McClatchy: 'Obamacare’s Big Question: What’s It Going To Cost Me?' | Rasmussen: 'Distrust Growing: 70% Believe IRS Decision to Target Conservatives Was Made in DC'
Today in Washington, D.C. - June 18, 2013:
The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today. The Senate resumed consideration of S. 744, the immigration reform bill.
At 3 PM, four votes on amendments to S. 744 are scheduled. Each will require 60 votes for adoption. Senators will vote on amendments offered by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), to require completion of border fencing before immigrant statuses are changed, by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) concerning citizenship for children adopted internationally, by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), to delay provisional legal status to illegal immigrants until the Homeland Security Secretary and Congress certify that a border check-in and check-out system has been implemented, and by Sen. John Tester (D-MT) to include tribal government officials in a border oversight task force.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 89-0 to confirm Kenneth Gonzales to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico.
The House also reconvened at 10 AM today. THey are scheduled to consider:
H.R. 1896 — "Amending part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to ensure that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, and for other purposes."
H.R. 475 — "Amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include vaccines against seasonal influenza within the definition of taxable vaccines."
H.R. 1151 — "Directing the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the triennial International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1947 — "Providing for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1797 — "Amending title 18, United States Code, to protect pain-capable unborn children in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes."
Yesterday the House completed action on the following legislation:
H. Res. 264 — "Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 588 – Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act of 2013, with an amendment." – ADOPTED BY VOICE
H.R. 674 — "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park System." – PASSED BY VOICE
H.R. 520 — "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the National Parks, and for other purposes." - PASSED BY VOICE
H.R. 876 — "To authorize the continued use of certain water diversions located on National Forest System land in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in the State of Idaho, and for other purposes." – PASSED 398–0
H.R. 253 — "To provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of National Forest System land in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah to Brigham Young University, and for other purposes." PASSED 397–1
H.R. 862 — "To authorize the conveyance of two small parcels of land within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest containing private improvements that were developed based upon the reliance of the landowners in an erroneous survey conducted in May 1960." PASSED 395 – 1
Today, Speaker Boehner held a press conference with other House Republicans. He called on Senator Harry Reid to allow a vote on the House-passed plan to stop student loan rates from doubling on July 1st. He also addressed immigration reform bill and proceedings in the U.S. Senate. He said, "I’m increasingly concerned that the White House and Senate Democrats … would rather have this as an issue in the 2014 election, rather than to resolve it. It was the president who said that he wanted a robust vote coming out of the Senate to help move this process along. And yet here’s the president and Senate Democrats working to limit the number of Republican votes that this immigration bill is likely to get. I think that’s unfortunate. . . . “We know that border security is absolutely essential if we’re going to give people confidence that we can do the rest of what’s being suggested. And I frankly think the Senate bill is weak on border security. . . .”
Interest in the IRS Scandal is growing. Rasmussen Reports today that "Distrust Growing: 70% Believe IRS Decision to Target Conservatives Was Made in DC." Rasmussen detailed that, "While the controversy over the National Security Agency surveillance program has dominated the news recently, concern about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations remains high and is inching up. Despite the large number of controversies engulfing official Washington, the number of people following the IRS scandal has actually increased in recent weeks. . . . 82% of voters nationwide are now following the IRS targeting story, including 44% who are following the story 'Very Closely.' The overall number of voters who are following is up from 74% a month ago."
In a story headlined “Obamacare’s big question: What’s it going to cost me?,” McClatchy writes, “The cost of health coverage under Obamacare remains one the biggest mysteries of the nation’s health care overhaul. But nagging cost questions will slowly be answered this summer as insurers and state officials set 2014 health plan rates for people who buy coverage outside of work or purchase it through small employers. Those two coverage areas – the individual and small group markets – face the biggest rule and cost changes next year, when the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act finally kick in. Early rate proposals around the country are a mix of steep hikes and modest increases.”
Just this month we’ve seen new stories warning that Obamacare could be “unaffordable for many low-wage workers” and that “many small businesses — defined by the health care law as those with up to 100 employees — could be in for serious sticker shock.” Already officials in Ohio are saying, “[f]or some people in the state, [the new law] means hefty increases from what they were paying in 2013, because insurance companies must offer a more generous level of benefits as part of the law and some of the skimpy plans that used to be available will change or go away.” And Georgia’s insurance commissioner worries, “I am very concerned that the full implementation of ObamaCare will drastically increase the price Georgians pay for health insurance.”
McClatchy notes, “The prospect of higher premiums has fueled concerns about ‘rate shock,’ in which large numbers of young people – who most likely face the largest premium increases – forgo individual coverage altogether and just pay the fine for violating the individual mandate. If that happens, rates would climb for everyone, experts say.”
Politico adds, “Obama . . . is asking millions of his younger supporters to start paying for health insurance, a far greater sacrifice than casting a vote — and one that will test his team’s revolutionary use of social media, metrics and highly-targeted messaging campaigns. . . . For the system to work, they must convince healthy 18-to-35 year-olds who have paid nothing for health care in the past to pony up hundreds of dollars for coverage that could still leave them on the hook for thousands of dollars in expenses — all for the greater good and Obama’s legacy.”
Elsewhere, “The health care law will engineer a complete makeover of individual coverage next year through a series of revisions,” McClatchy explains. And Californians are already seeing the first consequences. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Aetna Inc. said it would stop selling individual health insurance policies in California next month, and nearly 50,000 existing policyholders will have to find new coverage by January. The company's announcement Monday comes a month after it opted not to participate in California's new state-run insurance market for consumers, a key component of the new federal healthcare law.”
Recall the promises President Obama made when he was first trying to sell this unpopular health care law. In 2009, he said, “If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that: if you like your plan, you'll be able to keep it.” He claimed in 2010, “Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions - families, businesses, and the federal government.” And he later boasted, “This law will lower premiums.”
As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said last week, “Many experts predict that Obamacare will also cause health-care premiums to skyrocket – especially for younger Americans. Some studies show that young men in particular could see rate increases of 50 percent or more. Think about that: you work your tail off in high school just to get into a good college. You spend four years pulling all-nighters and cramming for finals – all for the privilege of putting on a gown, accepting your degree, and potentially spending who-knows-how-long frantically searching to find work. Then, if you’re lucky enough to find a job, your hours get cut. Maybe your job gets cut altogether. You get a letter in the mail that says, ‘Sorry, your premium’s going up by double-digits.’ Can’t pay the higher premium? Too bad. If you don’t, Uncle Sam slaps you with a penalty tax (and for all the talk of ‘subsidies,’ studies indicate that those payments from taxpayers might not even make up for the higher costs). Look: I’d be pretty disillusioned if I was in that position. Wouldn’t you?”
Tags: US Senate, Immigration Bill, US House, bills, Obamacare, costs, premiums, Rasmussen Reports, IRS Scandal To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today. The Senate resumed consideration of S. 744, the immigration reform bill.
At 3 PM, four votes on amendments to S. 744 are scheduled. Each will require 60 votes for adoption. Senators will vote on amendments offered by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), to require completion of border fencing before immigrant statuses are changed, by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) concerning citizenship for children adopted internationally, by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), to delay provisional legal status to illegal immigrants until the Homeland Security Secretary and Congress certify that a border check-in and check-out system has been implemented, and by Sen. John Tester (D-MT) to include tribal government officials in a border oversight task force.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 89-0 to confirm Kenneth Gonzales to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico.
The House also reconvened at 10 AM today. THey are scheduled to consider:
H.R. 1896 — "Amending part D of title IV of the Social Security Act to ensure that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance, and for other purposes."
H.R. 475 — "Amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to include vaccines against seasonal influenza within the definition of taxable vaccines."
H.R. 1151 — "Directing the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the triennial International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1947 — "Providing for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1797 — "Amending title 18, United States Code, to protect pain-capable unborn children in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes."
Yesterday the House completed action on the following legislation:
H. Res. 264 — "Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 588 – Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act of 2013, with an amendment." – ADOPTED BY VOICE
H.R. 674 — "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating prehistoric, historic, and limestone forest sites on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a unit of the National Park System." – PASSED BY VOICE
H.R. 520 — "To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the National Parks, and for other purposes." - PASSED BY VOICE
H.R. 876 — "To authorize the continued use of certain water diversions located on National Forest System land in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in the State of Idaho, and for other purposes." – PASSED 398–0
H.R. 253 — "To provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of National Forest System land in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah to Brigham Young University, and for other purposes." PASSED 397–1
H.R. 862 — "To authorize the conveyance of two small parcels of land within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest containing private improvements that were developed based upon the reliance of the landowners in an erroneous survey conducted in May 1960." PASSED 395 – 1
Today, Speaker Boehner held a press conference with other House Republicans. He called on Senator Harry Reid to allow a vote on the House-passed plan to stop student loan rates from doubling on July 1st. He also addressed immigration reform bill and proceedings in the U.S. Senate. He said, "I’m increasingly concerned that the White House and Senate Democrats … would rather have this as an issue in the 2014 election, rather than to resolve it. It was the president who said that he wanted a robust vote coming out of the Senate to help move this process along. And yet here’s the president and Senate Democrats working to limit the number of Republican votes that this immigration bill is likely to get. I think that’s unfortunate. . . . “We know that border security is absolutely essential if we’re going to give people confidence that we can do the rest of what’s being suggested. And I frankly think the Senate bill is weak on border security. . . .”
Interest in the IRS Scandal is growing. Rasmussen Reports today that "Distrust Growing: 70% Believe IRS Decision to Target Conservatives Was Made in DC." Rasmussen detailed that, "While the controversy over the National Security Agency surveillance program has dominated the news recently, concern about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations remains high and is inching up. Despite the large number of controversies engulfing official Washington, the number of people following the IRS scandal has actually increased in recent weeks. . . . 82% of voters nationwide are now following the IRS targeting story, including 44% who are following the story 'Very Closely.' The overall number of voters who are following is up from 74% a month ago."
In a story headlined “Obamacare’s big question: What’s it going to cost me?,” McClatchy writes, “The cost of health coverage under Obamacare remains one the biggest mysteries of the nation’s health care overhaul. But nagging cost questions will slowly be answered this summer as insurers and state officials set 2014 health plan rates for people who buy coverage outside of work or purchase it through small employers. Those two coverage areas – the individual and small group markets – face the biggest rule and cost changes next year, when the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act finally kick in. Early rate proposals around the country are a mix of steep hikes and modest increases.”
Just this month we’ve seen new stories warning that Obamacare could be “unaffordable for many low-wage workers” and that “many small businesses — defined by the health care law as those with up to 100 employees — could be in for serious sticker shock.” Already officials in Ohio are saying, “[f]or some people in the state, [the new law] means hefty increases from what they were paying in 2013, because insurance companies must offer a more generous level of benefits as part of the law and some of the skimpy plans that used to be available will change or go away.” And Georgia’s insurance commissioner worries, “I am very concerned that the full implementation of ObamaCare will drastically increase the price Georgians pay for health insurance.”
McClatchy notes, “The prospect of higher premiums has fueled concerns about ‘rate shock,’ in which large numbers of young people – who most likely face the largest premium increases – forgo individual coverage altogether and just pay the fine for violating the individual mandate. If that happens, rates would climb for everyone, experts say.”
Politico adds, “Obama . . . is asking millions of his younger supporters to start paying for health insurance, a far greater sacrifice than casting a vote — and one that will test his team’s revolutionary use of social media, metrics and highly-targeted messaging campaigns. . . . For the system to work, they must convince healthy 18-to-35 year-olds who have paid nothing for health care in the past to pony up hundreds of dollars for coverage that could still leave them on the hook for thousands of dollars in expenses — all for the greater good and Obama’s legacy.”
Elsewhere, “The health care law will engineer a complete makeover of individual coverage next year through a series of revisions,” McClatchy explains. And Californians are already seeing the first consequences. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Aetna Inc. said it would stop selling individual health insurance policies in California next month, and nearly 50,000 existing policyholders will have to find new coverage by January. The company's announcement Monday comes a month after it opted not to participate in California's new state-run insurance market for consumers, a key component of the new federal healthcare law.”
Recall the promises President Obama made when he was first trying to sell this unpopular health care law. In 2009, he said, “If you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it. Let me repeat that: if you like your plan, you'll be able to keep it.” He claimed in 2010, “Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions - families, businesses, and the federal government.” And he later boasted, “This law will lower premiums.”
As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said last week, “Many experts predict that Obamacare will also cause health-care premiums to skyrocket – especially for younger Americans. Some studies show that young men in particular could see rate increases of 50 percent or more. Think about that: you work your tail off in high school just to get into a good college. You spend four years pulling all-nighters and cramming for finals – all for the privilege of putting on a gown, accepting your degree, and potentially spending who-knows-how-long frantically searching to find work. Then, if you’re lucky enough to find a job, your hours get cut. Maybe your job gets cut altogether. You get a letter in the mail that says, ‘Sorry, your premium’s going up by double-digits.’ Can’t pay the higher premium? Too bad. If you don’t, Uncle Sam slaps you with a penalty tax (and for all the talk of ‘subsidies,’ studies indicate that those payments from taxpayers might not even make up for the higher costs). Look: I’d be pretty disillusioned if I was in that position. Wouldn’t you?”
Tags: US Senate, Immigration Bill, US House, bills, Obamacare, costs, premiums, Rasmussen Reports, IRS Scandal To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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