When Obamacare was passed to supposedly provide health care insurance for the 20 or 30 million, I reminded individuals that “health care insurance does not guarantee health care or payment for services.” The same thing was said when Obamacare was implemented in October 2013. Earlier this year, it was reported that narrowing networks have been implemented by exchange carriers participating in Obamacare to keep costs down. An article on this narrowing network indicated a woman stated she could not find a provider within 400 miles. Again, I reminded individuals that “health care insurance does not guarantee access to health care or payment for services.”
Conservatives have been highlighting the unconstitutionality of Obamacare, pointing out the Senate threw out the bill Republicans sent to them for a vote and replaced it with this monstrosity, and calling for the repeal by the Congress or nullification by the states. However, none of this has happened as the Obama administration sold this snake oil by promoting “health care for all” and almost “free” health care with the establishment of subsidies. Now, health policy expert and physician Scott Gottlieb testified to a House committee that these narrowed networks created by the atrocity that is Obamacare are preventing Americans, who have the mandated plans, from using their insurance. Gottlieb predicts this will soon spread to the entire insurance market.
At a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, Gottlieb proclaimed, “These narrow markets will start to roll out to other parts of the market – the commercial market, the Medicare Advantage market. It’s not going to be confined to Obamacare.”
Even House Republicans on the committee have warned that despite more people having health insurance – a claim that is questionable – provisions of Obamacare are preventing insured individuals from actually accessing care.
Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn stated, “Access to a queue and access to care is not the same thing.”
Gee Marsha, you are just now figuring this out when that is what many of us have said for quite some time now. In fact, some of us wrote our representatives stating this same thing; but, as usual, we were ignored since some of you have attitudes like Sen. Dianne Feinstein – we don’t have access to the information you have. As I have always heard, “two heads are better than one,” but it seems there’s not a complete head to be found anywhere in Washington.
Gottlieb testified that narrow networks were much less prevalent before Obamacare as insurance companies had other options to manage costs. The Obamacare law removed those options which left narrowing networks as the sole means for insurers to control costs.
Gottlieb wrote, “These federally mandated benefits – on top of all the state insurance mandates that were grandfathered into the exchange-based health plans – come at a big economic cost. The mandated benefits were coupled with rules that barred insurers from using many of the traditional tools they employ as a way to manage costs.”
But again, Obamacare was never about making sure all Americans had health care insurance or access to health care. It was all about controlling one sixth of America’s economy whereby the government can gain control of the people and a lead-in to a single-payer, government run system where health care rationing based on demographics would trump individual choice. Again, conservatives warned about all of this before and after passage, during implementation and continued to sound the alarm for nullification or repeal. It all fell on deaf ears. If there is any question that establishment Republicans and RINOs are not all for some type of government single-payer system, all you have to do is listen to the rhetoric they spew about “reform” of Obamacare.
Obamacare supporters still sing the praises of this atrocious law since it mandates a minimum across the board coverage for abortion, birth control, maternity care, women’s care, pediatric care, etc., and it prohibits increased costs for high risk individuals and the law limited co-pays. If this wasn’t bad enough, premium prices on the Obamacare exchanges have to receive state government approval. All of these factors have contributed to increased costs resulting in the narrowing networks. Thank an ignorant liberal today who could not see the consequences of tomorrow past his nose.
Even more astounding is the attitude of Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor. She just can’t understand why people would have a problem with governments making the final decision on what the insurance companies charge in premiums.
Hello. Kathy? Anybody home? It’s called, “the government doesn’t have to pay the price resulting from this – the consumer does.” If that isn’t plain enough for you, it comes down to individual choice: what an individual wants in their health care plan and what they want to pay for it. Kathy, you might need to take some of that oil that bears your name and get your head cleaned out. Please bear in mind that one of the side effects is increased intelligence.
Not to be outdone, Monica Lindeen, Montana Insurance Commissioner, said that it was considered a “win for consumers who see lower premiums when regulators step in.” Well Monica, what about those consumers who see an increase in premiums when regulators step in or did you just discount those people in order to spew the government bile? Can you people in government even think for yourselves for one minute in order to realize that individual choice has been removed from the consumer and taken over by the government? You better ask Kathy for some of her namesake oil. Take a bottle and don’t call me in the morning.
Gottlieb countered these claims by reiterating his warning that despite all of this, these individuals may not even have access to health care.
Gottlieb is right and so were many of us conservatives who railed against the machine that is Obamacare. However, just like us, Gottlieb’s warnings have fallen on deaf ears I am afraid.
What is the most tragic outcome with Obamacare is the problem is worse for those individuals who are the sickest. Obamacare exchanges across the country are lacking in cancer care coverage, which has been well documented. In fact, an “AP survey found that just four of the best comprehensive cancer centers nationwide were included by all Obamacare plans in their state.”
Even if an Obamacare exchange plan holder develops cancer, it is highly unlikely they will have access to one of these specialized cancer treatment centers. Gottlieb even predicts that those with the worst cancers will not be able to see the appropriate physician for treatment. How do you like that for rationing care, with-holding care to the sickest and most vulnerable, and death by proxy?
None of this is new and plenty have foreseen this coming; however, our rational, intelligent evaluation of this atrocity was drowned out by this administration and its ilk, along with liberals and supporters alike with shaming, name-calling and outright lies. Betsy McCaughey, who read the law in its entirety upon passage, was shamed by liberals and the lame stream enemedia, sometimes ridiculing her prior position to discredit her knowledge. Those individuals who reported on the death panels were ostracized and called liars, when it was this administration who lied about keeping doctors and health care plans if you liked them.
Congress has refused to repeal this atrocity, meaning the damage to our once private health care insurance system was insured. The people then turned to their state governments who refused to do their constitutional duty in nullifying this law. It seems the states are willing to submit to erroneous rulings of the Supreme Court. The outcome of all of these wrong turns and missed opportunities are now being felt. What was predicted years ago is coming to pass. Since not one Republican voted for this mess and the majority of the people didn’t want it to start with, the blame must be laid at the feet of the Democrats and the liberal minority who supported this fleecing of all Americans.
So, I hate to say it; although, I really don’t. To all the Democrats and liberal minority, “Told you so.”
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