Listen To Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is telling the Republicans that they should have an alternative to Obamacare, and in his 2008 book he recommended a plan very similar to the president's signature healthcare law:

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/gingrich-republicans-to-blame-for-lack-of-obamacare-alternatives.html/

Newt is just another lost Republican…

McCain, Boehner, and Graham also come to mind.

Some are Democrat-Light that only made it into office as a Republican because their states wouldn’t have elected them as Democrats. Others are life-long bureaucrats and some just don’t have the guts to follow through with the promises that got them into office in the first place.

Most of the new Republicans promised to end Obamacare; the symbolic vote in the house has hardly filled that promise. What the Republican members of the House need to do is close the wallet to Obamacare under the continuing resolution. They can do this but Boehner & Co. don’t have the intestinal fortitude.

Maybe some one would explain obama care to us less experienced. It seems to me that it is causing companies to limit the sizes of their workforce and to decrease the hours of full time workers so they work less then the minimum hours that would have required the business to pay for a share of their health insurance.

Yes, Gingrich is another one who caved.

Fsh, and the unions and the big companies want exemptions.

I don't understand the cause and effect. Who benefits if it passes. I am not talking about caring for the non-contributers. What corporations would benefit? What corporations would it hurt?

I don't think anybody benefits, except as you said, the non contributors. It has done nothing to improve health care in this country and won't in the future.

United Parcel Service Inc. plans to remove thousands of spouses from its medical plan because they are eligible for coverage elsewhere. The Atlanta-based logistics company points to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as a big reason for the decision, reports Kaiser Health News.
The decision comes as many analysts are downplaying the Affordable Care Act’s effect on companies such as UPS, noting that the move reflects a long-term trend of shrinking corporate medical benefits, Kaiser Health News reports. But UPS repeatedly cites Obamacare to explain the decision, adding fuel to the debate over whether it erodes traditional employer coverage, Kaiser says.

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/356339/great-ups-responds-obamacare-dropping-spousal-coverage-jim-geraghty

I found this article pg. 3 of 3 in Forbes. It helped me understand it a little more. From the story.

Many small businesses will struggle under Obamacare. Although the law does not “mandate” that employers provide coverage to their employees, it does state that if a company employs at least 50 workers, and has one full time employee who is getting federally-subsidized insurance through an exchange, then that employer must pay a penalty for failing to offer that worker acceptable insurance. The penalty is a $2,000 tax and applies to every subsidized employee. Confused? I’m quite sure you are not alone.

This rule is a disincentive to growth. Companies with at least 50 full-time workers will be reclassifying employees to part-time status to avoid this mandate. Many restaurant chains have already begun moving in this direction. It seems to me that if the penalty is less than the cost of the health insurance, companies may opt to pay the penalty. The result? The employee is worse left without coverage.

Watch out Medicare Recipients!

It is estimated that more than half of Obamacare is paid for by cuts in Medicare. Moreover, it is believed that there will be $247 billion less for hospitals. With lower payouts for Medicare some doctors may decide not to accept Medicare patients. This would hit older Americans especially hard at a point in their lives when health care is needed the most. It’s quite possible that government would step in to fill this gap and older individuals who could not afford an alternative would receive their health care from a government run facility. Due to lower payouts, Obamacare may also cause some aspiring doctors to choose a different profession.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2012/11/30/obamacare-part-iii-who-will-benefit-the-most/

WHL wrote:I don't think anybody benefits, except as you said, the non contributors.  It has done nothing to improve health care in this country and won't in the future.  

Oh really? What about the removal of caps and pre-existing conditions? What about the fact that several of the progressive states that formed the insurance exchanges, are now seeing 20-50% reductions in their insurance costs? And better yet, what does your guys have to replace it?

Insurance companies will no longer be able to decline coverage for individuals with pre existing conditions. If you are one of the estimated 120 million unfortunate souls that suffer from a pre existing medical condition, and have not been able to secure health insurance coverage, relief is coming. However, as a result, insurance premiums will likely rise as insurers cope with a broader risk pool. The law also restricts the information that insurance companies are allowed to use when determining premiums.

Louisiana case is an example of what will be "an absolute avalanche of people profiting with special favors from this law. It is absolutely ripe for that form of abuse. We're going to see much more of it," Turner said.


Obamacare's Lousiana co-op riddled with self-dealing, conflicts of interest.

Louisiana Health Cooperative's then-Chief Executive Officer Terry Shilling signed a $4 million, four-year contract with a consulting firm last year in which he is a principal, according to documents obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Louisiana Health Cooperative is one of 24 health insurance co-ops established in 23 states since 2011 through a $2 billion Obamacare program intended to create competition for private-sector health insurance providers.

Federal officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid awarded Louisiana Health Cooperative $65 million in startup loan funding in September 2012.

The Examiner also found that Louisiana Health Cooperative's leadership ranks include seven of Shilling's business associates, and the new co-op agreed to pay an additional $3.3 million annual fee to the consulting firm, which is registered in Georgia as Beam Partners.
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Besides Shilling, individuals from Beam fill three of Louisiana Health Cooperative's director positions, two vice president slots and the chief financial officer. Eight of the top 11 co-op managers are from Beam.

On top of the $4 million contract and $3.3 million annual consulting fee, Louisiana Health Cooperative also agree to an additional 20 percent "performance fee" to be paid to Shilling's firm.

Finally, Beam also will reap commissions of as much as 50 cents for every new member joining Louisiana Health Cooperative.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/obamacares-lousiana-co-op-riddled-with-self-dealing-conflicts-of-interest/article/2534521

Here’s a roundup of the very latest Obamacare news:

Pro-Obamacare protesters confront Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at town hall: Multiple pro-Obamacare protesters confronted the Tea Party senator at the Dallas stop of Heritage Action’s tour promoting a government shutdown over Obamacare. The town hall slid further downhill from there when Cruz’s father took the stage, railed against Socialism, said “Sarah Palin was right,” and warned of the dangers of death panels. Even Republicans have called this strategy and tour “political suicide” for the GOP.
Meanwhile, Texas Governor Rick Perry is quietly lobbying the Obama administration for $100 MILLION in Obamacare funding.

Tea Party group calls on Congressional staffers to “burn their Obamacare cards: FreedomWorks, a right-wing group that has helped fuel opposition to health reform and other progressive policies since the earliest days of the Obama presidency, is currently engaged in a cynical effort to dissuade young people and others of securing affordable coverage under Obamacare, which it is offensively likening to Vietnam war opponents who burned their draft cards.
A GOP amendment to Obamacare requires Congressional staffers to receive their health coverage through the Obamacare marketplaces starting next year and now FreedomWorks says it hopes they forego their health coverage and instead pay a fine, though the group concedes “everyone should do whatever’s best for them and their families.” We assume most Hill staffers (including Republicans), like most Americans, will prefer the security of health coverage.

More GOP congressmen concede they will help their constituents enroll in Obamacare: While Republicans remain united in their irrational opposition to Obamacare, even some vocal conservatives are now conceding that they will help their constituents find out about their rights, responsibilities, and new benefits under the law.
Two more states announce affordable premiums: Colorado and Montana became just the latest states to announce that their residents will find affordable premiums when they go to sign up for coverage offered through the new marketplaces that will be opening on October 1. Indeed, the growth in overall health care costs has slowed remarkably since Obamacare passed, contrary to fearmongering from many of the law’s opponents.
GOP civil war escalates: Republicans are locked in an all-out civil war over whether or not to shut down the government over Obamacare (which even Republicans concede won’t actually stop the law but will harm millions of Americans and the economy).
Heritage Action is currently on a national tour to fan the shutdown flames, with former Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), now the president of the Heritage Foundation, going so far as to tell a town hall audience that any Republicans who are afraid of shutting down the government ought to be “replaced.” To that end, his group and others are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads going after Republicans.

Whoop-dee-doo!

 Yes, fsh.

Isn't it sad that we are starting a new program that is so complicated that people need to have meetings everywhere to help people understand it. And I assume if it survives that in the future new companies will spring up to help people run Obamacare, just like they have entire businesses to help with other gov. rules and regulations. Well, I guess that's one way of creating new jobs.

Thank you for that report, News Pigeon. It looks like Obamacare is well on it's way to success!  

Oh brother!

News Buzzard wrote:Thank you for that report, News Pigeon. It looks like Obamacare is well on it's way to success!  

De nada....yes it is and indeed there will be all kinds of snags and areas that need tweaking but that's to be expected when enacting a "big f**king deal" like this (to quote Joe)...the tweaks will have to wait until next year when we take back majority control of the House. 

News Buzzard wrote:Thank you for that report, News Pigeon. It looks like Obamacare is well on it's way to success!  

I agree , this country is improving everyday under the Obama administration.

The Honorable Hillary Rodman Clinton won't have much to do when she becomes President.  The Obama administration will not leave this country in the mess that the Bush administration did.

Do you guys read newspapers or go to the internet or watch TV? You can lie to the uninformed but you are not going to pull the wool over our eyes.

Why would I listen to Gingrich on this?

Of course he was pushing "ObamaCare".

It was a GOP idea, cooked up by the Heritage Foundation twenty years ago, and first implemented by Romney in Massachusetts.

News Buzzard wrote:Thank you for that report. It looks like Obamacare is well on it's way to success!  

Do I hear a parroting of "Talking Points"?

 

That's ALL you heard from them is talking points, NH. They don't know anything else, apparently.

WHL wrote:That's ALL you heard from them is talking points, NH.  They don't know anything else, apparently.

Nice jab from a person who is supposed to be an objective moderator. 

Newt Gingrich shut down the government in 1995 and got Bill Clinton elected to a second term. He is warning the clowns of the Republican Party today not to repeat his mistake. How's that for a talking point?

2013 minus 1995 equals a long time ago.

OK. Let the Republicans shut down the government and we'll see how that works out for them. There is no negotiating with extortionists!