Obamacare Schadenfreude - Another Inning of Calvinball

Another cold, but mostly clear day here in slower MD.  Temperatures were only 18 when we got up, but reports promise temperatures rising above freezing.  It could be worse; it's not like Green Bay, where they've had 49 consecutive days with temperatures below zero.

I had sort of expected, with the Russia invading "entering uncontested" into Ukraine, that Obamacare stories might be pushed aside and I could give up the crusade.  It was looking pretty good until about 9 PM last night, when another shot of stories hit the internet:

The game of "Calvinball" continues as the administration changed the rules yet again to accommodate the failing state websites:

States that have experienced technical problems running their own health care enrollment websites are getting some help from the Obama administration.

The administration quietly issued a health law fix Thursday to help those states. Several Democratic-led states, including Oregon, Maryland, Massachusetts and Hawaii, are still trying to solve website problems that have eclipsed those experienced earlier by the federal HealthCare.gov site, now largely repaired.

Although the new policy fix is available to any state, Republican governors basically defaulted to federal control of online sign-ups in their states. Those who stand to benefit the most are Democratic governors who plunged ahead and ran into problems. Some are facing sharp criticism at home, from both sides of the political aisle.
. . .
The policy change was couched in technical jargon, and it may not be easy for states and insurers to carry it out. For instance, consumers must have made an effort to enroll in the exchange, and the plan they purchased outside the government market must meet certain requirements of the law.

On the plus side, those who qualify can get financial assistance retroactively.

Proving, once again, how well thought out the law was, and how easy it is to implement.

From the Department of Useless Gestures: House to vote for one-year individual mandate delay next week

. . .Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., introduced the bill, the Simple Fairness Act, on Friday.
Under the health care law, Americans who don’t purchase government-approved insurance policies face a fine of $95, or 1 percent of taxable income, for 2014. In 2015, the fine is scheduled to increase to $325, or 2 percent of taxable income.

The new bill would effectively push back that implementation timeline for a year, by setting the fine at $0 for 2014 and then reducing the 2015 fine to $95 (the current 2014 level).

It's hard to see how they can possibly justify imposing the "shared responsibility payment" (how Orwellian does that sound?), but it appears to be a hill Democrats are willing to die on. Let's help them.

Speaking of "Shared Responsibility Payments" some restaurants are adding a surcharge to checks to reflect the additional cost of Obamacare:

Some restaurants have made the decision to charge customers for Obamacare: Gator's Dockside restaurants in Florida have added a 1% Affordable Care Act surcharge on their diners' tabs, while at least one popular restaurant in Los Angeles has added a 3% charge to bills.

Gator's Restaurant Receipt Lists Obamacare Surcharge
In Florida, The Gator Group told CNNMoney that the company had to implement "the surcharge now because of the compliance costs it's facing ahead of the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate kicking in in 2015." So even though their employees won't get health insurance coverage until December, customers are feeling the pinch now.

The costs associated with ACA compliance could ultimately close our doors," the sign [in the restaurant] reads. "Instead of raising prices on our products to generate the additional revenue needed to cover the costs of ACA compliance, certain Gator's Dockside locations have implemented a 1% surcharge on all food and beverage purchases only.

And Obamacare continues to be like Hotel California, "you check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

A Florida TV station reports that a man has spent 50-60 hours trying to cancel his Obamacare plan, and he still can't get off it:

"We are hearing about a new problem that involves the Affordable Care Act," said the anchor. "People who signed up for coverage are finding it impossible to cancel their plans. Channel 9's Lori Brown spoke with an Orlando man who has been trying unsuccessfully to cancel for more than six weeks now."

"Andrew Robinson was looking forward to getting health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. He has a small publishing business and works part time, so he hasn't had coverage. In early January he signed up for a plan that cost nearly $300 a month. About a half hour later he and his wife realized they could barely afford that. They quickly found a less expensive plan through Humana for $116 a month," says the reporter.

"I immediately called back the Florida Blue and asked them to cancel the policy I just set up," says Robinson.

"But he quickly learned canceling Obamacare is no easy task. ... More than six weeks later after spending 50 to 60 hours on the phone his policy is still not canceled and he is still waiting for the payment Florida Blue withdrew from his account to be refunded."

But since one of the central, if unstated, goals of the plan is to get people hooked on government paid healthcare, this is feature, not a bug.

The Republicans are continuing to punch back against Senator Reid's characterization of anyone who publically disapproves of Obamacare as "liars."  The NRSC produced this ad:

The NRSC needs to cut this down to a 60-second spot and start putting it on the air in places like Arkansas, North Carolina, and Louisiana, but also Minnesota and New Hampshire. It should run in every Senate race no matter how safe the incumbent Democrat might be.

Finally, from the Department of Rosie Colored Glasses, Ted Cruz evinces certainty that Obamacare will be repealed, lock stock and barrel:

The Republican senator from Texas and potential 2016 presidential candidate made the comment before the Tea Party Patriots-hosted five-year anniversary event held in Washington, D.C.

“I am absolutely convinced we are going to repeal every single word of Obamacare,” Cruz told the Tea Party audience.

Cruz stated that “there is no more destructive law” than the Affordable Care Act.
“If you listen to the media, if you listen to Democrats — although I repeat myself — they will say the fight to stop Obamacare did not succeed,” Cruz said. “Really? Well, I’m a big believer the proof is in the pudding. Last fall, millions of Americans rose up and said, ‘Stop the disaster that is Obamacare.’”