Another Obamacare delay...
By Thom Hartmann A...
Yet another key provision of Obamacare meant to protect consumers is being delayed - the Obama Administration is holding off on instituting out-of-pocket expense limits. That provision would have put a cap on the total amount an insurance company can charge individuals or families for deductibles, co-pays, and prescriptions. The healthcare law was supposed to restrict out-of-pocket expenses to about 6,000 dollars for an individual, and 12,000 for a family, but administration officials have delayed that requirement, and will allow insurance companies to set their own limits.
The U.S. Labor Department website listed the change since February, but we're just now finding out about it. A White House official defended that decision to the New York Times, saying, “We had to balance the interests of consumers with the concerns of health plan sponsors and carriers, which told us that their computer systems were not set up to aggregate all of a person's out-of pocket costs.” However, critics of the delay argue that most, if not all, insurance companies already set out-of-pocket limits, and this change is simply another give-away to the for-profit health care industry. And, many people expect that Republicans will use this additional delay to attack and discredit the president's healthcare law.
Patient advocacy groups, like the Multiple Sclerosis Society, are furious about how this latest delay will effect individuals who require expensive medical care. Theodore Thompson, of the MS Society, said, “The promise of out-of-pocket limits was one of the main reasons we supported health reform.” It's unclear whether these groups will pull their support for Obamacare because these limits will not be in place.
Already, there have been many mixed reviews about other provisions in the healthcare law being delayed, like the employer mandate. It's unlikely that most Americans will be happy about the news that private, for-profit insurance companies will get away with pushing even more healthcare costs on to patients.
Comments
#2
Quote hartmann: The healthcare law was supposed to restrict out-of-pocket expenses to about 6,000 dollars for an individual, and 12,000 for a family.
And that is PER YEAR! That would be most likely a deductible which would mean that you'd have to pay those amounts before insurance would kick in. Until you spend those amounts (and that would not include the premiums you'd have to pay), it would be like you had no insurance. The only way it would be good would be if someone had a very bad illness or accident but most people won't...they'll just get socked for high premiums and high out of pocket costs...even if your are healthy and never get sick. You could easily double those yearly costs (premiums plus out of pocket--$12,000-$24,000). And if they are able to squeak out of "limits", they will also squeak out of actually paying for medical costs after the deductibles, like they do now, for things some profit-driven board determines was not insurable. You'll have to fight them tooth and nail...like now..to get them to cover it. The only thing Obamacare really manages to do is force everyone to pay insurance companies what they want.
Those "out-of-pocket" limits, aren't much different than insurance without Obamacare. When we are all forced to shell out to the insurance companies under Obamacare, the insurance companies will raise their rates even more. Now, since it has been revealed that limits won't be put on insurance companies the insurance companies will charge what they want.
We may as well forget about even calling it Obamacare because it is really a Republican/Insurance company scam. See how they are? They start off convincing many people that this is a good thing...while they are avoiding complete truthfulness about it..and then they slowly leak out the real truth about it.
They make it law, without being entirely truthful, get it deeply embedded in our psyche that this is what will be and that it will benefit us, and then they sneak bits of bad things toward the end when it gets "too big to fail". Many people are going to start to realize that the so-called fines for not participating will be a lot less than even the costs of the insurance premiums...even the cheapest ones where the deductibles and co-pays are the most expensive. Add the cost of the premiums and then the out-of-pocket expenses before the insurance kicks in and that is really pretty big money for a lot of people.
We need single payer healthcare, not some scam forced on us by the insurance companies and their lap-dog politicians. Even if we had an option of getting healthcare from a government healthcare program...one that would compete with the private insurance companies..it would give us an option and not strong-arm us into emptying our bank accounts into the criminal insurance companies pockets. Once this kicks in, there will not be just billionaire healthcare CEOs...they'll be raking in trillions.
#3
“We had to balance the interests of consumers with the concerns of health plan sponsors and carriers, which told us that their computer systems were not set up to aggregate all of a person's out-of pocket costs.”
There is positive proof that the White House official who said that to the NY Times lied as blatantly as anyone ever has lied, unless the official didn't bother to check the validity of sources and claims made by the insurance companies.
Anyone on Medicare who also uses a Medicare Advantage Plan knows that such plans have *computerized aggregation* of out-of-pocket expenses. I have had a Humana plan since my disability in 2008 that shows the cap on my out-of-pocket as well as what I've paid out-of-pocket to date within the year.
It's easy enough for an insurance company to aggregate these costs by assigning the project to their software engineers since they already have that capability if they provide a Medicare Advantage Plan.
How dumb do they think we are, anyway? Even a brain-damaged three-time stroke survivor like me isn't fooled.
#4
They don't care how dumb we are. They care how dumb the WH official is. Remember per George Stanza(sp?), it is not a lie if you believe it.
#5
This ACA has become really ridiculous.
It is better for HHS to announce that they will put a PUBLIC OPTION on the Exchanges .SO ACA really become AFFORDABLE
.The private insurance companies will go for PROFIT
SO GIVE an ULTIMATUM to them . NO MORE DELAYS and if the PRices do not come down' HHS will put a Public Option
This is ridiculous.
#6
I am so disappointed in all of this. I see so much hatred for the poor too in commentaries online, and if you can't afford medical care people say they do not want to pay taxes to help anyone. Not only the poor, but middle-class people who just can't afford expensive medical care anymore. And the elderly who don't have enough money. It is all just so disappointing.
#7
Once again, Obama the Orator shape-shifts into Barack the Betrayer. Once more the greatest deceiver in U.S. political history reveals the Ayn Rand malevolence he so cunningly hid behind the reassurance of his Afro-Democrat facade. Once again we are victimized by a lying tyrant who never intended anything but obedient service to his capitalist masters yet dared disguise his premeditated tyranny as "change we can believe in." When O when will we awaken?
#8
Quote Palindromedary:Those "out-of-pocket" limits, aren't much different than insurance without Obamacare. When we are all forced to shell out to the insurance companies under Obamacare, the insurance companies will raise their rates even more. Now, since it has been revealed that limits won't be put on insurance companies the insurance companies will charge what they want.
Palindromedary ~ I wish to share a personal story with you and others about Obamacare. This story is about three coworkers of mine who have been touched by illness since our company had to switch over to an Obamacare approved company plan earlier this year. We now have a $5,000/year deductible. Two coworkers were diagnosed with early cancers. Before their treatments BEGAN they maxed out their deductibles. The insurance has been covering the illness ever since; but, they are now in debt. Both are desperately trying to get all the treatments they can before the end of the year when they will have to pay out of pocket again. The other coworker had a mild case of tonsillitis. A really bad sore throat! No surgery; but, he had to go to emergency and get a saline solution drip and a couple of pills. Something that in Mexico or Canada would have been completely covered by the national heath care plan with no copay. Something that with our old pre-Obamacare insurance would have come with a $100.00 co-pay. With Obama care, that one hour in emergency maxed out his $5,000.00 deductible. Now he is hoping to qualify for a Tonsillectomy before January 31st in order to get his moneys worth and avoid having to get hit again next year. Meanwhile, he and others are looking for a second job just to pay this ridiculous deductible.
Obamacare is a windfall for the health care insurance industry. "Obama the Orator who became Barack the Betrayer" sounds about right to me! Thanks Loren Bliss!
WHERE IS THE SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE THIS MAN PROMISED THAT I VOTED FOR!!!!
PRESIDENT OBAMA IS A LIAR!!!
#9
We need to demand Single-Payer. With Single-Payer the Government can negotiate and monitor health care costs. Only this way can we grasp the reins of runaway medical expenses. Without Single-Payer we are defenseless against both the ravages of the medical care industry and the health care insurance industry. We need to demand that Government does it's job!
DEMAND SINGLE-PAYER NOW!!!!
#10
Obama isn't turning on you Libs he Is finally understanding the true cost of what he is doing And it is scaring the hell out of him. DAnne a $5,000 deductible. As a Canadian I can tell you that is nothing every working Canadian pays way more than that in extra taxes every year to fund FREE health care. As the true cost of Obama care comes out, you will see. Your take home pay will drop to nothing. Start saving now well you can.
#11
Yes, single payer is the only answer because the profit motive is the wrong choice for healthcare.the profit motive has caused every problem we face in healthcare. I believe Edwards and the Senate and probably Bernie Sanders want single pair but today's Democrats might as well be Republicans in my humble opinion. so it seems to me voting for a Democrat gets Us a moderate Republican who will do things like Obama care / Romneycare and I believe with the same thing that Hillary was trying to do when Clinton was president.. from now on I am voting green unless a Democrat actually votes like a Democrat on his voting record.
#12
I wonder if Romneycare was subjected to all these procrastinations during it's implementation as the Massachuscetts health insurance law? I question the Obama Administrations motives here. I smell graft, money, secret deals for relatives, family members, etc...... or in other words, business as usual going on in Washington.
Unearned easy money capitalism at our expense needs to end. We can no longer afford to pay insurance CEO's multi millions.
We shouldn't even be having this discussion, healthcare, energy, and education, should all be not for profit and under the control of the general public. Most of the rest of the world already has it right on the healthcare part.
#13
DAnneMarc...very scary! Thanks for those real life stories...We'd better all hope we don't get sick...or just die. Since the ruling elite are really not giving us much choice...some may rather just die in the streets, on their feet, rather than on their knees in emergency rooms.
#14
Quote Loren Bliss:Once again, Obama the Orator shape-shifts into Barack the Betrayer.Oh, well said, indeed!
#15
I'll never forget my father's last words before the ambulance drove him away last year, "How much will this cost me?"
Really!! Is that really a concern that we want to be our last thought in this life time?
#16
That is what I hate about the American system. "how much is it going to cost" should be the last thing on your mind At a time like that. There is a perfect system somewhere in between both of ours I believe. I am really hoping that by last words you just mean before the ambulance ride and not, "last words" .
#17
Kend ~ Those were his last lucrative words. I wasn't even able to hear them. His neighbors heard them and told them to me. He told the ambulance driver's and attending physicians that he didn't have any children in hopes that he wouldn't burden me. When I returned from abroad and couldn't find him I searched his house. I found the back door broken down and him missing. I immediately called the police thinking he was kidnapped. They suggested I question the neighbors. Of course, I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. The neighbors told me they found him collapsed inside the house. He called out to their son when he heard him return from work for help. They called an ambulance who's drivers broke down the back door. Those were his last words to the neighbors and ambulance drivers. When I found him he was in a convalescence home where he spent the last three weeks of his life. He was in a conversational state but had nothing to say to me or anyone else. I learned after his death that he was suffering from a heart condition and didn't want to burden me with it. I never knew he was suffering from anything more than a fall until his death. The reason for that was because he didn't want anyone to know he had children so that they might be burdened with the cost of his death. My father worked his entire life until he was 80 years old. He served in WWII and got a honorable discharge. My father worked his entire life until he was 80 years old. He served in WWII and got a honorable discharge. He had full Medicare and AARP supplemental Insurance and was eligible for Veteran"s benefits as well. My father was a Bull Moose of a man. I know of no one who was tougher in life or in death. He will always be my hero.
No one should ever have to die like that!! Especially someone like my father!!
#18
Sorry buddy. "No one should ever die like that" my dad was killed in a car accident Almost 30 years ago now. Sounds like we had the same great dads. They are probaly throwing back a cold one talking about us right now.
#19
Yes, single payer is the only answer because the profit motive is the wrong choice for healthcare.the profit motive has caused every problem we face in healthcare. I believe Edwards, kuchinich, and probably Bernie Sanders want single pair but today's Democrats might as well be Republicans in my humble opinion. so it seems to me voting for a Democrat gets Us a moderate Republican who will do things like Obama care / Romneycare and I believe with the same thing that Hillary was trying to do when Clinton was president.. from now on I am voting green unless a Democrat actually votes like a Democrat on his voting record.
#20
Trash OB-Care and just do Medicare for all. We spend 18% of GDP on health care and the next highest spender is Switzerland at 11.5%.
The Swiss are smart.....we are just stupid or maybe dazed and confused!
#21
You got it!
He speaks like FDR and acts like Cheeeeeeeney!
#22
When did Obama care start in Texas? When we can not get medical help here,, we are told it is Obama care. This has been told to me for the last two years. I know Gov. Perry rejected it. Whats up with all that? Love your show. Send me a e-mail if you can answer this question Thom. Thanks..
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