Comcast ‘Doesn’t Give a F*ck About You’

Cable giant Comcast is on the verge of acquiring other cable giant Time Warner Cable and many people, including Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), are concerned about one company controlling such a large percentage of the TV and internet market. This new video from Funny or Die pretty much sums why the lack of competition in this space could be so problematic.

As the fake spokesperson for Comcast says in the video below, “No matter what happens, we don’t give a fuck about you.” He goes on explain that abandoning cable TV for Netflix or Hulu won’t work either because Comcast owns Hulu and makes Netflix pay them extra for streaming content. Basically, you will never be able to escape Comcast’s grasp.

“So thank you for choosing Comcast,” he says with a laugh. “You don’t have a choice. Hey America, go fuck yourselves.

Via: Mediaite. com

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STUDY: OBAMACARE MEDICAL DEVICE TAX KILLED 33,000 JOBS

A new study finds that the Obamacare tax on medical devices killed 33,000 jobs.

The study, conducted by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), said the Obamacare tax slashed 14,000 industry worker jobs and quashed the hiring of 19,000 more. 

"During a time when there is bipartisan support for growing high-technology manufacturing jobs, these results should serve as a wake-up call," said AdvaMed CEO and President Stephen J. Ubl. "The findings of the report underscore the need to repeal this tax." 

Even some Democrats like Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) have conceded that the Obamacare medical device tax is a "job-killing tax." 

The study's findings are just the latest round of job-killing news for Obamacare. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that Obamacare will reduce the U.S. workforce by 2.3 million full-time workers over the next seven years. 

However, embattled Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebeliusclaimed last week that "There is absolutely no evidence, and every economist will tell you this, that there is any job loss related to the Affordable Care Act."

According to the latest Investor's Business Daily Obamacare jobs scorecard, 401 employers have now slashed tens of thousands of worker hours and jobs due to Obamacare.

Via: Breitbart

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Obamacare update: Consumers see progress but insurers smell trouble

As the Obama administration closes in on its self-imposed deadline to fix the troubled online health insurance marketplace, consumer advocates say it is becoming easier for people to sign up for coverage but insurers warn that critical flaws continue to hinder participating health plans.

Administration officials have promised that HealthCare.gov will be working smoothly for most people by Saturday and are citing evidence indicating progress toward that goal. Workers helping people sign up for coverage have noticed that the site has been running better over the past two weeks, with consumers experiencing shorter wait times and fewer crashes.

But the online system is still marred by defects that will create havoc for insurance companies if a significantly larger volume of applicants starts to sign up in coming weeks. Among them are the error-riddled reports that insurers are receiving about who has enrolled, a problem that could be disastrous if not fixed soon.

There is little room for error at this point. People seeking to take advantage of the new coverage that kicks in Jan. 1, or whose health insurance policies are being canceled at the end of the year, have until Dec. 23 to choose a plan and until Dec. 31 to pay their first month’s premium. Some congressional Democrats, uneasy about the messy rollout of the exchange, have expressed a willingness to dismantle parts of the law if problems continue.

“If they get this fixed, it’s a chapter in somebody’s book. If they don’t get this fixed, it’s a chapter in history,” said Michael O. Leavitt (R), a former Utah governor who served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services during the tumultuous rollout of Medicare Part D, which added prescription drug coverage to Medicare. “They will need to demonstrate fairly soon that there’s improvement, or they will lose the support of their own party.”

On Friday, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) told Minnesota Public Radio that if the Web site isn’t fixed on time, he would consider delaying the rule requiring most Americans to carry health insurance or face a fine. He joins a growing chorus of Democrats in Congress who have advocated for changes or delays to the law that could weaken it.

Administration officials contend that they are on track. By Saturday, they said, they will have doubled capacity to allow at least 50,000 users at a time without the system malfunctioning. They are also working on a new system that gives people alternate ways to sign up for coverage and get government subsidies, including going directly to insurers’ corporate Web sites.

They are also moving on to the outreach phase, which had taken a back seat as they grappled with the faulty Web site. Next week, the White House will host an insurance-oriented “youth summit” aimed at people ages 18 to 35, an age group whose participation in the health-care law will be critical to its success.

Via: Washington Post
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Al Franken: 'We Have to Consider Extending the Deadline for the Mandate'

Unless HealthCare.gov meets its deadline at the end of November, Senator Al Franken (D., Minn.) wants lawmakers to consider pushing back the enrollment date. He could join six Democratic senators who are already supporting a bill that would extend the enrollment period by two months from its original date of March 31, 2014.

“I think then we have to consider extending the deadline for the mandate [in the event that the website is not fixed in time], but let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” he told MinnPost.

Some experts have doubted that the White House will be able to meet the November 30 deadline for HealthCare.gov, pointing to the website’s vast array of problems. Last week, the administration stated that its goal is for 80 percent of users to be able to enroll on the federal marketplace.

As for President Obama’s recent “fix” that would allow people with canceled plans to potentially renew them, Franken said he’s “making sure that [people who have lost their plans] can find the absolute best policy” on the state’s exchange marketplace. Earlier this week, Minnesota governor Mark Dayton announced that the state would not accept the president’s “fix.”

Franken is up for reelection in 2014 and, while he is currently generally considered to be able to hold the seat, Republicans are hoping to make the race more competitive in light of the political fallout over the health-care law.

Via: NRO

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