The Daily Sheeple  October 22 2013

The Obamacare marketplace opened for business on October 1.  So far, the launch of the $400 million website has been an abysmal failure, complete with glitches, crashes, and delays.

Americans are frustrated, but not just with the website’s functionality – it seems that many are quite shocked and disappointed by their new healthcare options (or lack thereof).  Obama’s lies and broken promises are becoming more and more apparent.

In 2009, President Obama addressed the American Medical Association to present his ideas about healthcare reform.

So let me begin by saying this: I know that there are millions of Americans who are content with their health care coverage – they like their plan and they value their relationship with their doctor. And that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what. My view is that health care reform should be guided by a simple principle: fix what’s broken and build on what works.

Here’s a video compilation of Obama making the same claims, over and over:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/wfl55GgHr5E&w=500]

Liar, liar, pants on fire:

NBC News reports:

Thousands get health insurance cancellation notices

Health plans are sending hundreds of thousands of cancellation letters to people who buy their own coverage, frustrating some consumers who want to keep what they have and forcing others to buy more costly policies.

The main reason insurers offer is that the policies fall short of what the Affordable Care Act requires starting Jan. 1. Most are ending policies sold after the law passed in March 2010. At least a few are canceling plans sold to people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Some experts say that approximately 16 million people might receive cancellation notices:

The U.S. individual health insurance market currently totals about 19 million people. Because the Obama administration’s regulations on grandfathering existing plans were so stringent about 85% of those, 16 million, are not grandfathered and must comply with Obamacare at their next renewal. The rules are very complex. For example, if you had an individual plan in March of 2010 when the law was passed and you only increased the deductible from $1,000 to $1,500 in the years since, your plan has lost its grandfather status and it will no longer be available to you when it would have renewed in 2014.

These 16 million people are now receiving letters from their carriers saying they are losing their current coverage and must re-enroll in order to avoid a break in coverage and comply with the new health law’s benefit mandates––the vast majority by January 1. Most of these will be seeing some pretty big rate increases.

What about keeping your doctor?

From the Healthcare.gov website:

Depending on the plan you choose in the Marketplace, you may be able to keep your current doctor.

Different plans have different networks and providers.

Most health insurance plans offered in the Marketplace have networks of hospitals, doctors, specialists, pharmacies, and other health care providers. Networks include health care providers that the plan contracts with to take care of the plan’s members. Depending on the type of policy you buy, care may be covered only when you get it from a network provider.

When comparing plans in the Marketplace, you will see a link to a list of providers in each plan’s network. If staying with your current doctors is important to you, check to see if they are included before choosing a plan.

But can you find out which plans your doctor participates in via the website?

Not according to some users – including this one:

“There is not any information as to what providers accept these plans, deductibles, copays, etc. How can anyone even begin to make an informed decision. This idea is of showing the plans seems as if something is trying to be kept from people that may want to sign up. So all of this information should be available now, long before we share our information. So show us today.”

Okay, so – we might not be able to keep our existing plan OR our doctor.  But buying a new plan through the ACA marketplace will be less expensive, right?  That’s what Obama told us in 2009:

So, we need to do a few things to provide affordable health insurance to every single American. The first thing we need to do is protect what’s working in our health care system. Let me repeat – if you like your health care, the only thing reform will mean is your health care will cost less. If anyone says otherwise, they are either trying to mislead you or don’t have their facts straight.

Oh really?

Some receiving cancellations say it looks like their costs will go up, despite studies projecting that about half of all enrollees will get income-based subsidies.

Kris Malean, 56, lives outside Seattle, and has a health policy that costs $390 a month with a $2,500 deductible and a $10,000 in potential out-of-pocket costs for such things as doctor visits, drug costs or hospital care.

As a replacement, Regence BlueShield is offering her a plan for $79 more a month with a deductible twice as large as what she pays now, but which limits her potential out-of-pocket costs to $6,250 a year, including the deductible.

“My impression was …there would be a lot more choice, driving some of the rates down,” said Malean, who does not believe she is eligible for a subsidy. (source)

In September, approximately 119,00 Blue Shield of California customers received cancellation notices – that’s about 60 percent of its individual business.  According to spokesman Steve Shivinsky, about two-thirds of those policyholders will see rate increases in their new policies.

On June 5, 2008, Obama said, “In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.”  However, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey, average premiums for family coverage  were $13,375 in 2009 and $16,531 in 2013.   This means the costs for family coverage grew by $2,976 by the end of President Obama’s first term, but that’s nothing compared to what is coming: experts working for Medicare’s actuary have reported that in its first 10 years, Obamacare will increase healthcare spending by “roughly $621 billion” above the amounts Americans would have spent without it.

According to international consulting firm Oliver Wyman, the estimated health-insurers tax alone is expected to increase premiums for single coverage by a minimum of $2,150 over the next 10 years and would raise family premiums by $5,080 during the same period.  Premiums for older people on Medicare Advantage plans will go up too – by $3,590 over 10 years, according to the firm’s calculations.

Some Healthcare.gov users experienced a bit of sticker shock regarding their premiums:

“This is wayyyyy more money than my old plan! Wth????”

One user shared the prices he was quoted:

“$6,300

$12,600 Brand/Generic Drugs Included $6,300

$12,600 100% / 100% covered after deductible $735.39 Per month

This is the minimum that is available with RockymountainHealthplans in Colorado for a family of 3 of ages 47/42/17.

So I am going to pay close to $8500 a year, and I do not get any of my illnesses covered upto $6300 individual or $12,600 for family. So for a healthy person/family what choice do we have? either pay $12,600+$8500(premium) before you start to see any benefits. I would rather pay the penalty.”

Yes, Obamacare is definitely counting on the enrollment of the young – specifically the 2.7 million currently uninsured 18-35 year olds.  These “young invincibles” have lower than average incomes and better than average health.  Their premiums are needed to subsidize healthcare costs for others. However, thanks to Obamacare’s market reforms, rates for low-premium plans have increased quite a bit: on average, a healthy 30 year old male nonsmoker will see his lowest cost insurance option increase 260 percent.  If young invincibles don’t get on the exchanges, insurance companies will lose money and in turn, raise premiums.  The healthiest people will drop out because they can’t justify paying the higher premiums, and the death spiral begins: the market for individual health insurance will be destroyed.

Perhaps that is the long-term agenda of Obamacare anyway:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/sBDIl5CDsXs&w=500]

Based on the comments on both the Healthcare.gov site and the official Facebook page, it appears that people are pretty upset about the lies we were told about Obamacare.  Perhaps people are starting to wake up.