UNHEALTHY: Half of U.S. Small Businesses See Obamacare as Bad Medicine

Published on May 15, 2013 by

A Gallup survey published on Friday found that nearly half of U.S.-based small businesses see the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) as bad for their businesses.  Nine percent thought it would be good for business (they’re probably in the business of explaining the mess) and 39% said it would not affect their business.  From the “implications” section of the survey report:

“…more important for the U.S. economy in the short term is what small-business owners say they are already doing in anticipation of the new law’s continuing implementation. About four in 10 say they are holding off on hiring and new growth plans. About one in five say they are letting people go or cutting employees’ hours. Even after discounting small-business owners’ political views, these actions suggest the ACA could be a significant drag on the U.S. economy — at least in the short term.”

The survey also uncovered that Obamacare had caused 41% of small business owners to hold off hiring new employees and had caused 38% to pull back on plans to grow their businesses.  The nationwide landline and cell phone survey of 605 small business owners was conducted on April 1-5, 2013.

This does not bode well for Colorado, whose economy is quite dependent on small businesses.  According to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, “small businesses represent 97% of all employing businesses in Colorado, being a dominant source of new job creation in the State.”  Between Obamacare’s crushing burdens and the Democratic legislature’s targeting of businesses during the past legislative session, why on earth would small businesses have any incentive to grow?  Of course, the bigger question, perhaps, is why Coloradans put up with it.

 

STOP LOSS: Democrats Bent on Forcing Small Businesses into State Run Insurance

Published on April 23, 2013 by

As the Peak has pointed out time and time again, the Democrat-controlled Colorado state legislature have paid ample lip service to small business and economic issues, but their actions during the session tell a different story altogether.  Far left social issues such as civil unions, gun control, and sex ed have taken most the air out of the room, and when the democrats actually expended the effort to address business issues, they are have been throwing up more regulations, impediments, and interference in the marketplace.  Denver Rep. Beth McCann has offered the latest example.

Legislators on the left have targeted health plans popular with small businesses to force small businesses into the more expensive small-group market.  Eliminating the popular stop-loss insurance option is important to the left because the small business health exchange that the state plans to launch needs the small businesses with young, healthy employees in order to spread out costs and to prevent the state’s program from becoming almost impossibly expensive. continue…

 

CO’S BAND-AIDS: Nearly Half a Million Qualify for Obamacare Subsidies

Published on April 18, 2013 by

A recent study by FamiliesUSA found that 466,000 people in Colorado will qualify for federal subsidies relating to Obamacare next year.  Of that population, 36% nationally are young adults aged 18-34 years old, which is virtually identical to the number of young adults who qualify in Colorado – 36.3%.

This all may sound well and good, but that 36% of young adults nationally and locally qualify for federal health care subsidies simply serves to mask a larger issue – the persistent unemployment in this age group.  A recent study by Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family and Marriage Research found that unemployment among this age group increased 55% from 2006 through 2011.

At a time when entitlement spending (see Social Security and Medicare) has ballooned out of control, the federal government is proposing to bring a whole new generation of Americans under its generous wing.  The more troubling aspect to this march towards Obamacare is that the program inserts additional barriers between the consumer of the care and the person who pays for the care.  It’s this dichotomy that sends health care costs spiraling out of control.  From the FamiliesUSA study’s explanation of how this benefit works:

“When a person or family qualifies for a tax credit, the dollars from the credit will flow directly to the health plan in which the individual or family enrolls, offsetting the total cost of the family’s health insurance premiums for that plan.”

That families are struggling is not breaking news, but instead of adding government band-aids to each problem that arises, let’s start taking a look at the underlying causes of this struggle.

 

OBAMACARE COST: Health Insurance Premiums Rise Nationwide

Published on March 20, 2013 by

When Obamacare became the law of the land, Obama’s promise was that it would reduce premiums for families by an average of $2,500 per year.  In fact, according to Politifact, here are the words that came out of Obama’s mouth:

“I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.”

But, Americans everywhere are watching their premiums skyrocket as Obamacare’s full implementation nears, even in Colorado.  According to a study published by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committees on Finance and on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions earlier this month, premiums in Colorado are scheduled to rise a whopping 19% to 41% next year.  Sadly, Colorado is not the worst of the bunch.  Here is the full chart from the report:

While Colorado’s 19-41% increase is far above the rate of inflation, which means families have to make the same income stretch much further, the rates in states like Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, and more are set to skyrocket.

It’s concerning that premium increases will strike families, some of which are already struggling to make ends meet, but there is another downside to Obamacare’s out-of-control costs.  Jobs.  Earlier this week, the Peak highlighted a survey conducted by Gallup and Wells Fargo that showed 61% of small business owners weren’t hiring because of concerns over rising healthcare costs.

Despite the lack of front page news on the joblessness front, the fact remains that the unemployment rate – nationally and in Colorado – remains quite high and the percentage of the population currently employed is near historic lows.

Families are hurting. Obamacare isn’t the cure-all it was made to be.

 

MEDICAID EXPANSION = OBAMACARE: Fix The System, Don’t Expand A Broken One

Published on March 18, 2013 by

Last week the Medicaid expansion bill, SB200, cleared its first hurdle. That was to be expected, with Democrats in charge of everything at the Capitol. The disquieting part was that a new Republican member of the Legislature, Senator Larry Crowder, voted for it.

Reports the Denver Business Journal‘s Ed Sealover:

The Colorado Legislature took its first step toward expanding Medicaid eligibility Thursday, with Republican state Sen. Larry Crowder joining with Democrats on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to give a 5-2 approval to the idea.

Senate Bill 200, sponsored by Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, would grow Medicaid eligibility to all adults earning 133 percent or less of the federal poverty level — $15,282 for an individual or $31,322 for a family of four.

…The federal government has agreed to pay 100 percent of the costs of the expansion from 2014 to 2016, then reduce its contribution gradually until it reaches a low point of 90 percent from 2020 forward.

Sure, there are reasonable Republicans whom we respect that disagree, but this one is a no brainer — expanding Medicaid in the way that Obamacare invites will hasten a state budget shortfall and is tantamount to state-level complicity in the debt crisis. That 90% federal match doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes from us.

It’s not a moderate approach either, but rather a step towards a truly socialist system of medicine, as legislative Democrats readily admit themselves:

“I think is one step toward many steps that could lead us to universal health care and the advantages to that not only in providing better outcomes but making health care more affordable for us,” said Sen. Jeanne Nicholson, D-Black Hawk, before voting for the bill.

Even moderate Republicans, like former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, say the Medicaid expansion is a bait and switch.

We don’t have to look to the Sunshine State to know that’s true. Look what happened last time we expanded Medicaid in Colorado, per Tim Hoover in 2011:

continue…

 

THE BIG FRAUD: Bennet’s Tough Talk Exposes Udall’s Bogus Budget Rhetoric

Published on January 4, 2013 by

Michael Bennet, the junior U.S. Senator who has leap frogged Mark Udall in the Senate’s power structure, is really getting the hang of this making-Mark-Udall-look-bad thing.

With one no vote and one turse statement criticising a fiscal cliff fix that Udall and the rest of the Senate embraced, Bennet did what conservatives — including us, frankly — couldn’t. Bennet forced the Denver media to expose the utter disassociation between Mark Udall’s posturing as a fiscal conservative and his actual votes.

Here’s just a snippet of Udall quotes in recent years about spending. Compare these to a small collection of his voting record on spending below.

May 2010: “We need all the tools we can get our hands on to erase our debt and get our nation’s fiscal house back in order,” Udall said.

November 2010: “Coloradans know full well that the way Washington spends money is broken. Out-of-control spending has caused us to rack up huge deficits, which now threaten our future economic prosperity and our national security. The American people want us to show them that we’re serious about taking action to solve this problem.”

December 2011: “Coloradans tell me that they are tired of the broken system in Washington. They know that if we continue to run our country in the red, it’s just a matter time before we run it into the ground….With our nation’s debt already passing $15 trillion, it’s urgent that Congress pass a balanced budget amendment so we can turn our fiscal ship around.” (Note: Udall’s Balanced Budget Amendment charade failed with only 21 votes)

The list of Udall’s failed amendments, “bipartisan” letters, working groups and other such Washington games of make believe are nearly endless when it comes to calling for controlling spending. Udall sure likes to play the fiscal conservative in the DC dress up game, but when it comes time to vote, it’s not the Senator concerned about spending that shows up.

Fiscal cliff deal that added $4 trillion to our deficit? Mark Udall, yes.

Raising the debt ceiling for Bush? Mark Udall, yes.

Raising the debt ceiling for Obama? Mark Udall, yes.

Obamacare? Mark Udall, yes.

Cap and trade global warming tax? Mark Udall, yes.

Stimulus? Mark Udall, yes.

Auto bailout? Mark Udall, yes.

The list goes on, and on, and on. You might not hear us say this often, but this week we are thankful for Michael Bennet’s actions. They finally helped expose one of the greatest gaps in Colorado politics between rhetoric and action.

Mark Udall, you are a big fraud.

 

MIA: CO Senators’ Signatures Absent on Request to Delay Medical Device Tax

Published on December 13, 2012 by

Last week, 18 Democratic U.S. Senators sent a letter to Sen. Harry Reid asking for a delay in the medical device tax due to go into effect in 2013, citing the importance of the industry to the U.S. economy.  The medical device tax, a 2.3% federal tax on the price of medical devices, is another crippling tax that’s part of Obamacare. When we saw the news, we thought for sure that two of the 18 Senators who signed the letter would be Colorado’s U.S. Senators, Sen. Mark Udall and Sen. Michael Bennet, given the importance of the medical device industry to Colorado’s economy.  But, their fingerprints were nowhere to be found on this letter.  Here’s a snippet of what everyone else’s U.S. Senators (not Colorado’s) said in the letter:

Since this letter is nationally-focused, it understandably doesn’t cover the importance of the industry to Colorado’s economy.  And, perhaps Sens. Bennet and Udall have forgotten how important the medical device industry is to the state.

According to April Giles, President and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association, “the medical device sector makes up 50% of the [bioscience] industry for Colorado, with employment growth far exceeding the other sectors at 14.5% over the past 4 years.”

Here’s a few stats from the Colorado Bioscience Association:

  • The region’s medical device sector, a subsection of the bioscience industry, is the sixth-largest in the nation
  • Employment in the industry grew 8.1% from 2005-2010
  • Colorado employs 20,000 people in the bioscience industry, creating 100,000 direct and indirect jobs, translating into $7 billion in payroll, at an average salary of $74,000
  • For every job created in Colorado’s bioscience industry, four direct and indirect jobs are created

Given the importance of the medical device industry to the U.S. economy and to Colorado’s economy, it’s surprising that Sens. Udall and Bennet failed to act on this matter.  The fact is that the medical device industry is already preparing for the tax onslaught with even Pat Stryker’s company planning to layoff 5% of its staff worldwide. It seems that Sens. Bennet and Udall care more about ideology and carrying water for the Democratic Party than they do about Colorado jobs.

 

Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare gets another victim

Published on October 25, 2012 by

A friend of mine named Charles, is a 60 year old survivor of a horrible car accident which occured about 12 years ago.   His injuries required him to undergo a liver transplant.   He is also a survivor of Hepatitis C, which he recently beat with a newly developed therapy.  He is an independent businessman who has private health insurance, but his condition does require regular medical monitoring.  A few days ago he posted the following on his Facebook page:

After 8 years with my Internal Medicine Doctor I am searching for a new doctor. It seems that Medicare who is my secondary insurance, no longer pays their portion of the medical payments if you have private insurance under the new health care act. Now private insurance companies are following the Medicare examples and paying less. Medicare has changed how much and when they pay doctors. So Doctors are opting out of Medicare. My Doctor now has opted for a cash only practice like many doctors in my area as I am finding out in my search. So thank you Mr Obama for the lies and deceit telling me I can keep my doctor and nothing will change and shame on you AARP for adding to this deceit. So now no matter what you need their supplemental insurance to make it work and then you still have a out of pocket expense.

A lot of wild promises were made, and absolutely no review of the bill was allowed, during the debate for Obamacare.  And now more and more people are finding that they have less health care coverage than they did before the ACA started taking effect.  Fewer doctors will be available for those who truly need them, and those who will be available will be overworked and underpaid.

And this all was a good idea why?

 

CANADA, EH? NRCC Launches Ad Hitting Joe Miklosi For Support Of Single-Payer Healthcare

Published on September 24, 2012 by

The worst Congressional candidate in Colorado is about get hit for the first time on the airwaves. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) just launched it’s first attack ad smacking Denver State Rep. and CD6 challenger Joe Miklosi for his support of a “government run, Canadian-style” healthcare system in Colorado.

The ad launched as part of a nationwide, $6.3 million ad blitz hitting 26 different Congressional races. In a sign of how far fellow Democrat Congressional candidate Sal Pace’s fortunes have fallen, the NRCC decided he’s doing so poorly they didn’t need to bother wasting money hitting him.

The Miklosi hit also comes before the Denver Democrat has even introduced himself to a district where he remains a virtual unknown commodity.

The attack over healthcare is not just based on Miklosi’s support of Obamacare, but a vote he took in 2009 in the Colorado State House.

Here is how a Rocky Mountain News article described House Bill 1273, which Miklosi co-sponsored, at the time:

A plan to lay the groundwork for a Canadian-style, single-payer universal health care system in Colorado has been introduced by a group of Democrats.

House Bill 1273, sponsored by Rep. John Kefalas, of Fort Collins, and co-sponsored by 18 legislators, would create a privately funded commission to study how a government-funded health care system could work. The goal is to send a single-payer bill to the General Assembly in 2011, he said.

Miklosi is getting hit as, at least according to voter registration numbers, CD6 should be competitive. Miklosi’s pathetic and embarrassing campaign has done their best to ensure it’s an easy re-elect for incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Coffman, but the basic contours of the district will ensure it’ll remain a targeted race.

No word yet on whether Miklosi plans on responding with another awful, awkward infomercial-like spot.

 

GOLDEN OBAMAMNESIA: President Forgets He Enacted Largest Tax Increase on Middle Class

Published on September 14, 2012 by

Yesterday, President Obama visited Golden, Colorado to make his pitch to Jeffco residents.  Beyond the faux pas of saying that he was the first president to visit the county since President Ulysses S. Grant (that’s false, it was President George W. Bush), he also seems to have been confused about his role in foisting the largest tax hike in the history of the United States on the middle class.  From his speech:  “I’ve cut taxes for those who need it – middle class families, small business owners.  That’s who needs it.”

Did he just say that he cut taxes for the middle class?  And, more shockingly, for small business owners?  According to Forbes, “the coverage mandate is essentially a 40 percent tax on that family, which is now required by law to ensure that every family member has qualifying coverage.” In a post earlier this summer, we reviewed all of the various tax hikes this bloated piece of legislation would burden families with.  As a refresher, we’ve included the chart featuring the tax hikes stemming from Obamacare.

 

 

 
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