For those of you lucky enough to keep the insurance plan you liked, the anxiety is not over. Not by a long shot.
In an exquisite bit of Obamacare cruelty, some policyholders who have retained the coverage they know and like will no longer have the doctor that formerly went along with the policy.
For a policyholder who needs medical care now, it’s the good news/bad news joke from hell.
The Wall Street Journal has announced that UnitedHealth Group will be dropping thousands of doctors from its networks in 10 different states.
These doctors are being forced out of Medicare Advantage plans that cover the elderly. As a result, patients who were old enough to qualify for Medicare and thought they were immune to any adverse effects from the passage of Obamacare are now wondering if they have to go through the paperwork agony of changing plans to keep the medical professionals they trust.
If that’s “healthcare reform,” you can keep it.
You’re probably wondering how the elderly that were already covered by health insurance could have been blindsided by a “reform” meant to cover those under 65. That’s easy to answer. When the federal government seizes 20 percent of the economy there is no place for anyone to hide.
Obama’s most recent “you can keep your insurance and doctor” lie is having the unfortunate side effect of obscuring some of the other foundational Obamacare lies. During the original debate on the bill, backers cut almost $800 million from Medicare over the next 10 years so the numbers for Obamacare would work.
This was bending the truth, although they called it “bending the cost curve.” Democrats didn’t expect the cuts to stick for any longer than it took to pass the original bill.
Then came the loss of the House of Representatives and now the fake cuts are real cuts and seniors are suffering.
According to the WSJ, “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.”
In addition UnitedHealth Group intends to pull out of some states entirely because of government funding cuts.
So here’s the current status of Obamacare: The individual insurance market is devastated and premiums are skyrocketing. The signups for coverage that Obama promised are far below projections. The few who have signed up are mostly subsidized policies. And seniors, who thought they were immune, now know otherwise.
Obamacare doesn’t need short-term fixes or additional “reform.” It needs termination and the sooner the better.
Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan. He is president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation and chairman of the League of American Voters. Mike is an in-demand speaker with Premiere. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.