CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Obama's alliance with health insurance industry falls apart

After working with President Obama to deliver Obamacare, the health insurance industry now warns that Obamacare will increase a typical family's health insurance premium by $4,000 in 2019:

Late Sunday, the industry trade group America's Health Insurance Plans sent its member companies a new accounting firm study that projects the legislation would add $1,700 a year to the cost of family coverage in 2013, when most of the major provisions in the bill would be in effect.

Premiums for a single person would go up by $600 more than would be the case without the legislation, the PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis concluded in the study commissioned by the insurance group.

"Several major provisions in the current legislative proposal will cause health care costs to increase far faster and higher than they would under the current system," Karen Ignagni, the top industry lobbyist in Washington, wrote in a memo to insurance company CEOs.

The study projected that in 2019, family premiums could be $4,000 higher and individual premiums could be $1,500 higher.

President Obama, broke many campaign promises, and instead chose to meet privately with healthcare executives, cut a deal with drug firms in secret, and outsourced the drafting of the Obamacare legislation to the highly partisan, Democrat-controlled Congress, thereby ensuring a very partisan Obamacare bill unacceptable to many, if not most of the American people.

In the following MSNBC video, Dr. Nancy Snyderman discusses the political fallout of the failure of the Obama/healthcare industry alliance with Chuck Todd and Robert Zirkelbach:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Sen. LeMieux highlights serious concerns with Obamacare

In Saturday's weekly Republican address, Florida Republican Senator George LeMieux warns that as Senate Democrats and Obama administration officials violate President Obama's promised transparency and meet behind closed doors to draft their final Obamacare proposal, Americans should be concerned:

• So far, according to the Senate Budget Committee, we know the true cost of this proposal is at least $1.8 trillion over 10 years. 

• We know it takes nearly $500 billion out of Medicare funding for seniors, and requires our states to shoulder billions more in health care costs, which they can ill-afford to do.

• The Democrat-sponsored proposal in the Senate cuts nearly $135 billion from Medicare Advantage, over $150 billion from hospitals that care for seniors, more than $51 billion from home health agencies and hospices, and nearly $70 billion in additional cuts or fee increases.

• Real reform ought to focus on stopping the estimated $60 billion in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse, and using those funds to care for seniors.

• Real reform ought to address portability – allowing people to keep their health insurance whether they change jobs or move to a different state.

• Real reform ought to reduce the incidence of doctors having to practice defensive medicine – ordering a litany of unnecessary and expensive tests in order to avoid frivolous lawsuits.

Senator LeMieux reiterates that Republicans believe that any health care reform legislation should lower costs and expand access without raising taxes or adding billions of dollars to the deficit:

Full transcript of Senator LeMieux's address, as prepared by LeMieux's office:

Hello, I’m Senator George LeMieux of Florida. It’s an honor and privilege to be serving the people of the Sunshine State in the United States Senate.
 
We’ve all seen the headlines and know that one of the biggest issues pending before Congress is health care.
 
Families in Florida and across America are struggling with the increasing costs of health insurance, and tens of millions Americans have no health insurance at all.
 
We in the Congress have a duty to tackle this problem, but the solution we settle upon should not be rushed, and the solution should not be worse than the problem we are trying to solve.
 
Right now, Senate Democrats and White House officials are behind closed doors crafting their final health care overhaul proposal.
 
While the Democrats in Congress have not yet provided the actual language of their proposed law, we do know enough for Americans to be concerned.
 
So far, according to the Senate Budget Committee, we know the true cost of this proposal is at least $1.8 trillion over 10 years. 
 
We know it takes nearly $500 billion out of Medicare funding for seniors, and requires our states to shoulder billions more in health care costs, which they can ill-afford to do.
 
The Democrat-sponsored proposal in the Senate cuts nearly $135 billion from Medicare Advantage, over $150 billion from hospitals that care for seniors, more than $51 billion from home health agencies and hospices, and nearly $70 billion in additional cuts or fee increases.
 
These cuts would arrive at a time when projections show the Medicare program will be insolvent in less than 8 years. Taking money from a program already in financial trouble is not responsible; it’s not fair to our seniors who paid into the program, and it’s not fair to our children and grandchildren who will be burdened with massive debt obligations.
 
Another part of this plan would deny millions of people the choice of health plans that best suit their needs by forcing them onto Medicaid. This is contrary to the President’s promise to give the American people choice.
 
Not to mention, dramatically expanding Medicaid adds a huge burden to state governments at a time when they can least afford it.
 
Over the last two years in Florida, we had to cut nearly $8 billion from state programs to meet our state’s balanced budget requirement.
 
Unlike the federal government, our states have to balance their budgets, and they can’t print more money to pay for programs they can’t afford.
 
Piling on additional obligations would mean even more severe cuts to roads, schools, law enforcement and other essential state services.
 
Budget neutral doesn’t mean forcing states to cut vital programs to make up what the federal government isn’t willing to pay.
 
That is why America’s governors, both Democrat and Republican alike, have voiced their opposition to this plan.
 
The plan being pushed by Democrats in Congress also adds a new tax burden to our families.  President Obama said families earning less than $250,000 a year would not be subject to any tax increases; but this proposal contains a mandate for families to buy insurance.
 
Failing to comply would mean every adult would have to pay a $750 penalty.
 
The President says this isn’t a tax; I don’t buy it. The penalty is paid directly to the IRS when you pay your taxes, and it’s certainly not optional.
 
If it looks like a tax, and it’s paid like a tax, then it is a tax, plain and simple.
 
There are also new taxes on health insurance providers, manufacturers and importers of medicine, and medical device manufacturers.
 
Two non-partisan groups unequivocally state that these taxes will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums. It is likely that the current proposal will increase your health insurance costs, not reduce them.

Republicans in Congress are willing to work toward targeted steps to broaden health care access and affordability, but we should take some more time get it right, rather than move quickly and get it wrong.

Real reform ought to focus on stopping the estimated $60 billion in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse, and using those funds to care for seniors.
 
Real reform ought to address portability – allowing people to keep their health insurance whether they change jobs or move to a different state.
 
Real reform ought to reduce the incidence of doctors having to practice defensive medicine – ordering a litany of unnecessary and expensive tests in order to avoid frivolous lawsuits.
 
President Obama has said he wants a budget-neutral, bipartisan bill.

Republicans welcome that effort.
 
As we prepare to debate the plan in the United States Senate, I remain hopeful we can reach consensus on a proposal that will reduce costs and increase access to health care for those who are uninsured, while protecting the quality of care for all Americans.  I’m Senator George LeMieux. Thank you for listening.

Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

President Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

I do not understand what Obama has accomplished to earn this honor. Nevertheless, I congratulate Obama and his supporters.

DeVore now in virtual tie with Fiorina for GOP nomination to challenge Senator Boxer

A new Field Poll is good news for California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore. He is now virtually tied with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina for the Republican nomination challenge Democrat Barbara Boxer for the U.S. Senate:

The poll found a majority of GOP voters undecided about who they want to challenge Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer next year.

Those who had a preference were split between Fiorina, 21 percent, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, 20 percent.

But those findings showed a drop for the GOP businesswoman, who held a 12 percentage point lead over DeVore in a March survey.

Devore has declared his candidacy, while Fiorina is exploring the race. This graphic, based on the Field Poll data, suggests Fiorina may want to reconsider this campaign.

Disclosure: I am on record as supporting DeVore.

Feds block ACORN's 'Assistance to Firefighters Grant'

In a correction to Wednesday's article, the Washington Times reports that the Obama administration say there is no chance that ACORN will get the $997,402 Assistance to Firefighters Grant it was awarded last month:

FEMA officials said Wednesday that the award was posted on the agency's Web site Sept. 4, several days before a widely publicized video sting prompted the House and Senate to vote to cut off funding to the group.

[. . . ]

"The group had not [cashed in the grant] and at that point we froze the money. ...

Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter, who complained about the grant in a September 22 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, said that he was "glad that DHS has 'frozen' these funds," but said the grant still needed to be formally withdrawn.

Thanks to Secretary Janet Napolitano for correcting this outrage.

Firefighters lose 'Assistance to Firefighters Grant' to ACORN

This Article has been Updated.

As President Obama renewed his effort to distance himself from his brotherhood of community organizers, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, more commonly known "ACORN," his Department of Homeland Security awarded the radical left-wing organization a nearly $1  million "Assistance to Firefighters Grant."

According to the Washington Times, such "Assistance to Firefighters Grant" are typically earmarked for fire departments. The ACORN firefighting grant made up almost 80 percent of the firefighting money earmarked for Louisiana.

Louisiana's Senator, David Vitter, asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to rescind the Assistance to Firefighters Grant awarded to ACORN:

September 22, 2009

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary
U. S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528-0001

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

I was deeply disturbed to discover a recent grant notification from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, awarding $997,402 of taxpayer dollars to The ACORN Institute through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for the FY 2008 Fire Prevention and Safety Program. I have had grave reservations about ACORN for some time, and these concerns have recently been heightened by the serious allegations of wrongdoing on the part of ACORN. I request that you rescind this grant based on a history of abuse of federal dollars by ACORN and their clear lack of expertise in this area.

Several Louisiana fire departments have voiced their serious concerns to me over the award of these funds to ACORN. We can all understand that there are never enough funds to allocate for all the deserving requests of fire departments, and each year there are many more requests than funds available. But when so many fire departments throughout the nation are struggling for funding for important and lifesaving projects, how is it that a non-fire department with no clear expertise in fire safety and prevention is given such a large award for fire safety?

I am familiar with many fire departments in Louisiana that are in dire need of funds for many worthwhile programs, and I’m sure that is the case throughout the country. These firefighters that put their lives on the line for the safety of their communities deserve a full explanation of this award.

Again, I request that you immediately rescind this funding to a group that has a long and clear history of abusing federal dollars and reward these monies to a more deserving group of first responders. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

David Vitter
United States Senate

As of Tuesday afternoon the Department of Homeland Security had not yet responded to Senator Vitter's letter.

The grant to ACORN's Louisiana office became public on Oct. 2, less than three weeks after the House and Senate voted to cut off ACORN funding after ACORN employees were caught on video as they gave advice on how to skirt federal laws to buy a home to use as a brothel and how to cloak the status of underage "sex workers."

The Senate voted to cut off funding for ACORN in response the latest ACORN scandal on September 14, 2009. the House did the same three days later. The two bills will have to be combined before a final vote takes place.

It's time for the Democrat -controlled Congress to get its act together and prevent any more federal money going to ACORN.

I know Obama told community organizers they would shape his presidency. But I didn't expect his administration to give ACORN even more taxpayer dollars, not after all of ACORN's fraudulant voter registration and the brouhaha over efforts to include even more federal money to community organizing groups like ACORN in the big $700 billion bailout bill that Obama voted for during the heat of the Presidential campaign.

UPDATE: Feds have blocked ACORN's Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

Saturday Night Live looks at Obama's lack of accomplishments

Saturday Night Live goes after President Obama's failure to achieve his promised change in closing Gitmo, getting out of Iraq, improving the war in Afghanistan, health care reform, climate change, immigration reform, gays in the military, limits on executive powers, and torture prosecutions. The skit even takes a shot at Obama's Olympic failure.

Watch the video:

True unemployment at 17% - employers cut more jobs than expected

The Labor Department reports the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent in September, from 9.7 percent in August.

Employers cut 263,000 jobs in September, more than expected. The job losses were widespread -- 64,000 in construction, 51,000 in manufacturing and 53,000 in government.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a more comprehensive measure of joblessness that includes people who have given up looking for a job out of frustration and who are working part time but want a full-time job, hit 17% in September. That is up from 16.8 percent in August.

Market Watch reports more than a half a million people dropped out of the labor force, and the employment participation rate fell to 65.2%, the lowest in 23 years. The average duration of unemployment rose to 26.2 weeks, a record high.

The jobless recovery is an indication that President Obama's boondoggle stimulus bill was not properly targeted.