Administration Caught in New Obamacare Dilemma

Remember sequestration? Those automatic budget cuts that went into effect when Congress failed to do real budgeting a couple of years ago? It’s hitting Obamacare now.

Both laws have been around for awhile, but the Obama Administration hasn’t done anything to prepare for their collision.

The cuts are hitting a set of subsidies that were supposed to help pay deductibles and co-pays for lower-income Americans with Obamacare coverage. An Obama official pledged there would be a plan before the Obamacare exchanges opened on October 1, but that didn’t happen.

So now what? Heritage expert Chris Jacobs writes in today’s Wall Street Journal:

There are two possible outcomes. The first is that individuals who have managed to enroll in subsidized health insurance will find they’ve been misled about their copays and deductibles. Families who currently think their plan will charge a $20 copayment for doctor visits may instead face a $25 charge when the sequester kicks in. Individuals who now believe they face maximum out-of-pocket costs of $2,000 may end up paying hundreds more.

The other option? Stick the insurance companies with the cuts and tell them to deal with it. (That would be about $286 million through next September.)

Via: The Foundry

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'From Merely Stupid to Dangerous: The Sequester’s Effects on National and Economic Security'

A new report on sequestration's impact on defense from the Bipartisan Policy Center:

Because of the structure of defense spending, our national security forces and defense industry have been able to continue operating under sequestration, but not without permanent damage. The full brunt of the cuts hasn’t hit yet, and if we go down the sequester path for too long, we won’t be able to reverse the devastating impacts. It isn’t primarily the size of either the federal budget or the defense budget that poses problems; it is the dramatic change in the composition of those budgets over the decade—entitlements are pushing out investments. And sequester worsens that trend.

Essential government services, especially in defense, are not being performed, and will not be if sequester continues. The combination of sequester cuts and unaddressed cost increases will erode force readiness, stall modernization, and reduce the fighting forces by at least 50% by 2021. The impact of the defense sequester on spending, which drives the economic impact, will double in FY 14 and triple in FY 15, compared to FY 13.

Via: Weekly Standard
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The Bunker-Barry mentality of today’s White House

Over the past 4 plus years, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has been transformed to something other than George Washington’s historic White House

The White House is under siege, and has been so since the 2013 sequestration.  America’s top tourist draw continues to be held under siege by a malcontent community organizer who claimed the presidency in 2008, and his chip-on-the-shoulder wife.

Under sequestration even school children cannot get into their White House.  You can no longer get into the White House unless you’re a Hollywood star, a favored world leader, a union boss or activist, unless allowed entry at the express invitation of a covetous Barack and Michelle Obama.

As of yesterday you can’t panic when you come upon a new White House Security random checkpoint—without suffering the loss of your life.

Internet video clearly shows that Miriam Carey, a 34-year-old dental hygienist from Connecticut with her 1-year-old daughter, Erica a passenger in the car, panicked as she drove her Infiniti luxury sedan near the hallowed vicinity of the 2013 White House.

It was a total panic with the first mainstream media reports claiming that the young mother was shooting at cops.

Via: Canada Free Press

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17,679 Things the Federal Government Has Done Since Sequestration

Sequestration is back on the agenda and so is anti-austerity hysteria.

Over at Politico, they're quasi-blaming the Navy Yard shooting on cuts.

The president of MIT says sequestration is "choking the innovation economy."

The Center for American Progress frets that "austerity kills."

The Atlantic says cuts are "undermining what makes America great."

The FBI is threatening a 10-day shutdown.

And President Barack Obama said in a speech this week that the sequester cuts "have cost jobs, harmed growth, are hurting our military readiness. And top independent economists say this has been a big drag on our recovery this year. Our economy is not growing as fast as it should and we're not creating as many jobs as we should, because the sequester is in place. That's not my opinion. That's the opinion of independent economists."

But has sequestration forced government to grind to a halt? To help answer that question, Reason offers this snapshot of what the feds have been up to over the last few months since the cuts kicked in.

Below is a listing of the 17,679 entries published in the Federal Register since sequestration took effect on March 1, 2013. The Federal Register doesn't capture everything the government has done, of course. But it gives an idea of what this austere, cut-to-the-bone budget has left intact. Click on the links for details about each announcement.

(You can also download the listing as an Excel file here).

Comment on your favorite entries here.

Via: reason.com

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THE BIG FAIL: Obama’s Defense Priorities: Wrong For Ohio

Obama’s Defense Budget And Inaction On Sequestration Threaten Ohio Jobs

Obama’s FY2013 Defense Budget Would Result In The Loss Of 794 Jobs Across Ohio, Including 209 Full-Time Positions And 485 Part-Time Positions. “According to a news release from the Ohio Adjutant General’s Office, ‘The net result of the proposed Air Force reductions and National Guard mitigation efforts involving Ohio is that 794 total jobs will be lost throughout the state. Of that, 309 are full-time positions and 485 are part-time positions.’” (Ted Hart, “Air Force Proposes Job Cuts In Ohio,” NBC4i, 3/7/12)

OBAMA’S DEFENSE PRIORITIES THREATEN JOBS ACROSS OHIO’S AIR FORCE BASES

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base – Dayton, Ohio

Today, Obama Will Campaign In Dayton, Ohio Where His Defense Cuts Threaten 452 Jobs At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will appear at a rally Tuesday in Dayton at Triangle Park, 2500 Ridge Ave — their first joint appearance at an Ohio campaign event this election cycle.” (Joe Hallet, “Obama-Biden Dayton Venue Announced,” The Columbus Dispatch , 10/19/12)

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Will Lose 452 Positions Under Obama’s FY2013 Budget. “Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will lose 452 positions among active-duty and civilian ranks this year and next, part of a cost-cutting reduction of approximately 10,000 positions across the Air Force, defense officials said Tuesday. The 445th Airlift Wing, the unit at Wright-Patterson that flies C-17 transport aircraft for the Air Force, will see a net gain of 57 positions among weekend and full-time reservists, the Air Force said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

• The 452 Positions Include 162 Active-Duty Military And 235 Civilian Positions. “The 452 positions — 290 civilian and 162 active-duty military — to be eliminated at Wright-Patterson this year and in 2013 include the base’s net loss of 235 civilian positions previously announced by the Air Force in November and January. The job cuts will affect the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Institute of Technology and the base’s Band of Flight musicians, among others, base spokesman Daryl Mayer said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

• The Civilian Positions Being Eliminated Involve Intelligence, Surveillance And Reconnaissance Operations. “The bulk of the civilian positions being eliminated involve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, Mayer said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

Wright-Patterson Drives $4.7 Billion In Business, 27,000 Direct Jobs, And An Estimated 35,000 Off-Base Jobs And Accounts For 14 Percent Of The Gross Domestic Product In The Dayton Area. “The huge military installation just outside Dayton is a full-throated, super-charged engine driving an estimateia: 

Via: GOP.com

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Commander-And-Confused

Obama Was Unaware Of His Record And Not In Command Of The Facts During The Final Presidential Debate

OBAMA WAS UNAWARE THAT HE MADE THE “BIGGEST GAFFE” OF THE NIGHT ON SEQUESTRATION

Obama: “First of all, the sequester is not something that I proposed. It’s something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen.” (President Barack Obama, 2012 Presidential Debate, Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL, 10/22/12)

The Wall Street Journal: “By Far The Biggest Gaffe-Or Deliberate Evasion-Of The Evening Was Made By Mr. Obama When He Denied Paternity For The Sequester Defense Cuts Now Set For 2013 And Said They ‘Will Not Happen.’” “By far the biggest gaffe-or deliberate evasion-of the evening was made by Mr. Obama when he denied paternity for the sequester defense cuts now set for 2013 and said they ‘will not happen.’ Mr. Obama’s aides rushed out after the debate to say he meant to say the cuts ‘should not happen.’ But the truth is that Mr. Obama has been using the fear of huge defense cuts as a political strategy to force Republicans to accept a tax increase. As Bob Woodward describes in his recent book, Mr. Obama and the White House helped to devise the defense sequester strategy-no matter the actual risk to defense.” (Editorial, “Commanders In Chief,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/23/12)

Obama “Startled Washington During Monday Night’s Foreign Policy Debate When He Said Billions In Automatic Pentagon Cuts ‘Will Not Happen.’” “President Barack Obama startled Washington during Monday night’s foreign policy debate when he said billions in automatic Pentagon cuts ‘will not happen’ – a line that could weaken his bargaining power during an epic spending and tax fight expected when Congress returns.” (Phillip Ewing, “D.C. Caught Off Guard By Obama Sequester Vow,” Politico, 10/23/12)

• Obama Has Repeatedly Used Sequestration As A “Bargaining Chip” In Deficit Reduction Negotiations. “Obama was responding to criticism from Republican rival Mitt Romney that American national security is at risk if the defense cuts are triggered in early January. ‘First of all, the sequester is not something I proposed, it’s something that Congress proposed,’ Obama said. ‘It will not happen.’ The remark stakes new ground for the president, who has said he wants to avert the sequester cuts by taking a ‘balanced’ approach to solving the budget debacle – meaning he will not sign off on a deal that cuts spending, but doesn’t increase revenues. His strongest bargaining chip: the sequester cuts, which he may have just taken off the table.” (Phillip Ewing, “D.C. Caught Off Guard By Obama Sequester Vow,” Politico, 10/23/12)

Immediately After The Debate, Obama’s Advisers Worked To Tone Down Obama’s Remarks. “After the debate, White House senior adviser David Plouffe toned down the president’s remarks, saying that ‘everyone in Washington agrees that sequester ‘should not happen.” And Obama’s senior campaign adviser David Axelrod also took a less firm stance on sequester, telling CNN that a balanced deal is widely appealing: ‘There are plenty of people on both sides who want to get that done, and will get that done.’” (Phillip Ewing, “D.C. Caught Off Guard By Obama Sequester Vow,” Politico, 10/23/12)

Via: GOP.com

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