The other day I posted up about some local reporting on the ACA.
It wasn't so much just to point to the reporting previous to and that nights reporting from just one local news outlet. It was about almost all the reporting, local and national, which while talking about a subject issue wasn't about that issue but was all about a failed website release used to somehow point out the issue, Affordable Health Care, law, was a total failure not just the website roll out.
That website was built by some six private government contractors. The main contractor already had questionable abilities for same in building government contracted sites in this technology age. And even with the total failures Wall Street doesn't seem to mind rewarding failures, same for the other contractors, to the investors anyway to increase wealth is a success. Said companies are still fighting to be paid in full, by the government, for the crap they produced!
These companies had months to put together the website, no matter how complicated it was to perform what with integrating other Government agency needs into the finished product. We've gotten used, with frustrations and rage sometimes, to expecting glitches that need patching in the tech products released for human consumption, seems everything is in beta form, not just software and websites but consumer products, and let the customer find what needs fixing.
And now the politics, and much of the reporting, brings to mind same in the quick abandoning of the missions after 9/11 with the drum beating to invade Iraq, is not about the companies totally crappy products but because of the law that is held to be constitutional. It's not what it should be, because of the politics of obstruction, but like almost all legislative laws it now has a very strong foundation to be built further on to enhance for all in our society and on a major issue no one can escape from.
Same politics, same reporting, now demand the extremely failed private government work be fixed instantly. No need to report on the policy itself, especially by the politics seeking to destroy the need for and giving no alternatives nor help in enhancing, the website product produced shows it's all total failure and needs to go.
The insurance corporations also had months to rework policies to apply to the new law. Instead with the roll out of the main parts of and led by the bigger companies they decided to not only continue selling the same plans but collectively cancel all policies not grandfathered into with no fixes to comply. They couldn't even stay in contact with their policy holders warning them of what might be coming. Many of these cancelled plans had policy holders already being cancelled, or refused coverage, if costly health care was needed. think insurance company death panels, a popular political talking point that was already taking place for years but used to negatively attack the law itself, government fear mongering as lead for government obstruction!
Yesterday reports started surfacing about Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina plans and a requested rate increases, from some 16% to 24%, for those cancelled plans now reinstated on the Presidents request for another year. Better check your own states possible requests to state insurance regulators.
Last night we got a local news media report on same that in short time connected many points.
In the beginning of the report and in interviewing a BCBSNC executive, insurance salesman, we get the usual double speak, known from insurance sales pitches, about why the request for and it's need. Which leads to asking customers about and sames response:
Nov 20, 2013 - Bob Cubbler says even though he could keep his Blue Cross policy next year, he still did a search on Healthcare.gov, and he says he found a range of offers there, all of them less expensive than the quote his insurance broker gave him directly."I couldn't believe that this was true," Cubbler says. "That by just going on a website, you could save so much money. It's almost 50% for the cheapest one."
Dennis Watkins of Statesville has a similar story of finding success on the government exchange.
Which then leads to another response from the BCBSNC executive:
We asked Clary if Blue Cross plans offered on Healthcare.gov are drastically different than those you'll find by calling Blue Cross directly. And the answer - yes - because those on this site are all ACA compliant."They can be," Clary says. "Some people will qualify for those plans. Those plans also carry benefits that not all the non-grandfathered plans do."
So even though you may not have to search here yet...with rates rising anyway...you may want to.
"You may decide you're more satisfied with an ACA compliant plan," Clary says. read more>>>
Seems ya can't double speak all of reality, no matter how good a salesman ya might think you are, or a politician or talking head.
And speaking of North Carolina and Health Care another report came out, very quietly, and websites for:
20 November 2013 - State health officials say glitches are being worked out in the new Medicaid claims processing system called NCTracks. read more>>>
These fixes have been apparently been going on for the past couple of months and still not completed.
Should be noted that North Carolina is one of the States not accepting the expanded, federally funded with tax monies sent to the federal treasury and then sent back to the states to fund policies and more, Medicaid coverage for it's poorer citizens and those still being hit by the collapsed economy. That tells me that someone needs to pick up any coverage for health concerns for those that won't be covered with help from the Federal Government and State government. Meaning higher policy rates for those purchasing as well as tax payer monies from already tight budgets.
As to Medicaid or Uninsured, I've read a huge number of replies and talked directly to a few people who are stating extreme costs rises for plans found on the exchanges, showing who they're listening to and buying into, and where they say they'll not get coverage but just pay the fines. I've pointed out on some and to some directly that that would be doing exactly what they charge others already have been doing for years, getting free health care on the tax payers dollars. Even collectively combining all the fines paid to cover those who need health care it wouldn't cover the expenses of those who need. Those I've directly talked to I know can afford coverage, some with needed subsidies built into the ACA. Will they think about that, doubt it. They'll just keep parroting the same points they already have over and over.
The state has been having all kinds of problems and on many issues, especially with consumers using private government contracted websites to sign up or for information. With food stamps, welfare and something about the education grades that surfaced the other day. With the websites and with the changes in the policies surrounding same.
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