OBAMACARE is a job killer! Repeal and Replace.

[Lazie]

Oh ... wait ...

The economy added 204,000 jobs last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

... I care not ... obamacare is a job killer ....

[Jangle]

Funny thing is big business have made and are making unprecedented profits since President Obama has been in power.

[Islandman]

It can't be a job killer if you can't even sign up for it!

Sad to say the rollout has been a disaster up to this point. Now it turns out Obama was talking nonsense when he told people that everybody will be able to keep the doctor they like. His credibility is sinking like a ton of bricks.

Them running out of time. Let us hope they can having something that is functional by the end of the year.

[Jangle]

The overwhelming benefits of the program will let everybody forget the initial problems of the rollout. History will remember him favourably.

[Islandman]

That is assuming it gets that far. If they have to delay the mandate another year anything can happen. Democrats already getting nervous about having to defend it going into the 2014 Congressional election.

Quite frankly, if the Republicans had just waited until the rollout disaster and then launched their attack, their chances for success would have been much greater. Obama should send Ted Cruz a Thank You card.

[Karl]

I suggest we wait a while longer as I expect more shall be heard on those stories of Health Care Insurances losses.

It appears to me that those "hard luck", "tear jerker stories" need "checking out". There is a saying, if it appears to be too good to be true, it is. The stories appear too good for the Republicans.

There has been no reproduction of the "letter" received from named corroborating insurance company...

...and no questions asked of such companies on those customers offered renewals, i.e. new year's/period's coverage and the companies associated activities relevant to these great Republican gifts.

...there are also many tales of the so-called cancellations and terminations as being false claims. In many, many cases it is merely about last year's/period's policy having expired and new policies being offered. ...and in all cases were policies were offered the consumer can decide to refuse the offered and seek policies offering better/more effective coverage at comparable prices - lower and in some cases higher prices - than that which had been offered the previous year.

There is, as far as I have heard, never a rolling out of a comparison based on what the past policy offered and comparable policy in the current market-place (entire market-place i.e. offered through the ObamaCare Exchanges - Federal or State Exchanges - or the wider private market).

That Obama apology I find as worded difficult to decide if it is another of Obama's "go right ahead, Governor" stance or a true admission of persons, solely as a result of ObamaCare, being unable to replace their 'old plan' with comparable 'new plans' (currently on the market).

The talking heads 'love affair' with the woes of the web site is a nonsense issue...as either this current web will be fixed - i.e. most of what is there 'modified' to work or a complete rebuilding done. A web site shall be up and running. ...the captive market shall still be there and already there are many stories of great benefits being derived by not just the 5% who were as practical matter 'locked out' of the Health Care Insurance market...but by all who previously had Health Care Insurance - Work subsidized or completely employer paid, recipients of Medicare, recipients of Medicaid...or personal purchased individual Insurance.

As fact many who are benefiting from the ACA vote Republican and it not what this President does on Health Insurance that is true reason why they vote Republican. These shall 'bad mouth'...not just the president but Democrats and vote Republican. Millions - approximately 40% of the voters.

Based on polling associated with the recent elections, there has been no proof that voters claiming ObamaCare as a concern voted other than they would have if there was no ObamaCare around.

Give ObamaCare 3 to 5 years up and running before making up your mind on possible success of ObamaCare. ...and even if the Republicans regain House, Senate and White House do not expect them to dump the Law...rather expect a 'name change' and much crowing on how they implemented a great new Health coverage for the 5%. Hey it is, as Peter Tosh claimed 'back in the days', politriks'!

[Karl]

Obamacare and you: Health care act's impact on 2015 insurance rates hard to predict

By Steve Jordon / World-Herald staff writer

Rates for individual health insurance for thousands of Nebraskans in 2014 are based partly on factors that are uncertain because of changes required by the Affordable Care Act, Nebraska Insurance Director Bruce Ramge said Thursday.
Those uncertainties likely will continue for another year, he said. The state's review of proposed individual policies in 2015 will start in February or March, only a few months after the 2014 policies take effect.

Ramge said it's unclear whether the uncertainty will mean higher or lower rates in 2015 than 2014, but several factors could push rates up. Policies can no longer exclude people with histories of high claims, for example, or set lifetime or annual limits on claims. Many of the new policies carry higher deductibles and out-of-pocket limits than old policies.

On the other hand, many of the people who will buy the new policies already have insurance, and companies know their claims histories — information that helps companies set accurate premiums.

But the main driver of insurance rates will continue to be medical costs, Ramge said.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, which accounts for about half of the Nebraskans who have health insurance, sent about 45,000 letters telling policyholders that their individual coverage will end Dec. 31.

The letters offered to replace the customer's coverage automatically with any of 14 new policies that start Jan. 1 and comply with the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Blue Cross spokesman Andy Williams said the letters were similar to renewal notices Blue Cross sends every year to its individual policyholders.

This year, the letters told the policyholders that if they did nothing, Blue Cross would automatically shift them to a different policy that complies with Obamacare standards, or they could choose one of the other new policies. In some cases, premiums and benefits were about the same, in some they were more and in some they were “a little less,” Williams said. He said he couldn't provide a breakdown of how many were in each category.

The pace of renewals this year may be slightly slower than usual because more people may be shopping for other policies or trying to navigate the federal HealthCare.gov website, Williams said.

About half the people receiving the letters may be eligible for federal tax credits that would reduce their monthly premiums, he estimated.

Large insured and self-insured group plans, which include most of the Blue Cross clients in Nebraska, won't have to change terms for 2014 or later under the Affordable Care Act, and don't have to include the same health benefits as the individual plans.

The State Insurance Department reviews health insurance plans every year to make sure that companies offer proper policies and charge enough that they will be able to pay claims.

Ramge, the state insurance commissioner, said the department's actuaries reviewed the policies that insurance companies filed for 2014, including monthly premiums and other features. The review process was complex enough that the department hired an outside actuary, from the Lewis & Ellis firm in Richardson, Texas, for advice.

Ramge said the new policies reflect the insurance companies' estimates of how many and what type of health treatments people will seek in 2013 and the cost of those treatments.

Monthly premiums for the new individual health insurance policies in Nebraska are roughly in the middle compared with other states, he said.

In the past, companies could set premiums according to a person's health status and a wide range of other factors, a process known as underwriting.

For example, young women of child-bearing age usually paid higher rates because of the risk of maternity claims.

The Affordable Care Act limits those factors to age, place of residence and smoking status.

The law also limits the range of premiums. In the past, the highest rate could be seven times the lowest rate. Now that range is limited to three times, which means people at the high end may pay less than they used to and people at the low end may pay more.

If a company's premiums are too high, it won't attract customers. Too low, and it won't have enough to cover claims.

Actuaries made their best estimates in setting premiums for the new policies, Ramge said.

“It's not a wild guess,” he said. “There's a science behind it, but not as much as before.”

http://www.omaha.com/article/2013110...131108844/1697

[Islandman]

I don't disagree with much of what you say here Karl. If Obamacare is allowed to survive as originally designed, I think it will be a positive program.However we are in the real world, the public is already skeptical and the clock is ticking.

My frustration with the rollout is that after fighting all these fights for 3 years and reaching a point where the Republicans were just about defeated on this issue, they have been given ammunition to reload and fight again.

Yes the website and the call centers will be fixed eventually but it is unacceptable for them to be as dysfunctional as they are given the amount of money that has been spent. It legitimately calls into question whether the program is ready for prime time.

I too suspect that many of these "cancelled" insurance policy claims are real, they few stories I have seen have been questionable. But again, when the president says over and over again "you can keep your doctor if you want" and it turns out not to be so, the question that remains is "how many more surprises are there when this gets rolled out".

They screwed up big time. No getting away from it.

[Karl]

I don't disagree with much of what you say here Karl. If Obamacare is allowed to survive as originally designed, I think it will be a positive program.However we are in the real world, the public is already skeptical and the clock is ticking.

"The Public"?

Be wary of the 'talking heads' or politicians and interest groups with bias against any product, service or activity claims of "the public".

Invariable it is about having you think "the majority"....and they often hope we process 'the public' as all persons or vast majority of persons.

Hey the democrats claim ObamaCare has been litigated and the voters=the public spoke. There is no way of determining even as we pore over 'exit polls' that the vast majority of voters voted for ObamaCare.

Republicans and Democrats make their competing claims and each side hopes we 'buy-in' to their Anancy Story.

The plus the Democrats have is, they hope to fulfill a need - provision of health insurance coverage for 30+ - 40+ million persons who for various reasons had no access to heath insurance coverage.

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It is a public relations disaster. The average person (vast majority of persons) going on with their lives will make no time to think seriously on each relentless assault by some 'talking heads'. In any case, conflicting information on a product one is thinking of buying causes pause...or worse a shying away from purchase. They screwed up big time. No getting away from it.

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However some basic facts remain:
1. There is tremendous demand for ObamaCare Health Insurance. The market for Obamacare is at least 30 million plus.

2. There are approximately 250 million who have Health Insurance Coverage and the only thing ObamaCare does for them is ensure improved quality of coverage they now receive.

Incidentally that approximately 250 million when put against the approximately 30+ through 40+ million, one would think, could be better termed 'the public'.

Are the 250 million - minus those who have their decisions made for them e.g. infants and older children through to some under 25s - at this early stage of ObamaCare, unwilling to or vehemently opposed to implementation of The Law and delivery of health insurance services to those 30+ millions?

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I think the promised November numbers on those approved for and shall receive ObamaCare coverage come January 1 shall be impressive. I think it will include hundred of thousands new on Medicaid...and small amounts on other of the ObamaCare Exchange offerings, making for impressive new numbers of persons having health insurance coverage as a result of ObamaCare.

Expect those opposed to be well pleased that the numbers who signed up via the Exchanges are small. They shall shout to the 'high heavens' that it proves ObamaCare is rejected by 'the public' and in any case unwanted...a waste.

There shall be no joy in the lot of the hundred of thousands having health insurance for the first time at last. There shall be no effort to "get it right". They shall continue the onslaught.

NB: Interesting the Republicans are now floating a new set of talking points that include "the web site will be fixed". - see: last Fox Sunday with Chris Wallace - 10 Nov. 2013.

Aside: The GOP is taking a big gamble that the ObamaCare web site will continue to be a source of frustration and that that frustration shall cause a large enough pool of Democratic and Independent voters to join die-hard Republicans at the polls in 2014 and 2016 to win the House, Senate and the White House.

They have gone out on a limb.
I think they are swimming against the tide -
i) A product such as ObamaCare is needed.

ii) Most people gravitate to stretching a helping hand out to the less fortunate.

iii)The vast majority of citizens who previous to ObamaCare
had health insurance are already being affected by ObamaCare ...for the 'good'.

iv) The majority of those currently having no health insurance coverage or access to same will by then have new affordable health insurance or at the very least access to same.

Just do not see Democrats and Independents in that majority voting against ObamaCare...their own self-interest.

v) Those cancellation stories shall boomerang.

The numbers when stacked against percentage of the population who are unaffected by ObamaCare save reaping benefits - [i.e. the 250 million (approx.) who source their health care insurance outside of ObamaCare] -
and the number of ObamaCare newly insured - (Medicaid recipients and ObamaCare Exchanges signees) - shall be small.

*The President said that if you have found yourself in a situations where you could not find coverage similar to that which you had then that situation shall be fixed.

What does the President's new promise mean?
Those claiming cancellations will be provided even greater alternatives to replacement 'Affordable Health Insurance'?

If so, this would be another blow to the GOP...as that talking point would disappear.