Obamacare Is Already Forcing Private Insurers To Lower Their Premiums

Obamacare Is Already Forcing Private Insurers To Lower Their Premiums: As Thursday’s development shows, that public information empowers consumers by forcing insurers to compete with one another to attract customers. Or to put it another way — and contrary to conservative fear-mongering about the law — Obamacare is working exactly as it was intended to. And with 24 million Americans expected to gain coverage through the marketplaces by 2016, that’s great news for Americans’ pocketbooks — as well as their health.

PERRspectives: Medicaid, ER Studies Make Strong Case for Obamacare

PERRspectives: Medicaid, ER Studies Make Strong Case for Obamacare
"This week, the New England Journal of Medicine published a major study of Medicaid in Oregonwhich has rapidly emerged of a Rorschach test of sorts. That is, partisans on either side of the political divide tend to see what they want to see in its results. While conservatives claim Medicaid expansion has been debunked by numbers showing little change in blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes over two years between those who did and did not gain access to Medicaid, liberals tout findings revealing "Medicaid improved rates of diagnosis of depression, increased the use of preventive services, and improved the financial outlook for enrollees"."

Paul Ryan brings back 'death panels'

Paul Ryan brings back 'death panels'
"Clearly, Paul Ryan believes insurance companies should be in charge of rationing care to seniors, not a board that is prohibited by law from denying or rationing health care. The IPAB's job is to determine procedures and treatments that are both health effective and cost effective. The board, by the way, hasn't even been convened yet, nor has President Obama nominated anyone. Since the board members have to be approved by the senate, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

But what Ryan and Romney want to do, of course, is privatize Medicare. They want insurance company bureaucrats to be in charge of making the decisions about what treatment seniors do or do not get, and how much they have to pay for it. Their vouchers aren't going to stretch very far in a health insurance system that won't have any limits on it."