates their salaries, either.


So at what point is one’s labors their own? If ever, in your world?


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I have no qualms with any practitioner of elective procedures charging whatever the market will bear.


Of course,’the market’ will not be entirely their own computation for their ‘labor’, either.


For life-saving, emergency, ‘non-elective’ measures…I have faith in the goodness of people that want to do what they do just because it is the right thing to do; and not because they are greedheads.

It is hard for me to quantify how much that is worth.


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Ninja r0y, You are so right again!


Obamacare Is Another Private Sector Rip-Off Of Americans


….Last February 3, I posted on this website a column, “Obamacare: A Deception,” written by an expert on the subject. http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/02/03/obamacare-a-primer/


….Obamacare works for the insurance companies, but not for the uninsured. The cost of using Obamacare is prohibitive for those who most need the health coverage. The cost of the premiums net of the government subsidy is large. It amounts to a substantial pay cut for people struggling to pay their bills. In addition to the premium cost, it is prohibitive for hard pressed Americans to use the policies because of the deductibles and co-pays. For the very poor, who are thrown into Medicaid systems, ANY ASSETS THEY MIGHT HAVE, SUCH AS A HOME, ARE SUBJECT TO CONFISCATION TO COVER THEIR MEDICAID BILLS. The only people other than the insurance companies who benefit from Obamacare are the down and out who are devoid of all assets.


http://www.infowars.com/obamacare-is-another-private-sector-rip-off-of-americans/


&


Obamacare Fines to be Seized From Bank Accounts?


A man who attempted to sign up for Obamacare online was told that a fine of over $4,000 dollars a year for refusing to take out mandatory health insurance could be taken directly from his bank account, and that his drivers license would be suspended and a federal tax lien placed against his home, according to an entry on the HealthCare.gov Facebook page.


http://www.infowars.com/obamacare-fines-to-be-seized-from-bank-accounts/


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DGMullin, Wait and see? This scenario is ALREADY being played out all over America:


Obamacare Claims Another Victim as Company Forced to Close Down


Restored Balance chiropractic clinic in York, Pennsylvania closed its doors on September 27, 4 days before the launch of nationwide online Obamacare exchanges. The reason given for the closure of the business was outlined in an email:


“The most recent changes in ObamaCare impacted how Restored Balance got paid by insurance companies for the services we rendered. The reduced payments were not substantial enough to cover the cost of the labor, overhead expenses, and other liabilities incurred by the business. We sought to combat this insurance impact my shifting to a cash-only practice but too many of our clients relied solely on their insurance to cover our services and ceased coming. Restored Balance DID NOT close due for any other reasons than those stated above,” the email states….


http://www.infowars.com/obamacare-claims-another-victim-as-company-forced-to-close-down/


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A CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC ?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA !


Why not include voodoo ‘doctors’ and faith healers for their opinions !


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