The law’s rocky debut has refocused attention on whether Obama, intellectually gifted though he may be, was ready to be the country’s chief executive. It may also decide which party is in control after 2016.
obamacare
Only 3,600 Floridians Enroll in Affordable Care Act’s First Month; Obama Accepts Blame But Questions Abound
Only 3,571 people have successfully enrolled in a private insurance plan in Florida in the first month of the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplace. The target was 33,400, resulting in a success rate of just 11 percent, though 3.8 million Floridians are without health insurance.
Popular and Consumer-Driven Provisions Fuel Sticker Shock of Obamacare Premiums
When setting premiums for next year, insurers baked in bigger-than-usual adjustments, driven in large part by a game-changing rule: They can no longer reject people with medical problems. It’s the double-edged sword of Obamacare–a crucial provision that comes with sticker shock for some.
Florida Blue Says It Never Dropped 300,000 Customers, Only Their Current Insurance Plans
It’s a distinction that some Florida Blue members have a hard time seeing — especially when the new plan costs more and offers benefits they don’t necessarily want. Older, sicker people who had a harder time finding health insurance in the past because of pre-existing conditions welcome the change.
Too Young for Medicare, Too Old for Medicaid, and Neglected By Affordable Health Act
While most of the uninsured will be able to get subsidized health coverage Jan. 1 under the Affordable Care Act, the poorest adults under 65 will be out of luck in many states, including Florida. Many are women in their 50s and 60s, too old to have children still at home so they can’t qualify for Medicaid. But they’re not yet 65 so they don’t qualify for Medicare, either.
Your Policy Is Cancelled: Insurers End Coverage That Falls Short of Affordable Care Act
The main reason insurers are cancelling policies offer is that they fall short of what the Affordable Care Act requires starting Jan. 1. By all accounts, the new policies will offer consumers better coverage, in some cases, for comparable cost — especially after the inclusion of federal subsidies for those who qualify.
Congressman Ron DeSantis: A Tea Party Fanatic Who’s Earned His Walking Papers
Ron DeSantis, who represents Flagler County, is not interested in governance. A standard-issue tea party reactionary, he’s a saboteur. He derails, with self-righteous bombast and distortions. He is part of the suicidal extremists willing to plunge the country in default over Obamacare, rather than fight to amend it legislatively. He should pay the price of his recklessness.
A Confederacy of Choices: Marketplace Plans Vary Widely In Costs, In Counties And Across U.S.
Consumers shopping in the new health insurance marketplaces will face a bewildering array of competing plans in some counties and sparse options in other places, with people in some areas of the country having to pay much more for the identical level of coverage than consumers elsewhere.
Shutdown Geezers: The Medicare
Generation’s Immoral War on Obamacare
Opponents of Obamacare think that by doubling down on hurting Americans through a shut-down, they might stun them into submission. They must be stupider than they let on. The Affordable Care Act has its issues. Lacking for moral high ground isn’t among them.
Flagler Democrats Will Demonstrate For Obamacare in Front of Health Department Tuesday
The noon demonstration by the Flagler County Democratic Club marks the first day of Obamacare’s insurance exchanges, and protests Florida’s sustained opposition, and various obstacles, to the law, including the prohibition against use of local health departments to make it easier for the uninsured to get coverage.
Resisting Obamacare, Florida Becomes National Aberration as Scott Battles Sebelius
Florida officials are callous and secretive, willing to keep information from citizens that could save their lives, according to the Obama administration’s top health official., while Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials are ramping up their attack on the federal online Marketplace and the “Navigators” who will help the uninsured use it to enroll in a health plan for 2014.
Florida Groups Helping Uninsured Are Getting “Intimidating” Letters from GOP Lawmakers
Eight groups that are hiring and training “navigators” to help uninsured Floridians enroll in Obamacare have been sent letters by 15 GOP members of a U.S. House committee seeking information on their activities — a letter the Obama administration called a “blatant and shameful attempt to intimidate.”
Insurance Commissioner’s Blurry Prediction of Rate Increases Under Obamacare Contradicted
RAND study findings stand in stark contrast to the widely publicized predictions of Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty that the individual market would see rate increases of 30 to 40 percent for next year.
Another Red State Takes Medicaid Dollars, Contrasting With Florida’s Holdout
Michigan, which like Florida has a Republican governor and legislative majority, has voted to accept federal funds and expand its Medicaid program to the low-income uninsured. It is yet another GOP-dominated state that has done what Florida, which declined $51 billion over 10 years, did not.
“Junk Health Insurance,” Favored by Retailers and Restaurants, Will Survive Obamacare
Reform was supposed to do away with bare-bones health plans that could leave consumers who become seriously ill on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs. It won’t, as plans with limited benefits may continue to be offered by some large businesses, especially those with low-paid workers such as restaurant chains and retailers.
Rallying Cry at Heckles-Free Tampa Town Hall as Vote Approaches: “Defund Obamacare”
Heritage Action for America, part of the hard-right Heritage Foundation, is hopscotching across the South, firing up the anti-Obamacare troops during Congress’ August recess, with a vote on defunding Obamacare scheduled for immediately after Labor Day.
Florida Cabinet Hypes Identity Thievery of Affordable Health Act “Navigators”
There is no danger that so-called “navigators” will steal people’s identities or feed information into a giant federal database, said Greg Mellowe, policy director for the consumer group Florida CHAIN. The group is one of the non-profits that will get a share of federal grant money for the “navigator” program.
Family Insurance Premiums Rise 4% for 2nd Year, Still More Than Double Inflation Rate
With average family plan premium topping $16,000 for the first time, with workers paying on average $4,565, workers will feel an increased pinch: More than a third have annual deductibles of at least $1,000 before insurance kicks in, while wages continue to grow far more slowly than health insurance costs.
Florida’s Self-Insured Not Likely to See Premiums Drop Much as a Result of Obamacare
New York’s announcement last week that insurance premiums would drop 50 percent next year for individuals buying their own coverage in new online marketplaces made good talking points for proponents of the health law, but consumers in most states are unlikely to see similar savings.
For Self-Insured, Higher Premiums Ahead But Better Coverage and Lower Out of Pocket Costs
Whether individuals will be better or worse off under those rules depends on their age, health status, where they live – and perhaps most important, whether they end up needing substantial medical care in the coming year. Generally speaking, those who are younger and healthier may pay more than they would have, while older and sicker people are likely to be better off.
Federal Government Approves Florida’s Medicaid Overhaul, Shifting Millions to HMOs
The announcement was a victory for Gov. Rick Scott and Republican lawmakers who approved the proposal to move to statewide Medicaid managed care in 2011, amid controversy about whether the changes would best serve the needs of low-income Floridians.
Despite Snubbing Obamacare, Florida Gets Thousands of Jobs and Cash from Health Act
Even though Florida officials tried to block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act at every turn over the past three years, the state will gain millions in grants and hundreds of new jobs this year from its implementation.
Florida House Rejects $50 Billion in Federal Medicaid Help, Opting for Stingy Alternative
Florida’s rejection of federal aid for the expansion of Medicaid leaves the state with a bare-bones alternative to provide health care for the poor and uninsured while setting a defining marker against Obamacare and the federal vision of health care reform.
1.7 Million Floridians Could Get Lower Premiums Under Obamacare, But Don’t Know It
The premium assistance, which begins Jan. 1, will come in the form of tax credits for low- and middle-income workers and their families. The money will flow directly to the patients’ health plans, which simplifies matters and means patients don’t have to come up with cash and wait for reimbursement.
Small Businesses Self-Insure, Evading Obamacare Requirements, and Threatening It
As more small employers avoid the health act’s requirements through self-coverage, small-business marketplaces intended to cover millions of Americans could break down and become unaffordable.
With 1 in 5 Floridian Uninsured, Backers of Broader Coverage Want Lawmakers to Act
Although Florida lawmakers have made it known they have no intention of going along with an expansion of Medicaid under the federal health care law, legislative leaders say they’re open to crafting an alternative that would find some way to expand health care coverage to many more uninsured as the law envisions.
Florida Senate Kills Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion, But 3rd-Way Alternative Remains
Florida lawmakers say they want to pursue an alternative plan, possibly expanding Healthy Kids, that would use federal money to help uninsured low-income people get coverage through private insurers. Democrats are not entirely opposed.
Obamacare’s 10-Year Cost to Florida: $5.2 Billion, a Fraction of Planned Expansion
The state’s share would only be a fraction of the $55 billion overall expansion cost, with the federal government paying the rest. Under the law better known as Obamacare, Washington would pay 100 percent of the expansion costs during the first three years and gradually reduce that share to 90 percent in 2020.
Snubbing Scott and Billions in Federal Aid, Florida House GOP Reject Medicaid Expansion
Only a few hours after Florida’s chief economist said the state can’t afford to leave billions of federal dollars sitting on the table, the House committee on the Affordable Care Act voted to do exactly that.
In Major Shift, Scott Endorses Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion, But Legislature Balks
The announcement was a dramatic move for the Republican governor, who launched his political career as an outspoken critic of President Obama’s efforts to overhaul the health-care system. The announcement also shifts the focus of the contentious Medicaid debate squarely to the Legislature, which would have to approve any expansion.
State Health Agency Corrects Inflated Costs of Obamacare Scott Had Used to Oppose Reform
Florida’s costs could be as low as $3 billion over 10 years — a huge drop from the nearly $26 billion figure that AHCA produced in a report last month. Even with the changes, it appears that the Scott administration believes that the state’s final tab over 10 years would be higher.
In a Shift, Gov. Scott Will Now Talk Health Care Reform, But With Reservations
Scott sent a conciliatory letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, but while seeking a meeting, Scott also expressed doubts about whether a key part of the Affordable Care Act would lower health costs.
Florida Republicans Begin to See Fewer Horns on Obamacare’s Evils
After more than two years of fighting the federal health overhaul, Florida Republican leaders say they need to prepare to carry out the law, while Gov. Rick Scott, in a sharp turnaround, said he wants to negotiate with federal authorities.
Tea Party’s Medicare Beneficiaries Honk Up Palm Coast Against Federal Health Mandate
Some 50 to 60 Flagler tea party activists clumped around a Palm Coast intersection Monday, protesting “Obamacare” in a distinctly less impressive display of numbers or passions than in previous rallies.
Obamacare’s Days In Court: A Primer
It’s the Super Bowl of Supreme Court cases with consequences for all: the three days of arguments over the constitutionality of Obama’s health care reform begin today. Here’s a clear-eyed explanation of what it’s about and likely outcomes. It’s the Super Bowl of Supreme Court cases: the three days of arguments over the constitutionality of Obama’s health care reform begin today. Here’s a clear-eyed explanation of what it’s about and likely outcomes.
Health Care Reform Ruling: 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2-1 Decision
Full text of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2-1 ruling on Aug. 12, 2011 overturning parts of the Obama administration’s health care reform law, in a case from Florida.