The repeal of Obamacare appears to be on track, but it’s not a done deal yet. The Democrats are fighting very hard to keep it. Our main job at the Truth Squad is to continue giving you fresh ammunition to keep fighting for repeal. There have been lots of news stories in the last two weeks that will enable you to get out of a defensive crouch and go on offense against Obamacare. All the links to what I’m about to say will be in the wrap-up.
- A month ago, they were crowing about ‘record enrollment’, but enrollment is actually DOWN 400,000 from last year and is still only about half of what they originally told us it would be, when they were saying Obamacare was gonna be so great.
- Despite all the subsidies, Obamacare only added 2.3 million people to the private insurance rolls, at a cost of almost $30,000 apiece.
- One reason Obamacare costs so much is that administrative costs have more than doubled under the ACA. Insurer administrative costs are down, but the government bureaucracy needed to handle all this has exploded.
- The number of insurers on the exchanges went down 30 percent in just the last year. Seventy percent of all U.S. counties are down to just one or two insurers. The mean old Republicans didn’t have anything to do with that; Obamacare just doesn’t work.
- The insurance picture isn’t going to get any better, either. Humana just reported a 69 percent drop in the number of its Obamacare customers, and almost a $500 million quarterly loss. Aetna expects a loss this year and is refusing to expand its Obamacare business next year.
- Obamacare didn’t give anybody peace of mind. More Americans than ever report that healthcare costs are their biggest financial worry. A Nebraska woman lost her plan for the fourth time under Obamacare. A woman in Colorado is wondering how she’s going to manage a $20,000 out-of-network deductible on her Obamacare plan.
- Meanwhile, the Obamacare medical device tax has destroyed 28,000 jobs, and one in four small businesses say they will not expand, because of Obamacare.
- Here’s another line of attack: the Trump administration should release all the Obama-era documents discussing the roll-out of Obamacare. Let’s just see how much they were hiding about the slush funds, the Healthcare.gov train wreck, and all the games they were playing to go beyond what Congress wrote in the statute.
- The truth is, the main thing that Obamacare did was put millions of more people on Medicaid. Millions of more people on welfare is a great triumph ONLY if you’re a politician trying to buy votes.
- And, finally, my personal favorite: Thirty to forty percent of the people calling in to the Obamacare exchanges are not calling up to ask a question. They’re calling to say they can’t wait for this thing to go away.
And that’s just the news from the last two weeks, folks. All this news should make us VERY happy warriors. Go get’em.
Links
ACA signups are down 400,000, a 4% drop in one year. #ItsNotWorking
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2017/02/yes-we-can-repeal-every-word-of-obamacare
There they go again: ‘record number of sign-ups this yr.’ Fact: enrollment of 10M less than half of 23M expected
http://www.speaker.gov/general/house-moves-ahead-repeal-replace-obamacare
ACA only added 2.3 million people to private insurance rolls at a cost of $29,130 each.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/replace-obamacare-dont-rename-it-1486081163
Admin costs more than doubled under ACA. Insurer costs down, but bureaucracy mushroomed.
http://freebeacon.com/issues/administrative-costs-doubled-implementation-obamacare/?utm_source=Freedom+Mail&utm_campaign=dab8b55c9d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_22&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-dab8b55c9d-45628225
Number of insurers in the federal exchange dropped from 237 in 2016 to just 167 now, a 30% decline in 1yr.
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2017/02/yes-we-can-repeal-every-word-of-obamacare
Exchanges 45% less competitive than before ACA; 70% counties down to 1-2 insurers
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2017/01/the-2017-health-insurance-exchanges-major-decrease-in-competition-and-choice?utm_source=THF_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TheAgenda&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWXpZNU5EVTFPREkzT1dJMyIsInQiOiJ1b0ZMeU5ZVFVEaWdMaHl5alFIZDdvQ3dZUVMzV3I3WXpJcEJBTFdJZnQ0VE1TWk5Rb0ZqbXJiMnNqY09jcFhSMDlMYlVMaHhBZVYwU2xoOEczb2hhUHdHU2NNNXoyTFhpYkRrWngyaWRMK3VmVTkzM0R2QytZbThDR2pOQXJPUSJ9
News Flash! Obamacare did not bend the cost curve down. More say healthcare costs biggest financial problem.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/07/concern-over-health-care-costs-spikes-despite-years-of-obamacare/
“Nebraska Woman Loses Health Insurance for Fourth Time Under Obamacare”
http://dailysignal.com/2017/02/01/nebraska-woman-loses-health-insurance-for-fourth-time-under-obamacare/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVRZME16UmpNVEJsTm1ReSIsInQiOiJXMXVPbEFBSGNHVHA0MFc4eVNLVnNYUnVTTlBDQXlyd0ZabjkwNHpweEM4Tk8wck1xaHdqUGp6cWpkSExcL2Q2ZGlCU2hXYzhcL1NVdzRVcDhQWEVLajc3ZUwyK1wvRVlXXC9ackFud215Sks4UytaT3ZrUVFERmJuMU5BSUJZaUVsRGcifQ%3D%3D
“$20,000 for a deductible? Are you kidding me? How is that affordable?” http://dailysignal.com/2017/02/01/nebraska-woman-loses-health-insurance-for-fourth-time-under-obamacare/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVRZME16UmpNVEJsTm1ReSIsInQiOiJXMXVPbEFBSGNHVHA0MFc4eVNLVnNYUnVTTlBDQXlyd0ZabjkwNHpweEM4Tk8wck1xaHdqUGp6cWpkSExcL2Q2ZGlCU2hXYzhcL1NVdzRVcDhQWEVLajc3ZUwyK1wvRVlXXC9ackFud215Sks4UytaT3ZrUVFERmJuMU5BSUJZaUVsRGcifQ%3D%3D
Humana reports 69 PERCENT DROP in Obamacare customers, $486 MILLION quarterly loss. #ItsNotWorking
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/humana-announces-69-percent-drop-in-obamacare-customers/article/2614235
Obamacare train wreck to continue in 2018, insurers warn
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/health-insurers-warn-of-wider-defections-from-aca-marketplaces-for-2018/2017/02/01/c507ec78-e807-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html?utm_term=.501c2c368b44
“Aetna CEO: We will not expand Obamacare in 2018”. Expects to lose money again this year. #ItsNotWorking
http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/31/news/companies/aetna-obamacare-replacement/
Census data: Obamacare medical device tax has DESTROYED 28,000 JOBS
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-budget/318410-how-an-obamacare-related-tax-cost-one-industry-28000-jobs
1 in 4 small businesses are choosing not to expand as a result of Obamacare
http://freebeacon.com/issues/business-owner-says-obamacare-prevented-new-hiring-health-care-costs-increased-51-percent/?utm_source=Freedom+Mail&utm_campaign=5e5ace325d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-5e5ace325d-45628225
All Obamacare implementation documents should be released now so we can see what games went on.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444621/repeal-obamacare-health-care-insurance-affordable-care-act-trump-administration
Insurance without underwriting is not insurance. It’s welfare. Obamacare is welfare.
http://www.newsday.com/opinion/health-care-not-health-insurance-is-what-matters-1.13048589
Obamacare Gold: 30-40% of the people phoning ACA exchanges are saying ‘can’t wait for this thing to go away’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obamacare-operator-calls_us_588fd0d9e4b02772c4e8c758