York: Obamacare troubles a gift to 2016 GOP candidates (Pelosi knew)

Your Houston News ^ | 11/23/15 | Byron York

[Libloather]

There have been many articles in the last year with some variation of the headline "GOP Surrenders on Obamacare." The stories mostly concern a tendency among some Republican policy elites to adopt the Washington conventional wisdom that Obamacare cannot be repealed because it has already become deeply entrenched in American life.

Those Republicans might want to reconsider. A series of developments in recent days suggests the Affordable Care Act is in perilous condition and could become even more troubled in months to come.

**SNIP**

That's an enrollment rate of about 35 percent of those eligible for subsidies. Think about it: Only one in three people is signing up for Obamacare even if the government gives them money to help pay for it. It's a rate below what is necessary for Obamacare to survive in the long run.

[Libloather]

The Obama administration is encouraging consumers to shop for a new plan and switch if they can find a better deal. "Financial literacy is important," said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, as if everyone is financially literate.

Did the stupid people know that up front? Doubt it.

[Graybeard58]

Obamacare could have been a “gift” in 2012, except the republican candidate was the author of it.

[Libloather]

WSJ - The ISIS Threat in the U.S. (and other stuff)

The "Affordable Care Act reordered the legal framework to let a president impose price restrictions unilaterally," writes Scott Gottlieb . ObamaCare's Independent Payment Advisory Board "was designed to take decisions about how to reduce Medicare's spending out of any public debate. The board's appointed academicians have no statutory obligation to engage in the public notice and comment that is customary in regulation." Also, board decisions are "exempt from judicial review and appeal, and they take effect without Congress." And the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation "is similarly able to create new payment rules" to "target medical technology and procedures."

Speaking of ObamaCare, a Journal editorial on last week's sell-off in health insurance stocks explains that UnitedHealth Group's downgrade to its earnings forecast was "almost entirely driven by losses on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. UnitedHealth is the largest U.S. insurer by enrollment, and the company is warning it may withdraw from ObamaCare in 2017."

[jmaroneps37]

If can only be a “gift” in the right hands. No Republican except Trump will do a thing about it. Who is kidding whom here?

[SMARTY]

“Obamacare’ is sh#@ and anyone associated with it gets sh*& on himself/herself.

PERIOD

There is not a single iota of that ‘law’ which is good for the American people and NOT even good for the people for whom the pretense was made, that it would serve.

It has absolutely NOTHING to do with health care or health care delivery in the US and it’s time for Conservatives to articulate this at EVERY opportunity! NOW, CONSISTENTLY AND REPEATEDLY!!!

[pieceofthepuzzle]

When you have eggheads like Gruber involved, this was inevitable. When you mix marginally bright with markedly arrogant, you get the pseudo intellectuals that populate government, and those that government brings in as consultants.

Gruber's comments about the ACA then: "So what's different this time? Why are we closer than we've ever been before? Because there are no cost controls in these proposals. Because this bill's about coverage. Which is good! Why should we hold 48 million uninsured people hostage to the fact that we don't yet know how to control costs in a politically acceptable way? Let's get the people covered and then let's do cost control."

[tanknetter]

Jonathan Gruber even admitted that they were RELYING on the stupidity of people in order to get it passed.

[Qiviut]

Did the stupid people know that up front? Doubt it.

***************************************

No - most are allowing automatic re-enrollment to happen. From my (faulty) memory banks, the subsidies are based on a certain plan (next to lowest silver? or something like that) & the plan will change year to year as insurance companies rotate in/out, prices change, etc. IF you do not go in and shop every year, your share of the bill will most like go up & in some cases, significantly. Most people do not know this & most do not want to have to deal with the Ocare website, either.

[tanknetter]

Ironically enough, the current Obama Admin official charged with implementing Obamacare is a former UnitedHealthGroup senior executive.

[Liz]

Jonathan Gruber admitted that they were RELYING on the stupidity of people in order to get it passed. The stupidity started at the top....and trickled down. They were so stupid, they even left a paper trail. Read on.

As far back as 2008, at the presidential debate in Nashville, Democrat candidate Obama advanced his signature plan that was ultimately enacted (by an historic straight Democrat party-line vote) into the "Affordable Care Act:"

QUOTING OBAMA: "No. 1, let me just repeat, if youve got a health care plan that you like, you can keep it. All Im going to do is help you to lower the premiums on it. You’ll still have choice of doctor.”

Repeated over and over by every loyal Democrat---- conning Americans into believing they'd be saving $2500.00 on healthcare costs.

========================================================

LOCK-STEPPING DEMOCRATS WEIGH IN
PARTY LOYALTY NOT SEEN SINCE 1930-40's ERA EUROPE.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-Nev.): “In fact, one of our core principles is that if you like the health care you have, you can keep it.” (Sen. Reid, Congressional Record, S.8642, 8/3/09)

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN: “We believe — and we stand by this — if you like your current health insurance plan, you will be able to keep it, plain and simple, straightforward.” (Sen. Durbin, Congressional Record, S.6401, 6/10/09)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “If you like your insurance, you keep it.” (U.S. Senate, Finance Committee, Bill Mark-Up, 9/29/09)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-Wash.): “Again, if you like what you have, you will be able to keep it. Let me say this again: If you like what you have, when our legislation is passed and signed by the President, you will be able to keep it.” (Sen. Murray, Congressional Record, S.6400, 6/10/09)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-Mont.): “That is why one of the central promises of health care reform has been and is: If you like what you have, you can keep it. That is critically important. If a person has a plan, and he or she likes it, he or she can keep it.” (Sen. Baucus, Congressional Record, S.7676, 9/29/10)

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D-Iowa): “One of the things we put in the health care bill when we designed it was the protection for consumers to keep the plan they have if they like it; thus, the term ‘grandfathered plans.’ If you have a plan you like — existing policies — you can keep them. … we said, if you like a plan, you get to keep it, and you can grandfather it in.” (Sen. Harkin, Congressional Record, S.7675-6, 9/29/10)

THEN-REP. TAMMY BALDWIN (D-Wis.): “Under the bill, if you like the insurance you have now, you may keep it and it will improve.” (Rep. Baldwin, Press Release, 3/18/10)

SEN. MARK BEGICH (D-Alaska): “If you got a doctor now, you got a medical professional you want, you get to keep that. If you have an insurance program or a health care policy you want of ideas, make sure you keep it. That you can keep who you want.” (Sen. Begich, Townhall Event, 7/27/09)

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.): “We should begin with a basic principle: if you have coverage and you like it, you can keep it. If you have your doctor, and you like him or her, you should be able to keep them as well. We will not take that choice away from you.” (Sen. Bennet, Press Release, 6/11/09)

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-Calif.): “So we Democrats want people to be able to keep the health care they have. And the answer to that is choice of plans. And in the exchange, we’re going to have lots of different plans, and people will be able to keep the health care coverage they need and they want.” (Sen. Boxer, Press Release, 2/8/11)

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-Ohio): “Our Democrat bill says if you have health insurance and you like it, you can keep it…”(Sen. Brown, Congressional Record, S.12612, 12/7/09)

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.): “For the people of Maryland, this bill will provide a rational way in which they can maintain their existing coverage…” (Sen. Cardin, Congressional Record, S.13798, 12/23/09)

SEN. BOB CASEY (D-Pa.): “I also believe this Democrat legislation and the bill we are going to send to President Obama this fall will also have secure choices. If you like what you have, you like the plan you have, you can keep it. It is not going to change.” (Sen. Casey, Congressional Record, S.8070, 7/24/09)

SEN. KAY HAGAN (D-N.C.): ‘People who have insurance they’re happy with can keep it’ “We need to support the private insurance industry so that people who have insurance they’re happy with can keep it while also providing a backstop option for people without access to affordable coverage.” (“Republicans Vent As Other Compromise Plans Get Aired,” National Journal’s Congress Daily, 6/18/09)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-La.): “If you like the insurance that you have, you’ll be able to keep it.” (MSNBC’s Hardball, 12/16/09)

SEN. PAT LEAHY (D-Vt.): “[I]f you like the insurance you now have, keep the insurance you have.” (CNN’s “Newsroom,” 10/22/09)

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.): “If you like what you have, you get to keep it” “Menendez is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is expected to release a bill later this week. He stressed that consumers who are satisfied with their plans won’t have to change. ‘If you like what you have, you get to keep it,’ he said.” (“Health Care Plan Would Help N.J., Menendez Says,” The Record, 6/19/09)

SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-Oreg.): “[E]nsuring that those who like their insurance get to keep it” “The HELP Committee bill sets forward a historic Democrat plan that will, for the first time in American history, give every American access to affordable health coverage, reduce costs, and increase choice, while ensuring that those who like their insurance get to keep it.” (Sen. Merkley, Press Release, 7/15/09)

SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-Md.): “It means that if you like the insurance you have now, you can keep it.” (Sen. Mikulski, Press Release, 12/24/09)

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-W.Va.): “I want people to know, the President’s promise that if you like the coverage you have today you can keep it is a pledge we intend to keep.” (U.S. Senate, Finance Committee, Hearing, 9/23/09)

SEN. JACK REED (D-R.I.): “If you like the insurance you have, you can choose to keep it.” (Sen. Reed, Town Hall Event, 6/25/09)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.): “‘If you have coverage you like, you can keep it,’ says Sen. Sanders.” (“Sick And Wrong,” Rolling Stone, 4/5/10)

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.): ‘if you have health coverage that you like, you get to keep it’ “My understanding … is that … if you have health coverage that you like you can keep it. As I said, you may have missed my remarks at the beginning of the call, but one of the things I that I said as a requirement that I have for supporting a Democrat bill is that if you have health coverage that you like you should be able to keep that. …under every scenario that I’ve seen, if you have health coverage that you like, you get to keep it.” (Sen. Shaheen, “Health Care Questions From Across New Hampshire,” Accessed 11/13/13)

SEN. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-Mich.): “As someone who has a large number of large employers in my state, one of the things I appreciate about the Democrat chairman’s remark is — is the grandfathering provisions, the fact that the people in my state, 60 percent of whom have insurance, are going to be able to keep it. And Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that. That’s a strong commitment. It’s clear in the bill … I appreciate the strong commitment on your part and the president to make sure that if you have your insurance you can keep it. That’s the bottom line for me.” (U.S. Senate, Finance Committee, Bill Mark-Up, 9/24/09)

SEN. JON TESTER (D-Mont.): “‘If you like your coverage, you’ll be able to keep it,’ Tester said, adding that if Medicare changes, it will only become stronger”. (“Tester In Baker To Discuss Health Care,” The Fallon County Times, 11/20/09)

SEN. TOM UDALL (D-N.Mex.): “Some worried reform would alter their current coverage. It won’t. If you like your current plan, you can keep it.” (“What I Learned: About Health Care Reform This Summer, By Your Lawmakers In Congress,” Albuquerque Journal, 9/8/09)

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.): “..it honors President Obama’s programs and the promise of all of the Presidential candidates that if you like the plan you have, you get to keep it. You are not forced out of anything.” (Sen. Whitehouse, Congressional Record, S.8668, 8/3/09)

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) the 60th vote on Obamacare: "people who are happy with their current plan, wouldn't need to change it."
FRANKEN YOUTUBE SOUND BITE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCZmAYYNz8Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCZmAYYNz8I

[OldMissileer]

O’care was never intended to work and was the setup to bring in “Single Payer” Government run and funded healthcare. The republicans will either have no stomach to stop this or they want it to happen Many of them want the Government takeover of healthcare along with everything else in this country.

[Zenjitsuman]

There needs to be new stories like this every day until the elections.

Trump and Cruz both bring it up and have the guts to force Senator Turdle McConnell to do it.

[EVO X]

From what I’ve read, anywhere from ~66% to 80% are receiving the additional silver plan cost sharing subsidies. If they have chronic conditions, they would know to switch plans during open enrollment. They have an incentive to keep track of it. If your healthy, maybe not so much.

[LMAO]

You said...
“O’care was never intended to work and was the setup to bring in “Single Payer” Government run and funded healthcare”

I’ve never subscribed to this theory. I believe it was supposed to be a pathway to Socialized medicine, but it was never supposed to fail as spectacularly like it is. It was supposed to work just enough but need some “fixing” to get us to the Utopia. Now, people want no part of government running healthcare

[Qiviut]

Thanks - I haven’t kept up with this aspect of O’care, just read some stuff a good while back & they were talking about people being quite surprised when their bills for the next year would be higher because the ‘base plan’ had changed & subsidies were calculated on that. What a mess .... way too complicated.

[EVO X]

I am sure people still get burned on that issue, but the longer the law stays in effect the more people learn how to take advantage of the system. Just saw an article the other day about how people are taking advantage of the Special Enrollment Period if they get sick.

[OldMissileer]

I've never subscribed to this theory. I believe it was supposed to be a pathway to Socialized medicine, but it was never supposed to fail as spectacularly like it is. It was supposed to work just enough but need some "fixing" to get us to the Utopia. Now, people want no part of government running healthcare.

I sure hope you are correct. I pray that you are correct.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

Actually, Obamacare is working exactly and precisely the way it was intended to work. It is successfully ending private health coverage in this country and getting everyone signed up on government run programs. Which was its intention all along.