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5 Reasons Obama's 7.1 Million Number Is Meaningless

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5 Reasons Obama's 7.1 Million Number Is Meaningless On Tuesday, President Obama triumphantly announced that, with the power of the mainstream media, Hollywood, and the threat of the IRS, the mission had been accomplished: 7.1 million Americans had selected an Obamacare plan. 

Obama’s tone was nothing short of exuberant: “7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through these market places. 7.1! Yep!” He then went on to criticize those who had expressed objections to Obamacare for its deprivations of plans, doctors, drugs, and liberty: “Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance?”

Now, it was always foolhardy for Republicans and conservatives to stake their objections to Obamacare on the number of sign-ups; Social Security is going bankrupt despite 100% enrollment. The reality is that Obama was always destined to hit his required numbers because, after all, he has the power of government to compel action. The real problem with Obamacare has little to do with the number of people signing up, and a lot to do with the restrictions on insurance companies and reimbursement rates to doctors.

Nonetheless, the 7.1 million statistic is a meaningless one. It’s meaningless for a variety of reasons:

*It Doesn’t Measure How Many People Have Actually Paid.* Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admitted yesterday that of the 6 million people who had signed up for Obamacare at the time, “What we know from insurance companies…tell us that, for their initial customers, it’s somewhere between 80, 85, some say as high as 90 percent, have paid so far.” In other words, about five million people were signed up. As Aaron Blake of the Washington Post points out, “If between 80 and 90 percent of the six million have paid premiums, the number who are fully enrolled would be closer to five million than to six million.” With the increased number of sign-ups in the last days, that percentage number has likely dropped. This is not an unimportant distinction; insurance will not cover those who don’t pay.

*7.1 Million Enrollees in the Private Exchanges Doesn’t Mean 7.1 Million Who Were Previously Uninsured.* Some five million Americans saw their policies cancelled thanks to Obamacare. Those Americans were forced into the Obamacare exchanges by the government. According to a RAND Corporation study, only 858,000 previously uninsured Americans had actually joined Obamacare. That’s a far cry from 7.1 million.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in March 2010 that 37.3% of all uninsured Americans would gain insurance thanks to Obamacare in 2014. That estimate rose to 38.9% in March 2011. In February 2014, the CBO suggested that in 2014, 22.8% would gain insurance through Obamacare. The actual statistic: 12.5%. In other words, the original estimates were off by approximately 66%.

*The Chief Beneficiaries of Obamacare Have Been Medicaid Recipients and 26-Year-Old Basement Dwellers.* There are approximately 6.1 million people who have gained coverage through Obamacare’s non-private exchange program. 4.5 million were beneficiaries of Medicaid expansion, and another 1.6 million 26-year-old “children” were forced onto their parents’ policies. That far outweighs any supposed gains in the private insurance market. As Chris Conover of Forbes writes, “At the end of the day, we appear to have covered 1 in 8 uninsured, but to get to this point, we have disrupted coverage for millions, increased premiums for tens of millions more and amplified the pain even further with a blizzard of new taxes and fees that will end up cost even the lowest income families nearly $7,000 over a decade.”

*The Huge Majority of Those Signing Up Are Getting Subsidies – and Even Those Who Are Subsidized Aren’t Signing Up.* In order for Obamacare’s cost structure to work, millions of Americans must sign up to pay inflated prices; that would help pay for the subsidies to cover insurance company costs on those with pre-existing conditions. In March, the Obama administration reported that 83% of those who had signed up were eligible for subsidies. As Robert Laszewski estimates, in the end, just 27% of those who are eligible for Obamacare subsidies nationwide have signed up.

*How Much Will The Numbers Drop?* These are all preliminary statistics. We now know that somewhere between 2% and 5% of people who paid their insurance bills in January did not do so in February, to go along with the high percentage of people who signed up and never paid at all (that number in Obamacare success story Washington state, for example, was 39% as of early February).

The 7.1 million statistic is not all that important, in the end. Obama will hit his numbers, by hook or by crook. Likely by crook. But conservative opposition to Obamacare should not be predicated on its ineffectiveness in forcing sign-ups. Instead, it should be based on deprivation of liberty and destruction of medical care.

Ben Shapiro is Senior Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013). He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org. Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.

 
 
 
  Reported by Breitbart 30 minutes ago.

Solstice Marketplace Private Exchange Offers Free 2-Week Trial, Enhanced Features

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PLANTATION, Fla., April 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Health insurance carrier Solstice is offering a free 2-week trial of its health care exchange, the Solstice Marketplace, a private health care exchange and benefits enrollment platform. Solstice's exchange is a first-of-its-kind... Reported by PR Newswire 12 hours ago.

Risk International Launches Group Benefits Risk Management Practice

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Veteran Group Benefits strategist to lead risk reductions, cost savings for employers

Fairlawn, OH (PRWEB) April 02, 2014

Risk International today announced the launch of a practice focused on Group Benefits management. Its fee-for-service offering is designed to deliver unbiased counsel that will help employers recognize ways to mitigate employee and workplace risks and apply lean management principles to Group Benefits programs, according to Michael Davis, President and CEO.

This new practice, Risk International Benefits (RI Benefits), will be led by Eric Krieg. He brings 30 years of experience in group health insurance program strategies. As the newly appointed Managing Director, he will be combining total cost of risk (TCOR) methodologies with his experiences both in employee risk management and group benefit procurement and pricing. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Group Benefits practice leader for the insurance brokerage Oswald Companies.

“The business of Group Benefits is changing,” said Krieg. “As a result, employers are forfeiting managerial staffing from excessive focus on unproductive activities and approaches that have not proven to control costs. These changes, combined with the major influence of the Affordable Care Act, mean the type of support that employers require needs to be considerably different too.

“Risk International Benefits is built for the future, with new tools and methods for managing the changing landscape and simplifying the function for employers.”

Krieg is applying TCOR to the evaluations of Group Benefits programs. The objective of his newly formed practice is to offer unbiased counsel to employers when determining how best to reduce employee health and safety risks, contain related costs, and return management focus to profit generating activities that serve customers and support the business.

“Our commitment to understanding clients, combined with our independence from competing interests, allows us to identify windows to capture money, time, and lost focus for clients,” said David O’Brien, Chairman. “Eric’s arrival and his leadership give us the power to now apply our approach to Group Benefits programs, so we can deliver more strategies to clients that return cash and managerial focus.”

Founded in 1986, Risk International offers risk management, insurance claims mitigation, loss prevention, claims recovery and due diligence services to Fortune 1000 clientele. The recent acquisition of Consolidated Risk Management is enabling Risk International to expand service capacity to the growing outsourced risk management needs of middle market companies that earn $100 million or more in revenue and have a total cost of risk of at least $1 million. Risk International’s fee-for-service RI Benefits practice will offer targeted services to both Fortune 1000 and middle market companies alike.

About Risk International

As a global risk management consulting company, Risk International has helped clients save or reduce the cost of risk by nearly $1 billion collectively since opening its doors in 1986. The firm is ranked as one of the top three risk management companies in the U.S. by Business Insurance magazine.

For additional information on Risk International, please visit http://www.riskinternational.com/about.htm

Contact: Andrew Whitman, 704-837-1909, awhitman(at)riskinternational(dot)com Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.

71 Companies Don't Want to Pay for Employees' Birth Control Coverage

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71 Companies Don't Want to Pay for Employees' Birth Control Coverage 71 Companies Don't Want to Pay for Employees' Birth Control Coverage
71 Companies Don't Want to Pay for Employees' Birth Control Coverage
Business
Companies
Health
Anti-Birth Control Companies
Has Been Optimized

The Christian-owned corporation Hobby Lobby went to the U.S. Supreme Court last week in an effort to not provide emergency contraception pills or IUDs to its employees under Obamacare's contraception mandate.

Ironically, Hobby Lobby has invested $73 million in the same emergency contraception pills, IUDs and even abortion pills in its employees' retirement plan.

However, Hobby Lobby is not the only company refusing to provide certain types of contraception in health insurance plans, Mother Jones reports there are 70 other companies also denying this type of health care coverage for their female employees.

Trijicon, a military contracting company that manufactures aiming systems for lethal weapons, claimed in its 2013 lawsuit that it cannot cover birth control because "its shareholders have a deeply held religious belief that life begins at conception/fertilization."

Trijicon didn't mention that life ends, thanks, in part, to their products.

Freshway Foods and Freshway Logistics, which deal in food produce, oppose Obamacare's contraception mandate because the owners Philip and Frank Gilardi, who are Catholic, say they "conduct their businesses in a manner that does not violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs or moral values, and they wish to continue to do so."

However, in 2011, a former female employee sued the company for repeated sexual harassment, which allegedly included, "unwelcome sexual comments, sexual innuendo, and physical contact," noted Mother Jones.

The company denied the sexual harassment claims, but settled the lawsuit with the ex-employee for an undisclosed amount of money.

Salon.com reported last year on Eden Foods, which is also suing the Obama administration over the contraception mandate.

Eden Foods CEO Michael Potter told Salon.com that he opposes “using abortion as birth control, definitely.”

However, after being told by Salon.com that the contraception mandate doesn’t cover abortion, Potter fired back, “I’m not an expert in anything. I’m not the pope. I’m in the food business. I’m qualified to have opinions about that and not issues that are purely women’s issues. I am qualified to have an opinion about what health insurance I pay for.”

The National Women's Law Center has a full list of the companies suing to get out of the Obamacare contraception mandate.

Sources: Mother Jones, National Women's Law Center, Salon.com

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Regular Piece Reported by Opposing Views 10 hours ago.

The Real Value of ObamaCare Has Nothing to do with Enrollment

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The noisy debate over how many people have gotten health insurance under the Affordable Care Act misses the point. Yes, reducing the number of uninsured was one goal of the ACA. But only one. The law’s most enduring legacy will come from its historical—but largely unnoticed—changes in the way health care is delivered. Reported by Forbes.com 10 hours ago.

Cancer Touches Everyone: How a Company's Culture Responds Is the Key

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In my last post, about bringing your "humanity" into the workplace with you, I indicated that I would be following with some really meaty blogs from conversations and interviews with major CEOs. I'm glad to say that this project is underway and I'm excited to share their input with you.

Here's the process I used. I selected CEOs of major companies I admire. Some were taken from the list of CEOs Against Cancer, a partnership project with corporations and The American Cancer Society. I knew they would be wonderful people to survey, as they've already demonstrated their positive concerns for people with major illness. I sent letters inviting them to either fill out a questionnaire or speak with me about how cancer and illness is handled within their company. I only reached out to about 40 and more than 25 percent responded with a willingness to get involved. That was an amazing response.

Only two so far have spoken with me by phone and the rest are responding via email to questions sent to them. These articles will share their responses. The objective is to shed light on the "how to" care for your employees (and/or their loved ones) when they are impacted by cancer or major illness. Sometimes the knee-jerk reaction is to encourage them to leave and take care of themselves, rather than to adapt the workplace to engage and accommodate them.

In this first interview, we see examples of humanity and caring as core values at work. It seemed only appropriate to speak with Sherry Lansing first. Sherry was the person the American Cancer Society contacted when they wanted to reach out to a group of CEOs. She had set the gold standard in the compassionate way she ran the companies she was associated with.

A little bit about Sherry: She is the former chair and CEO of Paramount Studios, and when she was the president of production at 20th Century Fox, she was the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. After this amazing career, she created The Sherry Lansing Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to cancer research, education, and "encore career" opportunities. This is where she spends her time and efforts these days.

Sherry is to me an amazing role model for skill, talent, empathy, and genuineness, with the capacity to tie these all into making the world a better place. She is driven to do good and make a difference in the world.

As we spoke, Sherry shared mainly from her "larger company CEO hat." However, she applies the same principals at her foundation.

First, she acknowledged that early diagnosis of illness is key. When people know what their issues are, they can take action.CEO's Against Cancer, while devoted to embracing and helping employees with major illness, also strongly stress the idea of "healthy lifestyle." Their companies provide a plethora of opportunities for such programs at work.

Second, Sherry also acknowledges, however, that once an employee has a diagnosis, there is more to be done. It's not just about action, but also about humanity -- about being empathetic.

Here are many of the comments I gleaned from my conversation with her:
"It's important for a company to be humanitarian in its approach to its employees. That means being compassionate, caring. As long as people can function and work, you keep them on the job as long as possible. When they want to speak and share about their illness (or that of a loved one), you listen. If it's okay with them, you visit and perhaps encourage co-workers to visit them when they are undergoing hospitalization or treatment. When they would rather not share, if they have a desire to keep it secret, you allow and respect that. It's also essential to give individuals the time off they need. There should be no pressure on them. Their responsibility is to take care of themselves. No matter how large or small a company is, caring about your people is imperative.

If someone reaches a point where they are no longer able to function in their position, it's important to take care of them - to provide health insurance and give them a healthy 'package.'

The underlying issue here is that a company should create a 'culture' that has the values we've been discussing -- empathy, genuineness, concern, caring. If the culture is one of compassion, then people have the opportunity to be a part of something."

I was so touched by the time that Sherry spent with me. I told her that what she was sharing was not always what I hear from others. I've heard horror stories from folks that worked in places where people were resentful that someone had too much time off, or that they had to pick up the slack for the person. I've heard of companies where people are "encouraged" to leave because the company culture is "if you can't do the work, you're out of here."

Thank you, Sherry, for being a breath of fresh air. I hope your kindness and generosity of spirit will be a big boost to other companies in the arena of compassion. Reported by Huffington Post 10 hours ago.

Daily Meme: The Obamacare Victory Dance Begins

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· *In a triumphant ceremony in the Rose Garden yesterday afternoon*, President Obama announced that the White House's last-minute push to enroll seven million people in private health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act was successful. Sign-ups even slightly exceeded the administration's goal, coming in at 7.1 million newly insured Americans.
· This was despite the fact that *the beleaguered Obamacare website crashed again on Monday*, causing much consternation for health insurance procrastinators.
· White House officials called the rollercoaster ride of the past few days "shit-tastic," a term which Politico helpfully dissects *here*.
· Who's responsible for this unlikely victory? Hollywood actors, of course! Back in February, *Bradley Cooper met with Obama aide Valerie Jarrett* to figure out how to get more people to sign up. Less than a month later, *Obama appeared on Between Two Ferns *with Cooper's buddy and Hangover co-star, Zack Galafinakis. 
· Regardless of who's responsible, it's clear that politically, *this is a big deal*. "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay,” *Obama said*.
· One of the biggest success stories comes from an unlikely place: *Kentucky*.
· Of course, there are naysayers, struggling to make their voices heard in the cacophony of Democratic "I-told-you-so's". Earlier this winter, when the signup count didn't seem so certain, *Jay Carney explained* why the initial numbers don't matter much for the future success of the law.
· *Paul Ryan, who just released his new budget, is also **unconvinced*. "I think Obamacare is a slow-rolling fiasco. I think it’s a Pyrrhic victory."
· Of course, the news hasn't stopped the endless calls for the ACA's repeal. *Bobby Jindal, for one, still thinks it can be done*. 
· And the coming of the midterm elections guarantees that *the political posturing on Obamacare is far from over*. Reported by The American Prospect 10 hours ago.

Blue Cross group sees Obamacare premium payments at 80-85 percent

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading federation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans said on Wednesday that it is receiving premium payments from 80 to 85 percent of its new Obamacare health insurance customers. Reported by Reuters 9 hours ago.

Obama's Visit Proves This Michigan Deli Is Probably The Best In The World

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The president sure knows how to pick a lunch place.

President Barack Obama traveled to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Wednesday to speak about raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. But first, he stopped at one of the city's (and Michigan's, and possibly the world's) best eateries: Zingerman's Deli, where the sandwiches are as good as the owner's thoughts on paying his workers.Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images.Obama ordered the famed Reuben sandwich, but not without a bit of deliberation first.Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images.We know, choosing just one is hard.

But it's not just their sandwiches that Zingerman's deserves credit for. During the meal, Obama met with three workers from different local eateries who are all pushing for a higher minimum wage in Michigan, according to the Detroit Free Press. Zingerman's owner Paul Saginaw pays workers at a higher rate than the state's $7.40 an hour minimum.

In an interview with Michigan Radio program Stateside, Saginaw explained why employers and customers alike should be concerned with workers receiving a living wage:
People are going in and they’re asking about, ‘Where did the chicken come from?’ and ‘Was the animal humanely raised?’ Right? We’re thinking about that a lot.

People are concerned about that and willing to pay more for that. How often do they go into the restaurant and say, ‘Hey, how much are you paying your dishwashers? How are you treating them? Do they get paid time off when they’re sick? Do they you provide health insurance for them?’ I think it’s time we started asking those questions.

Well said. Obama seemed to enjoy his meal:


President Obama just had lunch at @Zingermans to highlight how they pay their employees fair wages. #RaiseTheWage pic.twitter.com/xefL6Fd0dq

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 2, 2014


It's hard to get a good look at the Reuben itself, named one of the best sandwiches in the country by Food & Wine, in that photo. But behold, the Zingerman's #2 in all its glory:
"The reuben is killer," Obama said later in the day, according to WXYZ-TV.

U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) ate lunch with Obama, supporting his efforts to raise the minimum wage. He ordered a reuben, too, and told Zingerman's employees, "the President’s buying.”

The deli, which also has an addictive bakery and cheese selection, has connected with the President before. MLive reports Zingerman's prepared a sandwich order for him in 2010. Maybe he was a fan of the limited-edition ice cream flavor they created in his honor: Baracky Road Gelato. Reported by Huffington Post 7 hours ago.

HUFFPOST HILL - We Accept Cash, Credit Or Speech

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The socialists over at Goldman Sachs think the Congressional Budget Office is crazy and that boosting the minimum wage actually creates jobs. The House held a vote on the Save American Workers Act, but postponed action on the Benign Legislative Title Act. And a Drug Enforcement Administration honcho argued today that marijuana decriminalization is dangerous to our nation's pets -- almost as dangerous as all those cops shooting people's dogs while serving no-knock drug warrants. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014:

*SUPREME COURT FREES RICH PEOPLE'S SPEECH FROM A CENTURY OF BONDAGE* - Paul Blumenthal: "The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the aggregate campaign contribution limits, thereby opening the door to even more money in the political system. The 5-4 ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission was penned by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by justices Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia. The decision relies heavily on the assertion in the 2010 Citizens United ruling that influence and access are not a corruption concern…. *[A] single donor can now give more than $5 million in individually limited contributions to every House candidate, every Senate candidate, every state party committee, every national party committee and every leadership PAC connected to one political party.* For the 2013-2014 election cycle, Federal Election Commission rules state that a donor can give no more than $123,200 to all political committees, with two sub-limits of $48,600 to candidates and $74,600 to political parties and political action committees. Those limits are no more. *This will immeasurably help the Republican Party, which relies far more on large campaign donors who give the maximum campaign contributions*. [HuffPost]

*LOBBYISTS HAVE MIXED FEELINGS!* We had thought this would be so annoying for lobbyists who'd be unable to say, "Sorry bro, maxed out" -- but our favorite Paranoid Self-Loathing GOP Lobbyist seems excited. "In '06 and '08 I would have dreaded spending more money on losing campaigns. But this year, it will be money well spent. I'm excited." We also asked a less partisan Republican lobbyist, who said: "Today, I'm a Democrat."

*K Street people:* How will this aggregate limit destruction hit your take home pay? Will you send more backbench senators to voicemail? Or will you just pretend on the books your salary is now $7 million? Tell us a story at ryan@huffingtonpost.com or arthur@huffingtonpost.com and we promise not to name you.

*DEMOCRATS SAD:* Speaking to reporters about the decision, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) argued that the justices displayed a fundamental ignorance about politics and the potential for the rich to buy power. '*This is a court that knows essentially nothing about elections. It's the first court in a long time on which no one has ever run for office*,' said Whitehouse, comparing the five justices who ruled for McCutcheon to '*the ultimate amateur ... who says, 'I know how to eat, so I can open a restaurant.''*" [HuffPost's Mike McAuliff]

*SENATE JOBLESS BILL IS MOVIN' BUT IS JOHN BOEHNER SHAKIN'?* The Senate advanced an extension of unemployment insurance Wednesday morning, setting up final passage as soon as Thursday, but the bill faces a showdown with the House of Representatives before it can become law. By a vote of 61-38, the Senate invoked cloture on legislation that would retroactively pay benefits to the long-term jobless Americans who have been missing out on benefits for over three months. *Six Republicans joined all Senate Democrats in supporting the bill*: its five original Republican cosponsors -- Sens. Dean Heller (Nev.), Susan Collins (Maine), Rob Portman (Ohio), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Mark Kirk (Ill.) -- and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.).... Heller wasn't ready to give up hope just yet, and said he plans to talk to House Republican leadership once the bill clears the Senate. "I'll have to have a conversation and try to get to 'yes' instead of 'no,'" he said. "*That's going to take some work and energy. I've just got to figure out what motivates the House*." Try a carton of cigarettes? [w/ HuffPost's Sabrina Siddiqui]

*JOHN CORNYN: PAYING PEOPLE DOES NOT HELP THEM:* "This legislation does nothing to help them other than perhaps to help pay them for a period of time that they are continuing not to be able to find work."

*THE DEA IS SOOOOO STUPID* - Ryan Reilly: Michele Leonhart, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, has a message for those considering legalizing marijuana: Please, think of Fido. Testifying on the DEA budget during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Leonhart said she expected a number of things to happen after Washington and Colorado were allowed to go forward with the legalization of marijuana last year. What she didn't anticipate was the impact on man's best friend. '*There was just an article last week, and it was on pets. It was about the unanticipated or unexpected consequences of this, and how veterinarians now are seeing dogs come in, their pets come in, and being treated because they've been exposed to marijuana*,' Leonhart said." The DEA, ladies and gentlemen. [HuffPost]

*BTW cops love the drug war:* "Several organizations representing state and local law enforcement are quietly trying to kill a bipartisan bill that would roll back tough mandatory sentences for people convicted of federal drug offenses under legislation passed during the height of America’s drug war three decades ago." [HuffPost]

*LOCAL TV STATION UNCORKS BOB CORKER'S UNION-BUSTING EMAILS* - Ahead of a UAW vote Corker claimed a pro-union outcome would cost the state an SUV plant. How'd he know that? Phil Williams: "Were hundreds of millions of your tax dollars offered to Volkswagen -- and then pulled back -- to try to keep the United Auto Workers out of Chattanooga? For months, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has denied any connection. *But documents leaked to NewsChannel 5 Investigates offer conclusive proof that the Haslam administration wanted a say in the automaker's deal with organized labor* -- in exchange for $300 million in economic incentives to help VW expand its Chattanooga operations…. The Haslam administration declined to provide anyone to go on camera to answer questions about the documents. But *we also obtained emails that show that Senator Corker's chief of staff was in direct contact with anti-union organizers who were brought in to fight the UAW. He then shared those emails with people in the Haslam administration who were in charge of the incentives.* The union has asked the National Labor Relations Board to order new elections, citing interference by Tennessee political leaders." [NewsChannel5.com]

*GOLDMAN SACHS GENTLY POOPS ON CBO'S CLAIM OF MINIMUM WAGE JOB DESTRUCTION* - Dave Jamieson: "A recent analysis by Goldman Sachs found that the effects of a federal minimum wage increase on employment levels would be relatively modest, offering a rosier view of the Democrats' proposal than a recent study from the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report released in February suggested that raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour and pegging it to inflation would reduce U.S. employment by the equivalent of 500,000 jobs, a figure that Republicans have seized upon. The March 25 Goldman paper said that estimate is probably high, in part because a minimum wage hike would help raise consumer demand. *'In our view, the CBO’s recent estimate of a 500k hit to the level of employment (0.3%) is likely a bit toward the upper end of reasonable estimates*, both because many studies find no significant impact of minimum wage hikes on employment and because the offsetting boost to demand is likely to be larger than usual at present,' Goldman's Michael Cahill and David Mericle wrote." [HuffPost]

Check out our cat graph comparing the real value of the minimum wage in 1968 and today.

*DAILY DELANEY DOWNER* - More mailbag misery: "I am 48 years old and have worked full-time since I was 18, I have had two jobs both of which I worked approximately 15 years. My 26 weeks of unemployment was up in January,2014. I can no longer pay child support, I have no health insurance or Medicare. I have now given up on trying to find a good paying job that I'm qualified for. And now looking for anything including minimum-wage jobs. [Hang in there!]

Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill

*HOUSE GOP'S OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT IS A PROMISE TO REPLACE OBAMACARE* - I.O.U. 1 Obamacare. Mike McAuliff: "Democrats have repeatedly mocked Republican promises to craft a replacement for Obamacare, and while the GOP is reportedly working on a plan, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had only another promise to offer on Wednesday. When asked at a news conference whether Republicans would have to step up efforts to come up with their own plan now that President Barack Obama has announced more than 7 million people have signed up for Affordable Care Act insurance plans, Boehner responded, 'Listen, Obamacare is continuing to wreck havoc on American families and small businesses.' 'The president can go out there and tout about all the people he's signed up,' he continued. '*Our job is to show the American people we have better solutions, and we're working to build a consensus to do that. And when we have something to talk about, we'll show you*.'" [HuffPost]

*WHAT PAUL RYAN'S BUDGET DOES FOR RICH PEOPLE'S TAX BURDENS WILL AMAZE YOU* - Just kidding. "There is no way the plan could be implemented without providing millionaires with tax cuts averaging at least $200,000." [Citizens for Tax Justice]

*NATIVE AMERICANS TO TWITTER ACTIVISTS: UGH* - The staff of Indian Country Today weighed in to the #CancelColbert controversy, denouncing the hashtag activists who derailed the anti-Dan Snyder movement. "In his closing words, [Colbert] said that he would be donating the money raised by his offensive faux charity to the offensive real-life charity that inspired the joke that caused the kerfluffle: The Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation. *"...which Twitter seems to be fine with," he said, "because I haven't seen shit about that." And that's the bottom line for the Native activists on Twitter* who saw a real opportunity to open some eyes when Snyder announced his bizarrely named charity: The momentum building fortheircampaign --#Not4Sale-- was stymied by#CancelColbert. Inan interview with The New Yorker that only briefly mentioned Dan Snyder and his foundation, Suey Park admitted she likesColbert Reportand didn't actually want to see it canceled. Yet a single Tweet connected to a satirist -- whose well-known shtick is to parody arrogant conservatives -- made more waves than a campaign against a racist team name that has been with us for decades. [ICTMN]

Jennie Stockle is even angrier: Then suddenly, like a tornado, *Suey Park's tweet calling to cancel Colbert Report came through and pushed all of our efforts into a storm shelter.*

*HOT CAMP-ON-BOEHNER ACTION* - God we want more details on this. Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer: "House GOP leadership is engaged in an intense behind-the-scenes feud with Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee over a recent bill to patch Medicare reimbursement rates. The tension ran so high that Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the panel’s typically reserved chairman, late last week laced into Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) during a tense interaction in a closed-door meeting of the tax-writing panel, accusing the Ohio Republican’s staff of being dishonest, multiple Republican sources said. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who once served on the Ways and Means Committee, was also in attendance. Camp, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, wanted a long-term fix to the formula. Boehner thought Congress had to settle for a yearlong patch….*The feud highlights the intensity of the internecine fights among House Republicans. But, more importantly, the argument illustrates how some lawmakers are chafing in a cautious Congress that is focused on the November mid-term election*." [Politico]

*TED CRUZ LAMENTS PERSECUTION OF MAJORITY RELIGION* - Christians deserve some kind of national holiday. Philip Elliott: "Possible Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz said Wednesday that religious Americans have a duty to take a stand against policies, such as President Barack Obama's health care law, that could threaten their liberties. 'As believers, we are called to action; not just sitting quietly and hiding our faith under a bushel but to stand and speak no matter what the consequence,' the Texas senator told students at Liberty University. '*Religious liberty has never been more under attack*.' The Texas Republican and tea party favorite used his appearance here at the Virginia school founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell to test a message to young evangelicals, a critical voting bloc for any Republican with White House ambitions." [Associated Press]

*MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE HYPOCRITES, BOOTLEGGING EDITION* - Matt Laslo's latest episode of Bills and Brews looks at the Man in the Green Hat. "George Cassiday was given a private room on the Capitol grounds and his own key in order to keep the nation’s lawmakers boozed up, even as they voted overwhelmingly to keep their voters dry." [BillsandBrews.com]

*COURT SUPPRESSES FLORIDA'S VOTER SUPPRESSION* - Samantha Lachman: "A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Florida Gov. Rick Scott's (R) effort to purge the state's voter rolls was illegal due to its close proximity to the 2012 elections. *The court said that the move violated a provision of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act that explicitly bars states from removing the names of ineligible voters from official lists within 90 days of a primary or general election for federal office.* Scott and Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner (R) had launched the statewide purge just 55 days before the November 2012 elections, purportedly in order to maintain the elections' integrity." [HuffPost]*BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR* - Great street art featuring the endagered birds of Britain.

*COMFORT FOOD*

- Couple forgets pizzaman's tip, has awesome followup [http://huff.to/1h4jcYc]

- World's best cake? [http://huff.to/PkWy1F]

- Great narrative on Wikipedia's entry for "Bang the Drum All Day" [http://bit.ly/1goRIXf]

- How bro are you bro? [http://bzfd.it/1fMQKok]

- Game of Thrones emoji recap [http://bit.ly/PkbXiU]

*TWITTERAMA*

@delrayser: brb, gonna go buy a cup of coffee with some speech

@daylinleach: But its fair, because both rich and poor alike are free to donate $6,000,000 to federal candidates each cycle.

@elisefoley: Rich people get everything.

@dceiver: This salad is worse than Dred Scott you guys

*Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com), Ryan Grim (ryan@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e* Reported by Huffington Post 7 hours ago.

The Five Piles on Bradley Cooper for Orchestrating Obama’s Between Two Ferns

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The Five Piles on Bradley Cooper for Orchestrating Obama’s Between Two Ferns On Wednesday, the hosts of The Five did their best to unpack a new report from POLITICO that revealed it was actor *Bradley Cooper'*s idea to have President *Barack Obama* appear on web series Between Two Ferns to make a final push for young people to sign up for health insurance. "So guys from The Hangover saved Obamacare?" *Eric Bolling* asked. Reported by Mediaite 7 hours ago.

Zane Benefits Publishes New Information on ACA Health Insurance Marketplaces Closing with 7.1 Million Sign-Ups

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A Look at the Numbers and Why It’s Significant

Park City, UT (PRWEB) April 02, 2014

Today, Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, published new information on the ACA health insurance marketplaces reaching over 7 million sign-ups.

According to Zane Benefits’ website, Seven (7) million was the original target set by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for enrollment in the new public Marketplaces, though the estimation was revised to 6 million after a rocky roll-out of the federally-run Marketplace HealthCare.gov.

According to government officials, 7.1 million Americans signed up for individual health insurance coverage through the ACA's Health Insurance Marketplaces during the first open enrollment period (October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014).

Additional sign-ups will be trickling in over the next few weeks. Last week, the Obama Administration announced they would grant extra time to Americans who say they tried, but were unable to enroll in a health plan through HealthCare.gov by the March 31st open enrollment deadline.

Click here to read the full article.

--

About Zane Benefits
Zane Benefits, the #1 Online Health Benefits Solution, was founded in 2006 to revolutionize the way employers provide employee health benefits in America. We empower employees to take control over their own healthcare, while helping employers recruit and retain the best talent. Our online solutions allow small and medium-sized businesses to successfully transition to a health benefits program that creates happier employees, reduces costs and frees up more time to serve their customers. For more information about ZaneHealth, visit http://www.zanebenefits.com. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

L.A. County Issues Call for Gay Men to Be Vaccinated; 8 People Diagnosed with Meningitis in 2014

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L.A. County Issues Call for Gay Men to Be Vaccinated; 8 People Diagnosed with Meningitis in 2014 Patch Eagle Rock, CA --

The county plans to offer free meningitis vaccinations to people without health insurance beginning tomorrow. Reported by Patch 7 hours ago.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of spelling win

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Neha said during her victory speech that her family was so supportive of her efforts that if sponsorship hadn't been picked up by the stations, the Konakallas would have moved to Marin or Contra Costa to enable her to compete. -- The San Francisco Conservatory of Music announced at its presidential gala last week that it has received pledges of $17 million to build a residence hall for students. Rick Popko wrote to say that he and his girlfriend noticed so many mentions of Raymond Chow's nickname in Saturday's Chronicle that they determined to make a drinking game out of mentions in Sunday's paper. By simply touching a familiar picture, the application enables the toddlers to send video messages, upload them in the cloud and notify their family members, all at the same time. -- As to the "Doesn't come when called" category of Beaglefest contests, Janice "Grunion Girl" Hough asks, "Wouldn't the winner have been a cat?" This item, with apologies to neighbor Jon "Bonito Brother" Carroll for trespassing, albeit on little cat feet. -- During morning assembly at a K-8 Catholic school attended by Diana "Mackerel Mama" Oertel's son, a student offered a prayer for all people without health insurance. Reported by SFGate 7 hours ago.

Admittedly Biased Organization Accuses Univision, Telemundo Of Bias

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A conservative research group is taking Univision and Telemundo to task for having a liberal bias.

The Media Research Center released a report Monday finding that Univision and Telemundo rely more heavily on Democratic or liberal sources in their reporting than conservative ones.

In an analysis of 667 news stories by the two broadcasters focusing on U.S. domestic policy, 49 percent presented a neutral perspective, 45 percent leaned liberal and 6 percent leaned conservative, the report says. Univision and Telemundo cited President Barack Obama or other Democratic politicians or left-leaning advocacy organizations three times more often than Republican or conservative voices.

The MRC report examined coverage on the two networks from November 2013 through February 2014.

"The launch of this new effort by the Media Research Center is good news for those who get their news and information from Spanish-language media," said Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, according to the Media Research Center. "Hispanic media need to be held to the same standards as English-language media. MRC Latino is a step towards this balance and accountability in Spanish-language media."

Both networks objected to the report's characterization of their coverage.

"We have an open invitation to elected officials and representatives from all sides to address our community on issues of importance and relevance," Univision spokesman Jose Zamora told Politico

"Noticias Telemundo stands for accuracy, fairness and independence, while we strive to meet the highest ethical standards in the industry," Telemundo spokesman Camilo Pino said, also according to Politico.

If the report's results are accurate, the Spanish-language media outlets would appear to share some of the one-sided tendencies of certain English-language news coverage, to judge from a Pew study on the 2012 presidential race. The nonpartisan organization found that 46 percent of Fox News' coverage of President Barack Obama was negative in the final stages of the race, while only 6 percent was positive. On MSNBC, things were even more lopsided: The tone on that network was largely critical of Republican candidate Mitt Romney, with 71 percent of coverage negative and only 3 percent positive.

The MRC report highlighted Univision's public campaign to get Latinos registered for health care after the passage of Obamacare, which Israel Ortega of the conservative Heritage Foundation called "perhaps the study's most damning finding."

Univision disagrees. In an interview with BuzzFeed before the MRC study's release, Univision's empowerment initiatives director Stephen Keppel argued that encouraging Latinos to sign up for health insurance was a good thing regardless of the political context.

"We've always looked at it with the simple fact that this is the law, it was approved by Congress, it was approved by the Supreme Court. It has an outsized impact on our audience because of the statistics on uninsured Latinos," Keppel told BuzzFeed. "We definitely want to give people all the tools they need to get enrolled. Our basic messaging on the website is: Find out what you are eligible for and enroll. And if you don't enroll you have to pay a fine and that's what it means."

The Media Research Center is itself admittedly one-sided, dedicated only to "neutralizing left-wing bias in the news media and popular culture," according to the organization's website. Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.

Obama Poll Watch -- March, 2014

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*The new normal?*

President Obama's job approval polling was down a bit last month, ending three months of positive news. He didn't slip back much, but the reversal does bring up a serious question: is Obama stuck in a "new normal" of job approval numbers in the low-40s range? We'll take a look at possible answers to this in a moment, but first let's take a look at the new monthly chart.

[Click on graph to see larger-scale version.]

*March, 2014*

Obama is currently enjoying a political victory, of course, but this will only affect the polling for April, since the extraordinarily-good Obamacare signup numbers didn't appear until the end of the month. Obama did mount a big public relations campaign at the end of March to get people to sign up for health insurance, but while this paid handsome dividends in the number of people who did sign up, it didn't move his job approval polling much (not yet, at least).

March was a tough month for President Obama, because America was in the midst of re-learning an important Cold War lesson: Russia can do many things that we simply cannot influence or change much. Presidents back to Eisenhower -- of both parties -- have been taught the same lesson; but since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the American public has largely forgotten it. Except when the same thing happened to George Bush, of course. But in such realpolitik situations, America always looks weak. Which was reflected in Obama's poll numbers last month, as the Crimea moved on the geopolitical chess board.

In other news last month, Dianne Feinstein got into a very public tiff with the C.I.A., but this will be forgotten when (hopefully "when" and not "if") her committee's report on torture is finally made public. The Republicans marked the one-year anniversary of their self-conducted "autopsy," nearly all of which has been largely ignored by Republicans in office or running for office. The Hobby Lobby case was heard before the Supreme Court, generating lots of public commentary on where religious rights should be allowed to reach. None of this had much impact on Obama's polling, however.

Obama's monthly average job approval number fell to 42.9 percent in March, and his disapproval average rose to 52.8 percent. This was a decrease of 0.4 percent in approval and an increase of 0.5 percent disapproval. This ended a three-month run of good numbers for the president, which had boosted his approval a total of 1.9 points (before March's number), and had shrunk his disapproval 1.6 points. So for the last four months, Obama's still showing a net positive. However, the trendline for March seemed to hit a troubling plateau.

 

*Overall Trends*

The trendline for March flattened out, at a level slightly below where Obama was in February. There was not much movement in his daily poll averages throughout the month, meaning no sharp upticks or downturns. He closed out the month in a better place than he started, but that place was still worse than the previous month. Obama's daily averages were remarkably stable all month, fluctuating only 1.1 percent for approval and 1.9 percent for disapproval -- both very low for any given month.

Obama hit a daily average high in approval of 43.4 percent three separate times during the month (on March 10th, the 18th-19th, and the 30th), after starting with a low of 42.3 percent. But his disapproval numbers bucked this trend a bit, hitting a low of 51.9 percent halfway through the month and then rising to 53.8 towards the end. Meaning the direction of the trend isn't clear for April, and the safest money would be on Obama continuing to waver right around where he currently finds himself. That's without taking into account anything that has happened or could happen in April, mind you, just examining the trendlines on their own.

April could wind up being a pretty good month for Obama, though. He began the month with the best news possible on the Obamacare signups, and the 7.1 million number is only going to keep rising throughout the month. Will the final number at the end of the month hit 7.5 million? Or even 8.0 million? Whatever it comes in at, it will go a long way towards undercutting the Republicans' "Repeal!" position, which could translate into a breath of fresh air in Obama's poll numbers. If the unemployment number (due to be released this Friday) is better than expected, this could also put some wind in Obama's sails for April. Congress isn't scheduled to do much of anything (no looming fiscal deadlines), which could also result in some smoother sailing for Obama in the polls.

How did I get on this wind/sailing metaphor? I have no idea, I apologize, and I'll just stop now, OK?

Ahem. Kidding aside, if Obama doesn't manage a bump in the polls in April, then we are faced with the possibility that he's hit one of those plateaus of non-movement in polling which have largely defined his presidency. The bad news for Obama fans is that this would indeed represent a "new normal" of a much lower range. Take a look at that chart again to see what I mean.

After his initial honeymoon period at the start of his first term, Obama hit two plateaus in 2010. The first was in the 47-48 percent range (for approval -- for simplicity's sake I'm only considering the job approval line here). The second was a bit lower, in the 45-46 percent range. After getting a big "Bin Laden bump," by 2011 Obama hit a lower (and shorter) plateau in the 43-44 percent range. During his re-election campaign, Obama climbed back up to a longish plateau in the 47-48 percent range, and pushed it over the top (the top being a 50-percent-or-better mark) to win his second term. Since that point, he's been on a slide downwards as his "second honeymoon" wore off. This ended at a nadir of 41.4 percent, right when the Obamacare website's rollout problems were big news. Since then (and since the website got fixed), he's been clawing back some ground. But he seems to now be settling in to a plateau of only 42-43 percent. This is the lowest such plateau yet -- as the chart shows.

So the question for April and beyond is whether this is Obama's new normal, or whether he can break out of this low point and get his numbers back up at least comfortably above 45 percent. This can be accomplished, and he certainly started the month off with some fantastic news on his signature piece of legislation -- news that was far better than pretty much anyone had predicted (myself included). If the jobs numbers are also looking good this Friday, this could translate into people feeling a lot better about the job Obama's doing. So there is certainly room for optimism. But it comes with a cautionary note, because March's numbers were so flat they could in fact become Obama's new normal range, at least in the near future.

 

*[Obama Poll Watch Data:]*

*Sources And Methodology*

ObamaPollWatch.com is an admittedly amateur effort, but we do try to stay professional when it comes to revealing our sources and methodology. All our source data comes from RealClearPolitics.com; specifically from their daily presidential approval ratings "poll of polls" graphic page. We take their daily numbers, log them, and then average each month's data into a single number -- which is then shown on our monthly charts here (a "poll of polls of polls," if you will...). You can read a much-more detailed explanation of our source data and methodology on our "About Obama Poll Watch" page, if you're interested.

Questions or comments? Use the Email Chris page to drop me a private note.

 

*Obama's Second Term Statistical Records*

Monthly
Highest Monthly Approval -- 1/13 -- *52.7%*
Lowest Monthly Approval -- 11/13 -- 41.4%

Highest Monthly Disapproval -- 12/13 -- *54.0%*
Lowest Monthly Disapproval -- 1/13 -- 42.6%

Daily
Highest Daily Approval -- 1/31/13 -- *52.5%*
Lowest Daily Approval -- 12/2/13 -- 39.8%

Highest Daily Disapproval -- 12/2/13 -- *55.9%*
Lowest Daily Disapproval -- 2/24/13 -- 42.3%

 

*Obama's Second Term Raw Monthly Data*

[All-time high in *bold*, all-time low underlined.]

Month -- (Approval / Disapproval / Undecided)
03/14 -- 42.9 / 52.8 / 4.5
02/14 -- 43.3 / 52.3 / 4.4
01/14 -- 42.7 / 52.7 / 4.6
12/13 -- 41.9 / *54.0* / 4.1
11/13 -- 41.4 / 53.9 / 4.7
10/13 -- 44.2 / 50.8 / 5.0
09/13 -- 43.9 / 50.8 / 5.3
08/13 -- 44.4 / 50.2 / 5.4
07/13 -- 45.3 / 49.2 / 5.5
06/13 -- 46.5 / 48.5 / 5.0
05/13 -- 48.3 / 46.9 / 4.8
04/13 -- 48.6 / 46.8 / 4.6
03/13 -- 48.5 / 46.3 / 5.2
02/13 -- 51.1 / 43.0 / 5.9
01/13 -- *52.7* / 42.6 / 4.7

 

*Second Term Column Archives*

[Feb 14], [Jan 14], Dec 13], [Nov 13], [Oct 13], Sep 13], [Aug 13], [Jul 13], [Jun 13], [May 13], [Apr 13], [Mar 13], [Feb 13], [Jan 13]

 

*First Term Data*

To save space, the only data and statistics listed above are from Obama's second term. If you'd like to see the data and stats from Obama's first term, including a list of links to the full archives of the Obama Poll Watch column for the first term, we've set up an Obama Poll Watch First Term Data page, for those still interested.

 

Chris Weigant blogs at:Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Become a fan of Chris on Huffington Post
Full archives of OPW columns: ObamaPollWatch.com

  Reported by Huffington Post 5 hours ago.

Hawaii Health Connector enrolls 7,861; national 7 million goal surpassed

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The Hawaii Health Connector has enrolled 7,861 individuals as of the March 31 deadline, with another 24,176 who completed applications for coverage through the state-run online health insurance exchange.  “We are pleased that thousands found coverage options through the Connector,” Interim Executive Director Tom Matsuda said in a statement on Wednesday. “But our work is not done. We have many more individuals who started, but need additional help to complete their enrollment. We are aggressively… Reported by bizjournals 5 hours ago.

Insurance Direct Quotes for Liability Car Insurance Now Generated by National Insurer Website

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Insurance direct quotes for liability car insurance are now being generated through the U.S. search tool at the Bright Sky Insurance website. Minimum coverage plans are now viewable at http://brightskyinsurance.com/car-insurance.html.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 02, 2014

Immediate price reviews when shopping for insurance products on the Internet are now provided by one new industry portal this year. The Bright Sky Insurance website is now providing insurance direct quotes through its computerized system for liability car insurance at http://brightskyinsurance.com/car-insurance.html.

This base form of vehicle protection is one of the most common forms that drivers have when exploring coverage plans that national companies provide. A series of agencies throughout the U.S. are now providing the liability coverage prices that are now quotable or viewable when accessing the search tool available.

"The liability plan pricing that our system is providing is accurate and is calculated by individual agencies to provide car owners with a reliable price quote for coverage," said one BrightSkyInsurance.com source.

The direct quotes system was introduced earlier this month as a time saving initiative for the public. While many car owners continue to use insurer phone systems to quote plans, the open tool makes use of zip code information from drivers to supply available incentives for policies this year.

"The insurer plans that are now featured inside of our open Internet system include a variety of coverage options for motorists to explore, review or compare," the source said.

The Bright Sky Insurance company website was launched earlier this year to provide one extra source of information gathering for the public. The policy providers that are available inside the coverage system include different plans aside from auto insurance that is now offered at http://brightskyinsurance.com/health-insurance.html.

About BrightSkyInsurance.com

The BrightSkyInsurance.com company has created one of the first independent resources for vehicle owners to use on the Internet for researching insurance costs from various providers. This company maintains the use of its database programs to present price data to the public. The BrightSkyInsurance.com company continues to support consumers with different insurance products research each day by including different providers offering rates reductions and special incentives for U.S. policies. The company staff are now available daily through the digitized portal on the homepage. Reported by PRWeb 4 hours ago.

Feds Say 3 Million Now Have Medicaid Through Obamacare

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The Obama administration declared another victory Friday, saying that 3 million extra people have signed up for Medicaid or the related Children’s Health Insurance Program since the new health insurance exchanges opened in October.That’s on top of the 7.
 
 
 
  Reported by msnbc.com 1 day ago.

With H.R. 2575, Republican's Launch Another Attack On American Workers

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This week, Republicans launched another attack on American workers. Under the pretense of fixing Obamacare, the House passed H.R. 2575, the so-called "Save American Workers Act of 2013" by a margin of 248 - 179. 230 Republicans and 18 Democrats supported the bill. All the no votes were from Democrats. The legislation is supposed to mitigate the impact of the Affordable Care Act on jobs, but it will in fact have the opposite effect.

Raising the definition of "full time" work to 40 hours per week will simply encourage employers to cap workers' hours at less than 40 per week, and exacerbate the trend toward cutting workers' hours and benefits and sloughing corporate responsibility onto the taxpayer.

Recognizing the potential impact of H.R. 2575 requires an honest discussion of the impact of the current 30 hour per week threshold. Since the beginning of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, employers have used the law as an excuse to cut benefits and hours.
· In December, retail giant Staples capped hours for its more than 30.000 part time workers at 25 per week, to keep them under the 30-hour "full time threshold." It was the largest of more than 400 cuts contemplated or implemented by employers, as documented by Investors.com
· In recent months, Target, Trader Joe's, Wegman's and a host of other employers have eliminated health care benefits for part time workers, essentially pushing them onto the exchanges to be subsidized by taxpayers.
· Perhaps the most disturbing trend has been the tendency of employers not only to cut and cap hours or eliminate part time workers' health benefits, but to hide behind the ACA in eliminating a host of statutory benefits that have nothing to do with the ACA or health insurers. Employers have used classification as "part-time" under the ACA standard to eliminate vacation, sick days and other basic protections, even though they are not required to do so.Extending the definition of "full-time" work from 30 to 40 hours per week will simply increase the number of hours at which employers strip benefits from workers and therefor the number of workers whose job quality will decline in the wake of the ACA. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill would increase the number of uninsured workers in the US by 500,000 to 1 million. The UC Berkeley Labor Center estimated that 6.5 million workers would be at risk of having their hours reduced.

Let me state clearly that the core problem is not with the hours definition in the ACA -- to implement a health insurance mandate, the federal government must set some standards for definition. However, the incentives within the ACA -- particularly the large gap between the costs of providing employer-based coverage and the law's employer penalties, and the potential short term gains to employers who use the ACA as an excuse to reduce job quality -- are too powerful for many employers to resist.

The ACA is a desperately needed law -- it is morally unacceptable for a society as wealthy as ours to tolerate leaving 50 million people without health insurance. It is also a flawed law that, without smart fixes, will damage the well-being of millions of middle class Americans. Our union stands ready to work with legislators of both parties to make the fixes the law needs. Unfortunately, H.R. 2575 isn't the fix we need -- it will only make matters worse. Reported by Huffington Post 1 day ago.
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