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Obamacare in Action

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ObamaCare Cash Awarded to Administration’s Political Allies



by Dr. Susan Berry

Last week, I discussed how taxpayer funds are being granted, through ObamaCare, to construct “School-Based Health Centers.” Now, let’s take a look at ObamaCare’s “CO-OP’s.”
CO-OP’s, or Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans, are the new, non-profit face of ObamaCare in the states’ “exchanges.” If ObamaCare is allowed to stand, CO-OP’s will be a step toward the “public option,” on a state level. Healthcare.gov provides a “feel-good” definition of CO-OP’s as “a new type of non-profit health insurer” that is “directed by their customers and designed to offer individuals and small businesses more affordable, consumer-friendly and high quality health insurance options.” In addition, there is considerable boasting on the part of HHS that CO-OP’s are special in that they can be mandated by the government to control waste, fraud, and abuse. Now there’s a good promo: buy your health insurance from a CO-OP, because the federal government will make sure there is no waste, fraud, and abuse.

Recall that the reason this utopian “commercial” for CO-OP plans is being pitched to “individuals and small businesses” is that, despite what President Obama told us, under ObamaCare, these sectors will no longer be able to keep their private health insurance because of the cost. Enter the “exchanges,” and the choice of a “non-profit.” Actually, CO-OP’s have five years within their inception to become “non-profit.” Any “profit” they make during the first five years must be paid toward their “loans” from the federal government. Call me cynical, but I’ll believe that if it happens.

This past week, the Obama administration awarded $66 million in loan grants from the controversial health care reform law’s funds to a Nevada Insurance CO-OP, known as “Hospitality Health CO-OP,” that is apparently unregistered as a business with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office. Obamacarewatcher.org, a project of Americans for Limited Government Research Foundation (ALG), is reporting that a follow-up call to the office of the Secretary of State has confirmed that “Hospitality Health CO-OP” is not registered with that office.

Healthcare.gov states that “Hospitality Health CO-OP” was sponsored by a “Taft-Hartley” union benefits plan, called the “Culinary Health Fund,” and by the “Health Services Coalition,” an organization of primarily unions and casinos. Culinary Health Fund’s parent organization, Unite Here Health, is also sponsoring the benefits plan.

According to Healthcare.gov, to date nearly $1 billion in the form of low-interest loans has been awarded to non-profits, in 12 states, to help them set up and maintain CO-OP’s that will be ready to operate in January of 2014.

Interestingly, the Obama administration initially estimated that 30-35% of the $3.8 billion in loans to CO-OP’s will default. However, according to ALG, the default rate will probably be more like 43%. Another great waste of taxpayer money.

Other organizations that have received award money in loans through ObamaCare include Wisconsin-based Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, a group that, according to Bill Wilson, president of ALG, was an outgrowth of a Saul Alinsky operation in Chicago. The Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, which incorporated last August, just a few months before the loan applications were due, received $56 million to set up a CO-OP.

The Freelancers Union was awarded more than $340 million in loans through ObamaCare funds to set up a CO-OP as well. The Freelancers Union is, according to Wilson, a group headed by Sara Horowitz, with whom President Obama served as an adviser to the leftist group, Demos, along with former green czar Van Jones.

Rep. David Camp (R-Michigan), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has described the millions of dollars loaned to these organizations to develop ObamaCare’s CO-OP’s as “rewards” for “political friends.”

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was right about defunding ObamaCare. It should have happened yesterday.


"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.



I have stated this before

Your example is not an aception or an acident

It is what is intended to happen

It is the back door way to goverment control of the HC

It is just happening sooner than the admin or the Dems intended
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.



I have stated this before

Your example is not an aception or an acident

It is what is intended to happen

It is the back door way to goverment control of the HC

It is just happening sooner than the admin or the Dems intended



it does suck becuase I have always prided my company on being better than most on how I take care of my employees. That is why I have employees with over 10 years with me.

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.




I have stated this before

Your example is not an aception or an acident

It is what is intended to happen

It is the back door way to goverment control of the HC

It is just happening sooner than the admin or the Dems intended



it does suck becuase I have always prided my company on being better than most on how I take care of my employees. That is why I have employees with over 10 years with me.



First off let’s hope the SC takes care of the Obamacare issue decisively in about 5 weeks

Second, there are a few changes that could be made that would help bring the costs back down or at least stabilize them.

If Obamacare is sent packing maybe a real conversation about those changes can be had
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.




I have stated this before

Your example is not an aception or an acident

It is what is intended to happen

It is the back door way to goverment control of the HC

It is just happening sooner than the admin or the Dems intended



it does suck becuase I have always prided my company on being better than most on how I take care of my employees. That is why I have employees with over 10 years with me.



First off let’s hope the SC takes care of the Obamacare issue decisively in about 5 weeks

Second, there are a few changes that could be made that would help bring the costs back down or at least stabilize them.

If Obamacare is sent packing maybe a real conversation about those changes can be had



eliminating Obamacare, free services for illegals and tort reform would drop costs dramatically.

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It's not just Obamacare that's causing health insurance costs to rise. Over the last 10 years I was working, my share rose A LOT. Even so. at the start of that time, my company prided itself on being at the top of the industry in terms of health care benefits; by the end, it was trying to stay in the middle. It was their fastest-growing expense.

A large part of the cost is the cost of health care, and the increasing number of medicines that people assume they need to take (and have their insurance companies pay for). If health care costs more, of course insurance will too.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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It's not just Obamacare that's causing health insurance costs to rise. Over the last 10 years I was working, my share rose A LOT. Even so. at the start of that time, my company prided itself on being at the top of the industry in terms of health care benefits; by the end, it was trying to stay in the middle. It was their fastest-growing expense.

A large part of the cost is the cost of health care, and the increasing number of medicines that people assume they need to take (and have their insurance companies pay for). If health care costs more, of course insurance will too.

Wendy P.



Your right Wendy as Obamacare is was not the issue before it came into being

But there is little to no doubt at this time that Obamacare has accelerated the price increases substantially.

And I submit that government intervention is one of the main reasons we have seen the increases over the years

Obamacare is another problem to the problem
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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It's not just Obamacare that's causing health insurance costs to rise. Over the last 10 years I was working, my share rose A LOT. Even so. at the start of that time, my company prided itself on being at the top of the industry in terms of health care benefits; by the end, it was trying to stay in the middle. It was their fastest-growing expense.

A large part of the cost is the cost of health care, and the increasing number of medicines that people assume they need to take (and have their insurance companies pay for). If health care costs more, of course insurance will too.

Wendy P.



you are correct that there are more things than just Obamacare causing the increases, but since 2008 i have seen almost 1600 a month increase for 4 people. the 3 things I listed are the primary cause of the increases we see. Obamacare did not reduce the costs it only accelerated them.

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.



Were you paying matching funds for the 401k? If so, you are a rare breed these days. I've never had an employer match, although most of them have had a plan for employee contributions. My wife had one that would match the first $8k IIRC.

I doubt that a "substantial" amount of your health care cost came from "Obamacare." I've already been paying a lot more each year for less coverage.

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.



Were you paying matching funds for the 401k? If so, you are a rare breed these days. I've never had an employer match, although most of them have had a plan for employee contributions. My wife had one that would match the first $8k IIRC.

I doubt that a "substantial" amount of your health care cost came from "Obamacare." I've already been paying a lot more each year for less coverage.



I was matching up to 3%. the increase this year on the health ins is $400 a month for 4 people. last year I reduced coverage and that increase still ended up $250 a month for 4 people. in 2010 I was paying $1890 a month for health and dental now it will be $2566 a month. the increases are mostly du to the added responsibilities put on the ins comanies from Obamacare. I used to complain about a couple hundred a year but now it is hundreds a month increase.

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.



Were you paying matching funds for the 401k? If so, you are a rare breed these days. I've never had an employer match, although most of them have had a plan for employee contributions. My wife had one that would match the first $8k IIRC.

I doubt that a "substantial" amount of your health care cost came from "Obamacare." I've already been paying a lot more each year for less coverage.



I was matching up to 3%. the increase this year on the health ins is $400 a month for 4 people. last year I reduced coverage and that increase still ended up $250 a month for 4 people. in 2010 I was paying $1890 a month for health and dental now it will be $2566 a month. the increases are mostly du to the added responsibilities put on the ins comanies from Obamacare. I used to complain about a couple hundred a year but now it is hundreds a month increase.



Is that $2566 per person or for all of your employees?
"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

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Yep Obamacare is costing us plenty, health insurance costs are skyrocketing out of control. My employees just lost their 401k program due to the increase in health insurance costs. I gave them a choice of loosing health insurance or 401k and they chose the 401k because they needed the insurance. I told them next years increase in health insurance will be covered 100% by them.





Were you paying matching funds for the 401k? If so, you are a rare breed these days. I've never had an employer match, although most of them have had a plan for employee contributions. My wife had one that would match the first $8k IIRC.

I doubt that a "substantial" amount of your health care cost came from "Obamacare." I've already been paying a lot more each year for less coverage.



I was matching up to 3%. the increase this year on the health ins is $400 a month for 4 people. last year I reduced coverage and that increase still ended up $250 a month for 4 people. in 2010 I was paying $1890 a month for health and dental now it will be $2566 a month. the increases are mostly du to the added responsibilities put on the ins comanies from Obamacare. I used to complain about a couple hundred a year but now it is hundreds a month increase.



Is that $2566 per person or for all of your employees?



for 4 employees average age of 42

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Hmmmm, my health care costs have not changed at all in the last 4 years. I do have an autistic son who can now stay on my health insurance until he is 26 which is a big plus for us. Otherwise nothing much has changed for my family.
Onward and Upward!

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Hmmmm, my health care costs have not changed at all in the last 4 years. I do have an autistic son who can now stay on my health insurance until he is 26 which is a big plus for us. Otherwise nothing much has changed for my family.



It does differ as to what the customer sees

Do you work for a big company that self insures?
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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