One Year Anniversary: The Incredible Shrinking Obama Health Care Law

[Better Believe It]

One Year Anniversary: The Incredible Shrinking Obama Health Care Law
The Health Care Crisis Grows While the 2010 Health Reform Shrinks
By: KevinZeese
March 21, 2011

Premiums are rising and coverage is shrinking a new norm is taking hold in America: ‘Unaffordable underinsurance.’ This month, the number of waivers granted to the Obama health law broke 1,000 protecting inadequate insurance plans. The expansion of health insurance to the uninsured is becoming a mirage. The Obama administration has told states they could reduce the number of people covered by Medicaid as well as reduce the services provided. And, the centerpiece of the law is under court challenge – the mandate is the first time ever the federal government has forced Americans to buy a corporate product, private health insurance – is heading to a close Supreme Court decision.

The New Norm: ‘Unaffordable underinsurance’

To make insurance premiums affordable, the quality of insurance will need to be reduced so there is less coverage and more out-of-pocket costs, as Don McCanne, MD, Senior Health Policy Fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program writes: “’Unaffordable underinsurance’ is rapidly becoming the new standard in the United States.” The trend in health insurance is rising premiums and shrinking coverage for many Americans who get their coverage at work as well as on the individual insurance market.

One promise of the Obama health plan was that millions of underinsured would get decent insurance coverage because the “reform” required minimum levels of insurance. But, waivers to the requirements of the 2010 law are being widely granted resulting in millions of Americans continuing to have inadequate health coverage. Waivers allowing poor quality insurance affect 2.6 million people and are being granted rapidly to businesses, unions, insurance companies as well as states who cannot meet the Obama law requirements. The administration says the purpose of the waivers is to avoid disruption in the insurance market, in clearer language it is to prevent employers from dropping coverage and insurance companies from leaving markets. The requirement for a waiver is relatively simple; the applicant must show HHS “a significant increase in premiums or a decrease in access to benefits.” Ninety-four percent of requests for waivers have been granted, the largest area where waivers have been denied has been for unions. Republicans have asked HHS for in-depth details about every waiver decision and request.

The area with the biggest immediate impact on reduced coverage is the roll backs of Medicaid. Medicaid was projected to be the largest area of expansion of medical care under the Obama health care plan, covering 16 million more people, making up half the projected increase in additional Americans covered with some type of insurance under the Obama law. That is now becoming a mirage.

Please read the full article at:

http://www.prosperityagenda.us/node/4705

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WCGreen]

2. Once again, the burden falls on those who can least afford it....

Stories like these scare the bajeebee's out of those one step up the income ladder from those suffering from sticker shock and Medicaid cuts...

K & R

[Better Believe It]

3. And he's an evil person!

[displacedvermoter]

4. Who, the person pointing out the flaws in the President's big

health victory?

[Better Believe It]

5. Yes

[displacedvermoter]

7. Are you serious?

[Better Believe It]

11. No I'm not!

:)

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. If you couldn't afford it before, you won't be able to afford it now.

The only difference is they have to offer it to you, unless they get a waver..... One more lump of coal for the lower class.

[LWolf]

8. As predicted. nt

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftstreet]

10. Medicare For All. NOW n/t