Let's hope the Democrats have learned they have some leverage. Despite comments to the contrary, giving a dam (hydro) to Kentucky in exchange for votes reminds me of the way LBJ used to get votes. At least it will benefit the community. Earmarks and pork seemed to get a lot more done than today's lobbyists, back in the day and everyone seemed to benefit with jobs, local economy growth, etc. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but hey, whatever works.

Mikeguru, thanks for your valuable input. Health insurance is nothing but a sleazy racket. The sooner it goes bye-bye, the better off we all will be! Living on the edge, one illness or accident away from total destitution, is hard on my sanity. It amazes me how complacent we are as a society, putting up with this. It is a form of terrorism. It is also government-sanctioned extortion. And it is abusive. We need to get rid of these thieving bastards before they destroy us all. - AIW

If we'd declare that we MUST stop global climate change and put the kind of money into it we have put into other major problems--Marshall Plan, moon shot--we could change the way we live right now. Car manufacturers could lower their mpg right now--the mpg in Europe is lower. We could built high-speed trains as they have in Europe and Japan. We could build millions of windmills (and figure out how not to kill birds). We could all lower our thermostats (or raise them in summer), drive less, NEVER idle a car for more than 1 minute, use cold water for washing, hang our clothes on the line, bike and walk more (would help our health too). We could throw serious research money into things that are already going on, like algae into gas, used cooking oil into gas--there are a lot of possible innovations but we need to THROW MONEY at them. We could do this within 10 years. That oil coming through those big pipelines isn't going to the U.S. -- it's going to the gulf to be shipped overseas. Meanwhile, we (taxpayers) will pick up the tab, and I doubt that wild areas and natural areas can ever be fully restored.

akunard ~ http://thehempsolution.blogspot.com/

Sad but true Our NOT liberal - too accomodating President gives too much for too little . Its called bribery and blackmail I'd like to see Grayson / Warren 2016 We need an A$$ kicker in White House . And I voted and made calls for Obama twice. I do appreciate the horrid conditions he's had to work under ..devious funded by billionaires Tea baggers - GOP congress- Boehner Cantor De Mint and GOP vow to make Obama fail. Its a disgrace .

Let them frak in the National Forest...maybe our congressmen will get sick from it and finally decide to outlaw fraking.

Frikin' Frakin'

To j.jonik -- It is not a pure windfall for the ins industry. Read Mikeguru below. Some windfalling had to happen to get this bill through congress. This is similar to the windfall given to doctors for passing medicare. The main windfall that happened for medicare is the "fee for service" provision. A much cheaper and better approach would have been a managed care system like the Mayo Clinic uses.

Yes, I agree with the opinion ideologues are doing everything in their power to sabotage obamacare.. They proved with the shutdown they have no interest in right or wrong, honor or ethics, or especially what the people want.

Conservatives Apparently feel strongly that the money should be used for tax cuts for the rich, and for war, and that even though the people vited fir healthcare, Democrats should cut Social Security Medicare and healthcare to pay for what republicans want.. How's this for democracy?

Thom, daily listener via internet WCPT (live in Red State with 11 Fox and Limbaugh stations)

I am a retired Insurance Agent. I might be retired but I try to stay current about health insurance as I sold that product along with Mutual Funds, Annuities, Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Disability Insurance. Did well and I always tried to help people who could not speak for themselves.

I want to share with you the experience of ACA and my observations.

First of all, the Kaiser Family Foundation Subsidy website is the only way to estimate how much the ACA subsidy will be. As I talk to people, who will qualify for ACA, the Fox, Limbaugh, Insurance Agents and Republican Politicians are bad mouthing ACA. So, I went to the Kaiser Subsidy Calculator and discovered that a single person making $11,500 is considered 100% of Poverty and eligible for ACA. Non-smoker, male, age 25, will be able to obtain a Silver Health Policy for $19 a month. I then met with a small business owner, age 40, spouse age 36, four kids, and has an AGI income of $50,000 and his premium of $200 a month. He is presently paying $500. He said if this is true, he would be buying a truck with the $300 a month. He is considered 168% of poverty. ACA only goes up to 400 per cent of Poverty which will vary depending on income and family size. There are lots of mis-information from Republicans, Employers, Local Talk and Local Payers with articles from Insurance agents badmouthing ACA. However, Kaiser is the only way to get an estimate for the ACA subsidy.

The ACA, healthcare dot gov linking to the state does not allow you to browse insurance offering unless you enter information like Social Security and other personal information. I cannot help my grandkids or kids, unliess I enter personal information that I don't have. I think that is a weak link. People would like to browse offerings, like the information entered in the Kaiser Family Foundation Subsidy website that gives an idea of how much the monthly premium will be for the silver plan, like the 100% poverty $11,500 a year single non-smoker only $19 a month.

An article in our local newspaper written by an Insurance agent was filled with mis-information mixed with some fact. As an Insurance Agent, I had to main duties, writing new business and Protecting my old line of business. What I am finding out, local Insurance agents are spreading false information to "conserve their existing higher priced Health Care Policies". The higher the Premium, the higher the commission and residuals. Most Insurance agents, if not all, want people to Not go to ACA and are giving their clients all kinds of reasons to stay away. Even though their clients will save a lot of money, like the small business owner $300 a month.

I want to share with you the Insurance Companies crying that ACA does not give them good information to enroll people in ACA policies available. The Insurance Companies are most likely repeating the same strategy they have done for 30 plus years, making it difficult to process applications they do not want or in the case of Health Care Providers to get Paid. What they did to eliminate independent Billing by doctors who had their own billing department, the Insurance Companies consistently rejected the billing of independent doctors, using excuses like wrong codes, not filled out correctly, that prevented the health care provider from getting paid from the insurance companies. The Insurance Company created "Billing Services Companies" that would contact the health care providers to "solve the getting paid from the insurance companies". The doctor could eliminate their BIlling staff and funnel all their services through the "Billing Services" sub companies owned by the Insurance Companies, hence, eliminating any competitive independent billing from health care provider. The doctor would use codes that would be used to bill for services via the "Billing Company" Once all independent health care Billing was consumed, the insurance Companies had eliminated any competiton and could, from that point, like the last 15 years, create a nationwide computer network of like computer systems, that contained an internal program like "Charge Master" to raise costs of all health care services and products 7% annually, doulbling the cost of healthcare every 8 to 9 years, It appears the elimination of health care billing by independent doctors, in order for the insurance Companies to fix prices was complete 20 years ago.

Today, the Insurance Companies are repeating the same strategy, it appears, making it difficult to get enrolled in the Government mandate ACA. I am not surprised as it had worked before. Hopfully, the Government will have agents that are computer literate, like me, to pay a visit to these insurance Companies who are having trouble. I bet, they find fraud. Hopefully these insurance companies will get more than a fine, with an executive or two going to jail.

I called our State ACA processing center, got right in, and told him that not having the ability to look at offerings of health insurance that my grandkids can get without SS and other presonal information was a real disadvantage. Income, Age, smoker, non-smoker, and family size should be the only criteria and that does not be required just to shop before buying. They need to fix that. I could help all my family if I did not need their personal information. I left them feedback. I also told them that the Media, Insurance Agents, and Republican Governor are doing everything possible to make ACA not attractive. The Republican Governor elected not to Expand Medicaid for ACA. The People making less than $11,499 annually, single person, non-smoker. There are over 200,000 peopel that are eligible for expanded Medicaid under ACA but will fall through the cracks.

I thought of a side benefit of ACA. In our state, we have the lowest income level of any state, the biggest drop of income over the last decade about $11,000 annually with three out of four jobs being created as minimum wage. Since we are an agraian state, empplyers pay Under the table. Cash avoiding paying taxes. The ACA cut off is $11,500 to qualify for ACA at the highest subsidy. I think the employers will be receiving a lot of pressure to start paying above the table, so enough income will be reported for tax purposes to get ACA health insurance. Their employees will probably put pressure on their Under the table employers in order to have enough income to at least make 100% of Poverty. Could be more tax dollars to help our underfunded schools.

I support the ACA, lest us not forget that 750,000 families declare bankruptcy every year, one and half million families lose their homes every year for medical bills. I visited Australia, with single payer Universal health Care and there are Zero, none, no bankruptcies or people losing their homes for medical bills. The Health Care Monoply own a lot of homes, mansions they took from the outrageous charges for getting sick in a city of 500,000.

Thanks Thom but please review the Kaiser Family Foundatin Subsidy Calculator estimate website as people who are calling in, saying their insurance went up, might be the insurance agents wanting to conserve his high commission issued policy. Of course, the Kaiser calculator is a ball park but I will share that ACA has eliminated Junk health Insurance My sister declared bankruptcy and lost her house at age 62 having health insurance that was capped at $250,000. The bills kept rising, they cashed in their savings, their IRA's, Stock, used Credit cards maxed out, and their home equity to get followup appointments for treatment until it was all consumed, the bill was over One mIllion dollars. My sister never told the family why she no longer lived in her home. Until, we had lunch with the family and I share the eyeopening 750,000 families that have bankruptcy for medical bills and the 1.5 million home foreclosures every year for medical bills. She cried.

The Insurance Companies are Not a friend of ACA and will do what they did before, make it as difficult as possible to enroll. It worked before, hopefully, the ACA police will visit the Insurance Companies that seem to have difficulty enrolling people in the ACA policies.

Thanks Thom, I listen every day. You maintain our sanity.

Can we start calling obamACAre "The Insurance Industry Windfall Act" ? Is that not the case?

And, as far as that goes, how about "The Wall Street Windfall Act" in that top for-profit health insurers invest BILLIONS of dollars in, well, Cigarette Manufaturers and Fast "food" industries alone...not to mention Big Oil, Fracking, Coal, Nukes, GMOs, Pesticides etc etc and even military weapons. Some "health care industry", eh?

Check it out yourself. It's all PUBLIC info at the SEC EDGAR Database...plus Physicians for a National Health Program exposed the angles about Cigarette and Fast "food" insurer investment stuff years ago. Easy search...or I'l do it for you if you wish. J

Trust me kend, they will run. Why would a young healthy 24 year old working a part time job in the Obama economy get on line and sign up for insurance that is twice as expensive as it was before Obamacare and subsidize the risk pool? The overwhelming number of sign ups so far are for the medecaid additions. The Libs are in denial and this act of government tyranny is going to cost a fortune if it does not collapse under its own weight First. Watch for the blame for the lack of participation to focus on Reagan, Bush, racism, ted cruz, or the tea party because they would never expect their utopian dream of total benevolent government control to be a self induced brain fart.