Trump Cuts Force 30% Spike in Individual Obamacare Premiums in Pa

The Affordable Care Act was never very affordable, and will be less so here in Pa. next year. The Pittsburgh Tribune reports that rates will go up an average of 30%. This is the result of Donald Trump's decision to stop payments for benefits provided to low-income policy holders. Insurance companies will collect this money by increasing the premiums of everyone with individual plans, as opposed to employer-provided health insurance.

This will impact about 85,000 small businesses and self-employed Pennsylvanians, and I suspect most of them voted for Trump.   

Hill: Obamacare Premiums to Skyrocket

It was a bad piece of legislation fraught with problems, but was shoved down an unwilling public's throat by Democratic partisans who thought they knew best. Now, in addition to the myriad of problems already reported, comes word from The Hill that premiums are expected to rise notably, and in some areas of the country, will double. Instead of being honest about yet another problem, Obamaphiles are downplaying the latest bad news.

Obamacare Resulting in Longer ER Lines

... That's according to The American College of Emergency Physicians. The nation earned a "D+". But in 2009, prior to Obamacare, the report card was a "C-".

Does Obamacare Endanger Our Children?

One of the the reasons I admire Congressman Charlie Dent is because he has always stood behind and supported Pennsylvania's Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This very successful program makes sure every child has quality medical care. But in yet another of the many problems with Obamacare, it appears that program will be gutted. Dent has fired off a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking her to accede to Governor Corbett’s request that the Department work with him to help preserve the program.

“The practical impact of the Health Care law has been to compel thousands of families with income levels between 100% and 133% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to lose their PA CHIP coverage and be forced into a comparatively substandard Medicaid program,” Rep. Dent stated in a statement released this afternoon.

“CHIP in Pennsylvania is a clear success story,” said the Congressman. “It is lauded as a national model by other states and consistently receives extremely high marks in customer satisfaction surveys,” Dent noted. “Forcing people out of this program and into the comparatively substandard Medicaid program is yet another harmful impact of the President’s Health Care law.”

Rep. Dent was joined by ten fellow Pennsylvania Republicans on the letter. Some of them, including Rep. Dent, voted to establish the PA CHIP law in 1992. Rep. Dent also voted to strengthen and enhance the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at the federal level.

“President Obama heard the outcry of millions of Americans who lost their coverage as a result of the health care law and was forced to act and grant them the ability to maintain existing coverage. I, and my fellow Representatives, want the same opportunity for the thousands of Pennsylvania families that have received superior care through PA CHIP,” Dent concluded.

Obamacare Web Page Finally Working

Don't believe me? Check it here. Just click on "Apply Now."

NorCo Workforce Angry at HealthCare Increases

A Northampton County budget hearing is right up there with root canal, sitting in a church or waiting for a bus. It's not a big draw.But yesterday afternoon, there were fifty union workers there to protest health insurance increases that Director of Human Resources Pat Siemiontkowski announced at the County Council meeting last week. She said that, under Obamacare, the County's plan is considered a "Cadillac" plan that will start triggering major taxes in 2018. She said changes had to be made now, and unfortunately, they would require much more from the workers. Co-insurance for single persons would be $2,250, with a family costing $4,500.

Leading the charge, AFSCME union agent Justus James complained he was "blindsided" by these changes, which he contends are based on a misconception of Obamacare. Pointing out that Gracedale workers have already made significant concessions (and he's right about that), James called the increases a "slap to the face of everybody who works in the County, whether you're union or nonunion." Another union leader, Sean Carson, told Council these changes are "nearly impossible for me to sell."

These ladies did not want to smile, but finally did. 

James and Carson both gave a good general description of the problem, which is very real and is going to have a very bad impact on people who see modest raises consumed by commuter taxes and rising medical costs. I know several people who are going to be about $2,000 below where they were about four years ago. Things are going in the wrong direction.

But James and Carson fell short on offering solutions.

And as Council went about reviewing budget items, employees slowly left.

Someone in this field has told me that Siemiontkowski is completely wrong for the following reasons:

First, because the County Plan is fully self-funded, it can be grandfathered in with no adverse effects or tax.

Second, the County plan is cheaper than COBRA, which is what triggers the Cadillac classification. But I am told that when COBRA rates are adjusted each year, after reviewing the annual actuarial audit, they are higher than what is paid by the County.

This person may be the one who is wrong. I don't know.

I believe something this major needs to be reviewed thorough by an independent health insurance professional, with an eye to minimizing costs to the county workforce. If she is right, then it might be possible to implement medical savings accounts as an alternative to what is going to hurt people who should not have to suffer.

Stoffa: Obamacare a "Complicated Mess" For Northampton County

No matter what you think about Obamacare, Northampton County Executive John Stoffa called it a "complicated mess" at last night's County Council meeting. This is because the County's health plan is considered a "Cadillac plan". That's because its cost to the County exceeds COBRA health coverage costs, according to Human Resources Director Pat Siemiontkowski. Stoffa, unhappy at this classification, grumbled. "It's not a Cadillac plan, it's a Toyota plan."

What all this means is that, unless the County makes changes that will adversely impact employees, it will be subject to a $934,000 estimated tax in 2018. By 2028, that tax will grow to $28 million.

Siementowski told Council that health costs are expected to rise 13% next year, at least partially as a result of Obamacare. As a result of language in eight of the County's 11 union contracts, the County will unilaterally make changes to employee costs to convert the plan from Cadillac to Volkswagon.

The biggest change, according to Siemiontkowski, will be the addition of a 10% co-insurance requirement on County workers.

This may not seem like such a big deal, but will be disastrous to many County employees. One staffer told me of a raise that she recently got as a result of a new union contract. It was all but eaten up by Easton's commuter tax and increases in health insurance contributions.

Siemiontkowski told Council that the County is also considering other options like health savings accounts. Her goal is to get all 11 unions onto one plan.

In response to a question from Lamont McClure, Siemiontkowski stated that the projected 13% hike in health costs next year was dertermined by an actuary, not the County.

"The actuary's been wrong for five years," huffed McClure, noting the County always has money left over. But Bruce Gilbert and Tom Dietrich told McClure that an actuary should include a buffer for a self-insured county so there is money on hand. Siemiontkowski told Council the County pays between $300,000-600,000 every week for health claims. She also indicated most County workers already pay between three to five percent of their salary for health insurance.

"I pay $12,000," bragged McClure for some reason.

Obamacare will also include some positive changes for the County workforce. Caps on preventitive services, chiropractors, mental health treatment and the number of visits allowed will all be eliminated.

Obamacare Day 2

We have a lot of visitors on the site right now.
Please stay on this page.

We're working to make the experience better, and we don’t want you to lose your place in line. We’ll send you to the login page as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience!

Updated 9:15 PM: The site is still not working.

Health Care Exchange is Down

The vaunted health care exchange with affordable rates for people with no insurance is "down at the moment." Is it the federal government shutdown or just general incompetence?

Updated 11:15 AM: Since Midnight, the Health Care Exchange has basically been inoperable in Pennsylvania. I keep getting this message:

Health Insurance Marketplace: Please wait

We have a lot of visitors on our site right now and we're working to make your experience here better. Please wait here until we send you to the login page. Thanks for your patience!

Charlie Dent: Do We Really Need to Tax Bedpans?

Oh shit!

Congressman Charlie Dent  has joined colleagues Erik Paulsen, Ron Kind and Jim Gerlach in introducing legislation to repeal the medical device taxcontained in the Affordable Care Act. This 2.3% excise tax on medical devices, from bedpans to prostehetic devices for returning veterans, took effect on January 1st. According to Congressman Paulsen, 10,000 people have already lost their jobs as a result.

“If you were looking for a textbook example of a blundering government enacting a law that raises health care costs, destroys jobs, curtails innovation and hurts patient care – you’d come up with the medical device tax,” Dent said.

Dent complains that the $30 billion tax is applied to the revenues of affected companies – not their profits. A new innovative company in the field would be heavily damaged as their available cash flow, vital to a start-up, is sucked up by this tax.

There are over 8,000 medical device firms in the United States, employing over 420,000 workers. Already, major firms in the field have announced either lay-offs or the end to planned expansions in the US. Dent predicts that as many as 43,000 jobs could ultimately be lost based on economic projections.

“Enough is enough,” said Dent. “This isn’t about opposing the President’s health care plan. This is about Congress working together in a bipartisan way to save American jobs.”

The 15th District represented by Dent hosts many biomedical companies whose continued growth and profitability are threatened by the tax. These include but are not limited to: Aesculap, Boas Surgical, Biomed, BBraun, Olympus, Orasure and Precision Medical Instruments.

“These employers provide good jobs that help feed, clothe and shelter hundreds of workers and their families and this pernicious tax threatens those jobs. This tax needs to be surgically removed from the Affordable Care Act,” Dent concluded.

House Repeals Obamacare ... Again

It's too bad that LV Congressman Charlie Dent and Scranton attorney Matt Cartwright are running against weak opposition, and not each other. I'd love to see those two debate Obamacare and our economy.

The U.S. House has voted more than thirty times now to repeal different aspects of Obamacare. Twice, they've voted to repeal the whole damn thing. Their latest stab at that was yesterday. But without similar action in the Senate, which seems highly unlikely, they're wasting their time.

LV Congressman Charlie Dent, who voted with every other Republican in favor of a repeal, argues that this supposed medical reform will actually unleash 20 new taxes:

"The 2010 health care law contains numerous detrimental policies that not only fail to appropriately address the complex problems of our health care system, but hurt our economy and hardworking American families. Repealing the law would allow Congress to enact meaningful reform measures that reduce cost, expand access and improve quality. Its repeal would also prevent the imposition of over 20 new or higher taxes that will cost Americans $675 billion over the next decade and stifle economic growth. While the political reality is repeal will not occur under this Administration, which still considers the deeply flawed law its signature legislative achievement, Congress must remain committed to repealing and replacing the most problematic provisions with substantial reforms. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress in a bipartisan manner to advance common sense, sustainable reforms that benefit the American people.”

But Matt Cartwright, running for Tim Holden's seat in parts of the Lehigh Valley, thinks Congress should focus on creating jobs. He calls the repeal a "meaningless political game."

"Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In response to the court’s ruling, Republicans in the House of Representatives decided to hold a vote to repeal the health care law completely. The timing of this could not be worse; neither could the flagrant political posturing.

"It is important to realize what a full repeal of this bill would mean. The Medicare prescription “doughnut hole,” would remain open, once again placing the burden of full payment on our seniors. People with pre-existing medical conditions, including cancer patients, could once again be denied the possibility obtaining affordable care. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the federal deficit would increase by $210 billion. 3.8 million Pennsylvanians have already used a free preventative service provided by the Affordable Care Act- this would cease. These popular benefits and many other reforms the ACA brings must not be repealed.

"Beyond being bad policy, this push to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a meaningless political game. During their time in the minority, these Republicans remarked that health care was the wrong priority, and that Congress should be focusing on other job creation measures. Yet during their time in the majority, Republicans have voted thirty-two times to repeal measures contained in this health care law, and they have already voted once for a full repeal. We know that the Senate will not vote to overturn this law. Now is not the time to engage in these types of useless political games- now is the time for bold action.

"Last week, we saw the best of Congress. Working across the aisle, Democrats and Republicans passed a Transportation Bill that promises to create or retain 2.9 million jobs in the construction industry, a sector that has been battered in this recession. The American people are looking to Congress for more of this job-creating legislation. Let’s hope that they will deliver."

Both views are well-stated.

Dent: Congress Needs To Enact Real Medical Reforms

LV Congressman Charlie Dent, in response to today's Obamacare ruling, has this reaction:

“While the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the 2010 health care law, today’s decision validates concerns that the law vastly expands the federal government’s role in our health care system and profoundly impacts the personal lives and medical decisions of Americans. Although today’s ruling is significant, it does not change the fact the policies of the law have failed. Two and a half years into implementation, health care costs have increased for families and small businesses; our nation’s health care spending remains on an unsustainable trajectory; Americans are realizing they won’t be able to keep their current coverage as they were promised; and innovation and high-quality care, the hallmarks of our first rate system, are being threatened by punitive policies.

“With the major legal challenge decided, our attention must turn to addressing the crucial issues that should have been tackled when Congress and the nation began the health care reform dialogue in 2009. When the law was enacted, Congress and the President failed to implement the real reforms to reduce health care costs, make coverage more affordable, meaningfully expand access to care and improve quality. Instead, what the law has done is impose more than 20 new or higher taxes, cut Medicare by half a trillion dollars, authorize a trillion dollars in new government spending, impose costly new burdens on employers and discourage greater investment. Congress must work to reverse the numerous flawed policies that are negatively impacting all Americans, and advance deliberate, sensible reforms that target cost, access and quality.

“One of my greatest concerns about the health care law is it promises benefits, financed in the short-term by budget gimmicks and unrealistic assumptions, that are completely unsustainable in the long term. The way the law is structured has proven to be unmanageable. Costly provisions are driving up health care spending while policies intended as offsets have been abandoned by the Administration or deemed unworkable. In some cases, these provisions have been reversed by Congress to avoid severe economic impacts.

“An opportunity to enact meaningful reform was lost when the health care law was jammed through Congress by the President without thoughtful consideration of the far-reaching implications of its policies. With the Supreme Court’s decision now behind us and serious fiscal challenges before us, I believe we are presented a new opportunity to identify the failures of our health care system, repeal the law and then carefully develop solutions catering to the diverse needs of the American people. These solutions must also help place our nation on a sustainable fiscal path. I believe we can build bipartisan consensus around common-sense policies that reduce cost by placing more power in the hands of individuals; families and small businesses to make health care decisions; expand access by ensuring affordable coverage options are available to all Americans; and promote the use of technology and medical innovations to improve the quality and efficiency of the care we receive.”

Dent Continues Fight Against the Bedpan Tax

Dent in Hanover Tp on Armed Forces Day

When the House voted for a trillion dollar health care overhaul in 2010, LV Congressman Charlie Dent was one of the dissenting voices. In his Congressional speech, just one of his many objections included President Obama's Bedpan Tax.

We will feel the impact close to home. A 2.3 percent medical device tax will increase the cost of medical devices – everything from tongue depressors to wheelchairs – and discourage the development of critical new medical innovations. Specifically, this tax will impact businesses in our district imperiling jobs; curtailing advanced research and innovation; reducing purchasing from Pennsylvania vendors; and hampering investment in capital equipment. The ripple effect on our economy and on working families will be far greater than the sum of the tax. And ultimately, patients will see increased costs as a result.

We'll fix that later, claimed Obamacare supporters. That was over two years ago.

According to the Advanced Medical tTchnology Association, this new tax will cost the medical device industry $3 billion and result in the loss of 1,700 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.

Yesterday, Dent voted with a majority of the House (270-146) to repeal the bedpan tax, joined by 37 Democrats. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doubts he'll consider the matter anytime soon.

An original co-sponsor of this repeal, Dent is particularly concerned about how the medical device tax is impacting Lehigh Valley biomedical employers, which include Aesculap, Boas Surgical, Biomed, BBraun, Olympus, Orasure and Precision Medical Instruments. "To improve the quality of health care in the United States, our public policies should encourage greater investment in the research and development of advanced devices, not impose taxes that limit innovation,” noted Dent.

In Dent's eyes, this is the provision of Obamacare that bothers him most. “The tax’s sole purpose is to raise money to pay for a new government entitlement program. Unfortunately, it will simultaneously increase the cost of products and services Americans need to live healthy and productive lives. Essentially, Americans will be paying more for medical devices in order to finance the policies driving up the cost of their care.”