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obamacare time bomb 2

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Undocumented immigrants are expected to make up a larger share of Connecticut’s uninsured population next year, putting “new financial pressures on safety-net hospitals” that provide emergency care to everyone, state and national health experts predict.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides coverage options for legal immigrants, but those in the U.S. illegally cannot apply for Medicaid, even if they are poor, or buy coverage at Access Health CT (the new insurance marketplace), even if they have cash. That means undocumented residents without coverage will continue turning to local emergency departments for care at a time when Connecticut hospitals face the loss of millions of dollars in federal and state subsidies to help defray the cost of uncompensated care.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this morning that nearly 365,000 Americans had signed up for private health insurance under Obamacare. The vast majority came from 14 states running their own insurance exchanges, while 137,000 came by way of HealthCare.gov, the much-faulted federal website that handles enrollment for the remaining states.

But amid the rush to enroll as many people as possible by the Dec. 23 deadline, there’s a huge caveat that isn’t getting much public attention: In order for coverage to take effect on Jan. 1, enrollees must pay their first month’s premium on time. (The deadline varies somewhat by state and by insurer.)

That’s slow going, according to consultants and some insurers, raising the prospect that actual enrollment will be far lower than the figures HHS is releasing.

“There is also a lot of worrying going on over people making payments,” industry consultant Robert Laszewski wrote in an email. “One client reports only 15% have paid so far. It is still too early to know for sure what this means but we should expect some enrollment slippage come the payment due date.”

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Nearly 15,000 enrollment records from Americans trying to sign up for Obamacare never made it to insurers — but the federal government does not know which records never made it to which insurer.

The federal analysis merely compares the number of times Obamacare enrollees clicked “enroll” to the number of plans HealthCare.gov sent to insurers, according to The Washington Post. Consumers who send the vanishing enrollments, or “orphan files,” are not notified that their information has not been processed and an insurer did not receive sensitive financial and health-related data, meaning that they could be in for an unpleasant surprise when the Dec. 23 deadline — the last day for customers to sign up for health insurance — comes and goes.

But government officials insist that less than one percent of enrollments disappeared into cyberspace since early December, even though their data does not include duplicated and erroneous enrollments.

Tick…

But the third plank in the triad of disinformation hasn’t gotten much attention: Obamacare will save you, me, and the country a lot of money. This lie took several forms.

First, Obama promised on numerous occasions that the average family of four will save $2,500 a year in premiums. Where did that number come from? Three Harvard economists wrote a memo in 2007 in which they claimed that then-Senator Obama’s health-care plan would reduce national health-care spending by $200 billion. Then, according to the New York Times, the authors “divided [$200 billion] by the country’s population, multiplied for a family of four, and rounded down slightly to a number that was easy to grasp: $2,500.”

In September, the Obama administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services used far more rigorous methods to predict that Obamacare would increase national health-care spending by $621 billion. Using Obama’s own math, that would mean — according to Chris Conover, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute and Duke University — each family of four in America will spend an additional $7,450 thanks to Obamacare.

Of course, that methodology is still bogus. But it’s probably closer to the truth.

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For the second week in a row, the Washington Healthplanfinder website is down, and it’s causing problems for people who are dealing with billing issues. Some of them say the website is mistakenly debiting their accounts.

Shannon Bruner of Indianola logged on to her checking account Monday morning, and found she was almost 800 dollars in the negative.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘I got screwed,’” she said.

The Bruners enrolled for insurance on the Washington Healthplanfinder website, last October. They say they selected the bill pay date to be December 24th. Instead the Washington Healthplanfinder drafted the 835 dollar premium Monday.

Josh Bruner started his own business this year as an engineering recruiter. They said it’s forced them to pay a lot of attention to their bills and their bank accounts.

“Big knot in my gut because we’re trying to keep it together,” said Shannon Bruner. “It’s important to me that this kind of stuff doesn’t happen.”

They’re not alone.

One viewer emailed KING 5 saying, “They drafted my account this morning for a second time.”

Another woman on Facebook with a similar problem commented, “We are all in the same boat.”

“We’ve got to figure out how to get money to pay the bills for the next week or two until we have another check come through,” said Josh Bruner. “It’s just crazy.”


Tick…

More than 2,400 Connecticut customers who bought health plans on Access Health CT were given incorrect information about their insurance plans, in one case underestimating the maximum out-of-pocket by at least $4,000.

The website for Access Health CT, the state’s new health exchange, had incorrect information online about deductibles and co-insurance impacting all 19 individual health plans from the three insurance companies that offer those plans through the exchange: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, ConnectiCare, and HealthyCT. The 12 small-group plans were unaffected.

Access Health CT would not say how the problem started, or who was responsible. The exchange did say that the problem was discovered in late September and was fixed by Oct. 30.

Tick…

An Associated Press-GfK poll finds that health care remains politically charged going into next year’s congressional elections. Keeping the refurbished HealthCare.gov website running smoothly is just one of Obama’s challenges, maybe not the biggest.

The poll found a striking level of unease about the law among people who have health insurance and aren’t looking for government help. Those are the 85 percent of Americans who the White House says don’t have to be worried about the president’s historic push to expand coverage for the uninsured.

In the survey, nearly half of those with job-based or other private coverage say their policies will be changing next year — mostly for the worse. Nearly 4 in 5 (77 percent) blame the changes on the Affordable Care Act, even though the trend toward leaner coverage predates the law’s passage.

Sixty-nine percent say their premiums will be going up, while 59 percent say annual deductibles or copayments are increasing.

Only 21 percent of those with private coverage said their plan is expanding to cover more types of medical care, though coverage of preventive care at no charge to the patient has been required by the law for the past couple of years.

Fourteen percent said coverage for spouses is being restricted or eliminated, and 11 percent said their plan is being discontinued.

Tick…

Of all of the last-minute delays, website bungles, and Presidential whims that have marred the roll-out of Obamacare’s subsidized insurance exchanges, what happened on Thursday, December 12 will stand as one of the most lawless acts yet committed by this administration. The White House—having canceled Americans’ old health plans, and having botched the system for enrolling people in new ones—knows that millions of Americans will enter the new year without health coverage. So instead of actually fixing the problem, the administration is retroactively attempting to force insurers to hand out free health care—at a loss—to those whom the White House has rendered uninsured. If Obamacare wasn’t a government takeover of the health insurance industry, then what is it now?

On Wednesday afternoon, health policy reporters found in their inboxes a friendly e-mail from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announcing “steps to ensure Americans signing up through the Marketplace have coverage and access to the care they need on January 1.” Basically, the “steps” involve muscling insurers to provide free or discounted care to those who have become uninsured because of the problems with healthcare.gov.

Tick…

“What’s wrong with ‘urging’ insurers to offer free care?” you might ask. “That’s not the same as forcing them to offer free care.” Except that the government is using the full force of its regulatory powers, under Obamacare, to threaten insurers if they don’t comply. All you have to do is read the menacing language in the new regulations that HHS published this week, in which HHS says it may throw otherwise qualified health plans off of the exchanges next year if they don’t comply with the government’s “requests.”

“We are considering factoring into the [qualified health plan] renewal process, as part of the determination regarding whether making a health plan available…how [insurers] ensure continuity of care during transitions,” they write. Which is kind of like the Mafia saying that it will “consider” the amount of protection money you’ve paid in its decision as to whether or not it vandalizes your storefront.

Tick…

There are other services HHS is asking insurers to offer for free. The administration is “strongly encouraging insurers to treat out-of-network providers”—i.e., costly ones—“as in-network to ensure continuity of care” and to “refill prescriptions covered under previous plans during January.” But the issue of unpaid premiums looms largest.

Tick…

Phyllis Dessel, 63, of Reading, Pa., believes she is finally enrolled after 50 attempts online. The retired social worker, a political independent, currently has her own private insurance.

When Dessel described her experience, she jokingly asked, “Do you mind if I cry?”

Thanks to tax credits available under the law, she was able to save about $100 a month on the monthly premium for her new coverage. But she had to switch carriers because staying with her current insurer would have cost more than she was willing to pay. She hasn’t gotten an invoice yet from her new insurance company.

The premiums she found on the new insurance marketplace were “not at all” what she expected, said Dessel. “They were much, much higher.”

A supporter of Obama’s overhaul, she believes changes are needed to make the coverage more affordable.

“I think with a lot of amendments or updates, it could be very, very helpful and beneficial,” said Dessel. “I know a lot of people who don’t have insurance. My hairdresser, my plumber don’t have insurance and they’re not going to get it if it’s not affordable.”

That “erroneous debit” story could be a peek into the future- how Obama will seize your assets and redistribute them as he sees fit.

Just wait until Obamacare sycophants learn that there is something worse than a non-functional website- that is a functional website.

Just wait until they learn what a deductible is.

Just wait until they learn that “out of pocket” means out of THEIR pockets.

Boom.

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So many unintended consequences, so little time.
We all knew ObamaCare would RATION healthcare.
We just don’t know what order we will see this happen in.
Well, here’s one I didn’t see coming:
If your child is put on antipsychotic drugs, you get $710/month until he is 18.
This had been turned into a racket with many poor people were taking advantage of it so the number of children taking powerful antipsychotic drugs has nearly tripled over the last 10 years.

A disproportionate number of those prescriptions are written for poor and minority children, some as young as age 2.

Over the last decade or so, doctors have increasingly prescribed the drugs for “off-label” uses, particularly in ADHD and disruptive behavior disorder, a broad diagnosis that encompasses a range of behaviors from attacking other children to temper tantrums and defying authority.

Those disorders affect a much larger pool of children. About 10 percent of kids aged 3 to 17 are affected by either behavior problems or ADHD.

Increasingly, kids are prescribed antipsychotic medications at their pediatrician’s office, rather than by a psychiatrist. The number of prescriptions for the drugs written by pediatricians has increased steadily over the last several years and is up nearly 25 percent since 2006.

A new report is now (suddenly with the onset of ObamaCare) saying this is too much.
We should cut it back.
Health insurance plans for individual patients and small businesses that take effect on or after Jan. 1, 2014, are mandated to provide coverage for mental health care under the Affordable Care Act.
So, now we can save money for the insurers and get the kids off drugs at the same time!
Yes.
I see this as a somewhat good thing.
IF a child really needs these meds, he can still get them, after more hoops.

The pending shock of realization by those foolish enough to have believed the democrat lies regarding obamacare will be on a level experienced by a child learning the truth about Santa. What saxdens me is how far too many of these people will want to believe that those of us who warned about the ultimate dangerous failure of obamacare are some how the reason obamacare failed, rather than recognizing the leftist scumbags for the liars they were….and are.

@Nanny G: One major problem is that ADD and ADHD have never been proven to exist. It a disease of the progressives. Did you know that if a child has ever been treated for ADD or ADHD they can not be accepted into the Military services?

@Redteam: I absolutely agree there are too many drugs being prescribed to kids,particularly for mood altering adhd.
I feel adults are also over medicating. Exercise, select vitamins and supplements, reasonable diet. DITCH THE MEDS.

That means undocumented residents without coverage will continue turning to local emergency departments for care at a time when Connecticut hospitals face the loss of millions of dollars in federal and state subsidies to help defray the cost of uncompensated care.

I don’t feel sorry for a state that puts themselves in this situation by allowing illegals in their state. An easy way to end the problem is to start enforcing laws against hiring illegals. I forget what state did this, and a hough amount of illegals left the state. It works!

I have decided that obamacare shouldn’t be voted out. Instead, it should be modified so that EVERY politician who voted for it, and EVERY other person who wanted their politicians to vote for it, will be required to stay with it. This would include the unions, the states and the organizations who got a waver for it. Anyone else can leave it.

If your child is put on antipsychotic drugs, you get $710/month until he is 18…

One major problem is that ADD and ADHD have never been proven to exist…

Under the relatively vague description of mental disabilities, and law enforcement’s interpretation of gun laws of several states, are these parents taking away their child’s right to bear arms as an adult? In California they appear to be confiscating guns of individuals that had only been admitted for voluntary observation. If the current Democratic leadership succeed in transforming America into the feudal-socialist “Big Brother” oligarchy they want to steer us into, will non-subservient “wrong-think” be considered a mental deficiency?

Cloward & Piven

are the banks in bed with OBAMACARE?
these people made a check for the 24 december and are finding the 800 dollars they paid
has been taken out of their account at this date,
which they where needing that now money for some urgent expanses,
how the hell the bank allowed that money to be given now, mark on the next week, 24 DECEMBER,
and how come the obamacare took the money before the dates specified,
this is criminal, of OBAMACARE, AND CRIMNAL ON THE BANK,
which are supose to be trusted with your money,
NOT ANYMORE I SEE,

“Undocumented immigrants”

Undocumented my tuchus.

ILLEGAL ! ILLEGAL !! ILLEGAL !!!

ML/NJ
YES AND THEY EVEN CHANGE THEIR NAME ON SOME WITH A CRIME BACKGROUND,
OBAMA GO A LONG WAY TO HELP THOSE,ILLEGALS,
BYE

I just pickt up a replay of the one doing sign beside OBAMA,
the actor who play him is so hilarious, I hope you get to see him
and the one who portrait OBAMA ,
I JUST LOOK AT THE END OF IT, MISS THE OTHER PART,
on FOX,

http://saraforamerica.com/2013/10/28/illegals-pursued-and-encouraged-to-apply-for-coverage-on-the-obamacare-exchange/

Illegals Pursued and Encouraged to Apply for Coverage on the Obamacare Exchange

Seems that it may be time to water the tree of liberty…………………………..

@enchanted: #12
With the national debt at $17,000,000,000,000, and the house just approving additional spending, if obama wanted to do all he can to bring down the debt, why would his administration advertise for people to cost the country more trillions of dollars? Isn’t this one of the steps that was taken before a government fell and became some kind of dictatorship? How many other steps have been taken to that end?

Can any open-minded person name one government program obama started that actually HELPED the country? Liberals not allowed to comment, since your minds were closed a long time ago. Is it possible that obama has no intentions of helping the USA? Look at who donates to his campaign. He opened up his donation web site so that ANY PERSON, COMPANY, OR COUNTRY could donate to him. What countries donated enough that now want what they paid for?

@Glenn Cassel AMH1(AW) USNavy Retired: #13

Seems that it may be time to water the tree of liberty…………………………..

Sometimes the tree needs pruning. That would be a great slogan for the republicans. “We are going to take the pruning sheers to the Tree Of Liberty. There is too much sap of life being sucked from it.” The only problem is that the republican haven’t used their pruning sheers for so long that they probably don’t remember where they put them since they used them the last time, and the sheers are probably so rusty that they can never be made workable.

@ilovebeeswarzone: #8

are the banks in bed with OBAMACARE?

It’s not the banks. These are people who signed up for obamacare and agreed to let the government take the money for obamacare out AUTOMATICALLY. Anybody can sign up to pay their bills this way. The company (or in this case, the government) is given authorization by the individual to take out the money when the bill is received by the bank. What the individuals should have done, if they are on the Internet, is to sign up for online banking and have the government send them a bill, then the individual can make a payment online, which is much more secure than paying by check, if the recipient is set up to receive electronic payments.

Smorgasbord
they probably didn”t know that one,
the rules are changing to accomodate the obamacare<
if i write 24 on my check , i don"t expect it to pass before,
bye

@ilovebeeswarzone: #17
There are a lot of people who let the bank automatically pay the bills for them. The company sends the bill to the bank, and the bank pays it, taking the amount out of the person’s checking account. I guess that the company can send a bill for any amount and the bank will pay it, if no limit is set.

Smorgasbord
I didn”t know that, i guess one have to write it on the check,
like not more, or up to, or else,
good to know, BYE
THANK YOU,

Glenn Cassel AMH I [AW] USNavy Retired,
AGAIN 6 US TROOPS KILLED IN THE CRASH OF AN HELICOPTER,
CAMP BASTION AFGHANISTAN, HOW AWFULL,
HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE TO MOURN,
AND OBAMA WANT TO KEEP SOME IN THERE AFTER 2014,
IT’S NOT WORTH IT, THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT, THEY TAKE AND DON’T HELP,
THEY SHOULD COME BACK ALL FROM THIS HELL,
YES IT’S TIME TO WATER THE TREE OF LIBERTY
BEST TO YOU SIR

Michael S. Bernstam’s, The impossible trinity of ObamaCare hits hard because his logic is impeccable.
A taste:

Health care can be many things for many people:

It can be universal (extended to all people) or selective (available to some people).
It can be comprehensive (covers all conditions and cures at any age) or rationed.
It can be affordable or prohibitively expensive.

But there is one thing that a health care system cannot be.
It cannot be everything for everyone.
It cannot simultaneously be 1) universal, 2) comprehensive, and 3) affordable.
This is the impossible trinity of objectives.

If it is universal and comprehensive, it is prohibitively expensive and hence unaffordable.
The only way to make it universal and affordable is to ration services, but then the system is not comprehensive.
If it is comprehensive and affordable, it can be such only for those who can afford it, and hence not universal.

Excellent!

@Nanny G: Health care won’t do your push ups or situps. It won’t jog for you and it sure as hell won’t push away that red meat that’s fouling your intestines.

@Richard Wheeler:
But, RW, up until ObamaCare takes its place, my ”old, inferior plan,” covered my gym membership!

@Nanny G: How many hours a week do you use your “free” membership? How does ObamaCare affect you personally?

@Richard Wheeler:

that red meat that’s fouling your intestines.

I’ve been eating red meat (cooked) for over 70 years and have never had fouled intestines. When did your’s get fouled and what were you eating at the time? Do you think ‘health care’ will keep your intestines from fouling?

It won’t jog for you

Jim Fixx had a heart attack while jogging.

@Richard Wheeler:

How many hours a week do you use your “free” membership?

Does it take a certain number of hours or is it the effectiveness of the exercise that helps?

@Redteam: You also had a heart attack. What caused it? Guarantee eating red meat didn’t help you .
Gym– Like life 80% of success based on showing up 5-7 hrs a week is good. Naturally you want an effective and enjoyable workout both aerobic and anaerobic.
My intestines are great—thanks for askin

@Richard Wheeler:
Let’s see….
I swim 1/2 hour about three times a week.
Use the whirlpool for my arthritis.
Do some high-rep weight exercises as well as a stationary bike for about two or three times a week.
My gym is open 24/7 so I can go late at night or early in the day.
I love going at about 1 in the AM when so many interesting people get in there, too.
I have met professional musicians, good hackers, people who live completely off the grid, even some of the football players from U of Utah.
I won’t get the bad news about ObamaCare personally until April of 2014.
Our gym memberships will be another out-of-pocket expense then, so there’s about $30/month we don’t pay for now.
But, hey!, at least I’ll have free abortions and birth control!

@Richard Wheeler:

My intestines are great

and how long have you been on your ‘no red meat’ kick? I’ll bet you’ve eaten red meat for many more years of your life than you have abstained. So you with no red meat and me with plenty of red meat for even longer than you and intestines are the same. Must not be red meat that is different.

@Nanny G:

But, hey!, at least I’ll have free abortions and birth control!

and most likely a prostate exam for you and a mammogram for your husband (if you’re married)

@Richard Wheeler:

Red meat does not clog up the intestines. That’s a myth.

MYTH: Meat takes days to digest

Vegetarians often quote this statement as a reason for not ­eating meat.

But although we might feel more full after eating meat than some other foods (­protein-rich foods are known to be more ­satisfying over a longer period than starchy ­carbohydrates), that doesn’t mean it isn’t being digested.

Meat leaves the stomach in two to three hours and is fully digested in four to six, in order to use its wide range of nutrients, such as iron, zinc and B vitamins.

BOTTOM LINE: Meat moves through your ­digestive system in the same way as other foods.

Does Meat Rot In Your Colon? No. What Does? Beans, Grains, and Vegetables!

Like most vegetarian propaganda, it’s not just false, it’s an inversion of truth. (snip)

On average, a ‘mixed meal’ (including meat) takes 4-5 hours to completely leave the stomach—so we’ve busted yet another part of the myth. (Keep in mind that we have not absorbed any nutrients yet: we’re still breaking everything down.) (snip)

…t turns out that pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and our other proteases do a fine job of breaking down meat protein, and bile salts and lipase do a fine job of breaking down animal fat. In other words, meat is digested by enzymes produced by our own bodies. The primary reason we need our gut bacteria is to digest the sugars, starches, and fiber—found in grains, beans, and vegetables—that our digestive enzymes can’t break down.

Now what is that called, again, when food is being ‘digested’ by bacteria…?

rot \ˈrät\ (verb) — to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi

In other words, meat doesn’t rot in your colon. GRAINS, BEANS, and VEGETABLES rot in your colon. And that is a fact.

Meat is one of the few foods that the body easily breaks down and absorbs. Moderate red meat intake is good for the body. The Truth About Red Meat

Red meat is high in iron, something many teenage girls and women in their childbearing years are lacking. The heme iron in red meat is easily absorbed by the body. Red meat also supplies vitamin B12, which helps make DNA and keeps nerve and red blood cells healthy, and zinc, which keeps the immune system working properly.

Red meat provides protein, which helps build bones and muscles.

“Calorie for calorie, beef is one of the most nutrient-rich foods,” says Shalene McNeil, PhD, executive director of nutrition research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “One 3-ounce serving of lean beef contributes only 180 calories, but you get 10 essential nutrients.”

@Ditto:

Red meat is high in iron, something many teenage girls and women in their childbearing years are lacking.

RW is gonna tell you he’s not a woman in childbearing years, but I’m sure he hasn’t checked with Obamacare yet to see when he’s scheduled for his pap smear and mammogram.
The simplest way to tell that red meat is a ‘natural’ food is that many wild animals eat it. Nature does not generally allow wild animals to eat foods that are bad for them. I would say if it’s good for wild animals, it’s also good for those with reasoning ability. Cows and horses don’t generally eat meat, hogs and dogs do. Can’t fool mother nature, can you RW?

@Redteam: Can’t fool Mother Nature but can RT be fooled???
Ditto A PHD working for The National Catlleman’s Beef Assoc. endorses beef consumption? What a surprise.
Like BHO endorsing the ACA

NanG GOOD FOR YOU

@Richard Wheeler:

but can RT be fooled

absolutely!, I’m a human that believes in the basic goodness of other human’s, (I realize we’re not necessarily talking libs here) But, are you saying Ditto works for the The National Catlleman’s Beef Assoc.? But RW, the major difference is Obama was deliberately lying about Obamacare, red meat is actually good for you.

@Redteam: That would be Shalene McNeil Phd.
” red meat is actually good for you” you go right on believing RT. What was the cause of your heart attack at the relatively young age of 53?

@Richard Wheeler:

WebMD quoted the doctor. So what? They also quoted Doctor Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, a nutrition professor at Georgia State University. That does nothing to disprove the WebMD article or to indicate the doctors are wrong. All your reply does is show that you like to shoot the messenger when the truth goes against your ridiculous propaganda.

I like you to explain to us exactly where it is you think that red meat collects in the intestinal tract, and provide us with proof to support these claims.

@Redteam:

And now we have more logic from the party that RW supports. Seems he may have to cut down on his gym membership:

“It’s time for retired veterans to face cuts as the federal government looks for ways to trim expenditures, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Monday.

“Civilian federal employees have been cut, cut, cut. I think there was a feeling, if you’re going to cut them further, which was done, that the military retirees should have about an equal amount. It’s small,” the New York Democrat told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Of course we all know how dangerous “civilian federal” jobs are. My God, who in the world doesn’t know that just facing Beltway traffic is more dangerous than a couple of tours in Iraq or Afghanistan?

So while Smuckie Schumer wants to cut veteran benefits, does he think he should see his paycheck reduced?
Ah, hell no!!!!

“I think (Rep.) Paul Ryan and (Sen.) Patty Murray looked everywhere they could to try and find compromise. Everybody had to take a little,” Schumer said.

“They’re going to have to pay a tiny, little bit into it, which they never have,” he added.
But Schumer maintained members of Congress should not be forced to take a pay cut. He said they have already sacrificed, since they have not seen a pay raise “in a long time,” and explained most of them are paying more for healthcare insurance.”

What? His health insurance costs have gone up? How did that happen? Didn’t Obama promise the cost of health insurance was going to go down? And Congress critters have sacrificed? Like spilling their own blood on the streets of dangerous D.C. which is equal to living in a FOB never knowing when you’re going to get shot or blown up by an IED? Why would anyone run for Congress seeing as how it is such a dangerous job that requires “sacrifices”?

How anyone who wears the uniform of our nation, or has in the past, can vote for a Democrat is beyond my comprehension. It is a dishonor to that uniform.

“We have taken pretty big cuts,” he said.

@Richard Wheeler:

What was the cause of your heart attack at the relatively young age of 53?

Too much fish oil and chicken and fish. It was not from protein buildup, that’s for sure.

@retire05:

“It’s time for retired veterans to face cuts as the federal government looks for ways to trim expenditures, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Monday.

“Civilian federal employees have been cut, cut, cut. I think there was a feeling, if you’re going to cut them further, which was done, that the military retirees should have about an equal amount. It’s small,”

I have not looked into this very deeply, I will soon, but so far I have not seen any ‘cuts’ to military retiree benefits. I do see where they are planning to reduce the historical rate of increase. But I don’t think anyone can show me where any military retiree has ever been ‘guaranteed’ that the COLA would be a minimum amount each year. I think it is related to cost of living and a minimum was not a ‘guraranteed’ amount. My understanding is that military retiree pay is based on your years of service and the base rate for your pay level with a cola based on rate of inflation. Social Security benefits are also based on rate of inflation and the raise for next year is a big old 1.5%. Based on that, since it’s the same government and the same rate of inflation, I’d say the military retirees raise for next year should be 1.5%. I certainly would not support any ‘actual cut’ in military retiree benefits, but I’m not hearing of any. The truth needs to be discussed.

@Redteam:

The fact that Schumer even has the cajones to say that the retired military should take a cut when he lives off the taxpayer expense account, just hacks me off to no end. He whines about not getting a raise. What has he done to deserve a raise? Nothing but spend other people’s money.

But then, anyone with two grey cells bumping together know that the Democrats have no use for our military unless they can use our military for political expediency.

Social Security benefits are also based on rate of inflation and the raise for next year is a big old 1.5%.

Whoop-tee-do. Never mind that gas is double what it was when Obamafraud took office and the price of groceries is now much higher.

Did a few calculations. This affects a small percentage of retirees, but any is too many, but the numbers I’ve seen are inflated to the high end, i.e., assuming an annual COLA of 3% for the full 22 years of calculations (from age 40 til age 62). COLA have been running less than that for a long time. It only impacts those that retire with 20 years service (it is prorated for more years of service) but the largest penalty is only 1% a year. If COLA goes up 4% then they would get 3% (1% less than those with more than 20 years service).
So, here’s the difference, without the change, a retiree that starts at age 40 with a 1.5% COLA every year would go up to 31,442 at age 62 but if he only got 0.5% a year, he would go from 23000 a year up to 25,539. That cumulative total is $60,792 less. The easiest way to solve that would be to not have that penalty, but even if it’s kept, if he just serves a couple more years, the penalty goes away.
But, notice at no time is any retirees actually reduced, only the rate of increase is slowed, not reversed. I think it’s important that we keep this in perspective, but basically, the 6 billion this will save over 10 years could be greatly eclipsed by cutting out the First family vacations for just one year. ($4 billion alone for just this one trip to Hawaii) I say let them swim in the White House pool for the next year and give the vets their money.

@retire05:

But then, anyone with two grey cells bumping together know that the Democrats have no use for our military unless they can use our military for political expediency.

That’s why RW is all in for the Dims, I guess. They get to use him as a useful tool. Yea!!!

@Redteam:

Here ya go, Redteam:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/17/senate-gop-fails-in-final-bid-to-restore-military-pension-cuts-to-budget-bill/

Continued tax breaks for illegals but cuts for our retired military. The scum in the swamp known as D.C. is growing.

@Redteam: Chicken and Fish are major sources of protein. You know that. What really caused your heart attack at 53?

obama ended the pay freeze for congress, federal workers, and the vice president http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/obama-pay-raise-congress_n_2377714.html, but is still advertising for people to get on the different welfare programs, still wants to give illegals free stuff, but can’t afford to keep the promise he made to our military personnel that they would keep their benefits. Oh, wait. I forgot. A promise from obama is like a cloud: It isn’t there very long before it goes away.

This president wants the citizens and the illegals to get more free benefits that they didn’t EARN, than the ones who risked life and limb to keep this country free. Any liberal who defends obama on this issue is saying they don’t want the USA to be able to defend itself against foreign invaders. If they haven’t contacted their politicians and told them to keep giving the military personnel what they EARNED, then they are admitting that they want the military reduced down enough that obama’s national civilian security force will be stronger than they are, and maybe even will join the force.

COLA’S for last 21 years is avg of 2.1

@Richard Wheeler: MI. had a plaque rupture in an artery with a max buildup of 40%. The cardiologist said they don’t even consider plaque as any blockage until it gets above 70%. Still have no buildup over 40% as of last testing earlier this year. And that’s with red meat almost every day for over 70 years. I’ve never had a doctor tell me that red meat was bad for me. My biggest problem is atrial fibrillation. Severely limits my ability to exercise and won’t get any better with exercise, only worse if pulse goes above 100. See why I don’t care to exercise?

@Richard Wheeler:

What really caused your heart attack at 53?

Why is Redteam’s health more important to you than the Democrats (and Paul Ryan) screwing veterans?
You once bragged how you work with veterans, Richard. Tell me, do you have the cajones to tell them you vote Democrat and you support the cuts this administration is making to them? Or do you have “Hypocrite” on your resume?

@Redteam: #41
The military should be the first item on the federal budget. After they get what they NEED, then the rest get theirs. There should also be a much stronger watch over their spending. They too are spending more than they should. Cut out just the wasteful spending, and that would take care of the retirees increases over the years.

@Redteam:

See why I don’t care to exercise?

What? You mean you’re not some Birkenstock wearing yuppie that loves to talk about how he works out in some tony air-conditioned gym?

I have to laugh at those people, all blathering on about how they jog, and work out. One day’s labor at my ranch would kick their butts. Nothing like 4-5 hours on the end of a hoe to make that old heart rate increase and build muscle.