BEDFORD: One month after the shutdown ended, Lee and Cruz are sitting pretty

It’s Nov. 16, 2013, and the partial government shutdown ended one month ago today.

In those four weeks, and the two prior, everything conservatives said would happen has happened. What’s more, the Democrats’ united stand against them has turned into a retreat — and is primed to become a rout — as they amend Obamacare’s disastrous rollout, President Barack Obama apologizes for his failures, and electorally vulnerable Democrats break ranks and flee.

Hell, even the polls that D.C.’s Republican pundits shrieked, wept and clawed over show the Grand Old Party has bounced back while the Democrats have fallen behind. Because, in the end, real people simply weren’t affected by the shutdown, so they won’t vote on it — a distinction Obamacare does not share.

It’s clear now that the whole shutdown thing could have been avoided if Mr. Obama had been willing to bend on his signature health-care law — something reality has since forced him to do, and something he will likely have to continue to do — instead of accusing the Republicans of being “terrorists” who are holding the country captive.

And rather than crashing, as the president predicted, the private sector survived just fine without government. Obama’s specific prediction — “I mean whatever effect Obamacare might have on the economy is far less than even a few days of government shutdown” — turned out to be precisely wrong. (VIDEO: It’s been two weeks and still no apocalypse, you guys)

Finally, the events of the last month have shown that Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee were correct to make a final stand against the law, and it’s really the president and his policies that are terrorizing the country. (RELATED: How Cruz, Lee and Paul shut down Obama’s agenda)

Because since Obamacare has come into effect, millions have seen their health-care plans cancelled; enrollment numbers have lagged 80 percent behind the White House’s predictions; every facet of the sign-up process has failed to deliver; and some of the very “navigators” who are supposed to make all that easier have been exposed as criminals.

And for the two weeks that preceded this debacle, the story is one of Republicans fighting with everything they had to save the country from what they saw coming.

Via: Daily Caller

Continue Reading....

Confirmed: 23 of The 26 Most Vulnerable House Democrats Voted For Upton Bill…

Vulnerable Dems revolt on ObamaCare vote

Nearly every one of the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbents split with their party on Friday and voted for a Republican measure to allow Americans to keep their insurance plans under ObamaCare.

All but three of the 26 members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program — the designation for their most endangered incumbents — voted for the bill.

They joined 16 other Democrats in supporting the measure, which passed the House 261-157. Four Republicans voted against it.

The bill had already picked up four Democratic sponsors: Reps. John Barrow (D-Ga.), Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). All four are top Republican targets in 2014.

Other vulnerable Democrats voting in favor of the bill include Reps. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah).

The defections reflect the political realities facing Democrats as the botched rollout of the healthcare law has caused widespread public backlash against the law and the party. Democrats have seen the polling advantage they gained following the government shutdown erased in the wake of issues with the law.

President Obama offered his own administrative fix for the dropped plans on Thursday but failed to fully quiet critics who say his solution doesn't go far enough. The president's solution would allow insurance companies to keep offering current plans until after the midterm elections.

Still, House Democrats had expected the defections on the Upton bill to be far higher.

Vulnerable Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), John Tierney (D-Mass.) and Lois Capps (D-Calif.) all voted against the bill.

Republicans are already out hitting them for their votes. The National Republican Congressional Committee issued releases targeting Kirkpatrick and Tierney. One charges Kirkpatrick "broke her promise," a reference to Obama's erroneous pledge that Americans who like their coverage can keep it.

Via: Weasel Zippers

Continue Reading.....

GOP Weekly address: Obamacare promise is 'consumer fraud', Saturday November 16, 2013

Sen. Johnson Gives GOP Weekly Address: Obama Did Not Misspeak

GOP: In the Weekly Republican Address, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin calls on Democrats to join Republicans in passing legislation he authored to limit the damage of the deeply flawed Obamacare health law. 

Via: Real Clear Politics

Continue Reading....

Obama Weekly Address: Taking Control of America’s Energy Future, Saturday November 16, 2013

In his weekly address, President Obama discusses progress in American energy and highlights that we are now producing more oil at home than we buy from other countries for the first time in nearly two decades. We reached this milestone in part not only because we’re producing more energy, but because we’re wasting less energy, and as a result, we are also reducing our carbon emissions while growing the economy.

Via: WhiteHouse.gov

Continue Reading....

ObamaCare Contractor Linked To 20 Troubled Government Projects

The lead contractor on the dysfunctional Obamacare website is filled with executives from a company that mishandled at least 20 other government IT projects — including a costly and troubled effort to automate retirement benefits for millions of federal workers, The Washington Post reported Friday.

 

CGI Federal, the main Web site developer for HealthCare.gov, entered the U.S. government market a decade ago when its parent company purchased American Management Systems — and more than 100 ex-AMS employees are now senior executives or consultants for CGI Federal, the Post reported.

A year before CGI Group acquired AMS in 2004, AMS settled a lawsuit brought by the head of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which had hired the company to upgrade the agency’s computer system.

Via: Newsmax

Continue Reading....

Legalizing illegal immigrants is the solution to Obamacare: Democrat

Rep. Jared Polis said Friday the key problem with health care right now is that illegal immigrants aren’t included in Obamacare, and said part of the solution is to pass a bill granting them citizenship rights.

The House is debating a GOP-written bill that would allow Americans to keep their health plans that have been canceled under Obamacare, but Mr. Polis, a Colorado Democrat, said the chamber should instead be looking at ways to make sure everyone in the country is covered by the Affordable Care Act — including illegal immigrants.

“American citizens are essentially being forced to pay for the health care costs of people who are here illegally every day, until we pass comprehensive immigration reform,” he said. “We’re wondering why rates are going up. … It’s no surprise. When somebody doesn’t have insurance, their costs are shifted onto other people that do.”

Illegal immigrants are one of the few categories of people in the U.S. who aren’t subjected to Obamacare’s individual mandate requiring all people to have health insurance coverage. They also aren’t eligible for taxpayer subsidies to buy insurance on the health exchanges, nor are they supposed to be getting assistance under Medicaid.

But Mr. Polis said leaving them outside of the health mandate means that they end up using emergency care, but don’t end up paying their own bills — leaving the rest of the country to pick up those costs.

He said the solution is to pass House Democrats’ bill, which would grant a long-term pathway to citizenship for most illegal immigrants. The legislation is known by its bill number, House Res. 15

“If we can pass HR, 15 people who are here illegally will have to get insurance on their own instead of forcing Americans to pay for their insurance,” Mr. Polis said.

Via: Washington Times

Continue Reading....

A Conservative’s Experience Enrolling in Obamacare

With all the hoopla surrounding Obamacare, I decided to call and sign up for its implementation in our state, Covered California. I dialed 1-800-300-1506. Jose answered.

He was polite but rattled when I told him I’d rather talk to him, a human, than trust my most personal information to a problematic state government computer. He attempted several times to get me to sign up online, but I held firm. I did not want to create an online account.

Jose asked for my salary information, my age, and my husband’s information. He asked me for information from our tax returns, and if I was a citizen. Rather than provide my actual income, I used $40,000 as my annual salary, to see if I would qualify for a subsidized plan.

After running a few calculations, Jose suggested I dump my husband, who gets Medicare, from the plan to lower my income, and possibly qualify for government subsidies. “Your annual income is just below the boundary — you may qualify for assistance,”

Then the awkward sales pitch began.

Silver, blue and gold

There are four levels of health plans available, from cheapest to most expensive: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

While Jose was explaining the metallurgy of the health plans, the 1982 Bad Company song, “Silver, Blue and Gold,”  popped into my head:

In the beginning
I believed every word that you said
Now that you’re gone
My world is in shreds

Jose skipped right over the Bronze- and Silver-level plans and tried hard to sell me on a Gold-level health plan. He said the Bronze-level health plan had the highest monthly premiums, but was reluctant to tell me what they were.

Via: California Political Review

Continue Reading...

[CARTOON] GOP Obstructionists

Via: California Political Review

UnitedHealth drops thousands of doctors from insurance plans: WSJ

(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group dropped thousands of doctors from its networks in recent weeks, leaving many elderly patients unsure whether they need to switch plans to continue seeing their doctors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The insurer said in October that underfunding of Medicare Advantage plans for the elderly could not be fully offset by the company's other healthcare business. The company also reported spending more healthcare premiums on medical claims in the third quarter, due mainly to government cuts to payments for Medicare Advantage services.

The Journal report said that doctors in at least 10 states were notified of being laid off the plans, some citing "significant changes and pressures in the healthcare environment." According to the notices, the terminations can be appealed within 30 days.

Tyler Mason, a UnitedHealth spokesperson, was not immediately available for comment when reached by Reuters.

The insurer told the WSJ that its provider networks were always changing and that it expected its Medicare Advantage network to be 85 percent to 90 percent of its current size by the end of 2014.

UnitedHealth is participating in about a dozen new state insurance markets that launched on October 1 to offer subsidized health coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul.

The insurer said previously it planned to withdraw from some markets in 2014 because of the government funding cuts.

Another top health insurer, Aetna Inc , also warned in October that it expected slowing growth in 2014 in its Medicare Advantage plans.

Via: Yahoo

Continue Reading.....

IRS mistakenly sent 'sensitive taxpayer data' to California small business

The IRS mistakenly sent “sensitive taxpayer data” intended for a California accountant to a nearby small business in September, exposing one man’s Social Security number, wage and tax information and third-party network payments, FoxNews.com has learned.

The 10-page document, dated Sept. 10, was addressed to certified public accountant David Reinus in Thousand Oaks but was erroneously sent to a fax machine at a tire supply warehouse in the same town, which is roughly 35 miles outside Los Angeles. It contains “wage and income” data, according to its cover page, from 2010-12 of a Simi Valley man whose sensitive data was seemingly exposed without his knowledge.

“This communication is intended for the sole use of the individual to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law,” a disclaimer on the cover page reads. “If the reader of this communication is not the intended recipient or the employee or the agent for delivering the communication to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication may be strictly prohibited.”

Derek Broes, a Seattle-based technology and media entrepreneur, learned of the errant fax from his cousin, who is married to the owner of TO Tire Supply. Broes said he was shocked to learn that IRS officials did not use a verified number to send the information, which he claims could easily be used to deplete the man’s bank account and launch a new identity within minutes.

VIA: FOX NEWS POLITICS

CONTINUE READING....

Cities Raise Alarms Over EPA’s Surprise Hydrant Lead Rule

THE EPA IS PISSING ON EVERYONE!!

Philadelphia has 119 fire hydrants that cost about $2,000 each waiting in a warehouse to be installed, yet they sit high and dry because federal regulators say their fittings might taint drinking water with lead.

The City of Brotherly Love and communities across the U.S. face the specter of hundreds of millions of dollars in useless hydrants after a surprise ruling last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that requires fireplugs put in after Jan. 4 meet stricter standards for lead content, said Tom Curtis of the American Water Works Association in Denver. That means cities must scrap or retrofit inventory or buy hydrants and parts that some vendors aren’t even making yet.

Manufacturers and Curtis’s group, which represents utilities that serve about 80 percent of Americans, are urging the agency to reconsider or at least allow more time to comply. American Cast Iron Pipe Co., one of the largest hydrant makers, is seeing some customers delay or cancel orders.

“This delivers a huge cost and probably no health protection,” said Curtis, the water group’s deputy executive director. “It needs to be rethought.”

Mueller Water Products Inc. (MWA), an Atlanta-based company that says it is the largest U.S. hydrant maker, supports efforts to have fireplugs excluded from the EPA rule. It cited “no discernible health risk,” in a statement.

Hydrants pose little, if any, risk of long-term lead exposure because they are used to supply drinking water only on occasions such as a festival or when a main breaks, Curtis said by telephone from Washington.

Via: Bloomberg

Continue Reading....