...Fox News Peddles Willful Ignorance.
All you Republicans who holler about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act being "rammed down our throats!" (why the obsession with this image when discussing a plan that looks very much like plans proposed by Republicans Richard Nixon, John Chafee, and Paul Ryan?) need to have a talk with Ohio Governor John Kasich. His legislature refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Governor Kasich thus did an end run and used the obscure Ohio Controlling Board to enact the expansion. This legislatively appointed oversight panel usually handles small tweaks to the budget to avoid having to drag the Legislature back into session. They're giving Governor Kasich their biggest fiscal tweak ever, authorizing Governor Kasich to spend the $2.5 billion Uncle Sam will give Ohio to cover health care for low-income folks. Republican legislators are suing to keep their neighbors from getting that coverage.
Across the Ohio River, another part of the Affordable Care Act is working quite well. Kentucky chose to build its own health insurance exchange rather than throwing its residents into the larger, more complicated federal exchange. Their system, KYNECT, is leading the nation in connecting citizens with affordable health insurance. Democratic Governor Steve Beshear says Kentucky's exchange is signing up 1,000 people a day. He says governors like our own Dennis Daugaard who haven't set up a state exchange are clinging to a counterproductive political position that will collapse under popular demand:
...my message to these governors that didn't set up their own exchange but also haven't expanded their Medicaid program is simply this: You're missing the boat, and you're putting politics before the interest of your people. You know, it's going to create 17,000 new jobs over the next eight years. So it's a win-win situation for us here in Kentucky.
And I predict to you, Robin, that down the road, sooner or later, every one of these states are going to have to step up and get involved in these programs because their people are going to demand it [Governor Steve Beshear, interview with Robin Young, "Kentucky Health Exchange Shines as Federal Site Stumbles," WBUR: Here and Now, 2013.10.22].
Some regular citizens are mirroring their governors in shooting their families in the foot with willful ignorance about the Affordable Care Act. Via blog neighbor Terry Sohn, I learn about a Sean Hannity Fox interview with three families claiming that the Affordable Care Act is hurting their families. Fact-checking by Salon's Eric Stern finds that all three families are getting the facts wrong and even ignoring opportunities the ACA offers to save money:
- Paul and Michelle Cox claim the ACA prevents them from expanding their construction business. They currently have four employees. The ACA puts just one mandate on companies that size: they must tell their employees that the federal exchange, healthcare.gov, exists. Insurance requirements apply to companies with 50 or more employees.
- Allison and Kurt Denijs buy their insurer's claim that changes to their policy are required by the ACA, even though Stern notes that the changes in question were typical to any insurer pre-ACA. Stern also finds that the ACA exchange would provide them better coverage that would include their daughter, whose pre-existing condition makes coverage under their current policy unaffordable, and save them thousands of dollars.
- Robbie and Tina Robison grumble that their new ACA-compliant policy covers health care procedures they don't need... pretty much like every insurance policy pre-ACA. They refuse on principle to shop on the ACA exchange. Stern finds doing so could save them $6,300 a year.
None of these three Fox-interview couples had bothered to check the facts on their ACA exchange. But people will. And pretty soon they'll figure out that the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credit is just like the earned income credit, or the child tax credit, or the mortgage interest deduction, or the moving expense adjustment. There may be ideologues out there who are so intensely committed to resisting dependency on the government that they write down their income on their 1040, skip all the adjustments, exemptions, and credits, and decline to take whatever refund they have coming. (Hey, Annette Bosworth! You don't take the Child Tax Credit for your three boys, do you?)
But at 1040 time, most Americans aren't political. They're going to check the boxes that put the most money back in their pockets. When they see that the premium tax credit can put thousands of dollars back in their family budgets, they're going forget all this Fox folderol and take the deal. In twenty years, you'll have moms and dads coming to town halls to shout at Senator Taylor Weiland, "Keep your darn government hands off my Affordable Care!"
Political resistance to the Medicaid expansion and state-run exchanges will erode in the same way. Dennis Daugaard can only ignore for so long the moral and fiscal advantages of expanding Medicaid that now fully half of his gubernatorial counterparts, including staunch Republican John Kasich, are now accepting. Dennis Daugaard can only refuse for so long to provide his citizens the quality insurance exchange service Kentucky and Minnesota and others are working to deliver.
Pretty soon, politicking gives way to doing what works. Social Security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act... all good programs, and all here to stay.
Public radio or TV interviewed a governor, possibly the Kentucky governor, who noted that coverage of more people made the state more attractive to business since a healthy workforce is an asset.
Daugaard's leeting the wingnut right jerk his puppet strings endangers economic development, health, and education in South Dakota. His adherence to obstructionist mythology costs all of us directly or indirectly. It is political malfeasance.
I caught the Eric Stern interview last week on CNN'S Reliable Sources and commented on it somewhere on Madville. He quickly dispelled the willful ignorance of those complaining about ACA and exposed their willful fraud.
The other day I took a lunch break at Tally's in downtown Rapid City, sitting at at a table were 3 young men to talking about the ACA website, etc. Eventually they started to discuss how easy it is to sabotage the website and phone numbers.
In the past few days it has been revealed that the web designers saw red flags and glitches in the operational system and did move fast enough to correct them.
Anything new, particularly on the internet, is bound to have some problems and can take time to work.
In true American fashion many want instant gratification of their needs, whether be hunger or health insurance and anything in between is a failure to meet those needs.
Now, I am in no way a believer in conspiracy theories nor do I wear a tinfoil hat, however, I smell a big rat.
It would be interesting to see if the problems of the ACA website are aided or complicated by those with sinister intentions.
On Midco's Channel 2, out of Sioux Falls, I was the appalled witness of a Tea Party ad against the ACA, in which a bald guy sat in front of a photo of Obama and a photo of Lenin and, speaking in an excruciatingly bad Russian accent, explained how happy they were to take away our freedoms on behalf of the Dear Leader, and how paying for the ACA would prevent people from paying (among other things) their student loans. I noted that they ignored the fact that the GOP Congress shot down any amelioration of student loans, including interest rates... Anyway, just plain hateful, ignorant, and out and out lying. But proudly served up by the Tea Party out of Tea, SD.
[Update 2013.10.24 18:20 CDT: MDR talks to ad creator Allen Unruh—go figure!—and posts the full two-minute ad from Gordon Howie's Liberty Today.]
Roger, thank you for helping to bring that fact-checking to people's attention!
Eve, how awful! Is that Lenin ad online? And it was locally made?
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/October/21/cancellation-notices-health-insurance.aspx
Les, you intended to highlight the following quote from that Kaiser Health News article, right?
"By all accounts, the new policies will offer consumers better coverage, in some cases, for comparable cost -- especially after the inclusion of federal subsidies for those who qualify. The law requires policies sold in the individual market to cover 10 “essential” benefits, such as prescription drugs, mental health treatment and maternity care. In addition, insurers cannot reject people with medical problems or charge them higher prices. The policies must also cap consumers’ annual expenses at levels lower than many plans sold before the new rules."
Roger, I'd bet just about anything that teabaggers, insurance companies, and other such types are working diligently to sabotage ACA in any and every way they can.
Can you possibly read the whole story Cory or is this blog just a convenient reality.
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Couldn't postpone the ACA during the shutdown, but hey, guess what? It is now postponed.
I did read the whole article. Obviously you didn't want to highlight the quote that seemed most salient to me. What exactly is your point? That the initial technical problems mean we should scrap the whole plan? That we should have scrapped our rockets when Chafee, Grissom, and White died on the launch pad? That Target and Best Buy should shut down their online retailing when things go wrong? (Do note, Les, that I am agreeing that the federal health insurance exchange is not working as it should.)
To the critics like Les in the GOP I would only ask if Donald Rumsfeld's admonition had the same affect on their outrage.
"It isn't a matter of money. It isn't a matter on the part of the army of desire. It's a matter of production and capability of doing it. As you know, ah, you go to war with the army you have---not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.---You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up..."
Les, have you noticed how well the system is working and how many people who were uninsured have signed up in states that weren't doing everything in their power to block the ACA?
I link an article that highlights issues from both sides and all you can see or quote is what is most salient to you, and you say it is obvious what I don't want to highlight?.! I would have thought a delay to rebuild what should not have needed rebuilding in the first place would have been the honorable thing for our Prez.
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Only salient if your mind can get around it in a political fashion that suits you it appears. Somehow I have trouble seeing you agreeing it is not working as it should Cory, though I see it loud and clear after your explosion on the launch pad.
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We must be well over 30 on the new plan in SD by now. Cash for klunkers at 24,000/klunk and overheads without med cost at 20,000/head for our great state.
Wait...I think I see where Les is coming from.
Remember how GOP Secretary of States made sure that minority and Democratic leaning precincts were understaffed and under represented by polling locations? Those people waited for hours on end, missing work or taking unpaid time off to legally vote in one of the most sacred rights of democracy.
Mind you, I'm not dismissing the problems with the ACA website's problems, even in spite of the free market private business contractors who built it, I'm just putting it into a little perspective to highlight, ONCE AGAIN, the hypocrisy of the GOP.
It enrages Mr. H when I point this out, Ms. Jana, but our SD State Secretary did not consciously make sure any precincts were understaffed. He did not and this is a fact. Mr. Gant does not staff those places.
Grudz, can you knock off the repetitive references to what you think "enrages" me and just talk seriously about the issues?
Les brings up an interesting point on the number of people who have signed up in South Dakota. I've also seen the news stories talking about that number and parroting the national stories on the website glitches.
What I haven't seen is context.
It would be interesting to know how many signed up for the South Dakota risk pool during it's first two weeks of introduction.
It would be interesting to see how many individual policies were sold each month in South Dakota, of equal quality, to uninsured people for the last two years.
It would be interesting to see how many people signed up, as a percentage of eligible, for the unfunded Medicare Part D program in it's first weeks.
It would also be interesting to see what the rate of increase in health premiums was now as compared to year by year over the last decade or so.
I'm sure we can look forward to that complete reporting. (right DM, Woster, KELOLAND, KOTA, KDLT, KSFY, KEVN, KNBN, RCJ, BR, AAN, PCJ, YPD, MDJ, MDR, WNAX...)
I could be wrong on this, but it looks to me like if no one is going to sign up for Obamacare and Denny will not expand medicaid, then our property taxes will surely go through the roof when the medical bills come from the hospitals and the docs. The hospitals have a lot of sick people and injured folks that show up in the ER and stuff like that, so if there is no one to pay, it goes to the taxpayers just like before. Now though, it will be worse. What a dilemma. Unintended consequences for not having affordable healthcare could mean that even the rich guys may have to empty their own bed pans. Oh, the agony.
So some of you are saying Republicans will go to great lengths, even shutting down our government, costing our economy millions, or billions of dollars and painful hardships to veterans and others, but they would not do their best to sabotage ACA or make it much more difficult for Dems to vote?
Don't think I can buy your theory.
Jana,
Now that is a challenge worth taking up by a credible investigative reporter, I certainly hope someone bites.
I understand Les's hate for the ACA, and how can find anything and everything wrong with regardless if at some point it serves to help him. He probably wouldn't admit it anyway.
I have the same kind of distaste for the farm bill and the state of our socialized agricultural industry, so therefore if I keep my blinders on, I'll never see anything good about it.
Not to question you Grud, but I was referring not just to our own disgraced SoS, but to Secs of State around the country who have oversight of equal and fair voting places?
How'd that work in Florida? How is the GOP trying to reduce voting rights for people who traditionally vote Democratic? Seen the new Texas law on the books that penalizes women who are married?
I think your meds need a shift Jana. Somehow your fixation on Rumsfield compares with my thoughts on healthcare? Notice, of the 14Mil buying their own health insurance 3Mil have been cancelled out to add coverage to a few Mil that didn't have it before. So now the cancelled out buyers of ins get to go to Emergency while the new ACA insured get to wait in line. Cool. Now it's you in the waiting room and I roll right through emergency care.
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“The arithmetic is inescapable,” Unless you're liberal Miss Jana spending Mr Les' money.
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If the ACA was a living breathing person with illness and I asked for treatment to correct the illness, the rabid liberal here would say I'm trying to kill this person.
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Sigh.......Somewhere I heard that is an effective way to make a point as I close my post.
"""knock off the repetitive references to what you think "enrages" me and just talk seriously""' Pot, meet kettle.
Gosh Les, when your meds wear off could you try that again? Not really following your numbers. Is the 3 million fact or speculation? Will those 3 million get a better deal from ACA than their employer offers?
By the way, did you see what happened when Sean Hannity's real life examples of the horrors of Obamacare was actually fact checked. You should.
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/18/inside_the_fox_news_lie_machine_i_fact_checked_sean_hannity_on_obamacare/
Gosh, who can forget the screeching about Obamacare costing people full time jobs.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/us-usa-economy-obamacare-idUSBRE99L0R120131022
In the immortal words of the Great Republican leader Rick Perry..."Oops"
To better understand the GOP approach, we need only look to the wisdom and GOP philosophy embraced and preached by Rand Paul.
"Misinformation works!"
http://publichealthwatch.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/rand-pauls-advice-to-medical-students-misinformation-works/
I like this one from the Ohio governor himself, "When you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he's probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small, but he's going to ask you what you did for the poor. You'd better have a good answer."
Words to live by Les
I will try harder, Mr. H.
Ms. Jana, I see now that you were not just referring to Mr. Gant. However, do those other state secretaries have control of all these local voting precincts because I am pretty sure that here in South Dakota Mr. Gant does not. I could be wrong.
"If the ACA was a living breathing person with illness and I asked for treatment to correct the illness, the rabid liberal here would say I'm trying to kill this person."
Wait, let me get this straight by just paraphrasing slightly.
"If Jane was a living breathing person with illness and I asked for treatment to correct the illness, the rabid liberal here would say I'm trying to kill this person." Actually Les, we would applaud you for trying to save Jane with treatment.
That's the whole point of Obamacare...if someone is sick, let's make sure that they can get treatment and have it covered by insurance as opposed to a shadow tax on everyone else. You see, Jane will have insurance now and not be a...how did Mitt Romney put it...a free rider?
Or did I miss your point and you were only thinking of it as you are trying to save Obamacare from the glitchy website? How noble of you Les to save Obamacare.
Wait Jana, let me twist your words just slightly. Remedial reading comprehension would help you present yourself Jana.
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All these noble words are heartening Jer. I also think our creator will look at us and judge us by our actions not by others opinion of our actions. He will also say, I trusted you with much and you squandered it when it could have cared for the weak and the poor. Whether I've satisfied Jer or Jana on giving will not be the call on having done enough.
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The enlightened crowd continues to destroy rather than unite, hoping for feel good rather than do good. Drone on, drone on lovers of life, health and pursuit of happiness. As long as we don't drone on "our" poor, St Peter's got the gate open.
I seem to remember a news story on $500,000 being sent to South Dakota to help educate, inform and assist people in signing up for the Affordable Care Act.
Does anyone know who got that money and what they are doing?
Not sure, but I thought I heard that a group where Russ Olson served on the board was one of the groups accepting the money.
CAH, do you have any info on that?
I'm simply not buying the numbers being tossed to us by Les or the information provided on his website referrals.
The core of the debate is, why don't Republicans want ALL Americans healthy, I do believe there is an answer and it is not fiscal.
Democrats are constantly condemned for their "feel good" solutions to social problems while Republicans wage a War on the Poor and Sick. Personally, I'd much rather be party to a positive effort than to do nothing at all or to actively work against people that do help.
President Obama has repeatedly stated that if you can offer something better than ACA he wants to hear from you.
Stace Nelson couldn't answer that challenge her on Madville last week, other than a stock answer of get the government out of healthcare, and I'm pretty sure Les can't propose anything better either.
Found this on who got the money:
South Dakota Community Action Partnership
Anticipated grant amount: $336,000
The South Dakota Community Action Partnership will work with partners to assist South Dakota’s 92,441 uninsured consumers to prepare electronic and/or paper applications that will establish eligibility and enrollment in coverage through the Marketplace and potentially qualify
for an insurance affordability program. The South Dakota Navigators Coalition will also provide outreach and education to raise awarenes
s about the Marketplace, and will refer consumers to consumer assistance programs when necessary.
Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board*
Anticipated grant amount: $264,000
The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB) is a community based consumer focused non-profit that will provide enrollment assistance to American Indians residing on and
near the eight Reservations in South Dakota and the four Reservations and one Indian Service Area in North Dakota and those residing in major urban areas served by Urban Indian Health Centers in these two States.
Here's what I could find on the South Dakota Community Action Partnership.
http://www.interlakescap.com/web/index.php?siteid=242&pageid=22771
Then there's this: (click on the Northeast South Dakota Community Action Partnership link...being in Chinese might be a barrier to understanding Obamacare)
http://rocsinc.org/CAAs.htm
And then the Facebook page with 57 likes.
https://www.facebook.com/SouthDakotaCAP
Sure hoping we get more than this for our $336,000.00.
After painfully looking for information on the websites it is clear that the $336K has yet to be spent on anything obvious that would be helpful.
Might I suggest they hire our own Cory to build an informative website and give him enough budget to hire some of the emerging web gurus from DSU to build a website and an online outreach that works.
Hard to tell, but Russ Olson does appear to have some tie to Inter-Lakes. He might be a source as well.
Media, it appears that they have had some informational meetings. See if you can't cover one and see how the money is being spent and if there is a news story that will help people better understand what's going on.
Call Interlakes Community Action Partnership , they have a spreadsheet on when meetings are being held. They might be able to help shed some light on people signing up and how the grant money is being spent.
Referral Roger. One link, not multiple or referrals.
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I don't doubt you believe I want all Democrats and Indians left out in the cold.
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So I'm waging war on sick and poor while you Democrats wage war on the healthy, sick and poor world wide wantonly killing with the high tech industries of war you claim to hate. But wait, Roger says to leave the annihilation of human life back in history where it belongs so it must be ok to continue to kill across the globe as long as we have a national healthcare plan at home.
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How about tort reform Roger? How about a system to identify health care abusers? How about getting as vocal on the legislation that keeps our state in the dark ages for competition in the insurance industry as you do about Les putting up one link in the last year at Maddville? How about a cost/consumption reg to promote wellness? I'm not the expert Roger, but it appears to be severely broken without those protections. Why do we need thousands of pages that even your girl Pelosi hasn't read to fix this thing Roger? How about you answering a few questions?
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I also choose not to sink to your level of attack Roger. We do agree on farm program changes needing to be changed, but I don't hate them or you. Hate will make you ill Roger and you'll need medical care.
Les,
Read your post again, you'll find that those are your words, not mine. You have no concept of what I want other than better healthcare for ALL.
I see you got Noem's fundraising letter and her fear mongering about Nancy Pelosi, hope you made a contribution, there is medication for paranoia, you know.
Sorry Les, I have never professed to be an expert on healthcare, but I profess to knowing the difference between right and wrong. That's why I ask questions like, why don't Republicans want All Americans to be healthy, it seems like a legitimate question worthy of a legitimate answer.
Why didn't Democrats address tort reform? Probably because the tea bags would shut the government again. You tel me Les.
Excuse me for using the word hate in addressing your position, would you feel better with something like disdain, contempt?
You ask me a lot of questions, what you need to do is answer your own questions and perhaps there are some solutions in your hysteria.
It is impolite to answer a question with a question.
What's with "Indians left out in the cold" comment? For your information Native Americans have pretty much been left out in the cold for centuries.
"How about getting as vocal on the legislation that keeps our state in the dark ages for competition in the insurance industry..."
Amen Les!!!
Okay media, here's another story for you to look into. Why are we in the dark ages when it comes to insurance provider competition? When you do that story, and please get more than quotes from the Gov's office and the 3 doing business in SD.
Could that be the difference in why we are apparently lagging in ACA sign ups and paying too much for health insurance?
BTW, how many other states allow hospitals to also be health insurers? Is that a good idea? Is that the classic free market in action? Or is that just another example of crony fed governance with a side dish of hypocrisy?
Les, thanks for driving traffic to Madville and away from DWC.
When I see "Les" anywhere I read it. When I see "IP" anywhere I read it. Genius and madness are about two heartbeats apart and questioning my own guarantees I'm neither.
"BTW, how many other states allow hospitals to also be health insurers? Is that a good idea? Is that the classic free market in action? Or is that just another example of crony fed governance with a side dish of hypocrisy?"
Exactly Jana. Hospitals never should have been allowed to get into the insurance business. There are only 3 insurers in the South Dakota exchange and 2 are hospitals. No Blue Cross-Blue Shield and others =no competition. Surprised the media haven't picked up on this.
TV won't because they're in the pockets of the hospitals
No problem Larry, I'll take all the credit as in my relationship with Atlas and blanketing the Black Hills with 6 feet of snow as well.
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""Les can't propose anything better either."" Drone on Roger, it suits you.
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My father admonished me to use care in choosing those around me. Maddville is truly a demonstration of spiritual levity and spiritual burden Charlie. I can only feel sympathy for those angered and frustrated with their contribution to the world at this late stage in life and voraciously eating those of you who serve. I don't wear a genius tag well my friend and, why would I participate at Maddville if, I wasn't... mad?
Les,
Roger doesn't drone on.
What is happening here is that Les, much like Stace Nelson, cannot answer some simple basic questions and won't admit it.
I have nothing but sympathy for those that drone on with their negativity and can offer nothing in the way of positive solutions. Les has demonstrated it well and has proven what he is.
"How about tort reform ". This is a BS issue driven by the fact that trial lawyers don't contribute like Koch brothers to the GOP. Insignificant compared to overcharges and costs of unnecessary hospital-generated infections.
The question for the web site programmers should be, "Would it have been easier if Medicare/Medicaid was provided to everybody?"
Thanks Doug,
When I have heard Republicans of late bring up tort reform, I wonder why their guy Bush that was in office for 8 years didn't do something about it.
it is like the national debt for Republicans, it only becomes an issue when a Democrat is in the White House.
"""How about tort reform ". This is a BS issue driven by the fact that trial lawyers""" BS or not Wiken, my old doc who was finally forced to retire told me he would have to pay his malpractice insurance for 7 years(about 250,000) after retirement so was going to work until he died because he gave most of his money to charities.
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""" Insignificant compared to overcharges and costs of unnecessary hospital-generated infections.""" No kidding? Suppose that's why they order all the necessary and unnecessary tests so no stone can be determined unturned in litigation Douglas? Minimum huh??
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"""The question for the web site programmers should be, "Would it have been easier if Medicare/Medicaid was provided to everybody""" We agree Dr. Wiken!! The programmers who know nothing of medical operation and regulation could have done a hell of a job compared to the fiasco that came out of our elected in DC.
Les, your team is for this ACA, each and every one of them. What you do not understand is that they say this to you and the rest of the American people quite loudly. http://www.flickr.com/photos/egbertowillies/10565483426/
Paul Ryan and John Boehner have a man crush on Obamacare, listen to them sound like giddy school boys who have just gotten a hold of their pappy's dirty magazine. What is there not to love about this Obamacare except for one thing, it is not Medicare for all. Gettin' there, but not quite yet.