Citizens Against Government Waste’s August WasteWatcher discussed how many states were seeing large health insurance rate increases in the Affordable Care Act’s (Obamacare) exchanges. In the state of Tennessee, Cigna and Humana revised their original premium rate increase request from an average of 23 percent to 46 percent and an average of 29 percent to […]
Farewell CO-OP Number 17
In an August 3, 2016 NJBiz article, the headline blared “N.J. rules helped guide Health Republic to success as Obamacare co-op!” The article goes on to praise the fact that Health Republic was “one of the seven health insurance co-ops still standing” and that its stability had a lot to do with the fact that “New Jersey’s 1992 health care reform laws were similar to the current Affordable Care Act, and allowed both insurers and actuaries to draw from prior experience to create health plans and pricing.” The article contends that New Jersey’s CO-OP is a great success story.
The Obamacare Sink Hole
On March 29, 2013, editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez drew a cartoon of the United States with a huge sinkhole in the middle of it and the words “Obamacare” spread across its center. The drawing certainly was foretelling of what Americans could expect from the misnamed Affordable Care Act (ACA). More than three years later, it seems […]
Remain Very Afraid of the Impact of Obamacare
Frightening news is starting to trickle out about health insurance premium rate increases for 2017, and that is just the beginning of ongoing concerns about how Obamacare adversely affects individuals, families, businesses, insurers, and the healthcare market. The numbers reported to date by several states belie the promise that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly referred to as Obamacare, would, according to the President, “reduce insurance premiums by $2,500 per family per year.”
The Taxpayers Before Insurers Act
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has written before about problems with the risk insurance sharing programs found in the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Under Obamacare, the risk-sharing programs, often called “the three Rs,” are risk adjustment, reinsurance, and risk corridors. Because of Obamacare’s restrictive mandates and regulations, plus the uncertainty of who […]
‘Obamacare Premiums are Lower than You Think’ … NOT!
On July 21, the Health Affairs blog published a study by the Brookings Institute, entitled, “Obamacare Premiums Are Lower Than You Think.” The study starts off stating, “Since the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance marketplaces first took effect in 2014, news story after story has focused on premium increases for certain plans, in certain […]
Analyzing the House GOP Replacement for Obamacare
On June 22, 2016, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) announced the House of Representatives Republican plan on healthcare reform, one of a series of six proposals called “A Better Way.” This is the first time the House Republicans have coalesced around one plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly referred to as Obamacare. The Better Way also includes reforms to Medicare and Medicaid.
Some Are More Equal Than Others
More than a year ago, on June 25, 2015, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste along with nine other taxpayer advocacy groups and individuals, filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. We requested an investigation into whether Senators and/or their staff may have committed fraud and broke several laws when they […]
How the 340B Drug Discount Program is Increasing Cancer Costs
Cancer care costs are rising, and the 340B outpatient drug discount program is needlessly contributing to the increase.
Can You Repeat That … Please?
Today’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the National Park Service (NPS) included testimony by Director Jonathan Jarvis and Department of the Interior Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall. The purpose of the hearing was to examine how the NPS handles cases of misconduct and unethical behavior and it examined serious issues such as […]