ACA Slows Growth in Health Costs

ACA Slows Growth in Health Costs
Maddow Blog | November 20, 2013

The ACA Summarized

A nice summary of what the Affordable Care Act is . . . and isn’t.

ObamaCare In Plain English: What It Means for You
AddictingInfo.org | March 23, 2013

As a Life-Long UT Fan, It’s Hard to Type “Go Kentucky”

“The open-enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act has gone better in some areas than others. The state that’s leading the way, oddly enough, is Kentucky. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) has committed himself to leading on this issue, and the follow-through has produced impressive results.”

For Uninsured, Clearing a Way to Enrollment
New York Times | November 4, 2013

Are the Good Facts Starting To Be Heard through the Loud Lies?

“Millions of people could qualify for federal subsidies that will pay the entire monthly cost of some health care plans being offered in the online marketplaces set up under President Obama’s health care law, a surprising figure that has not garnered much attention, in part because the zero-premium plans come with serious trade-offs.”

Under Health Care Act, Millions Eligible for Free Policies
The New York Times | November 3, 2013

HealthCare.gov’s New Marketing Campaign

Deborah Lielasus (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Daniel McNaughton (Orlando, FL) are the first two people who have agreed—quite happily—to share their images and stories on the HealthCare.gov web site. Both had positive experiences and want others to hear their stories as part of the Obama administration’s new marketing outreach.

Thanks to Lielasus and McNaughton for being the first to advertise their experiences with HealthCare.gov. As McNaughton said, “It might make it easier for people to relate to what’s going on with the exchange.”

New Faces of Health Overhaul: Still All Smiles
Yahoo | November 1, 2013

Charts Are Wonderful Things!

Nice summary in easy-to-understand terms with no false anecdotes like we’ve been hearing the last two weeks or so.

Winners and Losers from Obamacare
TPM LiveWire | October 31, 2013

Some Common-Sense Ideas on Moving Forward

This article discusses some of the current problems with the Affordable Care Act and how we might move forward. My top two priorities would be to (1) cover those individuals who were “missed” when many Republican governors refused to expand Medicaid in their states; and (2) fix the out-of-network charges that patients incur through no fault of their own (and often without knowledge of the situation until it’s too late).

Driving a New Bargain on Health Care
New York Times | October 19, 2013

A companion piece explains with problems with out-of-network charges in more detail.

Out of Network, Not By Choice, and Facing Huge Health Bills
New York Times | October 18, 2013

Just *Who* Do House Republicans Think They’re Hurting?

In another sign that House Republicans don’t understand the the Affordable Care Act or the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) decision to allow members of Congress to receive a benefit to which they’re entitled, House Republicans have crafted a bill to end the government shutdown but deny themselves $5,000-$11,000 in the process.

A little background: Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) sponsored the original amendment requiring lawmakers and staffers to enter the health benefit exchanges, but he said he didn’t intend for them to lose the employer subsidy paid by the federal government. [What he was really trying to do was get the Democrats to vote against the ACA.] The government contributes $5,000 towards an individual’s health insurance coverage and $11,000 towards family coverage for a married employee. According to Grassley, he just wanted Congress and its staffers to “go through the same red tape” as Americans enrolled in the exchanges. Yeah, right!

The Grassley Amendment did a great disservice to Congressional staffers, who don’t get paid very well. So OPM stepped in and arranged to pay the employer contribution to members of Congress and their staffers. [Unlike any other group of people covered by an employer health plan, Congress excluded itself from its employer subsidies.]

In the House’s latest effort to end the shutdown, they’ve added language to deny themselves the employee subsidy while allowing their staffers to receive it. I say MORE POWER TO THEM. They don’t need the money, so let’s save the government some money . . . at the expense of these stubborn people who don’t understand the ACA nor do they want to understand it.

House Outlines Alternative to Senate Leaders’ Fiscal Deal
New York Times | October 15, 2013

What, Exactly, Is the Affordable Care Act Supposed To Do for Us?

There’s more to the Affordable Care Act than just the individual mandate and the uninsured.

Obamacare—The Rest of the the Story
New York Times Op-Ed | October 13, 2013

People Don‘t Believe Me, But I’ve Seen This in My Practice for Years

I’ve been telling folks this particular tidbit for the last two years. I see it in my consulting practice a lot. I don’t think many believe me. Now maybe they will . . .

Many Docs Dissatisfied With EHRs, Job Pace, Regs: RAND Study
Medscape Medical News | October 9, 2013