Heading Into The Dark Hole That Is Obamacare

Aug 31, 2017 – What Maryland Can Do About Obamacare Rates – Sun
Aug 30, 2017 – Obamacare Premium Costs Set To Jump Again – Sun
Jun 21, 2017 – Turmoil On Maryland’s Health Insurance Exchange – DR
Nov 1, 2016 – Obamacare Implosion Exposes Web Of Lies And Deceit – RCP
Oct 13, 2016 – Minnesota Could Be The First Obamacare Domino To Fall – FT
Oct 12, 2016 – Obama Lied. My Third Health Plan Just Died – FB
Sep 9, 2016 – Marylanders Face Hefty Rate Increases For Obamacare – Sun
Aug 27, 2016 – Health-care Exchange Sign-ups Fall Far Short Of Forecasts – Post
Aug 1, 2016 – Frustration Mounts Over ObamaCare Co-Op Failures – Hill
Jul 7, 2016 – Govt Refusing To Answer Illegal Obamacare Payments – ATR
Sep 4, 2015 – The Growing Medicaid Expansion Bubble – HEV
Aug 3, 2015 – More Than Two-Thirds Of Obamacare Enrollees Unsatisfied – Times
Jun 24, 2015 – Health Insurance Premium Increase In Maryland Unjustified – Sun
May 19, 2015 – Another Promise Broken: ER Visits Up Under Obamacare – Exam
May 12, 2015 – Hawaii’s $205 Million Obamacare Exchange Implodes – ATR
May 1, 2015 – Maryland Health Care Exchange Fails Federal Audit – Blog
Feb 17, 2015 – Democrats Are Bracing For Another Obamacare Backlash – Post
Jan 1, 2015 – States Struggle To Fund Exchanges – Heart
Oct 15, 2014 – Many Struggle With Medical Bills Despite Obamacare Promises – AP
May 1, 2014 – Obamacare Enrollment Numbers Are Only About 33% Bogus – HumEv
Feb 15, 2014 – Obamacare Patients With Pre-Existing Diseases Can Face Huge Drug Costs – Fox
Feb 2, 2014 – Obamacare Unable To Fix Rampant Policy Errors For Its Enrollees – Post
Jan 20, 2014 – Little Sisters Of The Poor Step Into The Spotlight With Lawsuit Challenging Obamacare – Post
Jan 7, 2014 – Walmart Health Plan Is Cheaper With More Coverage Than Obamacare – Exam

Maryland Obamacare 2013

Click here for articles on Maryland Health Reform

Time is running out. The wishing, hoping and praying to stop Obama’s takeover of one sixth of the economy through the Affordable Care Act doesn’t seem to be working. It appears we are stuck with the Act, better known as “Obamacare”, for at least the next four years despite its unpopularity.

The stated goals of the Act were 1) the reduction in the increase in medical insurance costs, and 2) the expansion of health insurance coverage to some 30+ million uninsured; however, the estimated costs of the program have skyrocketed in the three short years since it was passed from less than $1 trillion to more than $2.8 trillion over the next ten years. Underperforming, budget busting government programs are hardly new, still it is amazing the sheer scope of the failure of this program before it even really begins. The estimates are so high now that the government could save money by simply writing a check to every uninsured person to buy coverage.

The Act has two main requirements. The first asks the states to set up an insurance exchange that will allow individuals seeking to buy health coverage a number of “affordable” purchase options with government subsidies to help out based on income. The second part asks the states to drastically increase their eligibility for insurance for the poor, Medicaid, to cover more of the uninsured.

Both requirements require the cooperation of the states. Up to now only 11 states have started to implement the Act, over 30 states have done nothing. Cooperation has been so low that the deadline for participation by the states has been extended by 3 months to February of next year. States are fearful of committing to the tremendous expense of the program, but not Maryland of course.

Maryland has jumped in with both feet and has become the poster child for state implementation. We lead in setting up the exchange and are an example for the nation.

On the implementation of the exchange, one of Maryland’s very first decisions seems to have doomed the whole enterprise to failure. In setting up the insurance exchange, Maryland has already decided that its “affordable” package of low cost insurance, and its model will be the state employee health benefit plan.

This package of “essential health benefits” includes 45 benefits that are mandated by state law. The mandates are part of the reason health insurance in Maryland is so expensive and why many people have made the choice to be uninsured. The state has made the decision that rather than offering a more streamlined, less costly plan, the state will once again ignore economic reality in favor of some utopian ideal that will bankrupt the state.

Why not allow people to choose a lower cost option if they feel they can live without insurance reimbursement for their in vitro fertilization (15-810), drug rehab (15-802) and smoking cessation (15-841)? Why burden everyone with the costs of an all inclusive package that makes the insurance more expensive?

On the expansion of Medicaid, Maryland has led before. In 2007, the state jumped out in front before Obamacare to expand Medicaid eligibility. In a preview of things to come the costs of the program ($1 billion) have increased 500% over the estimated costs used to sell the program in just 5 years! The Act mandates that the state include another “estimated” 154,000 people which is one and half times the number added by the expansion of 2007.

Supporters would say the Act is different because most of the increased costs is covered by the federal government, and that is the promise at least initially, but given the “fiscal cliff” and sequestration and all of the budget problems on the national level, how long will the federal money be there. Hence 30 states have done nothing to start implementation of Obamacare, but Maryland Obamacare is racing forward and will cost us dearly.