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Discrimination's Religious Cloak

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Did you know that the United States, which was founded on the principle of religious freedom, has now become a bastion of religious persecution? It's true -- at least according to couple of cases the Supreme Court will address next week.

The oppressed group? American business of course. Seems they're being persecuted for their faith. Didn't realize a business could be a member of a church? I didn't either - haven't seen one being baptized, celebrating a bar mitzvah or making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

But never mind. According to the owners of the national crafts chain Hobby Lobby, if the company health insurance has to cover birth control as required by the Affordable Care Act, it violates corporate religious freedom. Well, it's only right. After all, corporations are citizens.

And it's not just the big companies that are suffering. So are the small businesses like Elane Photography in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The firm says having to photograph a gay commitment ceremony is against management's religious beliefs, and the New Mexico public accommodations law ought not to apply when it comes to their right to refuse service to gays.

Public accommodation laws were originally crafted in the 1960s to stop businesses from refusing to serve Blacks. You remember - those pesky lunch counters and all. The reasoning is that if a business holds itself out to serve the public, it means all the public. But not to worry. Society gets it that race discrimination is bad, and we'd never go back to that.

Don't be so sure.

At the same time his state passed a law banning discrimination against certain dog breeds, South Dakota Republican state Senator Phil Jensen told the Rapid City Journal he doesn't believe governments should interfere in the private sector's ability to discriminate against Blacks. Jensen assures us that the free market will take care of discrimination. Right. The same way corporations ended slavery, gave women the right to vote, and are now petitioning to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Supremes will decide on Monday whether to take Elane Photography's case, and hear arguments from Hobby Lobby on Tuesday. Let's hope they see these shameful suits for what they are: cloaking discrimination in a mantle of religion.

Listen to the 2 minute radio commentary here: Reported by Huffington Post 44 minutes ago.

Another Sign ObamaCare Works: Wellpoint Boosts Profit Forecast

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Wellpoint Inc. (WLP), one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies, raised its full-year earnings forecast, citing more than 1 million new health plan members related in part to new business from the Affordable Care Act. Reported by Forbes.com 18 hours ago.

Insurer WellPoint raises 2014 earnings forecast

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — WellPoint has already raised a 2014 earnings forecast it laid out earlier this year, but projections from the nation's second-largest health insurer are still below analyst expectations. WellPoint is selling coverage on 14 state-based health insurance exchanges created through the federal health care overhaul, a law designed to help millions of uninsured people. The exchanges make up a relatively small slice of WellPoint's overall business, which also includes employer-sponsored coverage and enrollment in the government's Medicare and Medicaid programs. Reported by SeattlePI.com 18 hours ago.

Failure of Massachusetts health insurance computer system puts funds at jeopardy

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Connecticut's success building a health insurance computer system during a time when Massachusetts officials failed has put the Nutmeg State in contention to get part of $45 million in federal money Massachusetts expected to keep for itself, the  Boston Globe reports. The paper says there is a dispute over whether the funds were intended to be shared among the New England States and whether the inability of Massachusetts to collaborate with neighbor changes the distribution formula. Reported by bizjournals 18 hours ago.

State Winners And Losers In The Race To Sign Up Obamacare Exchange Plan Members

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March Madness has begun as states embark on the final two weeks to enroll people on the Obamacare Exchanges before the March 31 deadline. Notwithstanding the nearly two dozen administrative delays and changes to the law made to date, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress on March 12 that the Obama administration would not extend the deadline for people to sign up for health insurance or delay the requirement for most Americans to have coverage. So it remains to be seen which states ultimately will win the race, but the results in the home stretch are interesting and even counterintuitive. Reported by Forbes.com 17 hours ago.

Why Working At Burger King Is 'Pure Hell' For This Florida Man

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Fifty-year-old Glenn Johnson is paid about $14,000 a year working at a Miami-area Burger King, just minutes away from the fast food company's corporate headquarters. The company recently reported a 37 percent increase in its quarterly profit.

Johnson has worked at Burger King since last year, cleaning and stocking the customer area. Nationwide, activists are seeking a $15 wage for fast food workers like Johnson. This is his story.

I first got into the fast food industry in 1983. So I know lots about fast food, short order, prep cook, cook, all that. So many places, they don’t want to pay anything. If I could get the right salary, I’d be glad to get back into just cooking. Those opportunities are slim to none.

A typical day is like hell. Pure hell.

I’m running backwards and forwards all day in that lobby, opening the door for the bathroom, the men’s and the women’s, then I’m making sure the table’s cleaned, and you’ve got people in there that leave their stuff on the table, paper stuff scattered everywhere, you’ve got someone wasting soda, then I have to check the garbage, then I’m trying to fill the ice machine, and here comes somebody coming in and they want to use the restroom.

Sometimes, I get home and I’m so tired, I eat dinner, take a shower, lay down to watch TV, and I’m going to sleep. Next morning comes. I’m tired, but I'm trying to make it.

If I don’t take a day off, I probably get around 35 hours a week. I would like anywhere from 40 to 50 hours a week. There are no benefits. I’m getting ready to come up on a vacation. You don’t get paid for vacation, so I might as well just work it.

I don’t have health insurance because I don’t have enough money to get health insurance.

If I’ve got a cold or something, I go get some cold medicine, or some Tylenol or something. Take that, and just go on to work. I don’t have money for a hospital. You go to the hospital, they type you up on that computer, and that’s $1,000 right there. Then what? They bill you. I can’t do it. I get some Cold-Eeze or some kind of Tylenol Cold or something. I’ve got that Vicks VapoRub, I use that and go about my business.

I make $7.93 per hour. I haven’t gotten a raise yet.

The stuff I have to go through and deal with every day, the attitudes and all, I figure the money they’re paying me, with the customers -- what they’re saying and what they’re calling me -- it’s not worth it.

[The managers] are young and they’re good at cursing you out ... I think the youngest one is about maybe 18. The oldest, 26. In management! I have to let them know, "I ain’t no child. You’re old enough to be my child. You aren’t going to talk to me like a little child. You talk to me like an adult, and we can get along just fine." I tell them that all the time.

My rent is $765 a month. Rent takes up three weeks plus [in pay]. It’s real tight; there’s not much left over. I have to put gas in the car to go to work. I figure if I can’t [afford something], I just have to do without until I can find a better job, a better pay.

I don’t have a computer [to look for jobs]. If I’m out on a Saturday and I see something, maybe I’ll get their phone number or something like that. Sunday, we’re in church.

I would love to see the wages get raised. But man, they’re so cheap. That’s a multimillion-dollar corporation, Burger King, and they’re so cheap. They’re real cheap.

A lady came in [to Burger King] – she’s from church, her husband’s a pastor -- she came in there with another lady and was talking about [a $15 minimum wage]. And I had heard about it on the TV … and I said, "Yeah I like that, if I can get it. That’ll be good for me." That’ll take me off the borderline and I could see my way through paying my rent -- and I have a light bill, I have cable, I have two cars out there that need gas. It’s tight. I tell my wife she might want a new dress or something.

Everything’s going up but the wages. You go in the store and get one tomato; that’s damn near almost 2 dollars. Gas is going up, the groceries are going up. They just went up on the lights, what, 5 percent? People around here are struggling; it’s hard. It’s really hard.

If the CEO of Burger King was sitting here right now, I’d tell him I need a raise. More money, more hours. Simple as that. Because with the little hours I get, and that little pay I get, and I’m dealing with those customers all day coming in there, it’s really not worth it.

But I just keep on pushing. I just keep on. I know it’s hard, but I’ve got to do it.

As told to Janie Campbell. Glenn's story has been edited for length and clarity.

In response to Glenn's story, Burger King said in an emailed statement that the company "provides an entry point into the workforce for millions of Americans." The company did not respond to questions concerning their benefits and scheduling policies. Reported by Huffington Post 15 hours ago.

State Workers May Keep Low Insurance Premiums

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While the Florida Legislature won't let thousands of poor Floridians get access to expanded Medicaid, many of the state's top workers like Governor Rick Scott may continue to pay low health insurance premiums this year. Reported by cbs4.com 15 hours ago.

North Carolina helping Obama reach ACA enrollment goal

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North Carolina is one of a handful of states - and one of the few controlled by Republicans - that will play a big role in determining if the Obama administration reaches its goal of signing up 6 million people for health insurance by the end of the month. So far, the Tar Heel State is helping Obama out more than many other key states, according to an analysis by Kaiser Health News. Ten large states, seven of which are controlled by Republicans, hold 30 million uninsured, or nearly two-thirds of… Reported by bizjournals 14 hours ago.

Health Insurance Companies' Arranged Marriage With The IRS

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Along with the influx of new customers, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is bringing health insurance companies new IRS obligations that could have a major impact on their profitability. While not all of these obligations are outright taxes, the ACA has effectively turned the IRS into a monitoring and enforcement mechanism for many of the health law’s administrative provisions. The cost of meeting these requirements will act as a tax of sorts. Reported by Forbes.com 14 hours ago.

This Democrat Is Plowing A Different Path In Traditionally Difficult Territory

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PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — Mark Amell and a co-worker were cleaning their sandwich shop around closing time when they looked up to see something they had never witnessed in the decade they've been in business.

Standing just inside the door was Senate hopeful Gary Peters, shaking off the snow and subzero chill and shaking a few hands in a place where Democrats seldom succeed and even more rarely visit. "I don't recall ever seeing a Democratic candidate for state office here," said Ammel, a 33-year-old native of this small community on Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula. "This little town is pretty conservative."

In his quest for votes, the three-term congressman is venturing to a lot of places where his party's candidates don't normally go, seeking support from people who don't normally back Democrats and saying things they might not expect to hear from a Democrat.

His strategy reflects a wider truth: In the fall election, Michigan Republicans have a good chance of keeping the governor's office, the Legislature and majority of the state's U.S. House delegation.

So Peters is performing a complicated balancing act — trying to broaden the Democrats' midterm electorate by winning over some GOP voters while remaining true to the party's shrinking urban, labor-based core.

The bookish former banker from Michigan's biggest suburban county has promoted his support for the federal auto bailout, while also touting his co-authorship of the 2010 Small Business Lending Act, which diverted money from the 2008 Wall Street bailout to local banks to aid local businesses seeking money to expand.

He voted against increasing the debt limit three years in a row and has teamed with Republican Rep. Corey Gardner of Colorado on pending legislation to require agency heads to defend their budgets line by line.

In the past, statewide Democratic candidates have over-relied on Detroit's shrinking base. President Barack Obama was able to carry Michigan twice by drawing large numbers of vote from Detroit minorities that have eluded white statewide Democrats.

Compounding the challenge is a change in Democratic voting, which has dropped off sharply in recent Michigan midterm elections, a result of Detroit's dwindling population and organized labor's declining membership. So suburban counties have become Michigan's swing-voting battleground.

Peters is "not a typical Democrat," said Jan Dolan, a Republican former state lawmaker and Peters supporter from pivotal Oakland County, northwest of Detroit.

If a few other Democrats who are running to the middle in even more conservative states can strike that delicate balance, they might help hold off the GOP's all-out advance on Democrats' fragile Senate majority.

Peters' tack is not much different than that of Democrat Michelle Nunn, who is running to represent Georgia in the Senate. She says she's opposed to renewing the assault weapons ban and believes in former President Clinton's moderate mantra that abortions be "safe, legal and rare."

In Montana, Sen. John Walsh, who was recently installed to serve out the term of retired Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, is campaigning to win the seat in his own right by promoting his 33 years in the National Guard, including a combat tour in Iraq.

Last December, Peters campaigned in conservative western Michigan, visiting businesses and Chambers of Commerce in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. In February, he spent six days in the Upper Peninsula, home to just 3 percent of Michigan's 7.4 million voters and a place where Republican Mitt Romney won more votes than Obama in 2012.

It's the kind of area where Peters might be regarded skeptically for supporting Obama's health insurance overhaul. But he could also point to his second vote just last month to delay the implementation of the insurance mandate for individuals, after the president allowed businesses to have an extra year to prepare.

As one of 27 Democrats to join majority Republicans, Peters frustrated Michigan Democrats on his left with the vote.

"I don't know who is giving Gary Peters advice on this," wrote Eric Baerren, owner and editor of the online MichiganLiberal.com. "It weakens him, not strengthens him."

The race with conservative Republican former Secretary of State Terry Lynn Land could come down to populous and economically diverse Oakland County. It's Peters' home but was carried by Republican Rick Snyder in his winning 2010 campaign for governor.

Peters' district winds from Detroit through miles of vacant office buildings and captures some of Michigan's most affluent suburbs.

Such swing-voting territory is crucial for Democrats in a state where voter participation drops sharply in midterm elections, and more among Democrats than Republicans.

The heart and mechanics of Michigan's Democratic machine — labor union membership — fell by 60 percent over the past 30 years. Meanwhile, Detroit's Democratic-heavy population dropped by even more.

So it says something that the state's top Republican has twice publicly praised Peters.

Gov. Snyder, who is seeking re-election this year and supports Land for Senate, applauded Peters' partnership with an Ohio Republican on a GOP-backed measure eliminating some environmental paperwork during a vehicle's sale. Snyder also praised Peters for proposing a new bridge and customs plaza linking Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, which the governor said would aid trade.

Some loyal Democratic voters have complained that Peters' moves have been conspicuously political.

"I occasionally roll my eyes at Gary," said Michigan Democratic strategist Mark Krebner. "He comes off as being a little calculated."

But Peters' efforts are welcome in a state where economic recovery means everything, said Florine Mark, a prominent businesswoman who is president of Weight Watchers Inc. and votes as an independent in Oakland County. She supports both the Snyder and Peters.

"Not that I agree with him 100 percent of the time," Mark said of the governor. "He has his own voice.

"Gary is the very same way." Reported by Huffington Post 13 hours ago.

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As federal health officials are aggressively courting young adults to sign up for health insurance with celebrity endorsement and hip social media campaigns, they're also getting help from the very demographic they're targeting. Reported by WEAR ABC 3 13 hours ago.

More Scrutiny for Failed Cover Oregon Rollout

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More Scrutiny for Failed Cover Oregon Rollout The debacle of the “Cover Oregon” website may be the biggest healthcare scandal you’ve never heard about.

Cover Oregon is the name of the state health insurance exchange for The Beaver State. The name is now synonymous with perhaps the nation’s largest IT failure. More than $300 million in federal grant money was at stake. The state had already spent an estimated $200 million on the website that has yet to register a single Oregonian for healthcare. It may be a couple of years before the website will be up and fully functioning.

March 19^th marked the latest milestone in the failed website. Governor John Kitzhaber (D) held a late morning news conference to announce the results of the report he ordered to be completed. The timing of the press conference was suspect as it coincided with a previously announced town hall on the topic to be held by Portland’s KATU-TV ABC 2 only a few hours later. The investigation by First Data was intended to be very narrow in scope. Kitzhaber crafted the questions to be asked and reportedly identified who was to be interviewed. Eight people on that list were never interviewed.

While the report prepared by First Data revealed countless shortcomings, management SNAFUs, and suspect business practices, there was virtually nothing in the report that had not already appeared in investigative news reports or in the monthly quality assessment reports prepared by an auditing firm. Maximus had been hired by the state to serve as watchdog of the Cover Oregon website process, and it began raising red flags with its very first report in June 2012. Most of these warnings went unheeded. 

The First Data report did clarify what had previously been the subject of speculation. Progress reports of the Cover Oregon website effort were often modified, changed, or altered seemingly to create a misleading impression that a fully functioning website would meet the October 1, 2013 launch date, even though officials were privately worried the site wouldn’t be ready. Perhaps more astonishing was that committee members in the Oregon legislature who had oversight of Cover Oregon were never made aware that monthly audits were available for inspection.

In a January 2014 interview, the governor told a KATU reporter he first learned of Cover Oregon difficulties after the website failed to launch in October 2013; however, the television station had obtained emails showing the governor was warned as early as September 2012 that the program was spiraling out of control.

Thursday night’s town hall held on the campus of Portland State University did not result in any major bombshells. However, the four panelists who serve in the Oregon legislature acknowledged the significant problems with the website. They were divided on what to do going forward, with a pair of Democrats promoting a mend-it-don’t-end-it approach and the two Republicans arguing to scrap the entire program. Three of the four elected officials voted for the June 2011 legislation that created the Cover Oregon program. The fourth joined the legislature after the bill was signed into law.

Interestingly, there were other state officials in the audience who were watching the proceedings but did not wish to publicly participate. An exception was former Representative Patrick Sheehan, who warned Kitzhaber in a December 2012 email that he had major concerns with Cover Oregon and alleged fraud had been committed. Sheehan passed his warnings to the FBI. On Thursday night, he acknowledged an FBI investigation was underway but he wouldn’t comment any further.

Thursday’s activities may serve to increase national attention on what has been, up to this point, a local story. Political pundits assess that none of this has affected the political standing of Kitzhaber, who appears to be sailing toward a safe reelection in November. Like President Obama, healthcare has been the signature achievement of Kitzhaber. 

The events on Thursday have shone a national spotlight on the failed Cover Oregon website rollout. As of Friday morning, virtually every single state official associated with the state’s healthcare exchange effort has resigned, including Kitzhaber’s staunchest healthcare ally, Dr. Bruce Goldberg, who resigned on Thursday as executive director of Cover Oregon, a position he assumed only a few months earlier.

There is still another shoe to drop. The Government Accountability Office announced earlier this month it will conduct an investigation of Cover Oregon to determine how federal funds were spent. Governor Kitzhaber announced on Thursday he welcomes the GAO investigation. Few observers believe him.

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 10 hours ago.

Insurers see double-digit Obamacare price rises in 2015 due to lack of enrollees

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By David Morgan and Caroline Humer (Reuters) – U.S. consumers eligible for Obamacare health plans could see double-digit price hikes next year in states that fail to draw large numbers of enrollees for 2014, including some states that have been hostile to the healthcare law, according to insurance industry officials and analysts. The early estimates come as insurance companies set out to design plans they intend to sell in 2015 through the state-based health insurance […] Reported by Raw Story 11 hours ago.

Energy Saving Solutions Promotes Sean Greentree to Director of Business Development

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Energy Saving Solutions USA (“ESS” or the “Company”), the creators of the LED with a lifetime guarantee™, today is pleased to announce that it has promoted Sean Greentree, an experienced professional in a variety of industries including healthcare, debt settlement, quality assurance for international imports and exports, stocks and mortgage loans, to the position as Director of Business Development.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) March 21, 2014

Energy Saving Solutions USA (“ESS” or the “Company”), the creators of the LED with a lifetime guarantee™, today is pleased to announce that it has promoted Sean Greentree, an experienced professional in a variety of industries including healthcare, debt settlement, quality assurance for international imports and exports, stocks and mortgage loans, to the position as Director of Business Development.

Sean Greentree brought 12 years of sales experience and a diverse background to ESS’s Business Development team earlier this year. His responsibilities on ESS’ Business Development have consisted of training, recruitment, sales support, running applications for financing approval, and assisting in driving sales. Prior to working with ESS, he managed cancellation department for a multimillion dollar health insurance company, was among the top brokers at a precious metals firm, ran a debt settlement company, and did quality assurance for international imports and exports.

Sean Greentree commented, “I’m honored to take over the position as Director of Business Development. Highly passionate about the green aspect of ESS and the potential of reducing the carbon footprint through the contributions made by LED lighting, I’m motivated to pursue the requisite opportunistic business development initiatives to grow the presence and impact of our Forever LED Lights and look forward to seeing growth in our sales team and achievement of our sales goals.”

Peter Stein of Energy Saving Solutions added, “His significant hands on sales experience in a variety of different fields and proven track record - holding the top performer sales title for multiple companies - will prove advantageous to the growth of our Business Development team and the overall company. Like ESS, he is a strong believer in the idea that the best way to be successful is to create other successful people. We are confident that under his direction, ESS will see continued growth in the time ahead.”

About Energy Saving Solutions:
Energy Saving Solutions USA – the creators of the LED with a lifetime guarantee ™ – provides businesses, government agencies, schools and non-profit organizations energy-efficient LED and induction lighting technology that is designed to save money and help reduce the environmental impact by reducing carbon emissions. The Miami, Fla.-based company also offers organizations the Forever Green Savings Program ™ which allows for a conversion to LEDs with no up-front costs; payments are based on a portion of their electrical savings. More information can be found at http://www.EnergySavingIndustry.com. Reported by PRWeb 10 hours ago.

We Call the ACA 'Thom TillisCare' in North Carolina

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Politicos have been tracking the U.S. Senate race in North Carolina like a pack of wild animals. And I don't blame them.

Between Kay Hagan's increasingly fragile seat and AFP's aggressive campaign to give her the boot, it's exciting as hell. The Republican primary race is becoming equally seductive as the two main candidates sprint forward in dead heat, both enthusiastic to win an election with national implications.

You can't turn on the television for three seconds without hearing about Hagan's Obamacare vote. She complains that Charles Koch is trying to infiltrate North Carolina, but, really, we stopped caring about her opinion when 473,000 of our insurance policies were cancelled. "HaganCare" is the most popular name for her deciding vote on the legislation, but many people are surprised to learn that we have another name for it, too: "Thom TillisCare."

Congratulate Thom Tillis, one of the two main candidates in the Republican primary race, whose political career as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives has left, as you can imagine, much to be desired. (See the details here.) When he's not handing out $30,000 pay raises to new staffers, gifting $19,000 severance packages to disgraced ones, and donating $250,000 to his own Senate campaign -- well, Tillis is doing the president's work.

In May 2011, a single year after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, Tillis backed the implementation of a state healthcare exchange. He utilized his power as speaker to bring the insurance bill to the floor, aiming to create an exchange in North Carolina similar to those created by federal statutes. But the Senate quickly killed the potential legislation and its promise to "facilitate the purchase and role of qualified health plans in the individual and small employer market by providing education, outreach, and technical assistance." (The ACA also called for establishing "qualified health plans" and for providing "technical assistance to facilitate participating in shop exchanges.")

That should have been our first clue. The second came soon afterward.

Immediately after filing official candidacy papers in February, Tillis announced his support for the 'Obamacare alternative' put forward by Senator Richard Burr, who is famously unpopular in conservative circles for saying that defunding the ACA is the "dumbest idea [he's] ever heard." Tillis praised the plan for embracing the "things that Obamacare seems to have right," a stance that Hagan quoted approvingly in a recent campaign release.

You know something's a little off with a Republican candidate when one of the most liberal senators in the United States wants to join hands for health care. It's no wonder so many North Carolinians joke that Tillis should be running in the Democratic primary.

The final nail in the coffin -- though I'm confident it won't really be the last -- appeared when Tillis went on the radio for a chat about his candidacy. Most conservatives would have started the conversation by asking whether it's a good idea to force people to purchase health insurance if they don't want it. Others would have chastised the Supreme Court for claiming the government's authority to "lay and collect taxes" validates the individual mandate penalty.

Instead, Tillis took the regulatory route. He applauded the ACA as a "great idea" but acquiesced that it simply "can't be paid for" at the moment. Tea Partiers were taken aback by the stance, of course, because it rests entirely on policy analysts at the Congressional Budget Office. A quick glance at the agency's initial cost projections for Social Security and Medicare will demonstrate why it's important take these (often volatile) numbers with a grain of salt. 'Affordable' can become 'unsustainable' with even the slightest shift in economic realities, and endorsing legislation dependent upon these unforeseeable circumstances is not only not conservative but also completely irrational.

North Carolinians were so upset with Tillis' comments that the newest report from Public Policy Polling found 78 percent of Republican primary voters disagree with his stance on Obamacare. The speaker is now losing to Kay Hagan by more than any other candidate in his party, including Greg Brannon, the Tea Party favorite for the Republican nomination, who is currently neck and neck with the incumbent senator.

Some voters are attracted to principles. Others are attracted to electability. Luckily for Hagan's campaign, Tillis doesn't seem to have either.

He recently favorited a tweet by Brannon's political director criticizing the speaker for not supporting a full repeal of the ACA. I'll be attributing this to a Freudian slip, even if it is just an intern with a case of the clicky fingers. Reported by Huffington Post 9 hours ago.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service® and GetInsured® Partner with the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange to Enroll Families in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Coverage Programs

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PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With the March 31 deadline to sign up for health insurance for 2014 just around the corner, the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange (NMHIX) is partnering with Jackson Hewitt Tax Service® and GetInsured® to help residents get... Reported by PR Newswire 9 hours ago.

Obamacare deadline to be extended for people fighting ‘glitches’ while enrolling online

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By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration will soon issue new Obamacare guidelines allowing people to enroll in health coverage after a March 31 deadline, but only under certain circumstances, according to sources close to the administration. The sources said the new federal guidelines for consumers in the 36 states served by the federal health insurance marketplace and its website, HealthCare.gov, would allow people to enroll after March 31 if they had tried […] Reported by Raw Story 4 hours ago.

What's Up With Matt Drudge's Weird Tweet About Obamacare?

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That Matt Drudge, proprietor of The Drudge Report, is a lusty hater of Obamacare isn't a revelation. And the mercurial man behind the mammoth aggregator of right-leaning news has already declared he will go without health insurance for the rest of his life just to prove a point of some kind.

Even knowing all that, this tweet from Drudge on Friday was a little head-scratching:


Just paid the Obamacare penalty for not 'getting covered'... I'M CALLING IT A LIBERTY TAX!

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) March 21, 2014
Liberty tax! The whole thing is weird, considering that the tax penalty that adds bite to the the "individual mandate" -- the Affordable Care Act's diktat that most Americans have some form of health coverage -- isn't even due until more than a year from now, when people file their 2014 federal income-tax returns.

The White House jumped right on Drudge, in the form of a tweet from spokesman Jesse Lee.


Flat lie, no fee for previous year. Scary how much influence he once had. RT @DRUDGE: Just paid Obamacare penalty for not 'getting covered'

— Jesse Lee (@jesseclee44) March 21, 2014
Briefly, here's how the individual mandate works: If you lack health insurance for more than three months in a year, you have to pay the IRS a penalty. (There are a whole slew of exemptions from this rule, however.) The penalty will be assessed on your tax return and taken out of whatever refund you're owed. Again, that won't happen until 2015 for people who aren't covered this year.

For 2014, the minimum penalty for an individual is $95 or 1 percent of your taxable income minus the first $10,150, whichever is higher. The penalty is capped at $3,600 for a single person this year, according to an estimate from the Tax Policy Center at the Brookings Institution. Families pay more depending on the number of people in the household. And the penalty is bigger in future years.

Of course, Drudge doesn't think the cost of the mandate penalty is any more real than President Barack Obama's birth certificate.


I've opted out of Obamacare for life. Not interested. Pay the tax. Monopoly money anyway...

— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) January 7, 2014
So is Drudge lying, as Lee asserted? Maybe! There does, however, appear to be one possible explanation that would make Drudge's statement truthful, albeit still curious.

If Drudge pays estimated income taxes every quarter -- a common practice for someone who is self-employed or is the sole proprietor of a business -- he could have guesstimated what his penalty will be and added that amount to the check he apparently cut to the IRS on Friday.

"That's perplexing," said Brian Haile, the senior vice president for health-care policy at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, a tax-preparation company. The IRS has no mechanism in place yet to even accept individual mandate penalties and hasn't even published the tables taxpayers will use to work out how much they owe. Plus, any money sent in can't be earmarked especially for that, he explained. The IRS didn't respond to a request for additional information about collecting mandate penalties. Drudge didn't respond to an email asking him to elaborate on his tweet.

"For whatever reason, Matt Drudge has decided to give the government an interest-free loan," Haile said.

Odd move for a small-government, anti-tax guy to make. Reported by Huffington Post 8 hours ago.

Insurance Chief Suggests Adding A New, Lower Level Of Health Plan

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Representing U.S. health insurance companies, Karen Ignagni says she would add a "lower tier" to the Affordable Care Act options. That could entice healthier people to join the law's new risk pools. Reported by NPR 7 hours ago.

‘Liberty Tax’: White House, Media Attack After Drudge Pays Obamacare Opt-Out Penalty

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‘Liberty Tax’: White House, Media Attack After Drudge Pays Obamacare Opt-Out Penalty A White House aide set off a stampede of liberal media criticism for Internet news pioneer Matt Drudge over Obamacare – but his critics don't seem to understand how small businesses pay taxes.

The brouhaha started when Drudge tweeted, “Just paid the Obamacare penalty for not 'getting covered'... I'M CALLING IT A LIBERTY TAX.”

Jesse Lee, the Director of Progressive Media at Barack Obama's White House, responded that that was a “Flat lie, no fee for previous year,” adding, “Scary how much influence he once had.”

Lee’s response to Drudge set off a firestorm in the liberal media, with many mainstream media and left-wing reporters countering him on Twitter and in their own articles to claim he does not have to pay Obamacare’s Individual Mandate tax until next year. The individual mandate went into effect Jan. 1 of this year, and most people paying their taxes right now are paying taxes for 2013.

“Dude, there's no penalty until next yr,” Sahil Kapur of the leftwing Talking Points Memo tweeted.

Kapur’s colleague at TPM Dylan Scott wrote a full story with a headline alleging Drudge was “probably lying.”

“Americans don't pay a penalty for not having health insurance until they file their 2014 taxes -- in 2015,” Scott wrote. “So either Drudge is lying or he paid a huge penalty a year earlier than he needed to.”

“Penalty isn't collected until 2015,” Sam Baker of National Journal tweeted at Drudge. 

The Huffington Post’s Jeffrey Young wrote a full article in which he described Drudge’s tweet as “weird” and a “little head-scratching” because the Obamacare tax does not kick in until the 2014 tax year.

Drudge indicated in his followup tweets that since he is self-employed as the proprietor of The Drudge Report, he files as a small business. According to the IRS’s website for self-employed individuals, they are required to pay taxes quarterly.

“As a self-employed individual, generally you are required to file an annual return and pay estimated tax quarterly,” the IRS website reads.

So, when they file and pay those 2014 first quarter taxes, such individuals have to pay the Obamacare Individual Mandate tax if they opted to not have health insurance—like Drudge just did.

Additionally, the IRS form (1040-ES) for estimating quarterly taxes specifically recommends adding the mandate penalty to line 12 for "other taxes" -- to pay before the first quarterly deadline of April 15. 

“It is true that thousands of small businesses will be forced to pay Obamacare taxes quarterly in 2014,” a Senate Budget Committee aide told Breitbart News on Friday afternoon.

Drudge even indicated as much in followup tweets, but the left-wing reporters—and the White House—have left their criticisms of him intact.

“Dazed team Obama media reporters think Opt-Out tax 'year away’?” Drudge tweeted. “Not for small businesses that file Qtr estimates. We're there NOW, baby #pay.”

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 5 hours ago.
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