Head Start teachers name Obamacare as biggest problem

I'm betting every member of this organization voted for Hussein. Guess it's just chickens coming home to roost.

What a deal. Mandate that the states do something and then let them figure out how to pay for it.

Don't know if they'll get it but just found that the rate increase request for my carrier/policy is 13.85% to accommodate Obamacare.

That's gonna leave a mark.

Chickens slowly coming home to roost.

States fear loss of health care aid

Of course there were idiots who couldn't see this coming or did and thought that the Feds would bail them out.

But wait, there's more.

GOP bill would force federal workers onto health-care exchanges

“It seems to be a political gimmick to help lawmakers undo an amendment to the Affordable Care Act that was meant to be a poison pill,” said American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox. “Federal employees rely on FEHBP during their working lives and in retirement, and Congress should not play around with eliminating this crucial element of federal compensation to make a political point.”

Sometimes you can catch a laugh.

Congress tries to extract itself from Obamacare suicide pact. Hilarity ensues.

Then other times I laugh right before I cry.

I love this guy. I expect he's a lefty but still...

“I’m Not in Your Bedroom. Obama is in Your Bedroom”

Yeah, I sure can't figure out what Baucus is complaining about, maybe he should have read what his office was writing (I doubt if any of these Senators actually write anything, it's probably their stuff).

On another subject I read this morning that the new immigration bill is 844 pages.

I figure if it doesn't fit on a page it shouldn't be a law.

Baucus warns of 'huge train wreck' enacting  ObamaCare provisions

Huh? Baucus is one of the ones responsible for this. Maybe he thinks if he is against it's now (he was for it before he was against it) the voters will forget his past.

Weird. 

Exchange provision delayed, as lawmakers push to repeal another

Always felt that the exchanges were a weak point, no way could they get those implemented. Heck, I don't think another year will help.

What does it mean:

"The exchanges were designed to give workers a range of choices supported by dollars from their employers. But now they will have only one choice until 2015, which could mean they can't shop for insurance that includes their current providers."

This has become even more of a nightmare than even the most alarmed predictions off the git go.

Obamacare Is Crumbling

The wheels are certainly coming off but crumbling? Nah, it's a government monster and like the boogie man it can't die.

AP Exclusive: Applying for health care not easy

Neither cheap nor easy.

Ya gotta love bureaucrats.

Reason #41 Health Care is So Expensive: Medical Codes for Being Struck by a Turtle at the Opera

Ya think they moonlight for Leno?

More coming changes.

As First Year Of Health Insurance Mandate Nears, Prices Could Shock Connecticut Buyers

But still, no one knows for sure.???

Struck me as "funny":

"Price hikes will be especially steep for people in their 20s and 30s who need health coverage to comply with Obamacare, but who don’t get it through their employers, Driscoll said. That’s because the current Connecticut rule allows insurers to charge six times more for the oldest people than for the youngest, who are typically healthier — and the new rules let companies charge just three times more for the oldest people."

I keep trying to figure out how Hussein is going to play this. Maybe blame employers for not picking up premiums?

I don't see a way out of it for him.

Panic In Greek Pharmacies As Hundreds Of Medicines Run Short

Coming soon to a drugstore near you.

They just want us to shut up and eat our peas because, after all, they know what's best for us.

You have to pass it to know what's in it.

ObamaCare Exchange Subsidy Cost Hiked By $233 Billion

All the lies are starting to float to the top. Just like something else and I ain't talkin' cream here.

A twofer.

HHS says it ditched ‘exchanges’ because word doesn’t translate into Spanish

We are so hosed.

Encounter with a Low-Info Voter

Actually I wouldn't call this a low info voter. Some of the other stuff I've seen is even scarier.

Health Insurance Brokers Prepare Clients For Obamacare Sticker Shock

Of course this was the plan all along; make private insurance so expensive we'd all have to join the government program.

Count on it.

Whole Foods CEO says Obama healthcare law is 'more like fascism'

He's gonna be in a world of hurt.

I thought Hussein was going to fix stuff like this:

NY's Flu Epidemic Declared a Public Health Emergency

Helped just a wee bit when I tried a new search term. Thought this was interesting. 

With Flu Deaths Rising, Philadelphia Hospital Creates Triage Tent

And Health department reports seven flu deaths in Arkansas

I don't think this is the big one or anything but it does seem to be worse than usual.

I have no idea how this could happen under Husseincare but it looks like this year is going to be "unexpected".

Flu outbreak in 2013 expected to be among the worst in decade, CDC warns

18 dead of flu in Massachusetts

3 more influenza deaths in Washington

Kinda hard to find many articles on this as far as my searching goes.

Obamacare Guarantees Higher Health Insurance Premiums -- $3,000+ Higher

I am sitting on pins and needles over this. Our next premium is due in February and I won't get the notice until the end of this month and I'm sweating over how much it's going up.

While it's not the biggest expense we have, the biggest being property taxes followed by the various Federal taxes (SS tax hits me hard since I pay both sides), it is the third biggest and any significant increase is going to be problematic.

Okay, that means 35 different sites with 35 different criteria for coverage.

I wish there was somewhere that I could place a bet on if they make it.

I recall when the IRS had to finally shut down their new computer system project after spending $4 billion on it and that was in 1997 when a billion was real money. Can't wait to see how the Feds handle this one.

Massive fail would be my guess.

It ain't lookin' good for the Feds.

Only 15 States Opt to Run Obamacare Exchanges

It turns out that the pope is Catholic after all.

Senate Democrats: Um, Let's "Postpone" Obamacare's Medical Device Tax

Government wants all Americans between 15-64 to take HIV test

""It allows you to say, 'This is a recommended test that we believe everybody should have. We're not singling you out in any way,'" said task force member Dr. Douglas Owens of Stanford University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System."

Not that there aren't certain activities that would cause one group to be more likely to get it than other groups but we wouldn't want to make that one group feel "bed" so we'll make everyone get it.

Sheesh.  Next they'll want us all to take out skydiving insurance. 

I can see now why states won't do this beyond just not liking it. 

Is Obamacare too much work for the Obama administration?

I wouldn't take on this project for any amount of money, it ain't gonna work, period.

We are so hosed.

Did the Election Save ObamaCare?

I did not know all of these and I think I pay pretty close attention to stuff. Just sheesh.

All the troubles in the world.

’13 health premium will top $2,000

Hehe, our premiums top $2k....a quarter.

I love it how people think that both the government and employers are Santa Claus. And that premiums are going to come down once everyone is "insured".

Why Sebelius Campaigns So Hard for Her Boss — and Why He Won’t Fire Her

Marvelous.

Sky-high trauma fees stun some ER patients

Stunned? $20k for an ER visit? I'd say gobsmacked.

I thought this stuff was free?

Central Health tax hike would pay for low-income women’s health programs

But, but, but I thought Obamacare was gonna take care of this kind of stuff. Where's their "insurance"?

And some wonder why business isn't hiring.

Franchisors warn Obamacare will halve profits

It's a mess, no question. I'm still getting bills from my back surgery last October.

I've been able to beat the BS/BS "discount" with a cash payment after some discussion. One I got whacked down by a full 90%!

Not always, but it sometimes works and I always try.

A good example:

More than 2,200 hospitals face penalties under ObamaCare rules

Starting in October, Medicare will reduce reimbursements to hospitals with high 30-day readmission rates -- which refers to patients who return within a month -- by as much as 1 percent. The maximum penalty increases to 2 percent the following year and 3 percent in 2014.

Those pesky patients again, having the gall to come back.

Karl's neighbor is just a drain on the system. Swat her.

There were a half dozen or so policy wonks on TV talking about "health care" this morning and I finally figured out why they were cranked off.

People get sick and since they've decided that they want to run that part it is really, really inconvenience for them.

I expect that's pretty much true of all government, people expect things and it's just a major and huge pain in the butt for our betters. Life would be so much better for them if we didn't exist except as a taxpaying entity. We should all be "coppertops", providing juice to the machine but discarded when our output diminishes.

RomneyCare 2.0

The shape of things to come.

Great advances in medical care:

Patients should not have to share beds by 2015 (Viet Nam).

The joys of commie care.

Finally worked out but I had to remove SQL and all it's components, reinstall it and then restore the database. Seems the master database had been corrupted which appears to be different than the database I back up. Go figure.

I hate databases and they hate me. It's a fair trade off.

Already been working on it and fortunately I found a very nice coffee maker at a garage sale last weekend, a Mr. Coffee 12 cupper for $5 still in the original box.

The old one was producing coffee at room temp....

Marvelous.

Staggering Health Insurance Premiums Right Around the Corner, Predicts Premera Vice President

50 to 70% increases.

I also noticed a whole raft of silly and frilly "wellness" programs offered by my insurance company and I just found out why; I got a refund check from them because they didn't spend 80% on paying for care or wellness programs.

I'd of much rather they invested the excess, earned a return on it and offset that against future premium increases.

But nooooo, they've got to spend 80% and in the future I'm sure much of that will go towards "wellness" programs. I guess it's employment for somebody.

Other than that I can't think of a thing to recommend it.

Perry: TX Won't Implement Key Elements of Health Reform

Better than nothing.

If 9 or 10 other states join in it could get interesting.

And I'm sure that all those regulations will be in plain English and easy to read and follow. 

Kinda like tax regulations.

What could possibly go wrong?

Lawyers Have Already Drafted 13,000 Pages of Regulations for New ObamaTax Law

I wear 'em anyway. To heck with them, they don't have to look. 

I know a lot of people who work outside think covering up is the coolest way to go with long pants and long sleeved shirts.

I ain't buyin' it.

"a law designed to avoid greater government intrusion into health care will have been invalidated as an unconstitutional overreach of government power"

He gets the very best dope.

I am amazed that our country managed to survive so long without government run health care. Must have been blind luck.

I swear the man wants fighting in the streets.

Chicago Politics: White House Will Politicize Potential Supreme Court Ruling Against Obamacare; Has No 'Plan B'

The whole time I was thinking about how Microsoft got taken to the cleaners in the 90s for trying to strong arm vendors into installing only Windows.

Microsoft could take a lesson or two.

Where's the outrage?

Threats, deals got drug companies on board with Obama

Cheney had a lousy meeting with oil companies and we were told the world was going to end. And here we have naked back room deal making and ....crickets. This administration needs to be brought up on RICO charges, this is just shameful and I can't how it can't be illegal.

GOP probe uncovers deal between Obama and drug cos

Seems there was a deal but no one, other than pharma and the WH, seem to know what it is...3 years later.

Can you imagine if this had been Bush?

Did Scalia just call Obummer a dope?

Justice Scalia and the Judicial Rope-a-Dope

Gotta give it to Scalia, no dope he.

Scary.

Impeach the Supreme Court Justices If They Overturn Health-Care Law

Ah...

Obama Understands Judicial Review, But Counts on the Ignorance of His Audience

Highly recommended.

They won't let go.

Again! WH warns of 'unprecedented' SCOTUS ruling

I tell ya, they're trying to convince their base that the SCOTUS has never done anything like they're about to do and they're getting them all hopped up to take up the pitchforks.

Ouch, another smackdown on his clarification of his earlier remark which needed clarifying.

The Man Who Knew Too Little

Subtitle: "President Obama's stunning ignorance of constitutional law."

Rarely watch Special Report but what a show tonight. The talking head is taking on that Carney kid. 

Carney is having a very bad night.

Oh, nice smackdown.

Appeals court fires back at Obama's comments on health care case

Looks like a concerted effort.

Dems wage pressure campaign on Supreme Court over health ruling

One can only hope that Schumer is right ("It would be a dramatic, 180-degree turn of the tradition of the Commerce Clause.").

Just wow. Apparently he hasn't heard about the 3 co-equal branches of government. I guess that stuff is too advanced for high powered ivy league universities.

Seriously I expect he's just trying to gin up his base but I'm not sure he still has one other than the common commie part of the population.

He should have more boycotts.

This isn't the article I mentioned but it's an interesting one:

My Judge Buddy on Severability

Kate Hicks three way SCOTUS wrap up.

Predictions from Obamacare's Week in Court: Goodbye, Mandate? 

Certainly even though it had been a while since Henry VIII the situation of a state church was still fresh in their minds and in fact, as I understand it, the Episcopal church was established in the US right after the revolution to be a standalone church with Church of England forms of worship but was independent.

IIRC most of the founding fathers were Episcopalians. Wow but would they be shocked at that church today.

And finally for the morning (I hope) another great summary from Kate Hicks on what's up today at the SCOTUS.

Day Three: If the Mandate Goes, Can the Rest Stay? Is Medicaid Expansion Coercive?

IMO her reporting on this has been excellent and the best of the lot.

I guess it's a case of "even if we can't do it this way we'll find a way":

Loss of insurance mandate wouldn't kill health law

But again, it's control of the product they're after. Still no tort reform, HSA expansion or, heaven forbid, being able to write off 100% of health care on your taxes. And how can they regulate it as interstate commerce since insurers are limited to a single state? Let 'em sell it country wide. Blue Cross has to have a different company for each state, how efficient can that be?

That last has always bugged me. We considered moving to another state before our last move but since our insurance wasn't portable to another state that killed that pretty quick.

Sinners In the Hands of Anthony Kennedy

This is so delicious that I think I got a little drool on my keyboard.

Took a while to find it:

JUSTICE BREYER: "I would have thought that your answer -- can the government, in fact, require you to buy cell phones or buy burials that, if we propose comparable situations, if we have, for example, a uniform United States system of paying for every burial such as Medicare Burial, Medicaid Burial, CHIP Burial, ERISA Burial and Emergency Burial beside the side of the road, and Congress wanted to rationalize that system, wouldn't the answer be, yes, of course, they could."

Wasn't quite as blatant as I first remembered but there ya go.

Breyer is, well, pulled off the bottom by Ginsberg. Neither is the sharpest tool on the bench. The Wise Latina, even though I disagree 180 with her, at least sounded like she knew where the bathroom was. And Alito, Scalia and Roberts were honed to a fine edge today.

Verrilli is said to be a good lawyer. Maybe it's because he was trying to defend the indefensible but he sounded like a dofus to me, stumbling all over the place talking out of both sides of his mouth.

But I guess he kinda had to do that.

That's what Scalia was saying in that exchange, why is it free in the first place?

They also brought up burial insurance along with a lot of other stuff like could Congress pass a lot requiring a cell phone or broccli.

Breyer was at least straight forward about that, he said that Congress could require that everybody buy anything that Congress decided that they should buy.

Excellent!

GENERAL VERRILLI: No. It's because you're going -- in the health care market, you're going into the market without the ability to pay for what you get, getting the health care service anyway as a result of the social norms that allow -- that -- to which we've obligated ourselves so that people get health care.

JUSTICE SCALIA: Well, don't obligate yourself to that. Why -- you know?

Audio from day two.

About 10 minutes in and so far it's fascinating.

Best wrap up of what I've seen (so far):

Toobin: “Train wreck for the Obama administration” today on individual mandate

and

Early SCOTUS Report: Individual Mandate May Be In Big Trouble

Bottom line, 4 liberals in favor, 4 conservatives against and Kennedy looks dubious so probably 5-4 against in early tea leaf readings.

Today is the biggie.

Day Two: Is the Mandate Constitutional?

Okay, here's what I don't get. The argument is that right now there are a lot of freeloaders who run up big bills because they don't have "insurance" and the rest of us pay for that.

Okay, if everyone is required to have "insurance" and someone with "insurance" runs up a big bill who pays for it? For that matter who pays for their "insurance"?

Some magic unicorn that delivers a pot of money in the middle of the night?

Why do I think it's the rest of us? Am I damaged because I have a hard time believing in the magic unicorn?

Then there's the argument that people without insurance go to the emergency room which is really, really expensive.

Why is it so much more expensive than going to a doctor and if that's really true why not set up a non-emergency clinic in the emergency room that's the same price as going to the doctor? Did the magic unicorn forget to drop off a pot of money to open a non-emergency clinic?

Oh, it's because they wait and go to the emergency room when it's serious and don't go see a doctor for preventative care before it gets serious because they don't have "insurance"?

You can't be serious. What is that, $50 a year?

At the end of the day I have to agree that it's about control; they know they can't keep the promise of Medicare and in order to remain anything near solvent health care has to be rationed and they're just the ones to do it.

At least be honest about it.

Like that's going to happen.

I had a hard time following a lot of it because so much of it is very technical in terms of prior law plus both the government and those opposed to Obamacare held the same position and, as best as I could tell, the SCOTUS had to appoint an attorney to argue for the anti-injunction act applying.

I expect the real arguments start tomorrow and, at least based on one article I read, all this is really for Kennedy as it's expected that all the rest have already made up their minds.

Indeed.

Read a lot of them as well. I though Limbaugh's was very informative.

Making the Complex Understandable: Obamacare Arguments at Supreme Court

Interesting remarks near the end re: the Institute for Justice friend of the court brief. Indeed.

I listened to/read some of the arguments today and it was paint drying; both sides were arguing that the case didn't violate the 1863 anti-injunction act which says that before a tax can be litigated somebody has to pay it.

It seemed to me that the SCOTUS was favorable to the notion that they could rule on this even though no tax would be levied until 2014.

One prediction from an unexpected source:

Howard Dean predicts Supreme Court will declare individual mandate unconstitutional

Here's a great rundown on what's happening at the SCOTUS re: Obambicare arguments and when:

Obamacare Goes to the Supreme Court (Hope that's a good link, having problems getting to Townhall today. It did work once.)

Pelosi Predicts Court Will Find Obamacare Constitutional

I almost thought this was serious at first, just shows how nuts some people are.

Some history I wasn't aware of.

ObamaCare Vs. LeninCare: Not Much Difference

If this is true just wow.

Didn't see this on the front page either. Forget the source, it's real, I just think that he added some interesting angles.

CBO Analysis: 2014 is When the Real Obamacare Excrement Will Hit the Fan

2014 for a reason. Sneaky.

Food, chocolate, coffee and ..... guns.

That's the idea behind my gun theory but at least guns are mentioned in the constitution. I don't recall seeing abortion and birth control mentioned at all.

And I want a big 'o dose of pursuit of happiness. I figure we're all due for that.

Employer insurance declines, survey shows

The original intent of Obamacare IMO; force everybody to get government insurance and be dependent on it.

The (the dims) feel like Texans are being ripped off.

Plus they want privately uninsured people so they can put 'em on the gooberment plan.

I saw another article on a commie site about a "consumer" who cringes when they get their insurance bill.

By all means, I cringe when I get any bill and especially the insurance as it's a big gulp but nothing, NOTHING, compares to the gulp I get from the tax bill.

At least with the insurance bill I feel like I'm getting something.

Oh, and upon further reading I found a letter from Texas dims asking HHS to deny the request.

Thanks guys.

Feds deny Texas waiver on health insurance rules

Bottom line is that insurance companies that incur 20% or more of premiums for overhead have to kick back premiums for those not insured by employers. Texas says do it over 4 years as otherwise they'll just pick up stakes and quit issuing policies.

I have no idea if my insurance company falls in that category or not but seeing first hand the mess lawmakers made of medical insurance in Wa. I am semi-concerned that we'll soon be without.

That Wa. thing was a mess. The state said any insurance company doing business had to cover preexisting conditions. In the days when AIDS medication cost $10k a month they _all_, to a one, just pulled up and left the state.

There was a government run insurance plan; it was overpriced, had no real benefits and took forever to get into.

A real mess.

Obama administration rejects Republican states' health law waiver requests

ObaMao to Indiana (and La.): Pound sand.

The problem as I see if if the court doesn't strike it down there are no limits on Congress, they can control everything via the Commerce Cause.

The limits on Congress in the constitution would be out the window.

I'm betting they vote it down by the usual 5 to 4 vote.

Nothing really new here but I've always enjoyed Jerry Pournelle. And an interesting fact on emergency room closures in Ca (or is that just LA, can't recall now).

The Insurance Dilemma

I guess the one question that I have never seen answered is why hospitals must provide free medical care.

Group rips Indiana request for permanent health law waiver

Indiana is number 1 in my book.

I read individual as one person.

Feds Draft Basic Benefits Package Under Health Care Law

The federal government is taking on a crucial new role in the nation's health care, designing a basic benefits package for millions of privately insured Americans. .... The panel's rough estimate put annual premiums for individual coverage under the plan at $5,500 to $7,000

If that's the case we'll just have to go to jail, no way can we afford that kind of premium. While it's not great by any means our current coverage is a pretty good deal in my book which means we can afford it and it takes care of any disasters without sending us to the poor house. Sounds like this plan would send us to the poor house without us having to wait.

O's August just got a bit worse.

Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law

Looks like it was a 3 judge panel and it was 2-1.

He, he, he....gasp, lied?!!

Oh, wait, his lips were moving.

Figures.

Absolutely rolling on the floor stuff. Well, compared to most Sunday talking heads fare.

George Will Asks This Week Panel: Can Congress Require Obese People to Sign Up for Weight Watchers?

You can't make this stuff up.

Government To Use ‘Secret Shoppers’ to ‘Spy’ on Doctors

Still sloshing about in the courts. An update.

Why ObamaCare Is Losing in the Courts

Seems that the government lawyers can't quite find a way to explain it in a context that isn't unconstitutional.

Oh yeah, you bet, I can't recall the amount of old folks money they spent on promoting it but it was a very big number.

I'm pretty sure they also lobbied for the new law to cripple their competitors in the insurance business. 

Hospital waiting times 'at three-year-high' (UK)

Coming soon to a hospital near you.

I'm betting you get charged for each visit and I'm betting that most of those docs don't take insurance.

The only one I know of that's close to this is a doctor we used to go to, a great guy, that just quit taking insurance. No annual fee or anything but he's now kinda exclusive.

Wow, how terrible. People with money get better stuff than people with less money.

I'm a little miffed, they also get better cars, food, and other stuff than I do. They also probably get someone to do their yard work not to mention a better house.

When will the government address this terrible injustice? Oh, wait....

"This is one renegade judge that has reached this decision".

Nah, no bias on his part. 

Yup, the answer is what can they mandate?

Anything they want.

The answer is yes and in fact there's nothing that they couldn't control but still IMO a thought provoking article.

If ObamaCare Is Valid, Could Congress Mandate Abortion?

Not that big of a deal.

House seen blocking healthcare funds

But mostly it just always makes me marvel at the wisdom of the founders to require that spending start in the house. Now if we hadn't gone and changed to the direct election of Senators it would really, really work.

Good observations here:

Judge Vinson Also Smacks Down Crony Capitalists

Entire opinion here.

Dry in places but some good reading.

"So who the heck says...?"

The people who get the really good dope.

Another quote from the judge:

"It is difficult to imagine that a nation which began, at least in part, as the result of opposition to a British mandate giving the East India Company a monopoly and imposing a nominal tax on all tea sold in America would have set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place. "

I LIKE this judge. Where'd they find one with a brain?

Noted in the footnotes of the Judge's decision:

I note that in 2008, then-Senator Obama supported a health care reform proposal that did not include an individual mandate because he was at that time strongly opposed to the idea, stating that ‘if a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house.

Now there is an idea! 

W.H. charges 'activism' in ruling

If I was gonna smoke something whacky I'd sure want some of what they're smokin'.

What shocked me most was the headline and where it appeared, it's not like no one saw this coming.

Obama Returns to End-of-Life Plan That Caused Stir

Drop it from legislation and then include it by regulation.

Good write up in the WJS.

ObamaCare Loses in Court

The core issue is whether the federal government can order individuals to do anything the political class decides it wants them to do.

Yup, but bears repeating a couple of times.

It's for the chillin.

ObamaCare kills discount drug deals to childrens hospitals

AARP should be prosecuted under RICO.

And if not they shouldn't be tax exempt.

Cost of your health plan to rise 14%

It's Bush's fault!

I've read the entire Steeh decision (PDF available here and there are some legal points he raises but wow, mostly it's just a mish mash of lefty talking points and never, ever addresses the constitutional issue.

Just stunning.

Oh geeze, the hits just keep on a comin'.

Aetna to drop small groups in Colorado

McDonald's says it may drop healthcare benefits

And so it starts. 

I doubt if they're this smart but I wondered if this isn't what they had in mind; kill private insurance by making it impossible and driving everyone to government insurance?

McD's won't be the last.

I'd expect that about 30-40% of all Americans and the likes of the President's Aunt feel that same way as that fella.

He's a dufus and I'm ashamed that so many of our fellows are as well but then that's what 80 years of socialism gets ya.

From the looks of that fellow I'm guessing he was just trying to "man up" for the union guys.

And he looks like someone that could use a little manning up.

The profit margin for insurance companies is 3.3%. Of course there could be a lot of leakage because of incompetence, abuse, etc. but still....

There's quite a revealing breakdown here.

The profit margin for food which is kinda sorta even more important than health care? 8.2%.

The law of completely predictable consequences.

Some insurers to halt new child-only policies

It sounds cold but a new child is born, has some terrible health issue that's going to cost a million a month to treat and regardless insurers are required to take them on at the same premium as a healthy kid with no cap on total payouts.

It'd drive them out of business in a month or premiums would rise for everyone to the point they would be unaffordable to anybody.

Senate Democrats Jump on Health Insurance Increases

I see a recurring theme; some in government seem to think that, like the government, companies should be able to run with a loss.

We pay a lot here in Austin for the community hospitals that, among other things, provide free abortions. You may recall the budget woes of Austin link I posted a while back. I should add that there was no reduction in the amount allocated to the free "medical" procedures.

I was just watching a replay of a news show from last night and they had a segment on the same thing and I swear nobody was in favor for the thing. 

Or the stimulus or the bail out.

I'm now puzzled on how it got passed.

Older = more things to fix = more expensive = higher premiums.

As for pre-existing we looked at relocating to another state but because the feds won't allow insurance companies to operate across state lines (??) that was a big factor for us, we move to another state and all of a sudden we have some pre-existing conditions that aren't covered.

Of course we could go without insurance for a half year and take advantage of the wonderful new federal plan ....that would cost in one month what we pay in a quarter.

No thanks.