Obama Smokescreen

Just when you thought their noses couldn't grow any more, Obama and Sebelius are tag teaming their way to blaming someone else for problems they caused. Rising health insurance premiums can't be blamed on Bush, so they pick another candidate.

Blame the health insurance companies.

But before addressing their bullshit, let's take a look at what Obamacrap is requiring health insurance companies to cover.

70+ preventive care benefits, many of which are not currently included in existing plans. All of these benefits are to be offered at NO COST TO THE PATIENT. That means either the doctors and labs must agree to offer their services for free or premiums must increase to take on this additional cost.

Obamacrap eliminates annual and lifetime benefit maximums. No more $5,000 drug caps or $100,000 annual benefit maximums. Striking caps is not a bad thing but it isn't free.

DAMN (drug, alcohol, mental and nervous) benefits must be covered as any illness. No more differentiation in copay's or separate benefits for DAMN coverage. These claims must be treated as any other illness.

Same for maternity. If your plan covers maternity it must treat that claim as it would any other illness. No more separate deductibles or limits.

No more HSA/HRA/FSA coverage for OTC drugs without a prescription. That means more office visits to get that required prescription and possibly even a change to a different, more expensive medication . . . since you are already visiting the doctor any way . . .

And let's not forget the health insurance equivalent of "no child left behind". As of 9/23/10 health insurance companies will be required to offer coverage to any child that applies for insurance without regard to pre-existing medical conditions. In other words, if you have a child, sick or well, health insurance companies cannot deny coverage, no matter how expensive treatment for existing medical conditions may be.

Take a moment to catch your breath and think about all these NEW benefits that must be paid for by health insurance companies. Benefits that were not covered 6 months ago.

Now for the Obama and Sebelius bullshit.

The AP is reporting that HHS Secretary Kathleen Shebullshits is taking aim at and declaring war on health insurance companies if they try and blame Obamacrap for increased health insurance rates.

President Barack Obama's top health official on Thursday warned the insurance industry that the administration won't tolerate blaming premium hikes on the new health overhaul law.

"There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a letter to the insurance lobby

Misinformation indeed. Obamacrap was built in secret, behind closed doors in spite of promises the public would have time to review the proposal before it was to come to a vote. This was part of a pledge to have the most transparent administration ever.

"Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections," Sebelius said. She warned that bad actors may be excluded from new health insurance markets that will open in 2014 under the law. They'd lose out on a big pool of customers, as many as 30 million people nationwide.

Get a clue, Shebullshits.

Half the 30 million that are supposed to be covered will go on welfare and be assigned to Medicaid. If the other 15 million or so are "prizes", then why are so many health insurance companies running as far as they can from Obamacrap? Some carriers have already announced they are withdrawing completely from the individual health insurance market while others are making noises like they won't be here past 2011.

Doesn't exactly sound like they are chomping at the bit to play that game.

Although the law's big expansion of coverage under the law won't take place until 2014, several new benefits go into effect starting later this month. Lifetime dollar caps on coverage are abolished, and plans must allow parents to keep their children on the policy up to age 26. Many plans will also have to guarantee coverage for children regardless of a medical condition, and provide preventive care with no cost-sharing for the patient.

The administration estimates that those new benefits will raise premiums by no more than 1 to 2 percent.

Estimates are worthless, especially given Washington's track record on projecting costs. The ink on Obamacrap is hardly dry and already the CBO and actuaries at CMS are saying earlier cost figures for Obamacrap are low.

So far, very few Georgia health insurance companies have released post 9/23 rates. The few that have are increasing 5 - 8% with childrens' rates tracking much higher.