The New York Times provided numbers yesterday on Medicaid enrollment compared to Obamacare enrollment during the month of October. Those of us who follow health policy are not really surprised by the numbers; we expected more people were signing up for Medicaid for some time. Here’s part of the article: The Obama administration said Tuesday […]
Healthcare.gov is Up and Running…Sort of
The administration declared success in its efforts to meet its self-imposed deadline of November 30 to improve the Healthcare.gov website. With little fanfare, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency charged with overseeing Obamacare, stated “we believe we have met the goal of having a system that will work smoothly for the […]
Businesses and Obamacare: Not a Good Mix
Public Opinion Strategies (POS) is a well-respected market research company specializing in corporate and public policy research. The company recently undertook a survey of 208 decision makers in franchise-owned businesses and 206 decision makers in non-franchise businesses that have between 40-500 employees and asked them about the impact of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, […]
Think Obamacare is Fixed? Think Again
On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations had a hearing on the Obamacare website roll out and the numerous computer “glitches” that have and are continuing to surface since its opening on October 1. It was an eye opening hearing and shows the website still is not really ready for prime […]
CBO Releases “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023”
The Congressional Budget Office released “Options for Reducing the Deficit 2014-2023” last week. The CBO periodically writes a report that provides a list of policy options of where Congress can take action to reduce annual budget deficits that add to the debt and provides the budgetary effects of those actions. This year’s list of policy […]
They Knew. They All Knew.
We are seeing a lot of panic on Capitol Hill these days as Obamacare continues to unravel. Certainly, the functionality of the Healthcare.gov website was initially the primary focus of concern. But when millions of Americans began to lose healthcare policies they liked in spite of the president’s numerous promises that “you can keep your […]
“Essential Waste”
The first government shutdown since 1996 began on October 1, 2013, spurred by a debate over the federal budget and Obamacare. Approximately 800,000 federal employees were declared “non-essential” and furloughed.
Return to Regular Order Budget Process
On October 16, 2013, President Obama agreed to Congress’s plan to fund the government through January 15, 2014 and raise the debt ceiling through February 7, 2014. The deal also included instructions to House and Senate leaders to appoint negotiators to meet and produce a long-term budget plan by December 13, 2013. The budget conferees met for the first time on October 30, 2013 to discuss how an agreement could be reached to reconcile the two chambers’ budgets.
I’m Shocked, Shocked to Find That Fraud is Going on in Obamacare!
When I first saw the headline on the Drudge Report, “VIDEO SHOCK: O’Keefe reveals Obamacare corruption…,” I immediately thought of the classic movie, “Casablanca” and heard those immortal words, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” James O’Keefe, the well-known videographer, is at it again. John Fund has written an eye-opening, […]
Put a Fork In it! Earmarks are Dead … Almost.
In a November 4, 2013 blog published in The Hill titled “Congress should return to responsible earmark policy,” former Rep. George Nethercutt (R-Wa.) claimed that failure to do so would create “purist legislators who largely disdain compromise, resist seniority, and refuse Congressional earmarks.” Rep. Nethercutt is correct that while earmarks account for a small amount […]