SHOP: Latest Obamacare website delay.

It hasn’t been a good couple of months for the Obamacare tech team. The website and its developers have drawn strong criticism for abysmal performance. A promise to fix it by the end of November now has Secretary Sibelius saying “There’s nothing magical about the December 1 date” (paraphrase).

They moved back the open enrollment deadline for NEXT YEAR in an obvious attempt to get EVEN HIGHER RATE INCREASES and voter wrath delayed until after the mid-term elections.

And now, this. SHOP (the small business health insurance tool) will not have web functionality until November 2014. A whole year delay. That’s interesting because unlike consumers, who can only buy insurance during open enrollment periods, businesses can buy insurance ANY TIME THEY WANT.
Politico: SHOP enrollment delayed by one year
Huffington Post: Small business exchange delayed a year

So, why a whole year delay? Good news, we’re back online in September? See, we beat our self-imposed deadline by a month! OR are they afraid the “real” date won’t be until 2015?

Either way, businesses aren’t chomping at the bit to ADD huge new expenses in a prolonged downturn with still-too-high unemployment and economic uncertainty--thanks to... wait for it... Obamacare.

The administration celebrates as tens of thousands sign up, while forcing millions to loose coverage, in spite of direct and repeated assurances of the opposite. Could it be that, so far, Obamacare has caused far more problems than it has solved?

Your best bet is STILL to use a broker!! Same thing as before the magical rollout of Obamacare. A broker can help you compare Obamacare rates and apply this year using, get this, a paper application! A broker can also help compare non-Obamacare rates, something the website CAN’T do and WON’T do, even next year. Why limit your choices?

If you use the right broker, your small business can choose from programs that offer:

    > Tax-advantaged medical IRAs
        Health Savings Accounts for employees
        Health Reimbursement Account for employers
        Available to any size employer

    > Partial self-funding
        Potentially HUGE refunds of excess premiums
        The only way to recoup smoker-penalty rates (in states like California)

These tools were quite helpful in recent times. They are now even more important in that they allow you to have more options and reduced cost.

CoveredCA to Pres. Obama: "Drop Dead"

Covered California (the state’s health exchange) to President Obama: “Drop Dead”

 
California rejects President Obama’s plea to allow consumers to KEEP their health plans, as he promised repeatedly in the months leading up to passage of ACA. Last week, the President apologized for the botched rollout and said that he would magically extend the deadline for individuals to switch from the insurance policies they like (and want to keep) to the overpriced ones he thinks are better for them.

“That means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.”
– President Obama                                     Speech to the American Medical Association
                                    June 15, 2009 (as the health-care law was being written.)

That’s a big deal because the President’s credibility is on the line. Mitt Romney said the original Obama promise showed ‘fundamental dishonesty’.  Interesting note: Bing search for ‘fundamental dishonesty’ shows 17 out of 18 top hits relate to Romney’s quote and Obamacare. Former president Bill Clinton told Obama that he needed to make good on his promise. So the President, without force of law or congressional approval, unilaterally decided to extend the deadline for a year. Not even close to the ‘keep it’ promise, but it was a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, extending the deadline can ruin participation in the MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE Obamacare health plans. So Covered California rejected the delay. That’s important because any insurance company that is listed on the CoveredCA exchange (BTW, they pay a lot of money for the right to be on the exchange) signed an agreement that they would DISCONTINUE their non-ACA compliant (read AFFORDABLE) health plans. That means that CoveredCA (not the President, not the governor, not the insurance commissioner) decides when these plans will be discontinued. And it wants them discontinued without delay.

So now, beleaguered Californians are faced with new ACA-compliant policies. And premiums that are 64% to 146% higher, for starters. Check out this excellent Forbes article. Lack of participation by overcharged youth (who often go YEARS without needing a doctor even once, much less enough to justify even ONE MONTH’S ACA PREMIUM) could cause premiums to SKYROCKET further in coming years. And as a special bonus, Obamacare promises to pay insurers TAXPAYER SUPPORTED PROFITS for the first 3 years, on top of potentially skyrocketing premiums.

California boots non-Obamacare plans  ç Another article that tells it like it is.
“The move effectively rejects the fix President Barack Obama proposed to salve the deeply troubled rollout of the Affordable Care Act. That state already faces an age-old health insurance challenge: The old folks are outrunning the kids in the race to sign up for California’s insurance. If the trend continues, it might [might????] lead to higher premiums down the line.”

‘Fundamental Dishonesty’

Business Health Plans

Obamacare not only impacts the individual market for insurance, it also impacts businesses as well. New regulations, fees, taxes and penalties are always unwelcome. They stifle job creation and are especially problematic for self-employed, start-ups and small business. But the new Obamacare regime also limits the choices offered through these plans.

When a business offers health care, it has to offer everyone the same metal tier. The metal tiers (bronze, silver, gold, platinum) sound the same as those in the individual marketplace; but they are, in fact, different.

Not only that, but once a business picks a tier — say GOLD — now ALL employees have to select from that tier. Individuals can't pick a PLATINUM plan for higher benefits or a BRONZE plan because they don't use much in medical services and are in good health.

So if you have people who make a lot of money (the owner, key executives) you would want a higher metal tier. But that means the hourly workers don't have access to an "affordable" plan--which means they can go to the exchanges. It also means the employer is subject to a fee/penalty/tax for not offering an affordable plan.

If the employer offers a low-cost bronze plan, the higher-income employees are STUCK with a plan that pays a LOW ACTUARIAL VALUE.

What they don't tell you, is that there is a way for businesses large and small to OPT OUT of this. You won't find out about this option by doing any of the following...

 

The only way to find out about this options is to work with an insurance agent that is authorized to offer it. The good news, working with an agent doesn't cost more money (even on the government exchanges), and it could save you tens of thousands. You could possibly save much more.

You don't have to settle for a bad insurance plan designed by the government. Those plans include mandated extras like maternity care for men, pediatric dental, no non-smoker discount, and more. That may be acceptable to the ruling elite, but most people don't like paying for things they don't want. And many of your employees won't like paying for things they don't actually use.

Did you know that upwards of 6 out of 10 employees (in almost any size group) never even use their medical insurance? Not even once in a 12 month period! Does it make sense to get a refund on premiums for care that wasn't actually used? Does it make sense to recapture the smoker rates and poor-health rates built into every premium dollar under Obamacare?

Contact us and we will get you information on how to OPT OUT. Potentially qualify for lower premiums. Experience total value and total control by putting money into a medical IRA. Businesses with 10 or more employees may even qualify for a substantial return of premium dollars. 

Find out what you don't know. You'll be glad you did.

Oregon health care exchange website NEVER worked, has NO subscribers

Oregon health care exchange website never worked, has no subscribers

Wow, that headline writes itself. BTW, here is the link to the story at NBC News:
nbcnews.com/health/oregon-health-care-exchange-website-never-worked-has-no-subscribers

Here's the website: CoverOregon.com

Funny how the website NEVER MENTIONS that it doesn't work, and is actually WASTING YOUR TIME.

National Roll-out

Reports are coming in that out of the 500,000 people who looked at a plan (nationally), 106,000 'selected a plan'. Notice the odd phrasing, there; it doesn't mean they actually bought a plan or paid for it. Only about 27,000 people 'bought' plan. Most of those are older, sicker--not the needed demographic of young, healthy people (YHP).

And why should they attract YHP. Obamacare artificially RAISES the premium on this group. So we have a group we desperately need to enroll to make the whole thing work, so we CHARGE them MORE. By the way, it's not a little more, it's a lot more.

This is the healthy group which may go YEARS without spending a DIME on urgent medical care. Studies have shown that even in FULLY INSURED groups of employees, upwards of 6 out of 10 won't go to a doctor in any given year.

Another note of interest

In California, the ratio is 4:1 of people who are signing up for Medi-Cal (free) compared to those who are signing up for Obamacare (actually pay for it). Of course, those that pay find out Obamacare is way more than you expected, unless you factor in a taxpayer subsidy. These subsidies are so pervasive, that a family of four can qualify for premium subsidies with up to $95,000 of household income.

Is it a good thing to tell moderately high earners that the government has to subsidize their purchase? And this taxpayer subsidy is ONLY AVAILABLE through the federal and state exchanges. If you have been using a privately purchased individual plan, YOU DON'T QUALIFY for a dime of that subsidy--you have to change to an exchange-based health plan (even if it's with the same provider).

New government plan to help people buy coffee.

What if we had to buy coffee like we now have to buy health insurance?

Here are a few more things to add...

You can only buy the coffee during the open enrollment period. In the first year, 2013, that goes from October 1 through March 31. But every year thereafter, open enrollment goes from October 15 through December 7. www.healthcare.gov: open-enrollment-period And you have to wait until next October to make any changes in your coffee order. Unless you're a certain race.

Race-based coffee orders. For those who are American Indian or Alaska Natives, they can change their coffee order EVERY MONTH while everyone else is restricted to making changes only during the open enrollment period. AND, they have NO COPAYS on any of the plans. That makes every plan  more affordable, because...

Copays are important

Of course after many people pay for coffee coverage, they don't have money left for coffee copays. So they end up paying for coverage that they can't afford to use.

Piers Morgan: More Americans signed petition to have me deported...

Observation from Piers Morgan

Considerably more Americans signed a petition to have me deported, than enrolled for Obamacare. I’d start panicking, Mr. President...

 

 

Wait, can we deport Obamacare?

Obamacare Band-Aid? Keep your plan (until Dec 31, 2014)

“If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period.” *

              *until Dec 31, 2013 — oops, make that Dec 31, 2014. President Obama.

 

A one-year extension?

At his press conference announcing this one-year extension, Pres. Obama talked about insurers possibly charging 20% more than they did last year, for ‘lesser’ coverage. Of course the ACA-compliant health care premiums (for many) are 50% higher than last year. And it includes things like maternity care for people not of child-bearing years (or gender for that matter). It includes pediatric dental, rehabilitative services and mental health coverage. It also includes charging the YOUNG extra to offset the true premiums for the ELDERLY. Given a choice, many people DON’T WANT and DON’T NEED and CAN'T AFFORD these coverages.

People just aren’t smart enough to know what they want, what they need, and what they can afford. So government better tell you, and then force you to buy it. And if you don’t buy it, we’ll get the IRS involved.

But wait, there’s more!

The other issue, asleep, but ever-present: ANY delays in full implementation of ACA run the risk of people putting off (or refusing) enrollment in the new programs. That means that only the sick and highly subsidized will sign up. That combo really throws off the cost curve. Since insurers set rates for 2015 based on their  costs (loss experience) in the first part of 2014 (among other factors), premiums for 2015 could go up dramatically.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/obama-gives-people-extra-year-keep-health-insurance-2D11591250

NBCnews says: One fear is that if too many people are allowed to keep their older, cheap policies, they won’t join the pool of people buying on the exchanges – and that’ll drive up prices next year for everyone else. The more healthy people are in the pool buying policies, the more they offset the sicker people in the pool, and the less insurance companies can charge everyone...

Price is the main concern of most Americans when it comes to buying insurance, and the Obama administration is keen to be able to say Obamacare is keeping prices low.

Good luck with that. Out of 10 Essential Coverage items, most people don’t want (or need or want to pay extra for) at least 3 or 4 of them. Those ‘extra’s which the government deems essential DRIVE UP THE COST. Covering sicker people (uninsurable, in underwritten policies) for the same price as the healthy, DRIVES UP THE COST. Extending coverage to illegal aliens while specifically exempting them from paying into the system, DRIVES UP THE COST. Paying millions to leftist groups for ‘marketing’ and awareness campaigns, DRIVES UP THE COST.

When private insurers do marketing-type things, they have to be accountable for the cost and benefit of these decisions. When government does it, it becomes yet another  slush fund.

http://www.insurance-forums.net/forum/health-insurance-reform-forum/if-you-like-your-plan-you-can-keep-your-plan-period-t58886.html

New Obamacare Ads Are Out!

Remember: you are paying for this. Not just the birth control, but the ads, too. Now that Ali and Suzie Hot-to-Trot have free birth control, they need to maximize their opportunities. “All I have to worry about is getting him between the covers.”

Oh and the all-important fine print says that condoms and common sense can protect her from STDs. Do these ads offer any semblance of common sense? Check out the one for ‘brosurance’ with  the guys doing a keg stand. Way to promote common sense!

Here's the post from chicksontheright.

Like, OMG! New Obamacare Ads Are Out!

As if keg stand ads weren't enough to make you look at this administration and know that we're surely doomed. Now Obamacare is pushing these totally awesome ads, which happen to reside on the aptly named "DoYouGotInsurance.com" website, because why on earth would we use correct grammar when speaking to complete low-level-voting Democrats, right?  (Oh, and PS - I tried clicking it a few times this morning and the link wasn't working when I did.  SHOCKER.)
Anywho, here are some of the gems you can see in the new campaign, obviously created by folks who were fired from MTV and Miley Cyrus' last twerking tour, soon to be hired as some sort of Czars on Obama's staff.  Naturally.


Isn't that neat, you vapid skanks?  YAY!
And let's not forget this one, which is also a lot of fun (Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!):

They so CRAZY, those Obamacare folks.
Stay classy, Amerika.