COVID-19 & Healthcare

Sen. Jeff Flake issues a ransom note in the The Arizona Republic(an)

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

A new New York Times/CBS News poll today finds that:

* Eighty percent of Americans, including 83 percent of independents and 75 percent of Republicans, say threatening a government shutdown is not an acceptable way to negotiate.

* Americans say overwhelmingly that Republicans are not trying to work with Obama by 70-23. By contrast, 51 percent say Obama is trying to work with Republicans.

Which is to say that the Tea-Publican economic terrorism act of taking America hostage to extort concessions from the Democrats to defund "ObamaCare" and to give them a grab bag of their wish list items in exchange for not destroying the American economy is opposed by 80 percent of Americans, who don’t see this as a fundamentally acceptable way of governing.

And yet . . . this morning Sen. Jeff Flake issued a ransom note to the American people in the The Arizona Republic(an). Delay 'Obamacare' to kill it:

[This] is why we have introduced legislation that would delay all
Obamacare provisions and taxes for one year. H.R. 2809 and S. 1490 seek
to postpone all provisions of the Affordable Care Act taking effect on
Jan. 1, 2014 or later by one year from the date of enactment.

Delaying Obamacare is a necessary step in our efforts to get this law
off the books and replace it with real health-care solutions that work
for American families and businesses. It builds on efforts already taken
by the House and Senate to delay both the individual and employer
mandates. In fairness to American taxpayers, the best thing we can do
right now is to implement a one-year delay so we can continue to chip
away at this disastrous law.

Countdown to the Health Insurance Marketplace

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

SixThe second most frequent question I receive about the Health Insurance Marketplace is when are we going to know the insurance rates in Arizona? The correct answer is October 1.

Late Tuesday, the government issued a report detailing premiums in
states whose insurance markets will be federally run starting Oct. 1, i.e., Arizona, with costs generally lower than prior estimates. The New York Times reports, Officials Offer First Detailed Look at Health Plan Costs:

The Obama administration on Tuesday provided the first detailed look at
premiums to be charged to consumers for health insurance in 36 states
where the federal government will run new insurance markets starting
next week, highlighting costs it said were generally lower than previous
estimates.

[According to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.]

* * *

The White House sought to focus attention on what it portrayed as the
financial advantages of the health insurance program, which is set to
start accepting customers on Oct. 1.

“I can tell you right now that in many states across the country, if
you’re, say, a 27-year-old young woman, don’t have health insurance, you
get on that exchange, you’re going to be able to purchase high-quality
health insurance for less than the cost of your cellphone bill,” Mr.
Obama said Tuesday, speaking at a health care forum in New York City
with former President Bill Clinton.

For a benchmark plan — the second-lowest-cost “silver plan,” covering 70
percent of projected medical costs for a typical consumer — the average
premium nationally will be $328 a month for individuals, the
administration said in a new report.

Armey; or, The Modern Prometheus

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By Tom Prezelski Re-posted from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion A few days back, we learned that James Spader will be playing the misanthropic robot Ultron in the next Avengers movie. To be honest, I do not know what to make of this. I love Spader, but I am not sure if even he can portray … Read more

Affordable Care Act Claims: PolitiFact Sorts Fact from Fiction

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

As the Republican Congressional circus continues, October 1– the federal budget deadline and the Affordable Care Act health exchange roll-out date– is fast approaching.

Teapublican Senatorial crusaders Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and others are spreading tons of misinformation about the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare).

To counter the misinformation, PolitiFact has provided this great list of facts– to counter the "pants-on-fire" lies.

1. The health care law rations care, like systems in Canada and Great Britain. False.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, July 2, 2012,  in an interview on Fox News

The health care law is not socialized medicine. Instead, it leaves in place the private health care system that follows free market principles. The law does put more regulations on health insurance companies. It also fines most large employers who fail to provide insurance for their employees, and it requires all individuals to have health insurance. This is unlike the systems in either Britain or Canada. In Britain, doctors are employees of the government, while in Canada, the government pays most medical bills as part of a single-payer system. The U.S. health care law has neither of those features. PolitiFact has rated this claim and others like it False.

Countdown to the Health Insurance Marketplace

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

7dayscal-profileiconI attended a stakeholders Health Inurance Marketplace training session today sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Cover Arizona Coalition.

The question I most often receive about the Marketplace is about how the tax credits and subsidies for health insurance will work. This is included in the application and enrollment process beginning on October 1. Your estimated income for 2014 will determine the amount of the tax credit and cost-sharing subsidy for which you will qualify.

The Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) will apply to reduce your premium payment. The subsidies will apply to reduce your cost-sharing part of coverage for copays, coinsurance, etc. For example, let's say you select a "Silver Plan" that has a premium of $2000 per month, and has a cost-sharing of 30 percent. In this example, your income level may qualify you for a tax credit that reduces your monthly premium to $1,500 per month and reduces your cost-sharing amount to 20 percent. These credits and subsidies are paid to the insurance provider through the billing process. You will not receive any payment from the government. It is my understanding that the cost-sharing subsidies only apply to the "Silver Plans."