AP: "HealthCare.gov Average Premiums Going Up In 2015"; Obama In 2011: "This Law Will Lower Premiums" House passes Defense Bill
Today in Washington, D.C. - Dec. 5, 2014
The Senate is not in session today and will reconvene on Monday when there will be more votes on nominations.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 76-16 to confirm the nomination of Joseph Leeson, Jr. to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Senate then voted 53-40 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jeffery Baran to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 51-42 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Lauren McFerran to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, and 57-34 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Ellen Williams to be a director of ARPA in the Department of Energy.
The House was also not in Session today and will reconvene at Noon on Monday. Yesterday the House passed:
H.R. H.R. 3979 (300-119) - An Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 for military activities of the Department of Defense (which was re-titled by administrative vote). The Senate will vote on this bill on Monday. Thirty-two Republicans, many conservatives, joined 87 Democrats in voting against the bill. Fifteen did Not Vote on the bill including 8 Republicans.
H.R. 5759 (Voice Vote) — "To establish a rule of construction clarifying the limitations on executive authority to provide certain forms of immigration relief."
H. Res. 758 (411 - 10) — "Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic domination."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor’s unemployment report for November 2014: “The holiday season is a time for all of us to reflect on our blessings, but it’s also a time to consider the many families that are still having a tough time. While it's welcome news that more people found work last month, millions still remain out of work, and middle-class families across the country, including my home state of Ohio, are struggling to get by on wages that haven’t kept pace with rising costs. The president’s response has been more of the same: the same massive regulations, the same rising premiums, and the same uncertainty for manufacturers and small businesses. The House has continued to put the people’s priorities first, passing two more bills this week to help families and make it easier for businesses to hire. The new year and the new American Congress will bring the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of working families, and we’re eager to get to work.”
The AP reported yesterday, “Many HealthCare.gov customers will face higher costs next year, the Obama administration acknowledged Thursday in a report that shows average premiums rising modestly. . . . Premiums for the most popular type of plan will go up an average of 5 percent in the 35 states where the federal government is running the health insurance exchanges, said a report from the Health and Human Services Department. . . . The modest average increases the administration reported Thursday mask bigger price swings from state to state, and even within regions of a state. Some are still seeing double-digit hikes. But others are seeing decreases. And most are somewhere in the middle. . . . The most popular coverage is known as the lowest cost silver plan and will go up 5 percent next year. Another key plan, the second-lowest cost silver, will go up an average of 2 percent.”
Of course, this isn’t what President Obama and Democrats promised about their unpopular health care law. President Obama boasted in 2011 that “This law will lower premiums.” And while the bill was being debated in the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), declared, “Bringing down costs of health insurance and making it more affordable is job one for this health care reform.”
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported, “The American middle class has absorbed a steep increase in the cost of health care and other necessities as incomes have stagnated over the past half decade, a squeeze that has forced families to cut back spending on everything from clothing to restaurants. Health-care spending by middle-income Americans rose 24% between 2007 and 2013, driven by an even larger rise in the cost of buying health insurance, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of detailed consumer-spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . . The overall cost of health care rose by 21% between 2007 and 2013, according to separate data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And employees paid more for workplace insurance, averaging $380 a month for family coverage in 2013, up 39% from 2007, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows.”
As usual, Obamacare is failing to live up to the promises made by Democrats as they jammed it through Congress. It’s not bringing down costs, it’s not lowering premiums, and Americans are struggling with narrower networks of doctors and hospitals and staggering deductibles. It needs to be repealed and replaced with step-by-step solutions that actually lower costs instead of growing government.
Tags: Obamacare, House, Senate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
The Senate is not in session today and will reconvene on Monday when there will be more votes on nominations.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 76-16 to confirm the nomination of Joseph Leeson, Jr. to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Senate then voted 53-40 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jeffery Baran to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 51-42 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Lauren McFerran to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board, and 57-34 to invoke cloture on the nomination of Ellen Williams to be a director of ARPA in the Department of Energy.
The House was also not in Session today and will reconvene at Noon on Monday. Yesterday the House passed:
H.R. H.R. 3979 (300-119) - An Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2015 for military activities of the Department of Defense (which was re-titled by administrative vote). The Senate will vote on this bill on Monday. Thirty-two Republicans, many conservatives, joined 87 Democrats in voting against the bill. Fifteen did Not Vote on the bill including 8 Republicans.
H.R. 5759 (Voice Vote) — "To establish a rule of construction clarifying the limitations on executive authority to provide certain forms of immigration relief."
H. Res. 758 (411 - 10) — "Strongly condemning the actions of the Russian Federation, under President Vladimir Putin, which has carried out a policy of aggression against neighboring countries aimed at political and economic domination."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor’s unemployment report for November 2014: “The holiday season is a time for all of us to reflect on our blessings, but it’s also a time to consider the many families that are still having a tough time. While it's welcome news that more people found work last month, millions still remain out of work, and middle-class families across the country, including my home state of Ohio, are struggling to get by on wages that haven’t kept pace with rising costs. The president’s response has been more of the same: the same massive regulations, the same rising premiums, and the same uncertainty for manufacturers and small businesses. The House has continued to put the people’s priorities first, passing two more bills this week to help families and make it easier for businesses to hire. The new year and the new American Congress will bring the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of working families, and we’re eager to get to work.”
The AP reported yesterday, “Many HealthCare.gov customers will face higher costs next year, the Obama administration acknowledged Thursday in a report that shows average premiums rising modestly. . . . Premiums for the most popular type of plan will go up an average of 5 percent in the 35 states where the federal government is running the health insurance exchanges, said a report from the Health and Human Services Department. . . . The modest average increases the administration reported Thursday mask bigger price swings from state to state, and even within regions of a state. Some are still seeing double-digit hikes. But others are seeing decreases. And most are somewhere in the middle. . . . The most popular coverage is known as the lowest cost silver plan and will go up 5 percent next year. Another key plan, the second-lowest cost silver, will go up an average of 2 percent.”
Of course, this isn’t what President Obama and Democrats promised about their unpopular health care law. President Obama boasted in 2011 that “This law will lower premiums.” And while the bill was being debated in the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), declared, “Bringing down costs of health insurance and making it more affordable is job one for this health care reform.”
Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported, “The American middle class has absorbed a steep increase in the cost of health care and other necessities as incomes have stagnated over the past half decade, a squeeze that has forced families to cut back spending on everything from clothing to restaurants. Health-care spending by middle-income Americans rose 24% between 2007 and 2013, driven by an even larger rise in the cost of buying health insurance, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of detailed consumer-spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . . The overall cost of health care rose by 21% between 2007 and 2013, according to separate data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And employees paid more for workplace insurance, averaging $380 a month for family coverage in 2013, up 39% from 2007, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows.”
As usual, Obamacare is failing to live up to the promises made by Democrats as they jammed it through Congress. It’s not bringing down costs, it’s not lowering premiums, and Americans are struggling with narrower networks of doctors and hospitals and staggering deductibles. It needs to be repealed and replaced with step-by-step solutions that actually lower costs instead of growing government.
Tags: Obamacare, House, Senate To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 1:00 PM - Post Link
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