Category: ObamaCare

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ObamaCare Politics

NBC Pushing Debunked Republican Talking Point on Obamacare

Have you turned on your TV today? Have you listened to a political show on the radio?

If your answer is yes, then chances are you’ve heard the “blockbuster” story from NBC News, basically claiming that President Obama lied when he promised Americans that they will not lose their present health insurance because of Obamacare. The story says that the president knew he was lying some 3 years ago.

The story goes something like this:

“Millions of Americans are getting or are about to get cancellation letters for their health insurance under Obamacare, say experts, and the Obama administration has known that for at least three years.”

Chances are you are probably scratching your head right now, trying to figure out why the president lied to you.

Well scratch no more friends. This so-called “blockbuster” news from NBC is nothing more than another Republican talking point.

The blockbuster breaking news say that more than 40 to 67 percent of those in the individual market would not be able to keep their plans, even if they liked them.

ThinkProgress’s Igor Volsky provides some context that bursts NBC’s “blockbuster.”

This all sounds very ominous until you consider that the naturally high turnover rate associated with the individual market means that it’s highly unlikely that individuals would still be enrolled in plans from 2010 in 2014. In fact, the Obama administration publicly admitted this when it issued the regulations in 2010, leading Republicans like Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) to seize on the story in order to push for repeal of the grandfather regulations. Here is a story in The Hill from Sep. 22, 2010 pointing to this very same 40 to 67 percent range. […]

The debate was widely covered in the press, so it’s unclear what exactly the NBC investigation unit has uncovered.

Perhaps it’s because the NBC investigation unit is incapable of remembering back as far as three years. Or of conducting basic research. Or of taking Republican talking points with the boulder of salt required. Or of creating context, which is this: People are going to be getting more generous, more comprehensive health insurance, that won’t have lifetime caps, that they can’t be kicked out of if they get horribly ill, that won’t charge them more if they’re a woman. Some people will have to pay more for that better insurance than they did for their existing crappy plans, but many of them are going to financial assistance to pay for the better insurance.

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CNN ObamaCare Politics

Marsha Blackburn, Is That Your Final Answer? – Video

If report did their basic jobs and report the facts, instead of being avenues where Republicans go to practice their talking points without being challenged, Americans would be in the much better position.

Here’s an example.  On CNN, host Carol Costello asked a very basic question to Republican Congresswoman and talking-points extraordinaire, Marsha Blackburn.

Since hundreds of thousands of Americans began signing up for healthcare at the beginning of October, Republicans have manufactured a new talking point to scare off the new enrollees. They are now claiming that people would have to turn over personal information to be federal government, before getting Obamacare.

Blackburn went on CNN expecting a microphone and a camera to push the new lie, but instead, she was met with a reporter who wasn’t afraid to ask a question.

Watch the mumbles and fumbles and the stringing together of various incoherent sentences, as Marsha tried to weasel your way out of the situation.

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ObamaCare Politics

SNL: Can’t Get On to HealthCare.gov? Try Restarting Your Computer

That was just one of the recommendations Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius… SNL style that is.

Here’s part of her special announcement. 

“A lot of folks have been talking about our new healthcare enrollment website,how it’s been crashing and freezing, shutting down and stalling and not working, breaking and sucking.”

She then provided a “number of helpful tips for solving these problems.” “For example,” she said, “Have you tried restarting your computer? Sometimes it helps to turn the computer ‘off,’ then turn it back ‘on.’”

“If our website isn’t loading properly, it’s probably just overloaded with traffic,” she said. “Millions of Americans are visiting Healthcare.gov, which is great news. Unfortunately, it was only designed to handle six users at a time.”

“If you’re in a rush, try using our ‘low-res’ website, with bigger fonts and simpler graphics.” She pulled up a Web 1.0 page titled “U WANT DOCTOR?” which featured giant “YES” and “NO” buttons with crudely rendered flames shooting out of them.

“If the regular site isn’t working,” she continued, “try signing up in a different language, like Icelandic. If our site keeps freezing, we’ve also provided links to helpful websites like Kayak.com, where you can buy airline tickets to Canada and buy cheaper prescription drugs.”

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ObamaCare Politics

Ted Cruz Wants You to Trample on Your Healthcare

In other words, Ted Cruz wants the same old Teaparty members who have already seen their prescription cost go down as one of the many benefits of Obamacare… Cruz wants these people to gather up themselves, proceed very carefully to the nearest Teaparty bus, head to Washington and trample Obamacare.

Ps. Walking canes will be stored in the back of the bus.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Saturday that his 21-hour Senate speech was a long time, but that’s almost as long as it takes signing up on the ObamaCare website.

He was taking a shot at HealthCare.gov’s technical setbacks, referring to his 21-hour floor speech in which he attacked the law ahead of the government shutdown.

Cruz made the comment in his keynote speech at the Defenders of Freedom event in Le Mars, Iowa Saturday afternoon. 

“I seem to recall two weeks ago when every newspaper, every political TV station was saying that it is impossible for the president to delay any part of ObamaCare. You guys are nuts,” the freshman senator said. “This week, the president and the Democrats are saying ‘holy cow, this thing is really not working.’” 

President Obama, members of his administration, and Democrats on Capitol Hill addressed the website problems this week. The Department of Health and Human Services said Friday it should be running smoothly by the end of November.

Cruz said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who hosted the event, made a good indication that it’s a good example of ‘our president leading from behind.’

The Tea Party senator said he’s trying to build a grassroots “army” of Americans to surround the U.S. Capitol, and bring down ObamaCare

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ObamaCare Politics weekly address

President’s Weekly Address – Your Healthcare: “it’s a very big deal”

The President:

. A few weeks ago, we launched an important new part of the Affordable Care Act. 

It’s called the Marketplace.  And for Americans without health insurance, and Americans who buy insurance on their own because they can’t get it at work, it’s a very big deal. 

If you’re one of those people, the Affordable Care Act makes you part of a big group plan for the first time.  The Marketplace is where you can apply and shop for affordable new health insurance choices.  It gathers insurers under one system to compete for your business.  And that choice and competition have actually helped bring prices down.

Ultimately, the easiest way to buy insurance in this Marketplace will be a new website, HealthCare.gov.  But as you may have heard, the site isn’t working the way it’s supposed to yet.  That’s frustrating for all of us who have worked so hard to make sure everyone who needs it gets health care.  And it’s especially frustrating for the Americans who’ve been trying to get covered.  The site has been visited more than 20 million times so far.  Nearly 700,000 people have applied for coverage already.

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ObamaCare Politics

Report: 700,000 Applications Already Submitted For ObamaCare

About 700,000 applications have been submitted for U.S. healthcare coverage being offered through new exchanges created by President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the number during an update for journalists about the healthcare marketplace, which has had a rocky rollout since enrollment in the new plans began on Oct 1.

The U.S. government is operating the healthcare.gov website, which has been plagued by technical problems since the outset and is the portal for 36 states; the remaining states are operating their own online marketplaces. The nearly 700,000 applications are the total from both the state- and federally-run exchanges, Julie Bataille, a CMS spokeswoman, said on the media call.

Applications for at least 390,000 people have been completed through the state-run exchanges, according to a Reuters tally of state reports.

Completed applications mean that the applicants received a determination about whether they are eligible for tax credits or the Medicaid program for low-income Americans. Applicants have not necessarily chosen a plan.

While some states have released numbers for people who have enrolled in plans, Bataille said she did not have that figure, but that CMS would release it monthly.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier this year that 7 million people would buy the new private plans offered by state exchanges for coverage next year.

 

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ObamaCare Politics

Right Winged Nut Says Obamacare Worse Than Boston Massacre

On the broadcast today, Mat Staver warned that the “red line of liberty” has repeatedly been crossed by President Obama in ways that are much worse than what King George III did to cause the Revolutionary War.

After citing several biblical examples, ranging from Esther to Jesus, of biblical figures rising up against tyrants who sought to snuff out liberty, Staver asserted that the Obama administration has been supporting Muslim terrorists while stigmatizing Christians, saying “this is worst than what we saw with King George in terms of what he did to his people” and warning that the United States finds itself again standing at a crucial point in history.

Staver went on to compare Obamacare to the Boston Massacre, saying that while the massacre only resulted in a handful of deaths, Obamacare is “slaughtering its own” by the tens of thousands by “forcing employers to fund the killing of innocent unborn children.”

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ObamaCare Politics

It’s More Than Just a Website

More than just a websiteOn October 1st, even as the federal government was shutting down, HealthCare.gov — the new Health Insurance Marketplace where people can find and apply for affordable health insurance plans as part of Obamacare — opened for business nationwide.

As you may have heard, the website launch hasn’t gone nearly as smoothly as it should have. And with nearly 20 million visits to the site in the first several weeks, the problems were aggravated by the website’s popularity.

But even in spite of those problems, thousands of Americans are currently signing up and saving money. Nearly half a million Americans have already applied for health insurance through the federal and state Marketplaces. It’s not hard to see why: Once people get through the door, they overwhelmingly like the benefits and cost of the products available to them — especially when compared with the discriminatory private market that was previously the only game in town.

Some of the best and brightest are now doing everything they can to fix the site as quickly as possible. People are working overtime, 24/7, and we’ve brought in some of the best IT experts from across the country to join the team at the federal agency responsible for running the Marketplace. And as President Obama said today, “Nobody’s madder than me about the fact that the website isn’t working as well as it should, which means it’s going to get fixed.

“It’s also important to remember that the website is not the only way to enroll. You can dial the call center at 1-800-318-2596 and apply directly over the phone. Typically, it takes about 25 minutes for an individual or about 45 for a family. You can also find local “navigators” who can help you enroll in person at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

Learn more about what we’re doing to make the site better and enrollment easier.

The President is the first to admit that the website’s problems are unacceptable. But Obamacare is more than just a website. Most Americans already have health insurance through their employer, Medicare, or Medicaid, and they don’t need to go to the Marketplace for new coverage. Instead, the health care law provides new benefits and increased protection: Young people can stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they are 26, seniors are receiving more affordable prescription medicine, and preventive care like mammograms are free.

So while there are major improvements to make on the new website, millions of Americans are already benefiting from the health care law. And we’re making sure that those who don’t have access to affordable health insurance today can sign up — online, on the phone, and even in person.

Here are some of the things we’ve done in the meantime to make the process easier. Take a look, and pass this message along to those you know who are trying to sign up for health care:

You can now preview plans and prices available in your area without filling out the online application.

You can find out, with an improved calculator, whether your income and household size may qualify you for lower costs on your monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

You can apply for coverage 4 ways: by phone, online, by mail with a paper application, or with the help of an in-person assister.

Thanks, and stay tuned for more updates

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ObamaCare Politics

President Obama Catches Fainting Woman at ObamaCare Speech

During a speech this morning by President Obama on Obamacare, a woman standing directly behind the president began to wobble back and forth as if she was about to faint.

Luckily, Obama realized there was something going on behind him and immediately turned around to catch the woman, making sure she remained steady on her feet.

Good catch Mr. President!

Apparently the woman was attending the speech as a guest who was a beneficiary of the Affordable Care Act.

“This is what happens when I talk too long,” the president said after helping her get escorted off the stage.

Watch it:

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ObamaCare Politics

Video – What ObamaCare Means For You

This is must see TV!

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chris hayes ObamaCare Politics

Republican’s Reason For Shutting Down Government? Show Unity Against ObamaCare… Really!

Since the Republican Government Shutdown ended its 16th day yesterday, everyone’s been asking the same question. Why? Why did Republicans shut down the government and took this country on what seemed to be a pointless adventure. Well the answers are slowly beginning to come in and this from Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) takes the cake… so far.

The reason for shutting down the government? So that Republicans could “reestablish our brand as being against ObamaCare.” Really? Yea, really. They wanted to show the world that they are united against ObamaCare… a scheme that cost the nation $25 Billion so far.

KINGSTON: People need to exhibit their beliefs and have the opportunity to debate, which is what we’ve been able to do in the last two weeks, and I think you can, you know, from a pessimistic standpoint say, you guys, you Republicans did not get anything out of it.

But on the other side, I think it was important to us to reestablish our brand as being against Obamacare and from what we’ve seen so far, Obamacare is not going to be a winner. It has not decreased the cost of medicine or…

HAYES: Congressman, do you think anyone going into this was confused about the Republican stance on Obamacare?

KINGSTON: You know, you would be surprised. I’m telling you, sometimes our base thinks that we haven’t driven the point enough, even though we’ve had something like forty different votes to defund it in one form or the other, we still get complaints that we’re not doing anything to defund Obamacare.

Video.

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ObamaCare Politics

Quote of the Day: John McCain – “Republicans have to understand we have lost this battle”

The New York Times.

“It’s very, very serious,” warned Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona. “Republicans have to understand we have lost this battle, as I predicted weeks ago, that we would not be able to win because we were demanding something that was not achievable.”

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