Barack Obama made all sorts of promises while looking to create government control of health care (always think of Obama as a collectivist). Among the things he promised were a savings of $2500 per year per family, that premiums would fall by 3000%, that it would cost less than it does now, and that we’d be able keep our plans and keep our doctors.
Absolutley none of those was true. Those of us with half a brain knew it from the get go but the other 53% who voted for Obama are getting waterboarded with drops of the truth falling on their faces each day.
But an early draft of an administration regulation estimates that many employers will be forced to make changes to their health plans under the new law. In just three years, a majority of workers—51 percent—will be in plans subject to new federal requirements, according to the draft.
But of course, the idiots keep it the charade:
“On the face of it, having consumer protections apply to all insurance plans could be a good thing for employees,” said Alex Vachon, an independent health policy consultant. “Technically, it’s actually improved coverage.”
Technically it’s a good thing. In reality you won’t have your coverage or your doctor, your costs are going to go way up while you get a lot less. That’s not so hot, technically or otherwise.
And the worst of it falls on small business.
Small firms will be even likelier to lose existing plans.
The “midrange estimate is that 66% of small employer plans and 45% of large employer plans will relinquish their grandfathered status by the end of 2013,” according to the document.
In the worst-case scenario, 69% of employers — 80% of smaller firms — would lose that status, exposing them to far more provisions under the new health law.
But don’t worry- Obama will keep his promise:
A White House official told IBD: “This is a draft document, and we will be releasing the final regulation when it is complete. The president made a promise to the American people that if they liked their health care plan, they can keep it. The regulation, when finalized, will uphold that promise.”
Unless he doesn’t:
However, the source conceded: “It is difficult to predict how plans and employers will behave in the coming years, but if plans make changes that negatively impact consumers, then they will lose their grandfather status.”
It’s Yiddish for “trust me.”
Plans are grandfathered in provided they have made no changes and those changes include:
No Longer A Grandfather
But the term “grandfathered” is loosely defined by the new law; specifics have been left up to the bureaucracies. One key question is, how much flexibility would employers have in changing their coverage before it is no longer considered grandfathered?
Under the regulations in the document, a plan is no longer considered to be grandfathered if:
• It eliminates benefits related to diagnosis or treatment of a particular condition.
• It increases the percentage of a cost-sharing requirement (such as co-insurance) above its level as of March 23, 2010.
• It increases the fixed amount of cost-sharing such as deductibles or out-of-pocket limits by a total percentage measured from March 23, 2010, that is more than the sum of medical inflation plus 15 percentage points.
• It increases co-payments from March 23, 2010, by an amount that is the greater of: medical inflation plus 15 percentage points or medical inflation plus $5.
• The employer’s share of the premium decreases more than 5 percentage points below what the share was on March 23, 2010.
There is a problem with that:
In total, 66% of small businesses and 47% of large businesses made a change in their health care plans last year that would have forfeited their grandfathered status.
“These rules will ensure that up to 69% of employees — and 80% of workers in small business — will lose their current plan within three years,” said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., a physician. “The reality is this: 58% of Americans want ObamaCare repealed because they fear they will lose their health care — and even their jobs — once this law is fully implemented.”
There is no question in my mind that this is all by design. Obama, Nazi Pelosi and Hairy Reid have conspired to destroy the private insurance industry. That’s why they made it cheaper to pay the penalties than it would be to carry insurance. Since no one can be refused for a pre-condition, only sick people will carry insurance and over time the rates will skyrocket so no one can afford them.
But there are ways to lower costs:
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Here we go… talked to my longtime Doctor about 6 months ago about this, and he seemed discouraged.
Had an ear infection last week, and his Office is now closed… phone disconnected… no forwarding address.
As he was my Primary Care Doc for Tricare Prime… it creates a problem until I can find another Doc willing to take that low reimbursment rate.
Get ready America, this will get to be a normal story.
Truth is what Obama says it is. Obama-Speak, the fusion of sophistry and Newspeak. Some see it as a gift, most see it as just lies.
Not to belabor the point, but as I have stated in other threads here on FA, rationing is already occurring.