By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    photo of hands with blue veins
    8 Proven Tips on Finding Difficult Veins
    November 12, 2021
    tips for getting over the pandemic blues
    4 Proven Ways to Get Over the Pandemic Blues
    February 22, 2022
    medical industry innovations
    How is CNC Machining Transforming the Medical Industry?
    June 2, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    comparative negligence
    Not Knowing About Comparative Negligence Can Worsen Your Medical Debt
    April 12, 2023
    racial disparities in healthcare
    Why We Need to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Care
    August 26, 2021
    Enhancing Pharmaceutical Patient Compliance & Drug Efficacy
    February 12, 2024
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Obamacare 411
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Obamacare 411
Health ReformNewsPolicy & LawPublic Health

Obamacare 411

Gary Levin MD
Gary Levin MD
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

 

obamacare

About three months ago I posted an edition titled “Obamacare 911.” For some reason this excited the search engines and I continue to receive a majority of hits when people search. Not certain if it’s the Obamacare or the 911, or perhaps both.

Today I realized Obamacare 411 is a much better title. It hints that this is the place for Information, or as it’s called today, “Directory Assistance.”

More Read

Insurance Reform Goes Crazy
Should Healthy People Take Cholesterol Drugs to Prevent Heart Disease?
Recommended Vaccines for Seniors
The Growing Concerns About Teenagers’ Mental Health
Study: Medicaid Coverage ‘Substantially’ Improves Access to Care

 

obamacare

About three months ago I posted an edition titled “Obamacare 911.” For some reason this excited the search engines and I continue to receive a majority of hits when people search. Not certain if it’s the Obamacare or the 911, or perhaps both.

Today I realized Obamacare 411 is a much better title. It hints that this is the place for Information, or as it’s called today, “Directory Assistance.”

411 for the Accountable Care Act is becoming overloaded. The numbers and information change rapidly.

healthcare policySen. Max Baucus    ACAHHS Kathleen Sebelius

Senator Max Baucus (Democrat), who previously supported the Affordable Care Act, strongly admonished the Head of HHS (Kathleen Sibelius) before a congressional hearing, stating the law was badly flawed and miscalculated in terms of start up expenses.

WASHINGTON – A senior Democratic senator who helped write President Barack Obama’s health care law stunned administration officials Wednesday, saying openly he thinks it’s headed for a “train wreck” because of bumbling implementation.

“I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., told Obama’s health care chief during a routine budget hearing that suddenly turned tense.

Baucus is the first top Democrat to publicly voice fears about the rollout of the new health care law, designed to bring coverage to some 30 million uninsured people through a mix of government programs and tax credits for private insurance.

A six-term veteran, Baucus expects a tough re-election in 2014. He’s still trying to recover from approval ratings that nosedived amid displeasure with the health care law in his home state.

Normally low-key and supportive, Baucus challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Wednesday’s hearing.

He said he’s “very concerned” that new health insurance marketplaces for consumers and small businesses will not open on time in every state, and that if they do, they might just flop because residents don’t have the information they need to make choices.

Responding to Baucus, Sebelius pointedly noted that Republicans in Congress last year blocked funding for carrying out the health care law, and she had to resort to raiding other legally available departmental funds.

The administration is asking for $1.5 billion in next year’s budget, and Republicans don’t seem willing to grant that, either.

At one point, as Sebelius tried to answer Baucus’s demand for facts and figures, the senator admonished: “You haven’t given me any data; you just give me concepts, frankly.”

“I don’t know what he’s looking at,” Sebelius told reporters following her out of the room after Baucus adjourned the hearing. “But we are on track to fully implement marketplaces in Jan. 2014, and to be open for open enrollment.”

That open-enrollment launch is only months away, Oct. 1. It’s when millions of middle-class consumers who don’t get coverage through their jobs can start shopping for a private plan in the new marketplaces.

But half the states, most of them Republican-led, have refused to cooperate in setting up the infrastructure of Obama’s law. Others, like Montana, are politically divided. The overhaul law provided that the federal government would step in and run the new markets if a state failed to do so.

After the hearing, Baucus’ office clarified that he still thinks the Affordable Care Act is a good law, but he questions how it is being carried out.

And the Washington Times Reports:

“From the outset, the senator’s terse and pointed questions made it clear that he did not think her agency had done enough to implement key pillars of the law by 2014.

He also said he is “very concerned” by the lack of information among small business and accountants who are “throwing their hands” up over the law.

“I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Mr. Baucus said Wednesday. “You and I have discussed this many times, and I don’t see any results yet.”

His comments turned heads because Republicans are typically the ones who openly criticize Mr. Obama’s signature domestic achievement.

Mr. Baucus has served in the Senate since 1978 but faces a tenuous battle for re-election in 2014.

Last month, he was among four Democrats from traditionally red states who voted against the Senate Democrats’ budget plan for the coming year. And Wednesday, he was among a handful of Democrats who did not support a bill that would expand background checks before certain gun sales – signs of just how fragile his political terrain has become.”

TAGGED:obamacare
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

The Healthcare Hashtag Project: #Ebola

October 23, 2014

What Difference Do Advance Directives Make?

December 30, 2011
cytotoxic drugs for cancer
News

Cytotoxic Drugs Demand Increases amid Rising Cases of Cancer

March 14, 2021
martha coakley
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

Talking Healthcare with Martha Coakley, Attorney General and Candidate for MA Governor

March 10, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?