Friday, August 14, 2015

Slate shocked, shocked that ObamaCare didn’t fix cost curve
...Er … no, not really. The lunatic fringe that discuss FEMA camps aren’t using ObamaCare for that argument, and even if they were, they’d be no more germane to ObamaCare criticism than Illuminati paranoids discussing monetary policy. It’s a cheap way to throw a sop to Slate’s audience, a wink and a nudge that says I’m one of you! before explaining the results of the ACA — among which actually included the loss of preferred providers despite Barack Obama’s promises....

ObamaCare: Still failing after all these years
...Insurance plans sold on government-run Obamacare exchanges on average have 34 percent fewer hospitals and doctors—including specialists—in their provider networks than health policies sold outside those exchanges or offered by employers, a new analysis finds....

...At the same time, deductibles have also skyrocketed, leaving people with higher monthly payments and even less ability to access the insurance that those premiums provide. Slate’s Helaine Olen heaps scorn on Obamacare opponents and fails to admit that their predictions of spiraling costs have come true, but she does admit that the system does not work at controlling costs – the most significant reason to have government overhaul the health-insurance system in the first place....

...Provider networks have narrowed considerably, making access even more difficult than before. Emergency room visits for routine care have actually increased. The bureaucracy that runs all of this cannot fix its fraud problem, not even after having it specifically pointed out to them by the GAO and given a year to resolve. ...

Everybody Has To Pay This New Obamacare Tax
All Americans who bought health insurance policies this year – not just those enrolled in Obamacare – face a 41 percent increase in excise taxes because of hidden fees contained in an obscure section of the Affordable Care Act, according to an investigation by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Virtually everyone who pays for health care insurance this year will be affected by the tax. The little-known tax was imposed on all consumers regardless of whether they obtained their insurance through Obamacare or through their employer or as individuals in the private market.

This year the tax will cost individuals more than $500 in extra premiums according to one actuarial estimate. Families who purchased insurance will see their premiums go up by more than $700....