The Democratic Party is better than anyone else at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Savannahmann]

Since the issue first began, every news channel, every news program, no matter how friendly, or how far left leaning, has at some time started with the President Lied about keeping our plans under the ACA. Now, Mr. Pitt is linking to a news story where the Democrats say they are going to offer a fix. It's too late to do that. We're stuck with it, and I'll explain why. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024031946

Some companies are pulling out of the states all together, there is no way to retroactively grandfather in those policies, because the company in question isn't going to be in the state. Just one example, but you get the point from it. http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/22885945/health-insurance-company-pulling-out-of-sc

That is just one reason why this retroactive grandfathering idea will fail, and we'll look even fucking worse.

The other reason should be obvious. Policies are part of a negotiated contract. These negotiations aren't the same as buying a car, they take months discussing reimbursement to the medical group, schedule, payments by the patient/insured client. Late payments, everything. All of this is a point of negotiation between big box medical company inc and we'll screw you insurance company LLC.

Those contracts with those medical groups end in a vast majority of cases in January for the individual plans that are being canceled. You can't order the doctors, and insurance companies to pretend that the contracts are still valid, or to fold the individual plans into someone else's group plan, each plan is strictly limited, and the conditions for many of those being canceled can't be retroactively brought back into valid life with a wave of the hand.

So what is happening? Our poll numbers are dropping as if we were plummeting towards the ground from space. Because we screwed up and said something that wasn't true, and William Pitt is right in the linked article, we were blindsided by our own legislation.

Then we pass this fix, and we rush out and tell everyone that their plans are grandfathered in for a year, or two. We celebrate, and then the stories start coming in. The insurance company is still moving out of the state, and those canceled plans in California are still canceled. The company in Alabama can't negotiate the conditions for the individual plans coverage in time to keep them valid, so all the doctors will now be considered out of network.

All we'll do is extend the claims of the Democrats lied into March, or April, and by then the Democratic Party will be slightly more popular than a sharp stick in the eye. The Rethugs will keep the house, and take the Senate, and if we're lucky they'll try to impeach President Obama, because that would be the only thing that could save his legacy as a popular President.

Great Maker, doesn't anyone in Washington think these things through?

[Scuba]

1. Almost makes you think the Democratic Party is run by Republican plants.

[KoKo]

2. You raise concerns that seem they could be a problem with the extension.

If some insurers already made plans to move out of state and have made preparations, it would cost them a lot to now change their plans and maybe rehire people and extend office space for a year. Also, what if they already started phasing out the plans they notified people that would be canceled at the end of the year and there's no way to re-negotiate those plans so that they are the same as the original?

I imagine we will learn more. I have to hope that POB wouldn't have gone out today and suggested this if his staff hadn't already checked to see if the Insurance Companies would be able to comply, though.

[Savannahmann]

3. There is reality that for some reason we utterly ignore

I have said this so many times I am thinking of making it my signature line. I don't know who is advising the President, but they are idiots of mind boggling proportions.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/13/can-congress-really-save-insurance-plans-lost-under-obamacare/comment-page-1/

That article was done before the President spoke today. Here is a snip.

The state-level approval process can take several months, and health care industry advisor Robert Laszewski told NPR on Tuesday that it's too late for insurers to change their offerings.

"It's not at all feasible," Laszweski told NPR, because companies have spent much of the past year preparing for the new regulations under the Affordable Care Act, and all of the plans that kick in on January 1 have undergone a thorough rate review process with state regulators where they're available.

"Even if you decide to go 'never mind' about all these cancellations, how is the insurance company going to send out letters to all these people within the space of a couple of weeks, rejigger all of their computer systems that took months to redo in the first place, and get these people to decide whether they want to try for Obamacare, which is the only place they can get subsidies, or try to stay on their own policies?" Laszewski asked.

That covers one of my points, that the insurance plans just aren't able to be extended because someone said so, they take months of negotiations, and I completely left out the state insurance oversight which has to approve the plans.

California would be hit hard too. How do you insist that the insurance company continue to offer plans that they simply don't do anymore?

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/aetna-leaving-californias-individual-insurance-market.html/?a=viewall

Nine companies leaving Nebraska, good luck holding onto those seats.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/11/obamacare-effect-companies-exit-nebraskas-health-insurance-market/

As I said, I don't know who is advising President Obama, but they suck more than a black hole. Now, we're really screwed, weeks of the President Lied stories coupled with the Democrats lied, will be followed by combinations. The stories will be that we are out of touch with reality not understanding the effects of the law on the insurance market, coupled with stories that we lied again.

With another three months of this shit, we'll be lucky to keep the Senate.

[xchrom]

4. du rec.

[Fumesucker]

5. What? You think this kind of FUBAR happens with no damn effort or planning?

Have a little respect, Kabuki actors rehearse constantly, it's a demanding skill.