insurance

You Won't Believe Obama's Response

<blockquote class="tr_bq">During a Google Hangout session on Friday, fry cook Darnell Summers told <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHFFLgjWB4amroq9ZVuWd5RaH7QPuBpf_ZdvHP59Zz1m3LuZ8fnQD5y7Dg3vy5CX4YCE9dBeYEu_8Nd3n0nUp6IPPDKeFj-XkEgQYvbhs_3hUDwViTIbr_7MyG2PLtxp-qa2jovIC9Es/s1600/clueless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHFFLgjWB4amroq9ZVuWd5RaH7QPuBpf_ZdvHP59Zz1m3LuZ8fnQD5y7Dg3vy5CX4YCE9dBeYEu_8Nd3n0nUp6IPPDKeFj-XkEgQYvbhs_3hUDwViTIbr_7MyG2PLtxp-qa2jovIC9Es/s1600/clueless.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>President Obama that his hours were cut due to the Affordable Care Act. </blockquote>If you are expecting the president to be sympathetic and responsive, well, you won't believe this. <blockquote class="tr_bq">The president responded by urging states to increase the minimum wage. “I am working to encourage states, governors, mayors, state legislators to raise their own minimum wage,” Obama said.</blockquote>Out. Of. Touch.

You Won't Believe Obama's Response

During a Google Hangout session on Friday, fry cook Darnell Summers told President Obama that his hours were cut due to the Affordable Care ...

7:26 PM

The Affordable Golf Club Act

<div style="text-align: justify;">[If you have old golf clubs, you can keep your golf clubs....until April 2014.] Until now, typically only the wealthy or financially responsible have been able to purchase new golf clubs without the assistance of their government. This new law ensures that every American can now have "affordable" golf clubs of their own, because everyone is equally entitled to new golf clubs. And if you want to keep the golf clubs you already have, you can do that, until April 2014. These affordable golf clubs will cost from $1,000 to $3,000 each depending on your income level. This does not include taxes, pull cart, electric cart fees, green fees, membership fees, balls, tees, gloves, range finders, storage fees, maintenance, or repair costs. In order to make sure everyone participates and purchases their affordable golf clubs, the costs of owning golf clubs will increase 50% each year up to 400% by year 2018. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want or can't afford to maintain. People who can't afford or refuse to maintain their golf clubs will be fined. However, children under the age of 26 can use their parents’ golf clubs until they turn 27 at which time they must purchase their own golf clubs. If you don't want or think you don't need golf clubs, you are still required to buy them. If you refuse to buy a set or make claims that you can't afford them, you will be fined $800 until you purchase a set or face imprisonment. People living in farming areas, ghettos, inner cities, Wyoming, or areas with no access to golf courses are not exempt. Age, health, prior experience or no experience are not acceptable excuses for not buying, maintaining, and using your golf clubs. A government review board that doesn't know the difference between a hook and a slice will decide everything. This includes when, where, how often and for what purposes you can use your golf clubs along with how many people can ride in your golf cart. The board will also determine if participants are too old or not healthy enough to be able to use their golf clubs. They will also decide if your golf clubs have outlived their usefulness or if you must purchase specific accessories, like a range finder with slope adjustment or a newer and more expensive set of golf clubs. Those that can afford memberships at expensive golf country clubs will be required to buy memberships. If you are already a member and you like your  membership you can keep your membership. After April 2014, a different country club will be assigned for you to purchase a membership. Government officials are exempt from this new law as they and their families and some of their friends and a few of their friends friends can obtain golf clubs at taxpayers expense. [Hat Tip: FoIB Sandy M]</div>

The Affordable Golf Club Act

[ If you have old golf clubs, you can keep your golf clubs....until April 2014 .] Until now, typically only the wealthy or financially respo...

6:23 AM

How Obamacare Impacts Healthcare in Southwest Georgia

If you live near Albany, Georgia health insurance has never been cheap but for most it was <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZWY-p8RQKH8RcaJxo7_7JLl-hc9mt7ki_jW9WTMPUUj9faywgP8M1gtHi5om42VocAwnIpo1IqBTHVFrIsvThK-JtYNamJ4LHMMswURyP3_11oXf7AfgqoQ2eH4HAxAh55S72oej05M/s1600/affordable+health+care+in+albany+georgia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZWY-p8RQKH8RcaJxo7_7JLl-hc9mt7ki_jW9WTMPUUj9faywgP8M1gtHi5om42VocAwnIpo1IqBTHVFrIsvThK-JtYNamJ4LHMMswURyP3_11oXf7AfgqoQ2eH4HAxAh55S72oej05M/s1600/affordable+health+care+in+albany+georgia.jpg" /></a></div>affordable before #Obamacare. The community rating requirements lumps citizens into 16 geographic regions for rating purposes. If you live in southwest Georgia your rates are some of the highest in the country. But only if you buy on the healthcare exchange, and only if you buy from Blue Cross of Georgia. <blockquote class="tr_bq">All the dynamics that drive up health costs have coalesced here in Southwest Georgia, pushing up premiums.  Expensive chronic conditions such as obesity and cancer are common among the quarter million people in this region. One hospital system dominates the area, leaving little competition. Only one insurer is offering policies in the online marketplace, and many physicians are not participating, limiting consumer choice.</blockquote><a href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/February/03/Georgia-insurance-costs-obamacare.aspx" target="_blank">Kaiser Health News</a> Community rating, which did not exist in Georgia prior to Obamacare, requires health insurance carriers to factor in the total health of the community along with the cost of health care in that area.  Further complicating this Obamamess is the principle hospital in the area, Phoebe Putney. <blockquote class="tr_bq">Phoebe's dominance has also grown as it has purchased more physician practices. "Doctors you thought would never work for Phoebe are now Phoebe employees," said Sue Luckie, an insurance agent in nearby Leesburg. </blockquote>Phoebe Putney and BCBSGA have never been friends, but it is much worse under Obamacare.  If you bought a Blue Cross plan, on or off the exchange, and lived in the Albany area, there are no participating hospitals in their network for 100 miles. But when you search plans outside of the exchange you will find several plans that include Phoebe Putney and their premiums are much lower than Blue Cross. Sounds like time to change your insurance, but you need to do so before March 31, 2014. After that you won't be able to buy health insurance until the next open enrollment beginning November 15, 2014. That's something else you probably didn't know about Obamacare.

How Obamacare Impacts Healthcare in Southwest Georgia

If you live near Albany, Georgia health insurance has never been cheap but for most it was affordable before #Obamacare. The community ratin...

2:26 PM

Public Enemy or Navigator?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2009/07/13/20090713-170326-pic-297599932_t607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><a href="http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2009/07/13/20090713-170326-pic-297599932_t607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2009/07/13/20090713-170326-pic-297599932_t607.jpg" width="105" /></a>From the "Told Ya So" Department: "<a href="http://insureblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/compare-contrast.html" target="_blank">Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius [sic] said today that Obamacare navigators don't need to undergo criminal background checks ... "So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them?</a>" And what do you know? "<a href="http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/17424993:18742216248:m:1:310931136:BD098AAA7CC9BE4F969E7194764EE34D:r" target="_blank">At least 43 convicted criminals are working as Obamacare navigators in California, including three individuals with records of significant financial crimes.</a>" And that's just in the Golden State. What about the other 57? In case it's not obvious, here's the issue: These folks may well be completely rehabilitated, morraly upstanding and good to their mothers. But why would the state take the chance that one or more of these previously convicted felons would see a pretty lucrative opportunity here? And of course, you can't sue the state for foisitn these potential identity thiefs upon its citizenry. Just another reason to avoid the Exchange - and especially Navigators. [Hat Tip: FoIB <a href="http://themoderatevoice.com/author/holly" target="_blank">Holly R</a>]

Public Enemy or Navigator?

From the "Told Ya So" Department: " Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius [sic] said today that Obamacare nav...