insurance

<div style="text-align: justify;">Co-blogger Pat Paule and Friend of InsureBlog (FoIB) Bob Graboyes have just been published at Real Clear Markets. It's a great explanation of how the Actuarial Value calculation promises to become a major stumbling block for ACA-compliant plans:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"<a href="http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2013/12/12/obamacare_is_a_problem_for_much_more_than_the_5_100792.html" target="_blank">Think of Pat's client as the student with the highest GPA in the class. Typically, this student would be valedictorian. At the ACA School, however, the art teacher/principal says sternly, "I'm deeply disappointed in your performance. Unless you want an F this semester, you had better answer more questions incorrectly and miss some deadlines. Consider this a warning.</a>"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Read the whole thing. </div>

Big Time!

Co-blogger Pat Paule and Friend of InsureBlog (FoIB) Bob Graboyes have just been published at Real Clear Markets. It's a great explanati...

<blockquote class="tr_bq">In her testimony before Congress today, Health and Human Services Secretary <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuktrAvA82JIKbCaw_7ZOtZwrKujLa9Pfef8cidaIOQP5ASvLe7YhCcRX6WoO5I1du7DTFL0U-GJWTF01qkKHN0s1VFdH4eHUYBKtSUm86r5SNfQKCLp8JQ6MqzdPPXHbZKM-8u5wppUA/s1600/money+in+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuktrAvA82JIKbCaw_7ZOtZwrKujLa9Pfef8cidaIOQP5ASvLe7YhCcRX6WoO5I1du7DTFL0U-GJWTF01qkKHN0s1VFdH4eHUYBKtSUm86r5SNfQKCLp8JQ6MqzdPPXHbZKM-8u5wppUA/s200/money+in+hand.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Kathleen Sebelius provided an updated dollar amount for the cost of HealthCare.gov: <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/192761-healthcaregov-costs-at-677m-through-october" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #526fb8; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">$677 million.</a> In addition to the $677 million spent on the federal Obamacare website, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has shoveled<a href="http://www.atr.org/obama-administration-spent-point-billion-state-a7994" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #526fb8; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> $4.5 billion</a> of taxpayer money to promote Obamacare on the state level.</blockquote><a href="http://www.atr.org/taxpayers-shell-obamacare-enrollee-a8033" target="_blank">Americans for Tax Reform</a> For the math challenged, that's about $5.2 billion in taxpayer dollars. But only half of us actually PAY income taxes, so the rest of you can ignore the rest of this post. <blockquote class="tr_bq">HHS also released updated <a href="http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketPlaceEnrollment/Dec2013/ib_2013dec_enrollment.pdf" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #526fb8; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“enrollment”</a> figures for Obamacare. According to the agency 364,682 people have “selected a plan” – the equivalent of putting an item in your online shopping cart and leaving it there.</blockquote>Put in the shopping cart. Not paid for. Just in the cart. $5.2 millyun divided by 364 thousand = $14,000 per shopping cart. Not sale. Shopping cart. I wish I could get paid $14k for every application I take.