Trumpcare

Well, there you have it: Republicans have finally achieved their seven-year long dream of sticking it to Obama and the ACA...at least in the first round. After these folks get back to their hometowns, hear from their constituents who are losing their insurance ("It's only seven percent of the population" said one GOPer), and pat themselves on their collective backs for preserving their Right Wing cred, maybe reality will set in. But then again, Trump voters will never be able to see the forest for the trees. 

Never mind that the ACA was beginning to level out, never mind that the uncertainty of the Trump administration's plan on this was causing real problems, never mind that adjustments (bipartisan efforts) would have solved the ACA's problems going forward...the GOP (Paul Ryan especially) were determined to erase anything Obama did from the history books. 

Speaking of history: lots of healthcare talk has centered around "preexisting conditions." From the GOP point of view, these are conditions in your medical history that "those other people" must deal with...because of poor life choices, station in life, race, sex, age, lack of religious beliefs, or place of birth. NOT them of course, and beside they have taxpayer subsidized insurance. 

Having worked in OB/GYN and family practice, and dealing with insurance, let me present a short list of these conditions if they have EVER showed up as a diagnosis on your fee slip as you checked out:

abnormal pap smear, elevated blood sugar, back pain, hypothyroid, dizziness, heavy periods, obesity, smoker, use of alcohol, asthma, COPD, history of miscarriage, restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, allergies, pregnancy, age level, STDs, cancer (cured years ago), eating disorders, skin, disorders, ....almost any diagnosis submitted to get payment. Notice these are NOT the heavy hitters you would naturally think of such as cancer, MS, Parkinson's, tuberculosis, Alzheimers, or birth defects. ANYTHING the insurance companies can use to charge you higher premiums will suffice...for anybody. And do NOT think that these practices will be on just the exchanges. Insurance companies will be spreading this to their employer-based group policies, too. 

All you poor folks trying to work two jobs, or go to school, raise a family as a single parent or make your Social Security go a little farther: don't worry. The STATES will get a hunk of money to divide among you, if it's not swallowed up in administration costs. It makes the Repubs feel so good to pass the buck on care for all those folks, and think they have done a great job. Praise the lord! Now the rich and corporations can get those tax cuts, which was the main purpose of this whole thing.

It was liberal Juan Williams’ turn to speak. “I hope it covers mental illness because we’re seeing a lot of it at the table tonight,” he began. Williams slammed Trump for pressuring Republicans to pass the bill because he was “desperate for something that he can call a victory.”.....from FOX News/Newshounds

But do NOT give up....can't see this mess passing the Senate vote. Think of this as Trump's premature "Mission Accomplished" moment.

Be Very Afraid...

All this misinformation, fear mongering, twisting of facts, and lying about the ACA is getting a little tiresome. The media occasionally draws attention to the scare tactics of people on television and radio griping about their "cancellation letters" and "horror stories" of going to the website….but usually only if it's a gotcha moment with another network.

But it needs to be pointed out :

If your plan was in effect before the law was enacted in 2010, your plan is grandfathered in even if it does not meet the ACA requirements as long as YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY DOES NOT CHANGE THE PLAN. 

Meaning, it:

- May not significantly cut or reduce benefits (e.g. removing coverage for cystic fibrosis),
- May not raise co-insurance charges (any change at all),
- May not significantly increase co-payment charges ($5 or more beyond medical inflation),
- May not significantly raise deductibles (15% or more beyond medical inflation),
- May not significantly decrease the employer contribution (5% or more),
- May not tighten the annual limit of what the insurer will pay, and
- May not change insurance providers.

In essence, those insurances that are wanting to DO this to its policy holders…to gain profits for themselves….are not allowed to do so. That's the reason for all the "cancellation notices" without informing their customers that why usually have better choices than the crappy policy they have now. Or maybe they'll say it's because of Obamacare….because they do not want to follow the rules of the ACA.

Ask those folks in Kentucky, California, other states that went ahead with their own exchanges and are able to get the correct information. There will be a small portion to show increases, usually those on individual policies with higher incomes. And younger people who are invincible and want to wait….until they are in that car wreck or have a sports accident. (The Repubs are OK with pushing means-testing on SS and Medicare, but for some reason they have a hissy fit if anyone's insurance goes up in the ACA. But even though it has been going up very year for decades, it's simply "the market working.")

Panic! Fear!

I'm getting really tired of the "panic' and "Oh Noes" being bandied about regarding the ACA. The Right has done its usual first-rate job of spreading fear and misinformation. Or do everyday people REALLY have no idea how the insurance policies they have had for years..…or currently do not have due to being suddenly without a job….really works?? 

First of all, these costs have been rising for decades. This NOT a reaction to "socialized medicine", or Obamacare. Here is a chart from 2006:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/health-insurance1.htm

Then there is the structure of group insurance itself. An employer may have several types of health plans from an insurance company to offer, but these are standardized for all employees and cannot be customized. (Yes, your premiums are already covering those other people with diabetes, kids, chronic health problems, vasectomies, pregnancy, and prescriptions that you do not use. So STOP with the "why should I pay for all those other moochers?") Premiums are simply those rates in effect at the time. Since costs are not usually risked-based in group insurance, all premiums are the same. If you do not have group insurance, and you have an individual policy paid by you, your costs are obviously higher anyway.

There are a few things that an employer may not have to cover for you.The ACA is trying to correct these situations:

http://www.insurance.com

The Republicans have been totally against anything that President Obama has tried to do…from day one. Going against his premiere legislation was high on their list: 

"The Obama administration originally had asked for more than half a billion dollars to spend on public relations and outreach for the law. House Republicans had returned with an offer of nothing. That's right: zero dollars. Without necessary funds, the Department of Health and Human Services worried it would not have the necessary money to pay for navigators to help people enroll in health care, for the technology needed to implement the exchanges and for the public relations campaign that was required to inform citizens about what the law actually did."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/opinion/carroll-gop-obamacare-hypocrisy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Throw in the fact that Republican-governed states said NO to expanding Medicaid or setting up their own exchanges (They forgot all about that state's rights position they love)…and made the federal government do it. More chaos ensued. No money, no help. "Train Wreck" in GOP parlance.

"People are being thrown off their policies"……they were not actually total coverage anyway.

"Spouses are no long covered"……..only if the spouse also is eligible for coverage at his/her employer. Why should one employer pay both costs?

"Premiums are going sky high"……unless you make bundles of bucks (or are young and invincible) you probably will get a subsidy. Don't always believe what FOX tells you. And young people: wait till you get the bill for a broken leg, car wreck injuries, unexpected cancer or asthma, sports injuries,

or need medication…..

All I can say is PLEASE get that Healthcare.gov website fixed! I realize the ACA is not perfect, but come on: the garbage floating around the airwaves and internet is making me sick.

Coincidence, I'm Sure

If at first you don't succeed in repealing, delaying or defunding the ACA, why not have a go at making it inaccessible? Seems like we've seen this movie before, only it featured schools, prisons, unions, turnpikes,………voting booths.

"……… Healthcare.gov – the federal site that's gotten the most attention, and had the most problems – wasn't even supposed to be the main portal into buying coverage. The overloading of that site is due almost entirely to the intransigence of Republican state legislators who punted on the development of their own exchanges.

Reporters who giddily write up their personal trials in signing up on Healthcare.gov are representative in one very real way: most of the other people visiting Healthcare.gov are also not seriously in the market for health insurance. A Pew poll found that only 29% of the visitors to the federal portal were actually uninsured, and only 32% were in fact shopping for coverage."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/23/obamacare-website-glitches-not-iraq-war

"The Obama administration bears the ultimate blame for the faulty rollout. However, the concerted effort of Republican governors to sabotage Obamacare must be considered the genesis. The expectation was that each state would run their exchanges. When most Republican governors whose states were capable, neglected their duties, additional burdens were placed on the design of healthcare.gov."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/10/24/healthcare-gov-glitchy-launch/

Best Of Show In Obamacare: KENTUCKY

Ah, the stomping grounds of Msrs. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul: two of the most vocal opponents of the Affordable Care Act.

“We have some of the worst health statistics in the country," explained Gov. Beshear.  "If there’s some way I can attack that and change the course of history in Kentucky on health care, I’m going to do it, and the Affordable Care Act gives me a historic opportunity and a tool to do just that ”  

http://blueinthebluegrass.blogspot.com/2013/10/kentuckys-obamacare-is-gold-standard.html

Battling The Spin Zone

Getting tired of of friends and relatives...especially those of Republican persuasion....whine that "they have not heard anything about Obamacare" and all they spout is FOX talking points? Or maybe Rush Limbaugh who touted the other day that NO ONE even called BC/BS in California on the exchange. They just know it's going to ruin this country and lead us to socialism......just like Social Security and Medicare, am I right?

Here is a primer to help, but getting them to accept it won't be easy. Nothing is free, as they claim. There are no "death panels." Everyone has "skin in the game." And you're not denied healthcare services according to your political party.

 THE EDITOR: Cutting through the confusion 

• OVERVIEW: Finding your way through the Health Insurance Marketplace
• CLEARING IT UP: Top 10 myths on the federal health law
• ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS: The Fact Squad responds
• WHO IS THE FACT SQUAD?: Meet the panel of experts
• CLARK HOWARD: What consumers can expect with Affordable Care Act
• PROTECTING YOURSELF: How to shield yourselves from ACA-related scam
• DIFFERENCES BY GROUP: Health care changes impact ages differently
• WATCHING YOUR HEALTH: Preventative health plays big role in reforms
• GLOSSARY: ABCs of the Affordable Care Act: a glossary for consumers
• 
  

Even more information is available, such as...

• Q: How can small business owners enroll in the exchange?
• Q: How do I know if I qualify for the exchange?
• Q: Can I buy health insurance on the exchange if I already have insurance through an employer?
• Q: How do I sign up?
• Q: How much will I have to spend to buy coverage on the exchange?
• Q: What kind of coverage options can I expect to find on the exchange?
• Q: Will I be eligible for any other cost savings on the exchange?
• Q: As a small business owner, will I be eligible for a subsidy if I buy insurance for my employees on the exchange?
• Q: Does the exchange have a Spanish-language version?
• Q: What if my income is too low to qualify for the exchange?
• 
  
• http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/data/news/affordable-care-act/
• 
  

There is a ton of information on this site (it is for Ohio, but the stats remain the same.) Print the whole thing out and pass it around if you need to. Some 15 per cent  of Americans do NOT use computers. Some folks will not like it no matter what you say....but there is NO excuse for being ignorant of the facts.

SPREAD THE FACTS ON OBAMACARE!!

UPDATE:
An example from Texas, of all places:
http://www.juanitajean.com/2013/09/23/well-well-well/

Text provided by staff writers of The Palm Beach Post

What do I have to do?

Beginning Jan. 1, everyone will have to have health insurance. Policies must include what the government considers minimum essential benefits. People without health insurance, with some exceptions, must pay a penalty when they file their tax return in 2015.

The basics on getting insured in the new marketplaces

Where to go: Choose your state from the list at Healthcare.gov to apply for coverage or compare plans. 

When: Open enrollment starts Oct. 1 and runs through March 31, 2014

What happens:

1. Fill out an application.
2. The government gives you options and helps you compare coverage and costs (including deductibles, premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.)
3. You decide whether to enroll and, if so, pick a plan.
4. You enroll.

Here’s how the health care law could affect you:

Important information about health plan choices

When you compare marketplace insurance plans, they're put into four categories based on how you and the plan share the costs of care. Click here to find out more.

Am I covered?

You won’t pay a penalty if you meet one of these conditions.

Fees

If you’re not insured in 2014, you’ll have to pay a fee on your 2015 federal income tax return.What are the fees?

Who doesn't have to pay the fee?

Uninsured people won't have to pay a fee if they meet one of these conditions.

I have insurance through my employer

You’re covered for 2014 as long as you have minimum essential benefits. Your employer should let you know in re-enrollment papers. Can I shop the marketplace rates anyway?

I'm on Medicare

Medicare benefits have expanded under the health care law. Find out what additional benefits you may receive.

I have a chronic disease

Starting in 2014, being sick won't keep you from getting health coverage. An insurance company can't turn you down or charge you more because of your condition. Are there any exceptions?

How can I tell if I qualify for Medicaid?

Each state has different rules about who qualifies for Medicaid. Click here to find out if you qualify.

I don’t qualify for Medicaid, but I can’t afford health insurance

In 2014, an individual making up to about $45,000, or a family of 4 making up to about $94,000, may qualify for lower costs under the Affordable Care Act. Click here to see if you qualify for a subsidy.

I am a veteran

If you are enrolled in (or are a beneficiary of) any of these programs, you’re considered to have minimum essential coverage under the health care law.

I am responsible for a child without insurance

There are several options available. Click here to see if your child qualifies.

I am an immigrant

To be eligible for health coverage through the marketplace, you must meet these qualifications.

I am an American citizen living abroad

Generally, health insurance coverage in the marketplace covers health care provided by doctors, hospitals, and medical services within the United States. Find out more here.

I own a business with 50 or fewer employees

If you offer insurance coverage now, you can keep your plan. You also can offer a plan through the Small Business Health Options Program, which could qualify you for tax credits. Find out more.

I am self employed

If you have no employees, you can shop for insurance at healthcare.gov starting Oct. 1 and possibly qualify for lower costs. Find out more.

Sources: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service

NeeNee NaNa Noo Noo

Is everyone else getting as sick and tired of these childish, ill-mannered antics of the GOP as I am?

These are the folks that we voted in (well, not me!) to make rational decisions for our well being, to compromise on ideas, and to make the future more secure for our country.

What we got instead was hatred, obstruction and this: 

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/8/2/256167/Roy-Exum-The-Carefully-Planned-Snub.aspx

"Early Tuesday morning, some hours before President Barack Obama would visit Chattanooga, that day’s editions of the Knoxville News-Sentinel hit the streets and a prominent story written by veteran political writer Tom Humphrey carried the headline, “Tenn. GOP ready to roll out the unwelcome mat for visiting Obama.”

and this:

http://juanitajean.com/2013/08/07/and-dammit-its-his-fault/

"Obama foes (in AZ) at one point sang, “Bye Bye Black Sheep,” a derogatory reference to the president’s skin color, while protesters...raised a sign saying, “Impeach the Half-White Muslim!”

Gearing up for the next election...3 years away:

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/08/06/2418921/slap-hillary-game/

"The Hillary Project, a super PAC that calls itself the “only thing standing between” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) and the White House, has posted a video game in which players are encouraged to slap Clinton across her face."

When President Obama manages to get some bills passed into law, even THEN the Repubs take the low road:

" Some legislative foes of Obamacare have stated publicly that they won't help their constituents to learn the law and reap its benefits. Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp said last month: "It's much easier to say, 'Call your former governor'"

Or even more despicably underhanded:

"The highest-ranking Senate Republicans, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, fired off a June letter to the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, and NASCAR, warning that it would damage the leagues' reputations if they dared partner on a public ACA education campaign."

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&id=57131:obamacare-and-the-politics-of-sabotage

Forgetting their love of the First Amendment and free speech:

On Monday night, Sean Hannity welcomed Priebus on his Fox News show and applauded his proposal. And Priebus -- in a candid moment -- made it clear it was time for the Republican Party to "stand up to networks not in the business of promoting our party and not in the business of promoting our candidates."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/06/opinion/obeidallah-rnc-threats/index.html

So, Republicans, spare me the Christian conservative "we are a big tent" caring Party of The People crap. Actions definitely speak louder than words........and you guys have a BULLHORN.

 “A Conservative Government is an organized hypocrisy."

This quote by Benjamin Disreali seems to capture the whole Republican Party in a nutshell. Or at least the current GOP candidate running for the highest office in our land, Mitt Romney.

As you know Mitt is staying true to the Party line...or at least crossing both sides of it as the occasion occurs. That Romenycare Massachusetts is a toughie for him, though, as the current Right Wing mantra is Repeal and Replace the latest ACA bill at all costs. 

Now this: Romney praises Israel's health system:Romney’s point about Israel’s success in controlling health care costs is spot on: Its health care system has seen health care costs grow much slower than other industrialized nations.

Israel spends less on health care because of a universal health system that requires everyone to have insurance. Every Israeli citizen has the obligation to purchase health care services through one of the country’s four HMOs since government officials approved the National Health Insurance Law in 1995. People pay for 40 percent of their HMO’s costs through income-related contributions collected through the tax system, and the state pays the remaining 60 percent. 

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/30/604111/romney-individual-mandate-israel/

Well, isn't that special? Maybe he SHOULD have kept those meetings private. Then the rest of the US wouldn't see what a phony

he is, in case they haven't seen it already.

Of course, there is the Olympics Opening Ceremony in London:
http://www.examiner.com/article/british-celebrate-their-health-care-system-london-olympics-opening-ceremony

The rest of the world makes head way...and we are still banging our heads against the wall.

"The tax man cometh to police you on health care"

           or so says the headline on the Dayton Daily News story.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/nation-world-news/the-tax-man-cometh-to-police-you-on-health-care-1401679.html

"That scenario puts the Internal Revenue Service at the center of the debate, renewing questions about whether the agency is capable of policing the health care decisions of millions of people in the United States while also collecting the taxes needed to run the federal government."

The big bad government is going to tell you how to deal with your own health. DEATH PANELS. And of course, TAXES. Seems like the old "repeal and replace" isn't polling very well as the people seem to LIKE the individual components, even if they say they don't like Obamacare. So, now they will try a different tack.

"In 2010, House Ways and Means Committee Republicans issued a report saying the IRS may need as many as 16,500 additional auditors, agents and other employees "to investigate and collect billions in new taxes from Americans."

An IRS spokesman has already said that the Right Wing has pulled that number out of thin air. They have also conveniently not mentioned that those TAXES or PENALTIES as Romney called them in his legislation (or he did at least one time...) only apply to those who don't want to buy insurance, or hope to sponge off the rest of us: less than 2 per cent of the population total. This is something the ACA is trying to alleviate. No more "I'll wait till I need it, then get it" so that everybody is not in the same pool of participants. You pay your current insurance premiums every month whether you USE it or not that month. Same thing in this policy.

"The agency's repeated lack of transparency to Congress and its failure to provide accountability to the American taxpayers raises fundamental concerns about implementation authorities vested to the IRS," the top four Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee wrote in a June 27 letter to the IRS commissioner.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Let me just say: Koch Brothers. ALEC. Karl Rove. Crossroads GPS. Billions of dollars of secretly funded money for 2012 elections. Citizens United. Transparency?????

"The giant insurer Aetna directed more than $3 million last year to the American Action Network, a Republican-leaning nonprofit organization that has spent millions of dollars attacking lawmakers who voted for President Obama’s health care bill — even as Aetna’s president publicly voiced support for the legislation."

And if all else fails. resort to this: 

Paul LePage, Maine Governor, Blasts Obamacare, Calls IRS 'The New Gestapo'

Update: I'm Not Alone

I was beginning to think I was living in my own alternative reality, that I was looking at things differently than most intelligent people. But alas, I found I'm not alone. Today I read this:


Paul Krugman         NY Times Opinion Pages

The Mighty Wurlitzer in Acton

Read the comments on today’s column and you’ll find many, many references to the alleged fact that the estimated cost of the ACA has risen by a trillion dollars — which happens to be a complete lie.

The remarkable thing is how quickly the lie has become part of what everyone on the right knows. And even if some of the people citing this “fact” could somehow be convinced that it wasn’t so, they’d brush it off, because there’s such a pattern of liberal duplicity, demonstrated by lots of other supposed facts — all of which are also lies.

This is the reality of modern American politics: a large and cohesive bloc of voters lives in an alternative reality, fed fake facts by Fox and Rush — whom they listen to out of tribal affiliation — and completely unaware that it’s all fiction.

It’s also, by the way, why attempts at outreach by Obama will fail. Even if he gives the GOP 95 percent of what it wants, these voters will never hear about it; they will still know, just know, that he’s a radical bent on destroying America.

The problem remains: how do we combat this perception? Are we doomed to be overwhelmed by the radicals on the Right and their well organized (and funded) propaganda machine? Have people lost all common sense? Or are we too far down the rabbit hole these days to pull ourselves out?