Quote:

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/labor-sick-leave-executive-order-obama-213379

Paid sick leave: Obama issues executive order

The president is compelling federal contractors to grant time off.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order Monday that requires federal contractors to grant at least seven days of paid sick leave to their employees, including 300,000 who had none.

Obama addressed the order during a Labor Day speech at a Boston breakfast and rally, where he also called on Congress to extend paid leave to millions more Americans by passing the Healthy Families Act, which would mandate that all employers with more than 15 employees would have to grant at least seven sick days annually. In addition, Obama pointed to Massachusetts as an example of a state that has passed similar sick leave laws, calling on other cities and states to do the same.

"It builds on the growing momentum of people who are answering the call," Obama said during his speech, noting the cities and private companies that have made paid sick leave a requirement.

The order grants employees of federal contractors at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, though individual contractors could opt for more. It also takes into account absences related to stalking, sexual assault or domestic violence, the White House said. [...]

a little refresher course for Barry!

 

http://khn.org/news/health-care-spending-in-massachusetts-rises-faster-than-states-goal/
Health Care Spending In Massachusetts Rises Faster Than State’s Goal
...Massachusetts spent $632 million more on health care last year than it aimed to, according to a report from the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis...

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Health Reform: ObamaCare enrollment has fallen sharply since March, and that's before consumers confront huge rate hikes for 2016. These are not the signs of a successful program.

In its latest enrollment report, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says 9.9 million were still enrolled in ObamaCare exchange plans.

That's almost 2 million fewer than the administration claimed in the spring, when it bragged that 11.7 million had signed up, and way below the Congressional Budget Office's earlier forecast of 13 million.

And if this year is anything like last year, that 9.9 million will dwindle further as the year goes on.

Year-over-year growth isn't terribly impressive, either. The CBO had figured sign-ups would almost double this year. Instead, they climbed 24%, when you compare the latest figures to those the administration put out in May 2014. Enrollment in big states like California and New York is virtually unchanged.

It would appear ObamaCare isn't such a great product after all. And it's about to get much worse.

Earlier this year, insurers started putting in rate requests for 2016, and in many cases they were gut-wrenchingly high — with some above 50%. Obama told the public not to worry, that state insurance regulators would knock them down to size.

But like every other promise he's made about his namesake law, this one was phony.

In state after state, insurance commissioners are approving huge rate hikes, based on the fact that the people who've signed up for ObamaCare are older and sicker than insurers hoped.

By one estimate, the average rate hike in Oregon — a state that eagerly embraced ObamaCare — is above 24%. Average approved rates are 20% or higher in Alaska, Idaho, Iowa and Kansas.

An analysis by Agile Health Insurance found almost a third of all plans being sold through the federal Healthcare.gov exchange — which covers 36 states — had double-digit rate hikes.

Premiums for every plan offered in South Dakota, Delaware and West Virginia will be up by 10% or more.

These premium increases — combined with narrow provider networks and big deductibles — are sure to drive down the already low enrollment rates among the younger and healthier, and those who aren't eligible for ObamaCare subsidies.

The CBO expects 21 million will enroll in the Obama-Care exchanges next year.

That's increasingly looking like a pipe dream.

LTC8K6

Sep 11 2015, 06:23 AM

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/091015-770506-obamacare-enrollment-dropped-below-10-million-in-new-report.htm

ObamaCare Enrollment Tumbles As Huge Price Hikes Loom

Quote:

 

...Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

...9.9 million were still enrolled in ObamaCare exchange plans.

...2 million fewer than the administration claimed in the spring, when it bragged

...11.7 million had signed up, and way below the Congressional Budget Office's earlier forecast

...13 million.

...9.9 million will dwindle further as the year goes on.

Quote:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/17/us/ap-us-contraception-mandate-lawsuit.html

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Halting Health Mandate
The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that President Barack Obama's health care law unjustly burdens religiously affiliated employers by forcing them to help provide insurance coverage for certain contraceptives, even though they can opt out of directly paying for it.

The ruling by a three-judge 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in St. Louis upheld lower court decisions that sided with plaintiffs who included three Christian colleges in Missouri, Michigan and Iowa.

The 25-page opinion conflicts with all other federal appellate courts, which have found in the U.S. government's favor.

As religiously affiliated entities, those colleges victorious with Thursday's ruling don't have to pay directly for their workers' birth control. Instead, they can seek an accommodation that requires their insurance providers to pay for it. But the groups still say the scheme makes them complicit in the providing of contraception and subjected them to possible fines for noncompliance.

Circuit Judge Roger Wollman, writing the ruling on the panel's behalf, wrote that the contraceptive mandate and accommodation process of the Affordable Care Act substantially burdens the plaintiffs' exercise of religion.[...]

In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of family-controlled businesses with a religious objection to paying for some or all of the approved contraceptives. Their employees still could receive the birth control, but through an arrangement with the businesses' insurers or third-party insurance administrators. The government covers the cost of the contraceptives in those circumstances.

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Letter my remaining private insurance patients will receive as I am forced to forced terminate all 3rd party agreements as of October 1- the day HHS mandates ICD-10 implementation...

LTC8K6

Sep 18 2015, 08:35 PM

https://krisheldmd.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/letter-my-remaining-private-insurance-patients-will-receive-a-i-am-forced-to-terminate-all-3rd-party-agreements-as-of-october-1-the-day-hhs-mandates-icd-10-implementation/

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Letter my remaining private insurance patients will receive as I am forced to forced terminate all 3rd party agreements as of October 1- the day HHS mandates ICD-10 implementation...

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...Think about it- we now have a system whereby you are forced to buy what amounts to prepaid “healthcare” from an “insurance” company that profits by restricting and denying the very care they are paid to provide. You have to pay them. They keep more money when they provide you less care.

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http://khn.org/news/nearly-9-million-people-gained-insurance-in-health-marketplaces-first-year/

Nearly 9 Million People Gained Insurance In Health Marketplace’s First Year

The percentage of Americans without health insurance dropped by nearly three percentage points between 2013 and 2014, according the U.S. Census Bureau, from 13.3 to 10.4 percent. Put another way, 8.8 million more people were insured in 2014 than the year before....

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton proposed on Tuesday a $250 monthly cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs and other measures to stop what she called "price gouging" by pharmaceutical companies.

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Clinton said the government could get billions of dollars in additional tax revenue by no longer allowing pharmaceutical companies to deduct what they spend marketing drugs to consumers.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-york-health-co-op-ordered-to-close-down/2015/09/25/5022acde-63b2-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html

New York health co-op ordered to close down
By Amy Goldstein

The nation’s biggest nonprofit health insurer spawned by the Affordable Care Act has been ordered to shut down as it reels toward insolvency, disrupting coverage for more than 200,000 New York state residents and becoming the fourth such co-op to collapse in recent months. [...]

kbp

Sep 29 2015, 07:20 AM

Quote:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-york-health-co-op-ordered-to-close-down/2015/09/25/5022acde-63b2-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html

New York health co-op ordered to close down
By Amy Goldstein

The nation’s biggest nonprofit health insurer spawned by the Affordable Care Act has been ordered to shut down as it reels toward insolvency, disrupting coverage for more than 200,000 New York state residents and becoming the fourth such co-op to collapse in recent months. [...]

I guess they're learning they need money from somebody to keep operations running smoothly!

kbp

Sep 30 2015, 09:53 PM

I'm still trying to figure out how we'll pay for what we have so far!