The Fog Of Insurance

 

The Fog Of WAR Insurance

 

There currently seems to be a lot of fogs, fuzziness, and outright sleeping through meetings in Washington.  It may be hard to keep track who is bombing who and worse, who is throwing who under the proverbial bus.  But here at Health Insurance Issues With Dave, we aren’t worried about buses.  No, we our concerned about steamrollers, specifically the ones that are about to flatten the insurance buying public.  Wile E Coyote may walk away from his encounter with the steamroller.  We will not be so lucky. 

The fact that The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) survived 15+ years of government ineptitude and bureaucracy should not be a surprise.  Government programs often suffer a bumpy start.  But people of good will eventually take the helm and the program moves forward.  Social Security was created in 1935, ninety years ago.   Undoubtedly, many doubted that Social Security would survive the Roosevelt presidency much less last well into the next century.  The real danger to Obamacare has not been government inefficiency.  No, the danger has come from the Republicans.  There has been a concerted effort to villainize this program since its inception.  And now, through sheer neglect, they might finally have their way. 

Today is Sunday, December 7^th.  The fight is different.  Failing to successfully terminate Obamacare head-on, we are witnessing the success of a Republican-controlled House and Senate that has ceded its power to the president and has fully become passive/aggressive.  Their inaction is action.  They will succeed in destroying our health care system by doing nothing.  At least, they are going to try. 

The Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Subsidies were a part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.  This was the first meaningful tweak of Obamacare.  The focus was to make health insurance more affordable by tying the tax credit subsidies to a percentage of the individual’s/family’s income.   These subsidies were a huge help to people age 55 to 64 ½, individuals who pay higher premiums due to their age.  And the enhanced tax credit subsidies of the ARPA also made health insurance affordable to the residents of states that chose to not expand Medicaid.  Many, perhaps millions, of Americans will lose their health insurance if the enhanced premium tax credits are eliminated.  This was the intentional choice of the Republican Congress and Donald Trump.  The One Big Beautiful Bill of earlier this year intentionally excluded the continuation of the enhanced premium tax credit subsidies. 

The Democrats, the insurance industry, and darn near anyone concerned about our health care system have been trying to get the enhanced subsidies extended.  The Republicans are still doing nothing.   Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, doesn’t have to pretend that he doesn’t care.  He represents hard-hit Louisiana.  Doesn’t care.  His inaction is action.  

Now, at the 11^th hour, we have a few Republican Senators hoping that the American public will be convinced that talking points and platitudes are the same as a fully vetted alternative to Obamacare.  Spare us the joys of choice, a hodge podge of garbage non-insurance plans from health sharing ministries, association plans like the farm bureau, and indemnity coverage.  You may need magnifying glasses to find the legally required disclaimer that these plans are not really health insurance and are not subject to our insurance laws or regulation.  Or you can find out when you have a claim. 

The Republicans are embracing Health Savings Accounts (HSA).  The idea is to give less help to the people who really need it, but to give them that help in cash.  People with ongoing issues will suffer immediately.  Others will be just one accident or illness away from disaster.  One of the proponents is Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).  Thinking of what RFK, Jr. is doing to the Department of Health and Human Services, it appears that Senator Bill Cassidy, a Gastroenterologist, is the Neville Chamberlain of medicine.  This is a link to information on Cassidy’s plan.  The link is real.  The plan is not. 

The cemeteries of Kansas would be full to overflowing if Senator “Doc” Roger Marshall (R-KS) practiced medicine the way he practices health care politics.  Here is the link of his embarrassing appearance on Morning Joe. 

Though Floridians would be devasted by the loss of the enhanced premium tax credit subsidies, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) prefers to focus on the Health Savings Accounts.  Those familiar with Scott know that when he will be asked about the cost to Floridians, he’ll just take the fifth. 

It is hard for me to watch our health insurance system slowly go over the cliff.  Health insurance is the way most Americans access and pay for health care.  We experienced a terrible defeat on this day, December 7, 1941.  Our nation was forced to come together and we emerged from World War II a better country.  We will overcome this war, this war on the middle class, this war on making life affordable for the average American.  Until then, who can blame you if you have the Steamroller Blues? 

Dave 

Health Insurance Issues With Dave 

Picture – Pen in Camo - David L Cunix