Tag: healthcare

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Trump Celebrates Raising Health Insurance Premiums On Poor Families

Donald Trump took to Twitter today to celebrate raising health insurance premiums for poor/low-income folks as well as cheer health insurance stocks plunging thanks to his decision to end paying subsidies for low-income Americans health insurance policies.

Health Insurance stocks, which have gone through the roof during the ObamaCare years, plunged yesterday after I ended their Dems windfall! Very proud of my Executive Order which will allow greatly expanded access and far lower costs for HealthCare. Millions of people benefit!

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, if the subsidies aren’t continued one million additional people will become uninsured in 2018, prices for insurance would rise by 20 to 25 percent, and insurers would drop out of some parts of the country.

According to an analysis by the Associated Press, almost 70% of those benefiting from the cost-sharing subsidies live in states Trump won last November.

Nine of the 10 states with the highest percentage of consumers benefiting from cost-sharing subsidies went for Trump.

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Trump Announces No More Health Insurance Subsidies For Low-Income Families

Donald Trump has said for months that the Affordable Care Act is “imploding” but the fact of the matter is Trump is doing everything he can to sabotage the legislation.

The White House has now announced that the federal government will stop subsidy payments to insurance companies that help low-income Americans afford health insurance.

This comes just hours after Trump’s executive order allowing the sale of stripped-down, loosely regulated “junk” insurance policies.

From the New York Times:

The twin hits to the Affordable Care Act could unravel President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, sending insurance premiums soaring and insurance companies fleeing from the health law’s online marketplaces. After Republicans failed to repeal the health law in Congress, Mr. Trump appears determined to dismantle it on his own.

Without the subsidies, insurance markets could quickly unravel. Insurers have said they will need much higher premiums and may pull out of the insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act if the subsidies were cut off. Known as cost-sharing reduction payments, the subsidies were expected to total $9 billion in the coming year and nearly $100 billion in the coming decade.

Lawmakers from both parties have urged the president to continue the payments.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 16 other attorneys general have announced they will stand up against the action by Trump to cut off subsidies for Obamacare. “Our coalition of states stands ready to sue if President Trump cuts them off.”

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Trump Signs Executive Order To Make “Junk” Health Insurance Policies More Available

Donald Trump, frustrated with his inability to lead the GOP-controlled Congress to reform healthcare, today did exactly what he criticized President Obama for and signed an executive order circumventing the legislative process.

Trump’s executive order will allow the sale of cheaper, less regulated policies with fewer benefits and fewer protections for consumers than those mandated under the Affordable Care Act.

In other words, this is basically the health insurance version of buying a Yugo.

From the New York Times:

Mr. Trump’s order could eventually make it easier for small businesses to band together and buy insurance through new entities known as association health plans, which could be created by business and professional groups. A White House official said these health plans “could potentially allow American employers to form groups across state lines” — a goal championed by Mr. Trump and many other Republicans.

[snip]

Consumer groups and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, representing state officials, have opposed association health plans because they could be largely exempt from state regulation.

Association health plans can “cherry-pick healthy groups,” making it more difficult for less healthy groups to find affordable coverage, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners told Congress this year.

Some state regulators and insurers greeted the move with alarm and warned that by relaxing standards for association health plans and short-term policies, Mr. Trump would create low-cost insurance options for the healthy, driving up costs for the sick and destabilizing insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act.

This will severely impact the LGBTQ community, especially those people with pre-existing conditions like HIV who won’t be able to access these junk policies intended primarily for younger, healthier people.

In offering these cheaper policies health care insurance providers will have to raise the premiums on regular insurance policies.

“Within a year, this would kill the market,” said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Sen. Susan Collins: Very Difficult To Imagine Voting For Cassidy-Graham Bill

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine tells CNN’s Jake Tapper she finds it “very difficult” to imagine a scenario where she would vote for the proposed Cassidy-Graham healthcare bill due to a host of complex issues including screwing up Medicaid and the laws governing pre-existing conditions.

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Donald Trump Rants At Sen. John McCain Over Healthcare Vote

Donald Trump went on a morning Twitter rant attacking Sen. John McCain for his “no” vote on the currently proposed Cassidy-Graham bill to “repeal and replace” Obamacare.

McCain announced yesterday that he opposes the legislation because it wasn’t going through the Senate via normal order with hearings and committee meetings. He voted against the last version of healthcare reform for the same reason.

McCain has said publicly that he wants to see Democrats and Republicans work together on healthcare legislation so they can “get it right.”

Along the way, Trump also took some swipes at Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski. Paul is a confirmed “no” on the legislation while Murkowski appears to be leaning “no.”

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Sen. John McCain Is A “No” On Latest GOP Healthcare Bill

Sen. John McCain

Sen. John McCain has just announced he cannot “in good conscience” vote for the GOP’s latest attempt to “repeal and replace” Obamacare.

Via CNN:

“I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal,” the Arizona Republican said in a statement. “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will (affect) insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it. Without a full CBO score, which won’t be available by the end of the month, we won’t have reliable answers to any of those questions.”

McCain has said for weeks that he would not support health care legislation that had not gone through “regular order,” meaning Senate hearings, an amendment process and a rigorous floor debate.

McCain voted “no” on the last health care proposal in July for the same reason. McCain’s dramatic floor vote, which happened just weeks after he was diagnosed with brain cancer, came in the early morning and was captured as one of his most “maverick” moments in the Senate.

With Sen. Rand Paul already a “no” vote, this brings the Republican Senate majority down to only 50 “yes” votes.

Additionally, it’s looking more and more likely that Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will be the vote that kills the bill.

“I’m leaning against the bill,” Collins said Friday according to the Portland Press Herald.

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Jimmy Kimmel Takes On GOP Healthcare Bill For Third Night In A Row

For the third night in a row, Jimmy Kimmel has used his opening monologue to bring attention to the disastrous healthcare bill written by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

As Cassidy and other Republican senators have attacked Kimmel for raising his voice about a subject he is not an expert on, Kimmel continues to point to major medical organizations, like the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society, that also oppose the legislation.

Kimmel included Donald Trump in the segment saying he doesn’t believe Trump has even read the bill. “He doesn’t know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid,” Kimmel said. “He barely knows the difference between Melania and Ivanka.”

And for all the folks who have suggested Kimmel should shut up because he’s a comedian, not a politician, Kimmel points out that Donald Trump’s “qualification” to be president was “he fired Meatloaf on television, and then you put him in the White House.”

I just want to underline one aspect of the bill that Republicans keep sweeping under the rug: pre-existing conditions.

While the “idea” of pre-existing conditions is addressed in the bill, Cassidy-Graham would leave it to individual states to make sure folks with pre-existing conditions have “access” to health insurance that is “adequate and affordable.” BUT – the bill doesn’t define what “adequate and affordable” would be.

Perhaps 10% more costly than otherwise healthy people? 20% more? 50% more?

No one knows. Think on that.

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Jimmy Kimmel Slaps Back At Fox & Friends Host: “Brian Kilmeade Is A Phony Little Creep”

Jimmy Kimmel

In the aftermath of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue on Tuesday addressing the lies that Sen. Bill Cassidy had told on his show about healthcare legislation, Kimmel found himself as the target of attacks by various far-right pundits and politicians.

Sen. Cassidy responded saying Kimmel “just doesn’t understand,” Sen. Lindsey Graham chimed in, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie found something to say.

But it was Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade mocking Kimmel as a member of the “Hollywood elite” that really raised Kimmel’s ire:

“This is a guy, Brian Kilmeade, who whenever I see him, kisses my ass like a little boy meeting Batman. Oh, he’s such a fan. He follows me on Twitter. He asks me to write a blurb for his book, which I did. He calls my agent, looking for projects. He’s dying to be a member of the Hollywood elite. The only reason he’s not a member of the Hollywood elite is because nobody will hire him to be one.

“And you know, the reason I’m talking about this is because my son had an open heart surgery, then has to have two more, and because of that, I learned that there are kids with no insurance in the same situation. I don’t get anything out of this, Brian, you phony little creep. Oh, I’ll pound you when I see you. That is my blurb. That will be my blurb for your next book. ‘Brian Kilmeade is a phony little creep.’ That’s right.”

Kimmel also slapped back at Cassidy, Graham, and Christie during the segment.

This is excellent. Watch the entire monologue below.

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Jimmy Kimmel: “Sen. Bill Cassidy Just Lied Right To My Face”

Jimmy Kimmel calls out Sen. Bill Cassidy

Jimmy Kimmel proved last night that he does not suffer fools (or liars) lightly as he ripped on Sen. Bill Cassidy who is attempting to pass the latest “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act.

“This guy, Bill Cassidy, just lied right to my face.”

From Variety:

“I don’t know what happened to Bill Cassidy,” Kimmel said. “But when he was on this publicity tour, he listed his demands for a health-care bill very clearly. These were his words. He said he wants coverage for all, no discrimination based on preexisting conditions, lower premiums for middle-class families and no lifetime caps. Guess what? The new bill does none of those things.”

Earlier this year, Kimmel talked about the wrenching experience of seeing his son go through open heart surgery, and he talked of the importance of lower and middle class families having such coverage in the event of such an emergency. After seeing the monologue and using the term “Jimmy Kimmel test.” Cassidy appeared on his show.

But Kimmel said that Cassidy “just lied right to my face” when he was on the show, noting that he had said that his plan would not allow insurance companies to impose annual or lifetime caps on coverage.

On Tuesday, Kimmel said that “this new bill actually does pass the Jimmy Kimmel test, but a different Jimmy Kimmel test. With this one, your child with a preexisting condition will get the care he needs — if, and only if, his father is Jimmy Kimmel. Otherwise, you might be screwed.”

In six minutes, Kimmel crystalized exactly what this legislation would do better than anyone I’ve seen try to explain it. The power of pop culture may well be the deciding factor in motivating people to call their senators.

Cassidy appeared on CNN’s New Day this morning and told host Chris Cuomo, “I’m sorry he does not understand. Under Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson more people will have coverage, and we protect those with pre-existing conditions.”

To be clear, under Graham/Cassidy insurance companies will be able to charge those with pre-existing conditions higher premiums. The bill uses very vague language like “adequate and affordable” in describing that coverage but doesn’t legally define what that would mean in practical terms.

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Senate Republicans Making Another Attempt At Trumpcare 2.0

Senate Republicans are trying yet again to come up with legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Via the New York Times:

The measure, sponsored by Mr. Graham and Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, is a last-ditch effort by Republicans to fulfill their seven-year-old promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Supporters say it is gaining traction in the Senate, but it remains several votes shy of passage.

Under the bill, millions could lose coverage, Medicaid would see the same magnitude of cuts that earlier repeal bills extracted, and insurers in some states could charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate Republican leadership has been taking the pulse of its caucus, trying to determine whether it can muster enough votes.

A clock is ticking. If the Senate does not vote by the end of next week, it will become nearly impossible to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The drive to kill the bill will lose the procedural protections that allow it to pass the Senate with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes that would otherwise be needed to overcome a filibuster.

As a cancer survivor, I’m personally concerned about the bill. I pay for my own health insurance and having my premiums jump even higher because of a disease I beat 8 years ago is clearly untenable.

According to political prognosticators, the Republicans don’t quite have the 50 votes they need to pass the bill.

 Call 202-224-3121 and ask for your senator’s office and let them know this is a bad deal for America.