I think all of us — liberal, conservative and otherwise — can unite in saying “No Fucking Way“:
Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said.
The talks — which involve Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker John
A labor union representing roofers is reversing course and calling for repeal of the federal health law, citing concerns the law will raise its cost for insuring members.
Organized labor was instrumental in getting the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, but more recently has voiced concerns that the law could lead members to lose their existing health plans. The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers is believed to be
One of the problems that I encounter in the debate over healthcare reform is that a lot of people simply do not understand what insurance is. Insurance is not a magical money tree that gives you free stuff. It is a way of spreading out risk. It has a secondary function in aggregating purchasing power so that insurance can negotiate prices. But, in the end, insurance will always cost the average person more than paying … Read more
Doh!
College students will soon wake up to the fact that they have been had. While they were overwhelmingly supportive of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or “ObamaCare”) when their charismatic President was championing it, they will not be pleased when they find out that there is a huge price they will have to pay. ObamaCare will be anything but affordable.
Apparently, New Jersey is the only state in the nation
Reason has a great video about a free market healthcare system in Oklahoma. It is definitely worth six minutes of your time. By going outside the traditional insurance model, they have cut healthcare prices to a fraction of what they usually are.
A few things to clarify. This obviously wouldn’t work for people without jobs or cash to pay for these services (although it would be cheaper than Medicaid). And some of the most expensive … Read more
I am Hal’s complete lack of surprise:
By the end of this week, states must decide whether they will build a health-insurance exchange or leave the task to the federal government. The question is, with as many as 17 states expected to leave it to the feds, can the Obama administration handle the workload.
“These are systems that typically take two or three years to build,” says Kevin Walsh, managing director of insurance exchange
The Congressional Budget Office has just released new estimates of the number of people who will be subject to the individual mandate penalty tax for failing to obtain qualifying health insurance in 2016. According to CBO’s new analysis, the penalty tax will be paid by six million people. The penalty tax will generate an estimated $7 billion for the U.S. treasury and 80 percent of those paying the penalty tax will earn less
Remember when all those crazy Right Wing bloggers were complaining that Obamacare would lead to price caps and healthcare rationing? Ha ha ha. We were all so … oh. Turns out a bunch of the Obamacare architects are working on the next step.
The most far-reaching proposal is to have states, with the encouragement of federal grants, put in place a mechanism to set overall health-cost caps, covering both public and private spending.
Massachusetts,
“It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” – Chief Justice Roberts
Yesterday was one of the most important days in American political history. Over a million people tuned into SCOTUSblog to find out what was happening. I read more and posted more in comments sections and on Twitter than I ever have.
Let’s be clear: I think Obamacare is a bad bill. What few cost controls … Read more
