ObamaCare Roundup curated by Jane M. Orient, M.D.
The Associated Press has compiled a list of 8 ways in which the Obama Administration is blocking access to information. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests are being forwarded to political appointees. Just last month, AP reported on the flimsy rationale offered by HHS for denying a FOIA request for records on the “kinds of security software and computer systems behind the federally funded Healthcare.gov.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/09/22/has-the-department-of-health-and-human-services-politicized-foia-requests/
Worried about the burden of “healthcare costs”? The burden of federal regulation, affecting medicine and everything else, was more than $2 trillion in 2012, according a report by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) entitled “The Cost of Federal Regulation to the U.S. Economy, Manufacturing and Small Business.” http://www.academia.org/does-regulation-unemployment
And what is the effect of ObamaCare regulations? ObamaCare is not insuring the uninsured, and up to 80 percent of the people who had individual insurance last year will lose their coverage by the time all the Obamacare rules completely set in. Up to 90 percent of the plans that cover people at work will lose their grandfathered status, writes John Goodman. http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=5085
The cost of Obamacare will devour your pay raise, writes John Graham. http://blog.independent.org/2014/09/22/obamacare-will-devour-your-pay-raise/
Merrill Mathews analyzes what is behind those health insurance premium increases. http://www.ipi.org/docLib/20140909_WhatsBehindThoseRisingHealthInsurancePremiums.pdf.
The costs of the ObamaCare website exceed $2 billion, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis of contracts related to the project. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-24/obamacare-website-costs-exceed-2-billion-study-finds.html.
But the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is still unable to consistently verify the reliability of the data received from CMS. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-697
Despite higher costs there will still be less care, such as less cardiac monitoring under guidelines of the American College of Physicians “Choosing Wisely” program: http://online.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-cut-costs-by-getting-doctors-to-stick-to-guidelines-1411416051
Social Media:
Never mind public health, we have to fix the climate first:
Aid costs will soar as Obama adds global warming red tape – Washington Times http://t.co/1dZmxR4Srg
— Tom Nelson (@tan123) September 25, 2014
Still more government intrusion:
The surgeon general and the sun’s rays
New directives show intrusiveness of yet another government entity
http://t.co/uGkA5iZprX
— Grüss Gott (@clasicaliberal) September 25, 2014
One in four Americans may soon be on Medicaid: where will they find care?
Report: For Many New Medicaid Enrollees, Care Is Hard To Find – http://t.co/GqfAoe2aet
— Tabitha Bliss (@BlissTabitha) September 28, 2014
