Big Problems Continue for Obamacare

Big troubles continue with the implementation of Obamacare.

The supporters of the President's health care law like to call it the Affordable Care Act—which is not its official name—but there are indications it may greatly increase the cost of health insurance for many people.

The Washington Post reported that "premiums for plans sold to individuals could rise as much as 50 percent on average and could more than double for particular groups such as the young and healthy."

The article noted that the skyrocking rate increases would not affect plans by large employers but would hit hard those sold to small businesses and individuals.

This hyper-increase in the cost of health insurance will intersect with Obamacare's requirement that each person purchase health insurance. However, the federal penalty for not having insurance may end up costing less than the high cost of a policy.

Another article in the Washington Post stated:

Tens of thousands of Americans who can't get health insurance due to pre-existing medical problems will be blocked from a program designed to help them because funding for the measure is running low…

From the start, analysts questioned whether the $5 billion that Congress appropriated for the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan — as the program is called — was sufficient.

Gary Cohen (pictured), Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said, "What we've really learned through the course of this program is that this is really not a sensible way for the health-care system to be run."

Politico reported, "In the Obamacare era, there are two Americas."  Exactly half the states have refused to set up the health insurance exchanges, which are "the core requirements of the law."

The article states:

Republicans who voted against the law and still clamor to repeal Obamacare believe the feds are heading for a nationwide failure…

For the administration, it's a dangerous endeavor: the text of President Barack Obama's health law didn't envision widespread abdication by the states. There's not much of a playbook for federal health officials to follow. And if it goes horribly awry, not only will the Obama administration be blamed, the entire health care law could be in trouble…

But GOP governors didn't buy in to what they saw as a massive federal overreach into the health care system. When they couldn't repeal the law or get it thrown out in court, many decided to sit on their hands and say to Obama: "You want it? You build it."

These severe problems are just the latest in a long line of troubles with Obamacare. Recent issues of this newsletter have documented how the law is increasing other insurance costs and causing unemployment.

The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) in Obamacare will, according to former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt (MO), "have devastating consequences for the seniors and disabled Americans."  HR 351, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act by Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and 123 cosponsors, has been introduced in the House to repeal IPAB.

Obamacare regulations attack religious beliefs by requiring health policies to cover contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients—even for secular pro-life and charitable organizations, as well as non-religious private schools and individual policies.

And the tax on medical devices in Obamacare has already caused serious unemployment in that industry. As a result, bills have been introduced in Congress to repeal this tax:  HR 523, by Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and 187 cosponsors, and S 232, by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and 28 cosponsors.

The previous issue of What's Happening with Seniors Benefits: Bills to repeal Obamacare tax introduced in House and Senate

The previous issue What's Happening with Conservatives and the Tea Party: Obama, Rubio, and Paul
 
Previous issues of both newsletters.

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