Too good NOT to share

[Hat Tip: Bob and Bi...

Speaking of fine messes

As the ObamaTax kicks into high gear heading into its full implementation in '14, it doesn't take a Nostradamus to foretell the consequences. Indeed, some are already making themselves rudely obvious:"The next year is one massive scramble for employers to implement the [ObamaTax] now that it’s been upheld, and not all the regulations...

MedTech: VERY cool

"What if you were found unconscious or unable to clearly communicate, suffering from an injury or other medical crisis? It could take an emergency responder or a doctor precious time to figure out two key things: your medical profile and how to get in touch with a family member or friend."That's the premise behind EmergencyLink,...

Time to get to work

Now that ObamaCare is here to stay, for now, the real work begins. How do we make the best of the situation and minimize the damage?Tens of Thousands if not hundreds of thousands of mostly small employers self fund under a high deductible that will be going away in 2 years or less. This model has been extremely effective, save 15% on your auto insurance in 15 minutes comes to mind. Employers can offer...

The 50th Employee

Lost amid the shuffle of yesterday's ObamaTax ruling is the Employer Mandate. Way that works is, if you employ more than 49 people, you've either got to offer (and help pay for) a group plan or pay a penalty tax. For most employers this will be a no-brainer: the penalty tax will be much lower than the insurance premium.Here's...

HWR Supplemental: SCOTUS rules edition [UPDATED]

Health Wonk Review co-founder Joe Paduda hosts a special edition highlighting blggers' reactions to yesterday's ObamaTax decision. Pro or con, there's some great analysis all conveniently available - check it out.UPDATE (7/2/12): Joe's now posted a second part to this Special Edition. Kudos!...

ObamaTax: A Silver Lining

Now that SCOTUS has affirmed that we must pay higher taxes, while placing our health care in the hands of unelected and unaccountable Death Panels, it's helpful to know that there are alternatives.Since we'll now be seeing fewer medical innovations, what can folks do if (when?) they need health care and can no longer find it...

SCOTUS Postmortem

SCOTUS has spoken on Obamacare. What follows is a series of links and excerpts on today's news.   First, the 193 page opinion from the Court.It's not a mandate if it is a tax.Potential impact on the fall elections.What does this mean for you?Erick Erickson's initial shot across the bow. If you are opposed to Obamacare,...

Words fail...

And thus freedom dies.From Bob: Text of the decision....

Read My Lips

PLENTY of new taxes.The folks at American's for Tax Reform have this to say about Obamacare and SCOTUS.On the eve of the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare, taxpayers are reminded that the President’s healthcare law is one of the largest tax increases in American history.Obamacare contains 20 new or higher taxes on American...

Something else to ponder...

Although we've had an unofficial moratorium on predicting tomorrow's SCOTUS decision re: ObamneyCare©, it's worth noting that the [Evil] Individual Mandate and the Exchanges aren't the only issues to be decided:" [T]here are some major health-insurance regulations besides community rating and guaranteed issue ... Medicaid expansion"Although the CornHusker "dodge" was withdrawn, the very real financial...

The Height of Ineptitude

On the eve of the Obamacare decision from the Supreme Court, it is both interesting and disturbing, to read some of the chatter both from the health care and health insurance industry and from the outside. What is remarkable to me is how many people that SHOULD understand the ramifications of Obamacare clearly illustrate how...

Cavalcade of Risk #160: Wildfire Edition

Louise Norris hosts this week's smokin' hot edition of the Cavalcade of Risk. Come for Money Mustaches, stay for the Financial Cents. But do stop ...

24 Hours and Counting

Intrade puts chance of SCOTUS overturning the evil Obamacare mandate at 75%.Link to Intrade site. http://countingdownto.c...

More Stupidity from Ezra [UPDATED]

Alleged health blogger Ezra Klein, noted rocket surgeon extraordinaire, continues to double down on the stupid. Today he opines that even the Father of Our Country liked him some mandates. As reported on Twitter:"In 1798, Congress mandated that sailors buy health insurance. John Adams signed it into law."The twit (tweet?) directs the unwitting to Ezra's latest contrivance, wherein he demonstrates...

PCIP Abuse

PCIP is one of the few things in Obamacare that I support, even AFTER the government decided they would stop paying insurance agents a finders fee. I seriously doubt the bozo's in DC considered how easily their plan could be manipulated. Consider this posting by an insurance agent in an industry forum.I recently spoke with...

So, are you a Hep Cat?

FoIB Jeff M alerts us to this disturbing news for the Boomers among us:"A government proposal that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C may be drawing high praise for its potential health benefits, but it’s also raising questions about the unintended consequences of screening for those seeking insurance."We see this...

Hoosier Healthcare Hijinx

We last discussed the Healthy Indiana program almost 4 years go. At the time, we noted that low income Hoosiers were eligible for Health Savings Account (HSA) plans. Even then, preventive benefits were available with little or no out-of-pocket. The major downside seemed to be the $300k lifetime cap on all covered expenses.Well, a few years later and along comes ObamneyCare©, and the most vulnerable...

Ill-advised Citizen Tricks

FoIB Patrick P sent us this item:"I canceled my very expensive individual health insurance coverage through California's state-run high-risk plan and became insurance-free ... no one will insure me on the individual market ... I have made do with the state's high-risk insurance plan. California ... The federal high-risk plan would cost me just $265 a month"It's hard not to feel some compassion for...

Will SCOTUS striking down ACA cause for reflection?

It amazes me how often I see comments like this from Jodi Kantor of the NY Times: "By summer 2009, with the country still stunned by economic crisis and Republicans falsely raising the specter of death panels, some aides practically begged the president to scale back, take interim steps and move on to other issues." The article in whole is about SCOTUS striking down all or part of Obama's Affordable...

This is What Happens

when uninformed Bozo's speculate on things about which they know absolutely nothing. Same can be said for lawyers that have never had a real job, or run a business, making laws without understanding the impact . . . or even bothering to read the law before passing it.    Serving as an elected official or college professor...

Health Wonk Review: SCOTUS on hold edition

FoIB and HWR founder Joe Paduda hosts this week's assortment of posts on health care policy and polity. As usual, it's chock full of interesting, sometimes provocative posts.Do check it o...

Cavalcade of Risk #160: Call for submissions

Next week's Cavalcade of Risk will be at Jay and Louise's place. Entries are due by Monday (the 25th).To submit your risk-related post, just click here to email it.You'll need to provide:■ Your post's url and title■ Your blog's url and name■ Your name and email■ A (brief) summary of the postPLEASE remember: ONLY posts that relate to risk (not personal finance tips and the like).Than...

Propaganda Never Dies

Commenting on another blog I came across an all too familiar problem:"Yes, we should create a system that covers everyone and follow the examples of nearly every other developed country in the world where all citizens are covered, are healthier and their costs are significantly lower than ours.We are hurting our job creation and productivity by failing to do so. As an example, my husband and I would...

MLR vs SCOTUS: Under the radar

As we wait breathlessly for the SCOTUS decision on ObamneyCare©, I'll engage in some completely baseless (but fun) speculation. We've written extensively on the stupidity that is MLR (Medical Loss Ratio), and FoIB Holly R sent us this link on the latest:"Health insurance plans owe $1.1 billion in rebates ... Millions of consumers...

The "Other" Mandate: Not Just for Catholics

While it might be tempting to write off objections to the mandating of coverage for convenience items birth control and abortion as a purely Catholic issue, it's really not:"Many Protestant institutions are also trying to overturn the compromise that coerces private religious institutions to fund health insurers who can provide beneficiaries with abortion-inducing drugs"Cans of worms....

So what?

FoIB Holly R tips us to this shocker from The Hill:"More than 3 million young adults have been able to stay on their parents' insurance plans because of [ObamneyCare©]."One of the provisions allows "adult children" (see also: "jumbo shrimp") to stay on their parents' health insurance plan until they're 27 (29 in Ohio). This...

LTCi: Greater Need, Fewer Choices

Jim Reynolds runs Caring Companion Home Care in Concord, Massachusetts. The 20 year old company provides home health care services, and Mr Reynolds has a message for those of us who sell Long Term Care insurance (LTCi):"You're doing a good job; keep at it."That's the good news.The bad news is that, according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, some "7.6 million Americans received...

MSM Plays Captain Obvious

From the "No Kidding, Sherlock" Department:"One of the biggest misconceptions about [ObamneyCare©] isn't who the law will cover, but rather who it won't.If it survives Supreme court scrutiny, the landmark overhaul will expand coverage to about 30 million uninsured people ... But an estimated 26 million U.S. residents will remain...

Death by MVNHS© [UPDATED]

Last time we looked, the Much Vaunted National Health System© was busy killing off 78 year old bladder cancer patient Kenneth Ward. Lest Mr Ward feel left out, here's news that he's far from alone:"Nine in 10 local health trusts [ed: hospitals] in England are now rationing treatment for a range of operations including hip and...

Fewer Choices, Higher Costs: ObamneyCare©

Starting a new business is challenging enough, but navigating the maze of group insurance adds a whole new dimension. A frequent roadblock is the issue-and-participation requirement. This is a carrier rule based on the number of employees and how many opt for the group plan. Carriers justify this based on the concept of adverse selection (only sick people would sign up).I recently met with the owners...

ObamneyCare© SCOTUS Meter... [UPDATED]

For those waiting with bated breath for a decision on the ObamneyCare© case, take a deep breath and relax (for the nonce):"The justices issued their latest set of decisions on Monday morning and the healthcare ruling wasn’t among them ... Thursday will be the next chance for the opinion to be handed down. But most court analysts...

MVNHS© Customer Satisfaction takes a hit

As we've long noted, actual care delivery under the Much Vaunted National Health System© has been - at best - substandard. But don't just take our word for it:"A new survey carried out by the King’s Fund health charity ... indicates that the general public’s levels of satisfaction with the running of the NHS have seen a marked drop. The number of people who were satisfied ... fell significantly to...

Out of Focus

Consumer Reports will begin evaluating and grading doctors, perhaps in much the same way as they do appliances and automobiles. According to the folks at Amednews, this pilot project will start in Gov. Romney's home state of Massachusetts, then eventually to other states.Survey questions covered six general areas of the patient...

"We have to change and we know that"

The Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act is expected the week of June 25th, so the chatter is picking up again.   Kaiser Health News has an interesting article here that includes this comment: “We have to change and we know that,” said Ken Raske, president and CEO of the Greater New York Hospital Association, which represents 250 hospitals and medical care facilities....

Health & Chocolate Down Under

"[R]esearchers at Monash University have discovered that eating a 100g [about 3.5 oz] bar of dark chocolate a day (yes, the whole seductive, delicious, mouthwatering brown slab, from each melting cube to the last sticky crumb) is one way to avoid cardiovascular disease."This magic elixir apparently reduces both blood pressure...