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At the start of 2017, it is nearly seven years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became
law. The ACA, or Obamacare, should have been popular by now – it isn’t!
A 2015 poll on Obamacare shows that only 40% of Americans had a favorable opinion of the
law, while 46% had an unfavorable opinion - the rest don't know or won't say. A plurality of Americans has
disapproved of Obamacare virtually since the day it was passed.[1]
A year later, immediately after Donald Trump’s election, “Almost half of voters nationwide,
45 percent, think Obamacare ‘went too far’ in its attempts to reform the American health care system, according to
an exit poll released by NBC News . . .
- - -
“Obamacare has struggled to gain public support, with 54 percent of Americans opposing the
law this past April {2016}, and just 44 percent supporting it, according to a Pew Research Center survey.”
(Ref. 2)
Even Hillary Clinton recognized that Obamacare was in serious trouble and, during the
waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign “vowed to ‘fix’ Obamacare, acknowledging the ‘premiums have gotten
too high.’ “ (Ref. 3) Being the good Democratic soldier that she is
and needing the ongoing support of President Obama during her fight for the presidency, she could not publicly voice
any stronger disapproval than that.
“Everyone who's actually experienced Obamacare knows it's failing. Co-ops are closing left
and right. State exchanges are shutting down. And, as those opposed to the plan warned all along, premiums are going
up and up and up. It's no longer a matter of whether you can keep the insurance you had if you liked it: It's a
matter of being able to have insurance at all.
“This is, of course, precisely the opposite of the way the program of reform was marketed
by the White House and its allies. Instead of being the silver bullet to help bend the health care cost curve
downward, however, it's been a shot right through the heart of the health care system. Fixing it will take more
time than it actually took to pass it, since the so-called reforms have made the real problems worse while creating
a few more that weren't pre-existing.” (Ref. 4)
“The signature achievement of President Obama . . . - the Affordable Care Act – is
crumbling of its own considerable weight.
- - -
“The administration has . . . kept up its happy talk on the issue – much of it anecdotal
with heartfelt letters from those who now have health insurance who never had it before. Yet much of that might have
been accomplished with incremental changes rather than the whole sale shifts that Obamacare attempted to make.”
(Ref. 5) Simply put, the evidence continues to mount that
Obamacare attempted to do much too much and much too fast!
“The basic problem is that Barack Obama promised his healthcare plan would benefit
everybody. It doesn't. Under Obamacare, the government subsidizes the health coverage of some Americans while
making it more expensive for others. People who have faced higher premiums, higher deductibles, and narrower
choices of doctors know they're getting a bad deal.
"Obamacare was designed to win the loyalty of a large number of Americans by offering
subsidies not just to the lowest-income bracket but also to those with an income of over $90,000 a year for a
family of four. But a lot of middle-class people aren't feeling much benefit.
“. . . {T}he only group of Americans who like Obamacare in the {2015 poll were} those who
make less than $40,000 a year — and even they aren't all that enthusiastic about it. . . .”
(Ref. 1)
Health Care Insurers
In 2016 Obamacare’s health care insurers were starting to jump ship in droves. “Obamacare’s
13th co-op announced it’s closing ahead of the 2017 open enrollment period, and more of the nonprofit insurers could
follow suit in the coming months.
“Ohio’s InHealth Mutual announced late last week {in June 2016} it would be closing its
doors after the state’s Department of Insurance requested to liquidate the insurer.
“As insurers prepare to submit proposed rate changes to the government ahead of the next
open enrollment period, it’s likely Ohio’s co-op won’t be the last to close its doors.
- - -
“Ohio’s co-op, or consumer operated and oriented plan, is the 13th co-op created under the
Affordable Care Act to close its doors. Twenty-four co-ops launched in 2013 with a total of $2.4 billion in start-up
and solvency loans awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
- - -
“Collectively, the now 13 failed co-ops received more than $1.3 billion in loans and
enrolled more than 730,000 consumers across the 14 states they served. Those consumers were forced to pick new
plans on the exchanges.” (Ref. 6) Thirteen closed co-ops out of the
twenty-four that started out does not portend well for the Affordable Care Act. It is not a ringing
endorsement.
In yet another example of the failure of and the growing discontent with the Affordable
Care Act (ACA), “Aetna Inc. reported {on 2 August 2916} second-quarter profit that beat Wall Street estimates as
the insurer announced it will withdraw expansion plans for Affordable Care Act exchanges in response to
steep financial losses and is considering future participation in its current 15-state footprint.
[Emphasis mine]
“{Aetna’s} Chief Executive . . . said he is pleased with Aetna's overall results, but
following an updated 2016 projection of individual products and ‘significant structural challenges’ facing the
Affordable Care Act exchanges, he said Aetna intends to withdraw all of its 2017 public exchange expansion
plans.
“{He} told investor analysts on a conference call that Aetna expects a loss of
more than $300 million in Affordable Care Act business this year. [Emphasis mine] Aetna had previously
said it was a break-even operation.” (Ref. 7)
Earlier in the year, another major participant in Obamacare had announced that it was
cutting back on its ACA participation because it too was taking significant financial losses. UnitedHealth Group,
along with the AARP which is a major sponsor of its services, had been one of the earliest and staunchest
proponents of the Affordable Care Act when its passage was being vigorously opposed in Congress. Now, reality has
set in.
“UnitedHealth Group, the nation's biggest health insurer, announced in April it
will cut its participation in public health insurance exchanges to a handful of states next year after expanding
to nearly three dozen for this year. It said it expects to lose $650 million this year on its exchange business,
up from its previous projection for $525 million. The insurer lost $475 million in 2015.
[Emphasis mine]
“. . . all publicly traded managed care companies have acknowledged health care losses and
declining margins related to the health exchanges. . . .” (Ref. 7)
“And it's not just UnitedHealth. Humana has also threatened to pack up shop due to losses
suffered on Obamacare exchanges. Also, more than half of all of Obamacare's approved healthcare cooperatives closed
up shop heading into 2016 due to unsustainable losses and an insufficiently funded risk corridor, which was
designed to protect money-losing insurers by taking money from insurers that were raking in the dough hand over
fist.” (Ref. 24)
One of the many reasons for the problems with Obamacare was highlighted recently in a
lawsuit brought by one of the Obamacare insurers. “A nonprofit health insurer with 25,000 customers in
Massachusetts and New Hampshire has filed a federal lawsuit claiming it is being illegally punished for
offering lower-cost products. [Emphasis mine]
“Under the Affordable Care Act’s risk adjustment program, insurers with healthier
customers make payments to insurers with sicker customers. . . . {The} co-op recently was ordered to pay
$16.7 million, but it objected to how payments are calculated.
“. . . it argues that instead of assessing only a consumer’s relative health status or
actuarial risk, the program calculates payments based on unrelated factors such as how an insurer’s premiums
compare to statewide averages. {The co-op} says its premiums are substantially lower than average not because its
customers are healthier but because its business model focuses on keeping costs low and because its members are
less likely to purchase less-expensive plans.” (Ref. 8) In other
words, the co-op claims that Obamacare is penalizing the nonprofit co-op for providing lower cost health
care to its customers than other health care providers. Once again, the Washington bureaucrats are
advancing the cause of failed Utopian socialistic concepts – efficient providers that reduce costs to the consumer
must be punished because inefficient providers suffer. In the eyes of these bureaucrats, all must be equal, which
means that all must produce or provide at the level of lowest common denominator. They forget, that Communism, along
with socialism, has failed everywhere because of this type of utopian reasoning.
Small Businesses
When a Maryland small business owner first learned about the Affordable Care Act, he was
excited about the prospect of the new health care law. He employed 21 full-time workers and up to 10 part-time
employees. While he didn’t provide them with health insurance, he cut his workers a monthly check through a Health
Reimbursement Agreement. He felt that Obamacare would allow a lot of his employees with pre-existing conditions to
get insurance, especially those who had trouble purchasing coverage in the past. He thought that Obamacare would
actually allow him to offer a medical insurance benefit to his employees without having to go through all of the
challenges of a group plan.
“But in September 2013, the IRS and Treasury Department issued guidance prohibiting
businesses from using Health Reimbursement Agreements, which help workers pay for health insurance plans purchased
on the individual market and other medical expenses. Businesses that integrate Health Reimbursement Agreements with
group plans can still offer the benefit.
“The Treasury Department said Health Reimbursement Agreements failed to satisfy specific
provisions of Obamacare, such as the prohibition on annual limits for health benefits and the requirement that plans
must include preventive care.” (Ref. 9)
That forced the Maryland business owner to do away with one benefit that helped him retain
employees and which had given him a competitive edge when hiring.
“Prior to the Obama administration’s announcement, many small business owners were under
the impression the Affordable Care Act would have little to no impact on them, especially because the law’s employer
mandate created requirements for businesses with more than 50 employees.
“However, small businesses are now faced with having to do away with a vital tool used for
their employees or face hefty fines.” (Ref. 9)
For small businesses, this was another Obamacare bait-and-switch. These businesses
with fewer than 50 employees were told 100 times, “Oh, you have fewer than 50 employees, the law doesn’t apply to
you,” and then Treasury quietly put out regulations that say you can no longer provide this flexible benefit that
you were offering. Instead, small business owners either have to offer expensive group coverage, which they can’t
afford, or they are completely on their own and can’t help their employees. Any business that violates the rule is
subject to fines of $100 per day per employee, totaling $36,500 in a year for each employee.
Our Maryland small business owner looked into offering his workers a group plan and
selected one through a Maryland co-op.
“Though the group plan . . . was among the cheapest {he} could find, not a single
employee decided to enroll, as it was more expensive than individual plans. [Emphasis mine]
“{He} even raised some of his employees’ pay to help compensate for their lost
reimbursements, but that caused some workers purchasing coverage on Obamacare’s exchange to lose
subsidies or qualify for less. [Emphasis mine]
- - -
“Already this year, {the small business owner} has had two employees leave his company,
citing health insurance as a major reason for leaving.
“Now, he’s hoping Congress can provide some much-needed relief for small
businesses.” (Ref. 9)
As is often said, "the devil is in the details" and with Obmamcare, this is most
certainly the case!
States Struggling with Obamacare
Several states are struggling with problems generated by the passage of the ACA. In one
case, Alaska is essentially bailing out its insurance market to prevent Obamacare from collapsing.
In June of 2016, a bill passed by the state Legislature to shore up its lone surviving Obamacare
insurer was awaiting the signature of the Alaska governor. Three health insurers have left Alaska since
2015.[10]
The legislation sets up a $55 million fund — financed through an existing tax on all
insurance companies — to subsidize enrollees’ costs as the state struggles with Obamacare price spikes and an
exodus by all except one insurance company. Other insurers around the country report major losses from Obamacare.
Alaskan legislators are opposed to Obamacare. But they say they're doing what's necessary to prevent health
insurance premiums from spiraling out of control and letting thousands of people lose their coverage.
[10]
Obamacare’s efforts develop an online health care exchange proved to be to an unmitigated
disaster. Forcing states to accept the federal government’s version of its online exchange made the problem still
worse. “One of the worst developments has been the failure of many of the online exchanges that were supposed to
be a one-stop, one-size-fits-all marketplace where insurances policies could be purchased cheaply and easily. In
a lot of places that hasn't turned out to be the case. In Massachusetts, for example, the administration
of Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick took a functioning website created as part of Romneycare, spent a lot of money on
so-called improvements and promptly broke it. [Emphasis mine]
“By far the worst example is Oregon, where the website for the state exchange was
declared completely dysfunctional, but only after more than $300 million – according to best estimates – was spent
trying to figure out how to make it work. [Emphasis mine]
- - -
“Even after looking deeply into the matter, it's still not quite clear how Oregon managed
to spend $7 million on the construction of a website, something a high school student can do in an afternoon.
Granted, a health care exchange is a little more complicated than a blog about music or fashion, but the principles
can't be that different. Multiply this out over 10 or 15 states and you're not only talking about serious money
you're talking about the kind of potential misconduct which has liberals screaming for heads on the chopping block
and serious jail time, when it involves projects they don't like anyway.
“Just where did all that money go? We'll probably never know, but hopefully the government
will be more careful next time with their spending and the people will be more careful with their votes. A lot of
us bought the patent medicine Barack Obama was selling – now we're paying the real price for it. The problems with
the exchanges are just the tip of a very large iceberg. Congress needs to keep looking, not just to apportion the
blame, but to institute safeguards to make sure a boondoggle like this never, ever is allowed to happen again.”
(Ref. 4)
Under Obamacare, costs here in Massachusetts continue their upward spiral in spite of the
patently false promise that cost would come down. “The cost of health care grew to a staggering $8,424 per man,
woman and child in Massachusetts last year with skyrocketing prescription costs and out-of-pocket patient expenses
driving up bills – the latest sign Obamacare has fallen short of cost-saving promises, analysts say.
- - -
“The Center for health Information and Analysis . . . released its annual health care cost
report for the Bay State, which found that total costs rose to $57.2 billion – a 4 percent jump form 2014.”
(Ref. 11)
In yet another state, the situation is much the same. “Strip away the politics surrounding
Obamacare in Tennessee and what’s left, in the wake of a new round of insurer rate requests on the
exchange, is a stark picture of the state’s bleak vital signs.
- - -
“Insurers filed requests with state officials {in June of 2016} to increase premiums for
exchange plans. The average rate requests start at 23 percent and top out at 62 percent — dwarfing the 2016
requests. [Emphasis mine]
“Employers are struggling to deal with the rising expense, and people who are buying
coverage on their own are increasingly experiencing sticker shock — at least until the tax credit, which 85 percent
qualify for, whittles down the premium.
- - -
“BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee scored the majority of enrollees on the federally run
exchange in all of the first years. It racked up the losses to show for it, too.
[Emphasis mine]
“In 2014, it posted a $140 million loss. In 2015: $170 million. It’s not even
halfway through 2016 and the insurer is projecting losses will be above $100 million.
[Emphasis mine]” (Ref. 12)
It’s Not Getting Any Better
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Many buyers of health
insurance under the Affordable Care Act need to brace themselves for sharply higher premiums in 2017 . . .
“The rate hikes will mainly affect the millions who pay all of the cost of health insurance
out of their own pockets -- or a sizable chunk of it, they explained.
“Buyers with modest incomes, $29,700 to $35,640 for an individual, may qualify for federal
subsidies to help lower their monthly health plan premiums if they enroll through HealthCare.gov or their state
insurance marketplace. But they don't get as much financial help as low-income earners, and may feel the pinch of
higher rates.
“Consumers earning upwards of $47,520 for an individual will certainly be affected. This
group of buyers makes too much money to receive federal subsidies. They can shop for health insurance either on or
off the marketplaces established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but they'll pay the entire premium
themselves, the experts said.
“One group expected to weather the rate hikes? Low-income Americans who qualify for federal
tax credits toward all or most of their health plan premiums.
- - -
“Health insurers have already begun seeking regulatory approval for proposed rate changes,
effective Jan. 1, 2017. Initial rate filings vary widely by market, by insurer and by health plan, with some rate
hikes in the high double digits.
“Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas has proposed boosting rates by nearly 60
percent [Emphasis mine], on average, for three of its ACA plans, affecting some 603,000 customers.
“In Colorado, Golden Rule Insurance Co., Colorado Choice and Rocky Mountain HMO have
submitted rate requests for 2017,ranging from 35 percent to 41 percent higher [Emphasis mine],
on average . . .” (Ref. 13)
The Future?
The future of the Affordable Care Act remains uncertain. Appeals to the Supreme Court
continue and proposals regarding the ACA range from outright revocation to various forms of revision. One plan put
forward by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker, Republican Paul Ryan was released this past July and contained
several suggestions worthy of consideration. Ryan’s plan claims to “deliver affordable, accessible health coverage
– at less cost and with less disruption to the health care market than Obamacare.
- - -
“The Ryan plan would slash premiums by . . . getting rid of of Obamacare’s costly essential
health-benefit mandates. People would be free to purchase low-cost plans that don’t cover procedures they don’t
want or need.
“The {plan} would also make health coverage more affordable for middle-class families by
replacing Obamacare’s complicated scheme of subsidies with more straightforward age-based refundable tax
credits.
- - -
“{Ryan’s plan also} proposes giving credits directly to consumers rather than to insurance
companies.
“{Another suggestion is} to scrap Obamacare’s regressive “Cadillac Tax” on health plans
[See Reference 14] and replace it with a fairer way of discouraging wasteful health
spending.
- - -
“{As with Obamacare, the Ryan plan} would also prohibit insurers from denying coverage to
people with preexisting conditions. . . .” (Ref. 23)
Toward the end of the summer of 2016, it was apparent that Obamacare was having more and
more problems. “Double-digit premium increases and exits by big-name insurers {had} caused some to wonder whether
‘Obamacare’ {would} go down as a failed experiment.
- - -
“. . . Premiums {were} expected to go up sharply in many insurance marketplaces, which
offer subsidized private coverage to people lacking access to job-based plans. . {So much for the promise, that
your health care costs would go down, not up.}
“At the same time, retrenchment by insurers that have lost hundreds of millions of dollars
means that more areas will become one-insurer markets, losing the benefit of competition. {So much for the promise,
that if you liked your health care coverage you could keep it.} {It was} project{ed} that seven states {would} only
have one insurer in each of their marketplace regions next year.
“{Consumers are facing} sticker shock . . . and a premium stabilization system that failed
to work as advertised. {It’s also said that} some people are gaming the system . . . {Big Surprise!
}
“{Let’s not forget that} most of the 11 million people covered through HealthCare.gov and
its state-run counterparts will be cushioned from premium increase by government subsidies that rise with cost
{it’s the rest of us taxpayers who will have to bear the brunt of theses premium increases}.
“But many customers may have to switch to less comprehensive plans to keep their monthly
premiums down. And millions of people who buy individual policies outside the government marketplaces will get no
financial help. They will have to pay the full increases or go without coverage and risk fines.”
(Ref. 15)
Even former president Bill Clinton has recognized that Obamacare is proving to be a
failure. In late 2016 he was quoted a s saying” So you’ve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million
more people have health care than the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with
their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. It’s the craziest thing in the world.”
(Ref. 16)
Here in Massachusetts as the close of 2016 nears, Obamacare continues to wreak its havoc.
“Crippling premium hikes and changes in eligibility have the {Massachusetts} Health Connector board scrambling to
prepare for a brutal open enrollment period in November, which analysts say is the result of the 2013 Connector
debacle and remaining kinks in Obamacare.
- - -
“. . . premiums will be up substantially. . . . {some members} will see premiums
increase by at least $100 per month.
“ ‘It’s a huge change for our lower-income members.’ . . .
“. . . about a quarter of Connector members – will see a 21 percent increase.
“{Part of the} premium surges can be attributed primarily to . . . the instability of
Obamacare . . .
“ ‘The ACA {Obamacare} is still causing a lot of angst and turmoil in the insurance market
. . . and it’s coming out with insurance companies raising prices so they don’t lose their shirts.’ “ .”
(Ref. 17)
Even the Obama Administration had to face reality as 2016 neared a close. “Premiums will
go up sharply next year under President Barack Obama's health care law, and many consumers will be down to just one
insurer, the administration confirmed . . .
“Before taxpayer-provided subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will
increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market [Emphasis
mine], according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Some states will see much bigger
jumps, others less.
“Moreover, about 1 in 5 consumers will only have plans from a single insurer to
pick from, after major national carriers [Emphasis mine] such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna
scaled back their roles.
- - -
“. . . we are seeing the law implode at the expense of middle-class families.
- - -
“The vast majority of the more than 10 million customers who purchase through
HealthCare.gov and its state-run counterparts do receive generous financial assistance. ‘Enrollment is
concentrated among very low-income individuals who receive significant government subsidies to reduce premiums
and cost-sharing,’ {In other words, Obamacare is another government entitlement program.}
“But an estimated 5 million to 7 million people are either not eligible for the
income-based assistance, or they buy individual policies outside of the health law's markets, where the subsidies
are not available. {They will be hit hard by the increased premiums and the reduced number of health care
insurers.} . . .
“In some states, the premium increases are striking. In Arizona, unsubsidized premiums
for a hypothetical 27-year-old buying a benchmark ‘second-lowest cost silver plan’ will jump by 116 percent
. . .
- - -
‘The total number of HealthCare.gov insurers will drop from 232 this year to 167 in 2017,
a loss of 28 percent. : . . .
“Switching insurers may not be simple for patients with chronic conditions.
“. . . {also,} enrollees may need to change doctors or drugs when they switch insurers
. . .
“{Perhaps the only bright spot in Obamacare Picture is the fact that largely as a result of
Obamacare}, the nation's uninsured rate has dropped below 9 percent, a historically low level. More than 21 million
people have gained coverage since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010.” (Ref. 18)
Based upon results to date, It would seem that our nation is well on the way to
socialized health care, with all cost being subsidized by the government and with only one health care insurer –
the U.S. government. The promises made at the inception of the Affordable Care Act are rapidly turning out to be
nothing but rhetoric designed to fool a gullible public. It continues to become clearer and clearer that President
Barack Obama and his administration misled the American public on Obamacare because of their belief in "the
stupidity of the American voter". (Ref. 19)
Even the Clintons recognized that Obamacare was a big mistake. Former president, “Bill
Clinton criticized President Barack Obama's signature policy reform . . . while on the stump for his wife,
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, calling Obamacare ‘the craziest thing in the world.’
(Ref. 20) Hillary was somewhat more reticent about trashing the
Affordable Care Act because she needed President Obama’s support during her campaign for the presidency and she
didn’t want to offend former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders who unabashedly was calling for the replacement
of Obamacare with a socialized medicine plan that he called "Medicare for all."
Somewhat ambiguously, “ At the second presidential debate earlier this month in St. Louis,
Clinton vowed to ‘fix’ Obamacare . . . (Ref. 25) But, “her ‘fixes’
would require politically painful requests for more taxpayer spending and a bigger government footprint in the law’s
insurance exchanges. . . . Mrs. Clinton’s {proposal} . . . would increase the deficit by $88.5 billion in
2018, according to a recent RAND Corporation analysis . . .” (Ref. 21)
“Obamacare needs to be revamped from Square One without the reliance on ‘the
stupidity of the American voter’ as one architect of the law described the original process.”
(Ref. 16) With Donald Trump being the president elect and the Republicans
controlling both houses of Congress, the Affordable Care Act is likely to undergo significant modification if not
outright repeal in 2017. Many Americans will not be unhappy to see that come about.
“Action to repeal major parts of the law may happen quickly, but Republicans, if
successful, are likely to delay any changes to the existing system, experts say, until at least 2019 – a move that
would minimize disruptions for the health care industry and the more than 20 million Americans who gained insurance
under the law by maintaining the status quo while Republicans craft a plan to replace Obamacare.”
(Ref. 22)
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References:
- Obamacare will add to Dems' 2016 problems, Byron York, Washington Examiner,
2 February 2015.
- Exit Poll Reveals What Americans Think About Obamacare, Obama’s Policies, Jamie Gregora,
The Daily Signal, 8 November 2016.
- What Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton have promised to do to Obamacare, Tom Kludt, CNN,
25 October 2016.
- 'Cover Oregon' Cover-Up, Peter Roff, U.S. News & World Report, 8 June 016.
- ACA on the ropes, Editorial, Boston Herald, Page 14, 18 August 2016.
- Obamacare’s 13th Co-Op Is Closing. Why More Could Follow., Melissa Quinn,
The Daily Signal, 1 June 2016.
- Aetna To Halt Obamacare Expansion Plans, Hartford Courant, insurancenewsnet.com,
2 August 2016.
- Obamacare insurer files lawsuit, Staff and Wire Reports, Boston Herald, Page 21,
2 August 2016.
- Under Obamacare, Small Business Owner Forced to Get Rid of Health Care Benefits or Face Fine Up to $500K,
Melissa Quinn, The Daily Signal, 30 May 2016.
- Many Could Face Steep Rise in Obamacare Premiums for 2017, Rachana Pradhan, POLITICO,
10 June 016.
- Analysis: Obamacare not shedding costs, Linsay Kalter, Boston Herald, Page 9,
8 September 2016.
- Why Obamacare rates are skyrocketing in Tennessee, Holly Fletcher, The Tennessean,
11 June 2016.
- Alaska scrambles to prevent Obamacare collapse, healthfinder.gov, 24 June 016.
- Obamacare Punishes Seniors Again, David Burton, Son of Eliyahu; Article 242,
4 December 2015.
- Condition critical for prez’s health care law, Editorial, Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald, Page 20, 29 August 2016.
- Bill makes diagnosis, OpEd, Boston Herald, Page 10, 8 October 2016.
- HIKES, ELIGIBILITY TO ROIL OBAMACARE, Linsay Kalter, Boston Herald, Page 24,
14 October 2016.
- Obama administration confirms double-digit premium hikes, Associated Press,
Fox News Politics, 24 October 2016.
- Obamacare: Voters, are you stupid?, Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 18 November 2014.
- Bill Clinton calls Obamacare 'the craziest thing in the world,' later tries to walk it back,
Naomi Lim, CNN, 5 October 2016.
- Clinton ignores Obamacare’s bad news, says repeal would be counterproductive,
Tom Howell Jr., The Washington Times, 25 October 2016.
- What's next for Obamacare?, Lisa Zamosky, aol.com, 4 December 2016.
- Ryan, GOP have better Rx for affordable Health care, Sally C. Pipes, Boston Herald,
Page 17, 3 August 2016.
- Obamacare's 2017 Insurer Rate Requests Are Starting to Stream in, and the Figures Are Scary,
Sean Williams, The Motley Fool, 15 May 2015.
- What Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton have promised to do to Obamacare, Tom Kludt, CNN,
25 October 2016.
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