Category: health policies

Republicans Would Extend Obamacare Subsidies If the Supreme Court Strikes Down State Exchange Payments––But With Lots of Conditions

  • April 27, 2015
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The Republicans should offer an unconditional subsidy extension if the Supreme Court strikes them down Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) has offered a plan to extend the Obamacare state exchange subsidies into 2017 if the Supreme Court strikes them down this summer. The Republican Senate leadership is supporting his bill. But Johnson has some pretty big conditions: Existing subsidies in the

$1 billion in Federal Tax Dollars and a One Star Rating on Yelp––Quite an Expose––Behind the Scenes at Covered California

  • April 21, 2015
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California’s Obamacare Insurance Exchange Posts Poor Results and is the Subject of an Expose What a difference a year makes. Last year the California Obamacare insurance exchange, Covered California, was touted as the poster child for the Obamacare launch. Supporters said it worked well, enrolled lots of people, and was off to the kind of start that proved how successful Obamacare could be.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Medicaid Policy––and Now His Position Not to Save Insurance Subsidies if the Supreme Court Strikes Them…

  • April 2, 2015
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Speaking to a conservative group in Wisconsin this week, presumptive presidential candidate Scott Walker said he would not move to establish a state exchange in order to preserve the Obamacare federal insurance exchange subsidies if the Supreme Court strikes them down in an expected June ruling: We’re going to push back. The President of the United States––they’ve got to come up with a solution.

Headline: "Exchanges Struggle to Enroll Consumers As Income Increases" It’s Because of the Obamacare Dichotomy

  • March 26, 2015
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Here is an excerpt from a post on this blog from June 21, 2014: Kaiser Family Foundation Survey Finds Most People Who Bought Health Insurance on the Exchanges Are Happy With It This week the administration reported that 76{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} of those who received a subsidy paid less than the full premium for the plans they selected. And, 69{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} are paying less than $100 after the subsidies––46{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} are paying $50

The New York Times: Has Obamacare Enrollment Stalled?

  • March 25, 2015
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Readers of this blog know that I have made a number of points about Obamacare in recent months: The number of people signing up for Obamacare is well below the level necessary to make the rates stable over the long-term––the longstanding insurance industry standard calls for getting 75{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} of an eligible group in order to have enough healthy people in the pool to pay the costs of the sick people. I

The Obamacare Supreme Court Subsidy Challenge––Surprising Comments From Anthony Kennedy and Maybe a Way Out for John Roberts

  • March 5, 2015
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The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in the King v. Burwell case that would throw out the Obamacare subsidies for millions of people now receiving them in the federally run health insurance exchanges. It sure sounded like perennial swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy is ready to save the subsidies and Obamacare given his comments suggesting a finding for the plaintiffs would end up