ObamaCare is Failing

Before I turn to the latest example of how ObamaCare is failing, I want to share some good news on an entirely different subject.

Remember how I used last week’s advisory to warn you about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) plan to develop a national license plate tracking system and database?

Remember how I asked you to contact your Senators and Representatives in Washington, D.C., to speak against the creation of that database?

Remember how I even gave you a link to easily locate the names and phone numbers for your elected representatives?

Well, I am extremely happy to let you know that it worked.

Many of you, joined by many of your fellow Americans, quickly contacted your representatives in Washington and spoke out. Because of the rapid negative reaction from Americans like you, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – the parent agency to ICE – pulled the plan this week.

Many of you also wrote me with your thoughts, concerns and suggestions about the issue. I appreciate the emails, and I will answer each one of them this week. I had some forced down time for a medical issue the last few weeks, but I’m glad to say I’ve been given the all-clear and should be firing on all cylinders this week. Before anything else, I’ll be answering all your emails tomorrow morning. So keep an eye on your inbox!

OK, let’s turn to ObamaCare.

As a nation, we’re entering the phase of ObamaCare where we are now seeing enough data following the October 1, 2013 start date that we can assess whether ObamaCare is living up to the Obama administration’s hype.

And, as I predicted, it’s not.

I had a talk radio show when ObamaCare was first introduced as a plan and was in the legislative phase in the U.S. Congress. Not a week went by that we didn’t have at least one expert on the show to talk about different aspects of ObamaCare. In other words, for years I was educating myself every week about one facet or another of Obamacare.

I quickly became convinced that the program could not and would not work.

Now, we are seeing that is in fact the case.

This week, the Denver Post ran an article headlined, “Young avoid coverage in Colorado, posing problem for health care law.”

Let me share a few key paragraphs from the article that illustrate how ObamaCare is not the program the Obama administration claimed.

“Matt Leising spends about $3,600 a year on medication to treat asthma and sinus problems, so he was supportive when Washington politicians were debating the Affordable Care Act.

“After the law passed and then began rolling out last fall, Leising went to Colorado’s health care exchange website to look for coverage, but the 29-year-old Littleton resident quickly realized he couldn’t afford any of the plans. He said he checked single plans and family plans because he is engaged.

“The family plan with the lowest monthly premium had a deductible of $10,000, meaning he would still have to pay for his medication and other expenses, he said. He decided to just pay for his medication out of pocket and take the tax penalty.

“’How could a young person nowadays afford it?’ asked Leising, the manager of a small business that doesn’t provide health insurance. ‘I don’t see how anyone in my age group can afford insurance unless they have a really good job.’”

After providing an example of a young person who is signed up for ObamaCare, the Denver Post told another story.

“But 27-year-old Fort Collins resident Sarah Hardin would rather save the money and pay out of pocket for treatment than spend the roughly $800 a month she said it would cost to cover her and her husband.

“’When we’re not paying anything now, anything is a significant jump,’ said Hardin, who owns a hair salon and makes too much to qualify for a subsidy. ‘Paying anything monthly is a lot.’

“Hardin doesn’t like that the Affordable Care Act is shifting costs onto young, healthy people to subsidize care for older and sicker people.

“’They would have young people paying more for insurance and people don’t want to pay into the system,’ she said. ‘They’re not going to want to do that.’

“Hardin said the only way she and her husband would buy health insurance is if the federal tax penalty is more than the annual costs of the policy. The maximum family penalty next year is $285 and increases to $695 a person in 2016. Those annual penalties pale to the cost of coverage for Hardin.

“The penalty ‘would have to be pretty significant,’ she said. ‘Most of my network connections and friends or colleagues pretty much feel the same way.’”

Among so many other issues with ObamaCare – issues you may have experienced yourself or with your family and friends – the stories of Sarah Hardin and Matt Leising tell one of the biggest problems of all.

Young people are not signing up in large enough numbers to provide the premiums that will be needed to keep ObamaCare afloat.

And why should they. These young people are doing the math and responding rationally to the reality that the tax penalty is far, far lower than the costs (premiums, plus deductibles and out of pocket expenses) of the policies that are available. And, many of the policies don’t allow patients to use the doctors and medical facilities they need or have used in the past.

There are many folks – myself included – who believe that President Obama and those in Congress who supported the passage of ObamaCare never cared whether it worked or not because their true goal is single-payer, fully socialized medicine.

Given the current state of ObamaCare’s failures, it’s hard to see how that won’t be the next step.

What do you think? What has been your personal experience with ObamaCare?

Do you think the actual goal is to move the country toward fully socialized health care?

Have you decided to pay the tax penalty instead of enrolling in ObamaCare?

Have you seen any impact from Obamacare at the company you own or work for?

Write me at [email protected] and I’ll use your experiences as the basis for future advisories as we discuss a topic that impacts the health and safety of every American.

Be safe and secure,

Rob Douglas