Monday, November 18, 2013

Obamacare update

Forget the websites. Who lied. Who knew. The federal government issued new rules regarding health insurance coverage under Obamacare. The New York Times reported:

The Obama administration on Friday will complete a generation-long effort to require insurers to cover care for mental health and addiction just like physical illnesses when it issues long-awaited regulations defining parity in benefits and treatment.

The rules, which will apply to almost all forms of insurance, will have far-reaching consequences for many Americans. In the White House, the regulations are also seen as critical to President Obama’s program for curbing gun violence by addressing an issue on which there is bipartisan agreement: Making treatment more available to those with mental illness could reduce killings, including mass murders.

According to administration officials, the rule would ensure that health plans’ co-payments, deductibles and limits on visits to health care providers are not more restrictive or less generous for mental health benefits than for medical and surgical benefits. Significantly, the regulations would clarify how parity applies to residential treatments and outpatient services, where much of the care for people with addictions or mental illnesses occurs.

Insurance companies have raised concerns about the expense involved in paying for the lengthy and intensive courses of treatment that the final regulations address. But experts have said the rules are not expected to significantly add to the cost of coverage because so few patients require these levels of care.....


Any geographic or facility-type limitations would have to be comparable for medical and mental health benefits. For example, an administration official said, an insurer “can’t say you can only get substance-abuse treatment in state but you can go anywhere for medical/surgical.”

The regulations, which specifically put into effect the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, would affect most Americans with insurance — roughly 85 percent of the population — whether their policies are from employer plans, other group plans, or coverage purchased in the market for individual plans.

The final parity rules do not apply to health plans that manage care for millions of low-income people on Medicaid. However, the administration has previously issued guidance to state health officials saying that such plans should meet the parity requirements of the 2008 law..... Article

Finance blogger Mish took issue with the "so few patients require this level of care" argument:

Supposedly costs won't rise much because few people demand mental health services. Well, watch what happens when you mandate expanded "free" services.

And if by some amazing miracle additional free services do not increase costs, it's important to note that a small percentage of people are responsible for huge portions of 

And included this little chart.

 Read the rest of his post.  Contains some interesting information. 

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can't read this......just gets worse and worse.

The Libertarian said...

And the first time you use your new mental health coverage.....there go your guns.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again to those senators and representatives who had no problem in allowing this crap to be funded.

We screamed DEFUND and you good old boys sat by and watched everyone get screwed.

Anonymous said...

Many of these "patients" will be in Re-Hab forever. Then the Street People will receive shelter in these facilities. Prisoners will receive mental health diagnosis, in lieu of jail. Re-Habbers will be re-runners, in and out of the facilities again and again. Government and state studies show almost 20% of the population is mental ill. Damn, Damn, Damn.

Anonymous said...

The damage of ObamaCare is just starting and it will not go away. It is incredibly important that anyone who thinks it will collapse on its own weight be disabused of that notion.

If Republicans cannot manipulate the law by having constructive alternatives that appeal to the broader public, the health care system is destroyed and we only have ourselves to blame.

bill said...

This is not good. Charles Whitman needed more help than George Jones, and the system won't have enough money to treat them both as mental health patients. I agree with 2:48 above - our system is doomed if we can't win control of Congress and come up with something better than the ACA.

Anonymous said...

3:15 you're right. How do you suggest we get rid of the cronyism on all levels?

bill said...

I'm not talking about cronyism. I'm talking about a shrinking tax base that is going to be expected to take care of a growing patient base.

But now that you mention it, I think you take the cronyism out of health care by taking the federal government out of health care. All they are is an additional insurance company, one loaded down with bureaucracy and corruption at every level. Start by letting health care go back to being everyone's individual responsibility and let the local communities and state governments provide care for those who need it and can't afford it.

Anonymous said...

State insurance commissioners have the baby with the reinstatements of cancelled policies. Parity is now in their lap. The state legislatures, the lobby, and committee rooms will be packed in the several statehouses. Its going to be a bawl among the professional groups with the worked insured slogging away at their workplaces while the interest groups have the ears of the powerful.

Anonymous said...

Diseases of the brain are no different than diseases of the body. Kudos to the Administration for requiring insurers to cover both equally. And alcoholism/addiction is a disease and has been recognized as such by the AMA since the early 1950's.

This is a GOOD thing.

Anonymous said...

President Compulsive Liar will go down as the worst in United States history.

Anonymous said...

Make AA and 12 steps part of the core curriculum in public schools and all our problems would be solved.

Anonymous said...

If only it were true that the mentally ill wouldn't have access to guns anymore.
If only more troubled children would get the help they needed before they became a threat to others.
But, our society no longer sees the bullies as needing mental health help, just the bullied.
Crazy is " in". Crazy behavior results in celebrity status. Crazy wins elections as crazy is now a voting block. Crazy has political legitimacy and is given Orwellian nouns like terrorism or adjectives like " far" as in " far right or far left". Crazies take over organizations by scaring off the rational. Crazies , along with the ignorant and intellectually challenged make wonderful foot soldiers for sociopaths.
Therein lies the problem. We spend a lot of time comparing others to our infamous crazies like Hitler and Stalin without ever bothering to learn how it was such people were able to rise to power in the first place. We think ourselves superior to the masses of Germans and Russians who initially supported these awful men. We think in political philosophies rather than notice how they assigned blame and demonized their opposition so it became okay to kill them eventually.
That curve won't soar and crazies will still have guns. It's only a very small percentage of crazies who will seek help or parents who will admit " little Johnny" isn't quite right.

Comrade Barry Fraud said...

President Complete Incompetent caught again.

CNN: Private consulting firm warned of glitches before healthcare.gov launch

A newly disclosed report indicates that officials in the Obama administration and the Department of Health and Human Services received warnings from a private consultant group that the federal online healthcare enrollment site could potentially fail to function properly for the October 1 launch date.
.....
The Obama administration has come under fire for the botched October 1 launch of healthcare.gov. The site has been plagued with technical issues barring many enrollees from signing up for the federal exchange though the site. This report suggests problems were brought to the attention of key officials as early as March.

The administration has said the President didn't know of problems with the Affordable Care Act's website until after its fumbled rollout - even though insurance companies had been complaining and the site crashed during a pre-launch test run.

CNN received the report from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The committee said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius received a briefing at the HHS headquarters with these concerns on April 4, along with acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Marilyn Tavenner and White House chief technology officer Todd Park. Park was also present at a briefing on March 28 at the CMS headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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