Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Medicine Health ObamaCare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medicine Health ObamaCare. Show all posts

Friday, April 21, 2017

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country.



Single-Payer Health Care: America Already Has It

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country.

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country. A reality check on the idea of going to a single payer health care system – as if the current system is not bad enough.

We do not need Obamacare repealed and replaced. We need it fixed. The answer is more accountability and more competition.

Meanwhile this YouTube is yet another reminder of the horrors of the one example of a US government-run single payer healthcare
system.

Each and every one of my experiences of reaching-out to the VA to advocate for a veteran has been horrific of unbelievable proportions. If this is an example of a US government-run single payer healthcare system, we are all going to go broke paying the necessary healthcare taxes – and then die.

YouTube: “Could a single-payer, government-run health care
system work in the United States? We already know the answer, because America
already has single-payer, government-run health care. Author and commentator
Pete Hegseth explains.” 10Apr2017



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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Baltimore Sun - Carroll County Times - The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO

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Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art,artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalistsand journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maioremDei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson:“That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!”- See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf
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Friday, February 24, 2017

March 2, 2017 Affordable Care Act Town Hall – Carroll County


March 2, 2017 Affordable Care Act Town Hall – Carroll County

We discussed the Affordable Care Act Town Hall last night in the Carroll County NAACP meeting and folks asked for more information…

When: March 2, 2017 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 17 Bond Street, Westminster, MD 21158

According to information found on Facebook on here: https://www.facebook.com/events/622892697918244/

Are you passionate about protecting the coverage that the ACA provides? Have suggestions on how it can be improved?

Are you one of the 291,000 Marylanders enrolled in the ACA funded Medicaid expansion?

Are you one of the 142,872 Marylanders enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan?

Are your friends, family members, co-workers, or neighbors receiving crucial services from the ACA?

We will have a panel of professionals who will share their experience with the ACA as well as a panel of Carroll County residents who rely on the ACA for treatment and life sustaining medications.

Following the panel discussion, we will have an open forum. This is YOUR chance as a member of our community to let our elected officials know how much the ACA means to you, your family, your neighbors, and friends.

Please join us!

For more information, or if you have any questions, please email CarrollCoACATownHall@gmail.com



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Thursday, August 18, 2016

The Hill: Aetna pulling back from ObamaCare in blow to health law

The Hill: Aetna pulling back from ObamaCare in blow to health law


In a blow to the healthcare law, Aetna — one of the largest health insurers in the country — announced Monday that it will significantly scale back its presence on the ObamaCare marketplaces next year.

The move comes as a range of insurers have complained of financial losses on the ObamaCare marketplaces.
The company said it will scale back from participating in 15 states this year to just four states in 2017.

“As a strong supporter of public exchanges as a means to meet the needs of the uninsured, we regret having to make this decision,” Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said in a statement, citing a loss of $200 million in the second quarter.

The Obama administration argued the move is not a sign that the ObamaCare marketplaces are in trouble.

“Aetna’s decision to alter its Marketplace participation does not change the fundamental fact that the Health Insurance Marketplace will continue to bring quality coverage to millions of Americans next year and every year after that,” said the administration’s ObamaCare marketplace CEO, Kevin Counihan.

The move comes on the heels of pullbacks from other major insurers, including UnitedHealthcare and Humana.


The insurers have raised concerns about the sustainability of the ObamaCare marketplaces. Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/291531-aetna-pulling-back-from-obamacare-in-blow-to-health-law
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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

WaPo: the ObamaCare component of President Obama’s legislative legacy


WaPo: the ObamaCare component of President Obama’s legislative legacy

August 16, 2016 / Kevin Dayhoff

When I was younger I loved writing about such things as the practice of medicine in Carroll County history and presidential history. Nowadays, not so much. But this is a rather fascinating academic assessment of one aspect of President Obama’s legislative legacy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/obamacare.html?wpisrc=nl_evening&wpmm=1 “Obama’s legislative legacy comes down to this question: What if?” by Mike DeBonis:

“President Obama’s landmark health-care law came with a steep political cost, leaving a host of questions about his legislative legacy: Could health-care reform have been done in a different way? Could Democrats have kept control of Congress for another two years or more? Was Obamacare worth it?”

Anyway, I would rather have a root canal than talk with even good friends about the presidential election.

I recently read a piece on Facebook by a pastor that I have always looked-up to, who chastised another pastor for wading into the political waters because he advocated voting for a particular candidate.

Then this pastor proceeded to say disparaging things about one party and write glowingly about the other party. He essentially committed the same offense, only it was okay that he did it because he advocated voting for the opposite party than the pastor he had just chastised for advocating a political position... 

When I ask many folks that have left mainstream denominational churches, why they left; I hear several themes consistently. One they got tired of hearing that they ought to contribute more money to the church. And two, they did not want to hear from pastors about politics when they went to church.

As for President Obama’s legislative legacy - I know that if I ever went back into political office, I would sidestep some of the issues I took-on head-on years ago when I was an elected official. The price was simply far too high. I will forever shake my head over some of the legislative initiatives of past presidents. You would think that at that level of accomplishment, one would learn to avoid the perils and pitfalls of political third-rails.

For some additional context on the legacy of ObamaCare, read a recent article in The Hill on "Aetna pulling back from ObamaCare in blow to health law - In a blow to the health care law, Aetna -- one of the largest health insurers in the country -- announced Monday that it will significantly scale back its presence on the ObamaCare marketplaces next year..." Find it here: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/291531-aetna-pulling-back-from-obamacare-in-blow-to-health-law

Well, I am not a fan of Aetna – so I am not sure if this is a good thing or not…

Moreover, it is still far too early to determine the historic legacy of President Obama. Just like, for example, President John F. Kennedy and Harry Truman; from an historian’s point of view, some aspects of these administrations have stood the test of time well. Some not so much. I mean what in the world was President Truman thinking when he tried to nationalize the steel making industry? My partisan friends will not be amused to learn that presidential historians have come to consider President Bill Clinton as a conservative president and President Nixon a liberal president. Go figure.

Nevertheless, in addition to the recent article on the ObamaCare marketplaces, a number of business periodicals have carried recent articles that explain that once again, this year, the rise in the cost of healthcare is greater that wage increases.

For those of us who felt strongly that health insurance companies had abrogated its social contract with the greater community and that healthcare reform was an absolute necessity; many feel that we have taken two steps forward and three steps back. Take for example, pre-existing conditions. The position of the insurance industry to deny coverage to individuals because of pre-existing conditions, was nuts.

In the last several years I have worked closely with the healthcare delivery system on behalf of several family members and loved ones and my reaction is a mixed-bag.

Several steps into the local hospital and one enters a wormhole in which you quickly find that you are no longer in Carroll County. An esteemed local community leader who commented with the implicit understanding that he would remain anonymous, has recently reassessed his past glowing perception of the hospital and explained that today, “it is a very angry place. Avoid it.”

I have witnessed a number of folks retain attorneys before beginning negotiations with issues with respect to old-age care. In an era when many doubt that government can anything well, Medicare continues to be efficient and effective – but extraordinarily nuanced and complex. Regular folks going to the hospital do not stand a chance and they learn quickly that the social worker health care advocates are not on your side.


Anyway, give “Obama’s legislative legacy comes down to this question: What if?” by Mike DeBonis a read. At a time when so much partisan drivel is passed-off as journalism, Mr. DeBonis has presented non-partisan history junkies with a good read. Just saying. 
*****

Monday, April 04, 2016

Irony Ensues after VA Secretary Asked Famous Veteran To Contact him

Irony Ensues after VA Secretary Asked Famous Veteran To Contact him


Nov. 12, 2015 – April 4, 2016



Always remember that at this point there are compelling and persuasive arguments for a single-payer health insurance public policy. Folks who advocate for such an approach are to be respected. Because of the Healthcare Affordability Act – Obamacare, insurance is rapidly becoming so expensive that employers can no longer afford it.

And because of the Healthcare Affordability Act, more and more individuals do not have health care coverage. Bankruptcies as a result of the cost of healthcare are rapidly increasing – and medicine has become so bureaucratized that one may wonder if the purpose of the healthcare delivery system today is to adhere to the rules of the Dept. of Health and Human Services or see to it that the patient gets better.

However, the biggest argument against a single-payer healthcare system run by the government is the healthcare provided by the Veterans Administration – motto: giving you a second chance to die for your country. 

Irony Ensues after VA Secretary Asked Famous Veteran To Contac...See more videos from Western Journalism at http://w-j.co/videos
Posted by Western Journalism Video on Thursday, November 12, 2015

See more videos from Western Journalism at http://w-j.co/videos
Posted by Western Journalism Video on Thursday, November 12, 2015
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Sunday, January 03, 2016

NY Times: Many See I.R.S. Fines as More Affordable Than Insurance - By ABBY GOODNOUGH JAN. 3, 2016

Many See I.R.S. Fines as More Affordable Than Insurance - By ABBY GOODNOUGH JAN. 3, 2016

[...]

Two years after the Affordable Care Act began requiring most Americans to have health insurance, 10.5 million who are eligible to buy coverage through the law’s new insurance exchanges were still uninsured this fall, according to the Obama administration.

[....]


Susan Reardon, 61, of Kalamazoo, Mich., said she was leaning toward going uninsured this year. She calculated that she would have to spend more than $12,000, including premiums of nearly $500 a month and a $6,850 deductible, to get anything beyond preventive benefits from the cheapest exchange plan available to her.

Ms. Reardon, whose husband is old enough to be covered by Medicare, said she would rather pay out of pocket for the drugs she takes for fibromyalgiaand the handful of doctor appointments she tends to need each year.

If something catastrophic happens, she said, “I feel like it’s better just to die.”

As for the tax penalty, which could approach $1,500 for her?

“Come and get me,” Ms. Reardon said.

[...]


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/us/many-see-irs-fines-as-more-affordable-than-insurance.html?ribbon-ad-idx=15&rref=us&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&pgtype=article 
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Wednesday, June 03, 2015

An Insurer Wants to Raise Its Obamacare Premiums by 85 Percent. Don't Sweat It. by Jordan Weissmann


Under Obamacare, health insurance companies that want to jack up their premiums by more than 10 percent in a year are required to submit their requests to state and federal regulators for review. 

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted all of those petitions online in an easily searchable database, which revealed that a number of insurers are, in fact, asking for double-digit rate hikes. 

As Politico notes, some large plans could theoretically get 20 or even 30 percent more expensive. 

The New York Times found one insurer in Georgia looking to up its premiums by as much as 85 percent. The Wall Street Journal, which reported on the news earlier after states began making the filings public, thinks it is "setting the stage for an intense debate this summer over the law’s impact."

[…]



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Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Harvard Ideas on Health Care Hit Home, Hard - NYTimes.com

Harvard Ideas on Health Care Hit Home, Hard - NYTimes.com:

By ROBERT PEARJAN. 5, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/health-care-fixes-backed-by-harvards-experts-now-roil-its-faculty.html?emc=edit_th_20150106&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=45685287&_r=0

"WASHINGTON — For years, Harvard’s experts on health economics and policy have advised presidents and Congress on how to provide health benefits to the nation at a reasonable cost. But those remedies will now be applied to the Harvard faculty, and the professors are in an uproar.

"Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the heart of the 378-year-old university, voted overwhelmingly in November to oppose changes that would require them and thousands of other Harvard employees to pay more for health care. The university says the increases are in part a result of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, which many Harvard professors championed."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/health-care-fixes-backed-by-harvards-experts-now-roil-its-faculty.html?emc=edit_th_20150106&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=45685287&_r=0

'via Blog this'

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
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Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
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Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Obamacare cost shockwave hits local schools equals bad news for Congressional Democrats

Americans for Limited Government:

Obamacare cost shockwave hits local schools equals bad news for Congressional Democrats
By Rick Manning
Calvert County, Maryland is a small, wealthy exurban enclave of Washington, DC, wedged between the Chesapeake Bay and the historic Patuxent River. 
A tradition rich locale whose county flag features a tobacco leaf symbolizing the historic crop that dominated the landscape even into the 21st century, the County school system is one of the best in the state.
But now the school system has a problem – Obamacare. 
The system faces a 13.7 percent increase in health care costs next year, as previously uncovered substitute teachers get covered and the overall policy costs are higher.
A Southern Maryland News article by Sara Newman spells out the bad news for everyone in the school system.   Victoria Karol, the District's acting director of human resources explains that there is hope that the County will be able to deal with the costs through negotiations with the teacher and administrator unions.
"We're going to have to work closely with those other unions and develop a health care committee," Victoria Karol said. "We're going to have to open a health care article next year in negotiations to help with this."
Newman quotes Nancy Highsmith, the newly appointed interim superintendent for the Schools as predicting, "There's no doubt we have got to bring health care on the table next year during negotiations. We cannot sustain this."
But Highsmith is not just looking toward the teacher's union, but also is targeting taxpayers who fund the District through taxes paid to the Calvert County government saying, "These are going to be very serious conversations we have to have with the county commissioners."
Calvert County Commissioner Evan Slaughenhoupt responds to these school administrators saying, "We've been able to stretch during this economic downturn and could be at the precipice of where discussions about reducing services could become a reality. Both the school system and the county employees performed extraordinarily at high standards while we have absorbed reduced revenue and increased costs. Time is of the essence now to prepare for the upcoming fiscal years."
This is the exact type of discussion that school districts and local governments are having across the nation as the reality of Obamacare hits their budgets.  How do they pay for it?
Should teachers and administrators be forced to pay the additional costs through increased deductions in paycheck deductions, should taxpayers pay higher taxes, or should there be budget cuts that impact the education, police, fire and social services that local government provides their constituents?
At a time when Obamacare supporters, like Calvert County's U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer, double down in support of the law, this new reality and the choices being forced upon local elected officials hit home for their constituents. 
As former House Speaker Tip O'Neill famously noted, "all politics is local."  Now that Obamacare is impacting local schools and public services, that truism promises disaster for those who foisted it upon the public and continue to refuse to repeal it.
Just a small lessen from the geographically smallest county in the deepest blue state of Maryland.
Rick Manning is vice president of public policy and communications for Americans for Limited Government and a resident of Calvert County, Maryland.
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Friday, April 11, 2014

Elena Kagan and Sylvia Burwell: The Supreme Court justice got pretty salty on the new HHS nominee back in the day.

Elena Kagan and Sylvia Burwell: The Supreme Court justice got pretty salty on the new HHS nominee back in the day.By 

Today, President Obama is nominating former Office of Management and Budget director Sylvia Burwell to take Kathleen Sebelius’ newly-vacant position as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Politico’s story on Burwell highlights her résumé (she comes from a McKinsey–Gates Foundation–Robert Rubin–Larry Summers line of center-left technocracy) and the challenges her new job presents (Obamacare Obamacare Obamacare). And then there’s this...  http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/04/11/elena_kagan_and_sylvia_burwell_the_supreme_court_justice_got_pretty_salty.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=67b8a19711&mc_eid=b27361148d 
'via Blog this'
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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Washington Post: Affordable Care Act enrollment drops off in February

BY JASON MILLMAN March 11, 2014

About 4.2 million people have signed up for health plans on Obamacare exchanges through the end of February. That makes it unlikely that the Obama administration will hit the estimate of 6 million enrollees by the end of March.

Whatever momentum was building in January appeared to drop off in February. The numbers -- which were released a day before Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on the Hill -- also show young people aren't enrolling at rates officials had predicted. That group is key because they are generally presumed to be healthier and less costly.

Read more at: 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/11/obamacare-bummer-enrollment-drops-off-in-february/ 
*****

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Md Senator David Brinkley: More than $100 million spent with nothing to show for it

More than $100 million spent with nothing to show for it


February 11, 2014

Dear Kevin-  

Senator
 David R. Brinkley
Maryland has become known as a test kitchen for liberal policies. After the passage of Obamacare in DC, Maryland spent more than $100 million to voluntarily set up and market its own exchange. Led by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Democrats in Annapolis patted themselves on the back for leading the way. Yet, when these health care exchange web sites went live last fall,Maryland's site made the Federal rollout look like a success.  Hard to believe, isn't it?

Now Maryland is scrambling to find a way to clean up this mess and help the many Marylanders who lost their existing health care plan and could not sign up for a new plan on the State's exchange web site.

I am leading the call for a full independent investigation to uncover how these millions of tax dollars were spent and who is responsible for the mess. Only through an independent investigation with the power to subpoena will we be able to learn the truth. The Democrats are avoiding investigating this and getting the answers we as citizens deserve until this summer, conveniently timed after the Primary Election.

As always, if I can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me in Annapolis or my District office.  

Sincerely, 
 
Senator David Brinkley  
  

Senator Brinkley in the News . . .
 
"Two-hundred-sixty million dollars through all these appropriations and we still don't have something that's working . . . " Senate Minority Leader David Brinkley said. 

The Baltimore Sun - February 3, 2014 - "Mr. Brown Gets a Reprieve" [Editorial] 
. . . Frankly, the best idea we've heard so far is from Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley who called for an independent probe. That was good enough for the Democrats when they weren't happy with hiring and firing practices in the administration of Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. nine years ago, and the same standard ought to apply today.

Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Frederick), who wants the state to hire outside counsel to investigate, scoffed at the suggestion that such an inquiry would reduce the number of Marylanders who get health insurance.
"They are recognizing that there's an ongoing problem, but they don't want to address it because it might cause embarrassment to the lieutenant governor in his gubernatorial bid," he said.
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Sunday, February 09, 2014

Washington Post: Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

By Jenna Johnson and Mary Pat Flaherty, Published: February 7, 2014


One of the two companies that built Maryland’s troubled online health insurance exchange charged in court papers Friday that the lead contractor “concealed its lack of relevant expertise” when it bid on the contract.

Escalating a bitter feud, EngagePoint alleged that Noridian Healthcare Solutions had no experience in developing the type of software the exchange would need. EngagePoint also said Noridian “lacked the expertise, resources and commitment actually required” to develop and operate the Web site through which Marylanders were supposed to sign up for insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Noridian fired EngagePoint in October, and the two companies — which are suing each other in federal court in Baltimore — are fighting over employees, money and work that remains to be completed.

[….]

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), who was tasked with implementing health-care reform in Maryland, said top state officials became aware of potential problems in September but did not realize their gravity. Maryland’s exchange crashed Oct. 1, its first day, and has been plagued with problems that have made it difficult for Marylanders to sign up for health insurance.

[…]

The exchange is largely functioning through work-arounds, state health officials have said. Rather than signing up for insurance through the Web site, many Marylanders have contacted call centers and spent hours on the phone. Some applications are being processed on paper.


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Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Craig and Haddaway Release Plan to Bypass Problem-Plagued Maryland Exchange

Craig and Haddaway Release Plan to Bypass Problem-Plagued Maryland Exchange

Up to $150 million would be re-allocated to promote alternative enrollment options

Harford County Executive and Maryland candidate for Governor David Craig released today a plan to avoid the under-performing state health exchange and enable people to obtain health insurance through other means.   The plan consists of ending the current emphasis on Maryland Health Connection and instead diverts marketing and outreach resources to promoting direct enrollment options through insurance carriers or utilizing the assistance of Maryland-based insurance brokers.

“The O’Malley-Brown Administration needs to understand what everyone else does - that the cure is worse than the disease,” said Craig.  “The task before us is how to mitigate this situation so people can get health care, because Maryland citizens are still having trouble with the website.  The state exchange enrollment numbers are simply not holding up and continue to lag behind other states. The Administration is also not able to give a precise number of how many people are not getting coverage even after they believe they have enrolled in a plan.”

Maryland’s latest enrollment numbers on private Affordable Care Act-compliant plans are 18,257.   Maryland is in a group of state-led exchanges experiencing chronic under-enrollment figures which includes Minnesota, Hawaii and Oregon.  On the other hand, California, Connecticut, Kentucky, New York,  Rhode Island and Vermont are enrolling people at far higher rates than Maryland among the 14 states in all running their own exchanges.  For example, Kentucky, which has a population significantly less than Maryland, reports enrollment numbers of 33,289 in private plans.

According to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, people may directly enroll through insurance carriers or seek the assistance of brokers.  The problem is there is no public awareness campaign to inform individuals of these other options.

According to the Congressional Research Service, Maryland has received over $123 million in what the federal government deems “level II” grants.   In the grant solicitation Gov. Martin O’Malley submitted to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the funds will in part support advertising and public relations of the exchange. Additionally, the O’Malley – Brown Administration has allocated $24 million in state funds in part to promote exchange outreach efforts according to a Maryland Reporter.com analysis.  And the price tag is increasing as up to $14 million in taxpayer dollars are needed to hire a contractor to fix the web site and address enrollment problems.

“Up to $150 million dollars is going towards promoting a failing exchange, and throwing good money after bad needs to end now,” said Craig.  “The Administration must realize that their intended solutions are only causing more problems, creating mass confusion, ruining credibility in government and harming our quality of life.”

Craig’s proposal would seek an HHS waiver to re-program funds to launch a public awareness campaign informing consumers of their right to obtain health insurance directly through carriers.   A complimentary awareness campaign would inform people of their rights to utilize Maryland insurance brokers who are licensed and experienced in helping individuals with health insurance.  Utilizing call centers for those needing assistance with the website would remain in place. Craig, however, would re-examine the navigator model in which people having problems with the website must set appointments with temporary workers disbursed among several organizations.

As for the vexing issue of low-income individuals seeking subsidies, Craig supports U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski’s proposal to HHS to enable a direct data hub allowing people to obtain financial assistance without going through an exchange.

O’Malley recently committed more money to re-double a marketing campaign to direct more consumers to the online exchange after numerous technical failures of the website caused a delay in these plans.

Last Friday, the O-Malley-Brown Administration acknowledged systemic problems with transmitting enrollment data to insurers but did not give a precise number of how many are affected which means among the over 18,000 the state counts as having enrolled,  a significant number of those may not have health insurance. The Administration will submit emergency legislation to the General Assembly to shuffle those people to another state program, the Maryland Health Insurance Plan.

Lt. Governor candidate and Maryland Delegate Jeannie Haddaway expressed concerns about adding yet more bureaucratic complexity under this approach.

“By simply re-allocating resources, state leaders have the power to mitigate the botched roll-out of Obamacare in Maryland,” said Haddaway.  “It will not be successful in doing so, however, by adding more bureaucratic complexity as the Administration's latest proposal does.  The priority needs to be enabling consumers not bureaucracy by ensuring that our citizens have access to health insurance as well as access to quality, affordable care.”


###


Background:

Maryland enrollment:
http://dev.marylandhealthconnection.com/assets/MHC_Dec_27_2013_Update.pdf
 


Kentucky enrollment:
http://governor.ky.gov/healthierky/Pages/default.aspx
 


Federal Funds:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43066.pdf
 


O’Malley grant application:
http://dhmh.maryland.gov/exchange/pdf/Level2_site.pdf
 


State Funds:
http://marylandreporter.com/2013/08/11/md-health-insurance-exchange-to-open-this-fall-at-cost-of-200-million-24-million-in-state-funds/
 


Additional Funds:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-12-18/health/bs-hs-exchange-contractors-20131218_1_state-exchange-federal-exchange-federal-affordable-care-act
 


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