During his first run for president, Barack Obama made one very specific promise to voters: He would cut health insurance premiums for families by $2,500, and do so in his first term.
But it turns out that family premiums have increased by more than $3,000 since Obama's vow, according to the latest annual Kaiser Family Foundation employee health benefits survey.
Premiums for employer-provided family coverage rose $3,065 — 24% — from 2008 to 2012, the Kaiser survey found. Even if you start counting in 2009, premiums have climbed $2,370.
What's more, premiums climbed faster in Obama's four years than they did in the previous four under President Bush, the survey data show.
There's no question about what Obama was promising the country, since he repeated it constantly during his 2008 campaign.
In a debate with Sen. John McCain, for example, Obama said "the only thing we're going to try to do is lower costs so that those cost savings are passed onto you. And we estimate we can cut the average family's premium by about $2,500 per year."
At a campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio, in February 2008, Obama promised that "We are going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president."
2008 Promises, 2012 Reality
To back that up, Obama pointed to a memo drafted by Harvard professors (and unpaid campaign advisers), which claimed that investing in health care IT, cutting administrative bloat, and improving management of chronic diseases would cut health costs by $140 billion a year. That would translate into $2,500 in premium savings for families.
But those projections were wildly optimistic, overestimating potential savings from IT, making big assumptions about disease management, and ignoring the fact that past government interventions have always increased health care administrative costs.
Meanwhile, the health reform law Obama signed in March 2010 has pushed up insurance costs.
In 2011, premiums spiked 9.5%, and many in the industry blame ObamaCare for at least part of it. Premiums climbed another 4.5% in 2012, Kaiser found.
And ObamaCare will continue to fuel health premium inflation.
First, the law piles on new coverage mandates. It requires insurance companies to provide 100% coverage for various types of preventive care, bans lifetime coverage limits, extends parents' coverage to offspring up to 26 years old, and requires plans to meet certain "medical loss ratios." Coming up are rules on "essential standard benefits," limits on deductibles, bans on annual spending caps, and much more.
So far, it's not. My doctor here sent out a letter at the beginning of August saying "Starting September 1, 2012 we will no longer be accepting Medicare as payment". I'm sure it's because of the paltry amount they pay, so what am I supposed to do? I'll reschedule my visit to the cardiologist when I get back to Florida. What choice do I have - start here with someone new? at my age? are you serious? They'll just look at me and laugh.
I feel sorry for the younger generations, the baby boomers and whatever the hell the 20-30-40 somethings are called. They're paying into a system that they'll never see a benefit from.
So far, it's not. My doctor here sent out a letter at the beginning of August saying "Starting September 1, 2012 we will no longer be accepting Medicare as payment". I'm sure it's because of the paltry amount they pay, so what am I supposed to do? I'll reschedule my visit to the cardiologist when I get back to Florida. What choice do I have - start here with someone new? at my age? are you serious? They'll just look at me and laugh.
I feel sorry for the younger generations, the baby boomers and whatever the hell the 20-30-40 somethings are called. They're paying into a system that they'll never see a benefit from.
TRUTH....walmart clinics on the rise....need a vaccination? go to the walmart zoo and line up like the rest of the animals...
we got what we asked for....herded cattle
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
During his first run for president, Barack Obama made one very specific promise to voters: He would cut health insurance premiums for families by $2,500, and do so in his first term.
But it turns out that family premiums have increased by more than $3,000 since Obama's vow, according to the latest annual Kaiser Family Foundation employee health benefits survey.
Obama was elected to enact change.
If the Republicans had let him try his changes that they elected him to enact, the Republicans could have had a turn this year if his changes sucked.
The truth is that most people are going to give him another chance, because that's what they wanted. If the Republicans continue to try to make Obama and America fail, they will just ensure another Democrat will take the White House in 2016.
The Republicans need to let Obama make his changes that the American people elected him to try out.
If his changes make the country worse, then the Republicans would have a strong chance of getting a turn in power.
Obama did not get a fair chance at making changes.
Everyone that voted for changes sees that the opposition deliberately was more interested in failure, than helping to fix the nations problems.
That was a plan conceived by hateful, mean spirited, selfish extremists, bent on making America fail.
The country voted for change and the Republicans denied the opportunity to make those changes.
Now the Republicans must learn from that mistake and act like they actually want America to succeed, regardless that they aren't in power.
Give the damn President control to make changes.
Then if he fails it will be on him.
You can't blame Obama for not getting things done when everyone in the opposition was trying to sabotage him at every turn.
The idiot Bush, got a fair chance and he was dumped for his actions.
The party that doesn't get elected needs to support the president, not act like a bunch of children that would rather destroy the country, by being f'ing speed bumps, when in reality, if they allowed his to make his changes, they would appear to be sane and rational and stand a chance in the next election.
They aren't sane and rational, they are hateful, disruptive elements that deserve no consideration as the head of the nation.
They have continuously campaigned to cause failure.
The previous administration took office with a surplus and several years of a balanced budget. That CHANGED... To an economy in free fall, a housing disaster, Wall Street corruption, two wars funded on credit, and a huge redistribution of wealth in a Tax Cut for the Wealthy.
OF COURSE THE COUNTRY WANTED "CHANGE"!
Obama offered a few major items to consider in electing him to office. If elected he would CHANGE our Iraq policy by withdrawing troops in 16 months. Obama also would CHANGE the health care system in the USA so that all Americans would have health care. America had a clear choice in 2008, to elect a man who wanted to continue the war in Iraq, and who opposed universal health care. America chose CHANGE, and despite Republican obstructionism, the war in Iraq ended and Health Care Reform passed.
Today we are also voting for or against CHANGE. Our choices? ~ Vote Republican and eliminate Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Tax Cuts for the rich with tax increases on the poor and middle class, and huge investment in the military. Or ~ Vote Democrat and approve a tax cut for the bottom through middle class and a small tax increase for the wealthiest Americans. Reduced military spending, withdraw from Afghanistan, support Medicare and prevent privatization of Social Security.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Obama did not get a fair chance at making changes.
...
Give the damn President control to make changes.
Bwhaha - whine - he didn't get a fair chance ... whine ... you want some cheese to go with that whine?
Give him control to make changes? He had two years of a dem controlled congress - a majority in BOTH houses - he had his "control" - and squandered it on a LIE, now he needs MORE control?
Bwhaha - whine - he didn't get a fair chance ... whine ... you want some cheese to go with that whine?
Give him control to make changes? He had two years of a dem controlled congress - a majority in BOTH houses - he had his "control" - and squandered it on a LIE, now he needs MORE control?
Cheddar or Brie?
Republican bitterness and refusal to work with Obama is the single biggest reason he will get a second chance.
He needs Republican cooperation.
Otherwise the Republicans will just continue shooting themselves in the foot.
Republicans blind hatred of Obama, makes them fail to see that to those who elected him it is Republican hatred of them for voting for him.
Fine, keep fighting to do the opposite of what the majority voted for.
Don't expect to make new friends in the process.
Even many of the Republicans are defecting because of the extremism being displayed by the New Republican party.
The first 2 years of his presidency he had control of both houses of Congress and he was the President and he couldn't get anything done but Obamacare, Stimulus, GM take over, give away to green energy companies that went bankrupt, so maybe if Obama tried to work with Congress instead of campaigning all the time something else could have been accomplished.
The first 2 years of his presidency he had control of both houses of Congress and he was the President and he couldn't get anything done but Obamacare, Stimulus, GM take over, give away to green energy companies that went bankrupt, so maybe if Obama tried to work with Congress instead of campaigning all the time something else could have been accomplished.
Having a majority doesn't negate Republican uncooperative manipulation and desire to make America fail.
The Republicans continue to deny the voters what they demanded.
The first 2 years of his presidency he had control of both houses of Congress and he was the President and he couldn't get anything done but Obamacare, Stimulus, GM take over, give away to green energy companies that went bankrupt, so maybe if Obama tried to work with Congress instead of campaigning all the time something else could have been accomplished.
As posted before on this same subject shadow:
The Dems of 2010 were made up of 20something Blue Dog Conservative Democrats. What Republicans would call a RINO, these Democrats were DENO's.
They voted with Republicans on some Conservative issues. Glad to say most of the Blue Dogs are now gone.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Dems still had a 60 vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate and a large majority in the House and if the moderate Dems didn't like what your party was selling that's too bad.
Dems still had a 60 vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate and a large majority in the House and if the moderate Dems didn't like what your party was selling that's too bad.
The fact remains.
Every single Republican acted in a manner to thwart the will of the voters.
Logged
Thank you President Obama! Another lie from your corrupt administration. Free increases demand? What a 
