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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>A Must Read !</FONT></STRONG><BR></DIV>
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<DIV><SPAN style="DISPLAY: none"><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>A bit long but a very
well researched analysis to understanding what Obamacare really is and who
is benefiting and promoting it behind the curtain of
dis-information. </FONT></STRONG> </SPAN> <!--~-|**|PrettyHtmlStartT|**|-~--></DIV>
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<DIV>From Kevin Zeese and Dr. Margret Flowers at TRUTHOUT.</DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-SIZE: 18px"><BR><SPAN
class=wf_caption><SPAN style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"></SPAN></SPAN>The Affordable
Care Act (ACA), also called "Obamacare," may be the biggest insurance scam in
history. The industries that profit from our current health care system wrote
the legislation, heavily influenced the regulations and have received waivers
exempting them from provisions in the law. This has all been done to protect and
enhance their profits. </DIV>
<DIV>In the meantime, the health care crisis continues. Fewer people, even those
with health insurance, can afford the health care they need because of
out-of-pocket costs. The ACA continues that trend by pushing skimpy health plans
with low coverage and restricted networks.</DIV>
<DIV>This is what happens in a market-based system of health care. People get
only the amount of health care they can afford, rather than what they need. The
ACA takes our failed market-based system to a whole new level by forcing the
uninsured to purchase private health plans and using the government to sell and
subsidize them.</DIV>
<DIV>Sadly, most Americans are being manipulated into supporting the ACA and do
not even know they are being bamboozled. That is how scams work. Even after the
con is completed, victims do not know they have been manipulated and ripped off.
They may even feel good about being scammed, thinking they made a deal when they
really had their bank accounts picked. But it is the <A
href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2013/10/26/despite-glitches-obamacare-profit-windfall-to-insurers-well-underway/"
target=_blank>insurance companies that are the realizing windfall profits</A>
from the Obamacare con even as it falters.</DIV>
<DIV>The mass media is focused on the technical problems with getting the
insurance exchanges up and running. These problems result from the complexity of
the law and outsourcing of services to corporations that are often more costly
and less effective than government. In comparison, in 1965 when Medicare
started, everyone 65 and over was enrolled within six months - using index
cards.</DIV>
<DIV>If all US residents were in one plan, Medicare for all, rather than the
ACA's tiered system that institutionalizes the class divides in the United
States, not only would the health system be fairer and improve health outcomes,
but it would be less bureaucratic, less costly and easier to implement. The
Medicare-for-all approach considers health care to be a public good, something
that all people need, like schools, roads and fire departments.</DIV>
<DIV>Rather than being distracted by the problems of the exchanges, the more
pressing issue is whether we want to continue using a market-based approach to
health care or whether we want to join the other industrialized nations in
treating health care as a public good. This conversation is difficult to have in
the current environment of falsehoods, exaggerations and misleading statements
coming from both partisan directions, echoed by their media supporters and
nonprofit organizations.</DIV>
<DIV>Of course, the Republicans attack Obamacare for partisan reasons. And they
are <A
href="http://www.alternet.org/media/6-most-brazen-right-wing-lies-about-obamacare?paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark"
target=_blank>often blatantly dishonest</A> in their criticism. Their
foundational claim, calling Obamacare socialized medicine, is the opposite of
reality. And, the Obama administration and its allies in the nonprofit world
also have their fair share of falsehoods about the ACA. We will describe these
farther below.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>A Primed Public</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>In reality, the US health care system is the worst of the wealthy nations.
We spend the most per person, have the lowest percentage of our population
covered and have poor health outcomes. <A
href="http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/harvard-medical-study-links-lack-of-insurance-to-45000-us-deaths-a-year/?_r=0"
target=_blank>Forty-five thousand adults die each</A> year merely because they
do not have insurance, and <A
href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/News/News-Releases/2011/Sep/US-Ranks-Last-on-Preventable-Deaths.aspx"
target=_blank>84,000 Americans die each year of preventable illnesses</A> that
would not die in the French, Japanese or Australian health systems.</DIV>
<DIV>Even those with insurance find it to be inadequate when they get seriously
ill. Medical costs and illness are the greatest reasons for bankruptcy, and
insurance does not prevent financial ruin. Every family is touched by the
failures of US health care.</DIV>
<DIV>The Institute of Medicine issued a report in 2013, <A
href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13497" target=_blank>US Health in
International Perspective</A>, that documents the failure of the US health care
system. In summary: "Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries
and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health
disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial
or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in
worse health than their counterparts in other, 'peer' countries."</DIV>
<DIV>The health care crisis had grown to such proportions that by the 2008
election it could not be ignored. It was a major topic of the presidential
campaigns. The health industries knew this and invested heavily in the
candidates. Candidate Barack Obama overwhelmingly received <A
href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.php?ind=H04">more in donations
from health care-related industries</A> than any of the other candidates.</DIV>
<DIV>The public was ready for health care reform. Knowing that the majority of
the public supports a Medicare-for-all system, it was going to take serious
planning to silence that majority and enact a law that protected the interests
of the health industries.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Obamacare: The Insurance Scam</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>A scam is a fraudulent operation designed to make money. A scam unfolds
over time with a team of swindlers seeking to rob the victim without the victim
ever knowing they have been scammed.</DIV>
<DIV>In <EM>Confessions of a Confidence Man</EM>, Edward H. Smith lists the "<A
href="http://www.amyreading.com/inside-the-book/the-nine-stages-of-the-big-con/six-and-seven-stages-of-the-big-con/"
target=_blank>six definite steps or stages of growth in every finely balanced
and well-conceived confidence game</A>." Let's go through these six steps and
see how the process of selling the ACA to the public fits.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>1. Develop the Foundation</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The foundation of a scam is the preparation done ahead of time to set up
the scheme. In the case of the ACA, the foundation began with the health law
passed by Massachusetts in 2006. The template was created by Stephen Butler of
the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The law was passed under a
Republican governor, Mitt Romney.</DIV>
<DIV>The next task was to sell this idea to Democrats. The Robert Wood Johnson
foundation gave a major assist when it made large grants to state health reform
groups in 2008 to promote Massachusetts-style reform in their states, called the
"public-private partnership" model.</DIV>
<DIV>To further sell the ACA, <A
href="http://prospect.org/article/history-public-option">Roger Hickey</A>, a
longtime Medicare-for-all advocate of the Campaign for America's Future (closely
allied with the Democratic Party), took an idea from Jacob Hacker to create a
new public insurance modeled after Medicare to 'compete' with private insurance.
Hickey sold the model to progressive groups, and Hacker's proposal was used by
the Obama campaign.</DIV>
<DIV>In July, 2008, Hickey and others rallied progressive groups to create a new
coalition, Health Care for America Now, which received tens of millions of
dollars to build grass-roots support for the ACA. The name was similar enough to
the longtime Medicare-for-all organization, Healthcare-Now, to cause
confusion.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>2. The Approach</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The approach is the way that the con artist gets in touch with the victim.
The vehicle for the ACA con was the tech-savvy political campaign of Barack
Obama. The candidate promised hope and change. <A
href="http://www.ijreview.com/2013/09/82370-flashback-barack-obama-promotes-single-payer-universal-healthcare/"
target=_blank>Obama, who had supported single payer before running for
president</A>, was able to point to all of the problems in the US health care
system and excite people with the potential of a new leader who understood the
crisis and would fix it.</DIV>
<DIV>After his election, the campaign organized Health Care House Parties in
December 2008. People were encouraged to invite friends and neighbors to their
homes, and the Obama transition team provided the materials. The booklet that
was used was tightly scripted to build support for the ACA rather than actually
elicit citizen input on what kind of health system was desired.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>3. The Buildup</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>In this stage, the victim is excited about the prospect and is filled with
anticipation so their judgment is warped and caution is thrown away, setting
them up to fall for the scam.</DIV>
<DIV>Throughout the winter and spring of 2009, the Obama administration gave the
appearance of bringing all of the "stakeholders" together to work for health
reform. The president held a <A
href="http://www.salon.com/2009/03/06/healthcare_4/" target=_blank>White House
Health Summit</A> in March 2009, which included representatives from health
insurance corporations, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. The only groups
that were not included, until there was a threat of protest, were those who
advocate for Medicare for all. The single-payer advocates did not speak, but the
insurance spokesperson opened and closed the White House summit.</DIV>
<DIV>Throughout the spring, the president and allies reassured the public that
if they liked their health insurance, they could keep it; that insurance would
be made more affordable (not that health care would be more affordable); and
that reform would aim for universal coverage.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>4. The Convincer</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The convincer for many who supported real health reform was "the Public
Option." The idea was that the law would force the uninsured to purchase
insurance but would include the choice of a public health insurance plan. The
public was told that this option would be more cost-effective than private
insurance and, thus, less expensive, which would make it more attractive.</DIV>
<DIV>Many were convinced that a public option would become a Medicare-for-all
system, that it was a "back door" to single payer. They were told that going
straight to a single-payer health care system would be too difficult and that
the public option was a first step. Health Care for America Now organized
grass-roots groups to put their energy into fighting for a public option, and
many responded.</DIV>
<DIV>There was real animosity directed toward those who pointed out that from a
policy standpoint a public option made no sense. It was simply adding another
insurance plan to an already-complex and expensive system of hundreds of
insurances and that, as had occurred time and again at the state level, it would
attract those with the greatest health needs and as a result would ultimately
fail because of high costs.</DIV>
<DIV>What most people did not understand at that point was that the public
option was not only a non-solution to the health care crisis but that it was not
even destined to be in the final legislation. Senator Max Baucus reported in
March 2009 that it was a "bargaining chip" to get health insurers to accept
regulations. <A href="https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/12-5"
target=_blank>Glenn Greenwald exposed this</A> more fully when the Democratic
leadership in the Senate actively worked to keep the public option from being
included in the Senate health bill. The public option was just part of the
con.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>5. The Hurrah</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The Hurrah phase of a con involves some sort of crisis that must be
overcome. This phase started in August 2009, when the Tea Party, backed by
Americans for Prosperity (a Koch brothers front group), came out very
aggressively against the ACA at local town halls. They called it
"government-run" and opposed its fictional "Death Panels." This served to
energize the progressive groups to rally around the president and come out
strongly in favor of the law. Rallies in favor of health reform were organized
across the country.</DIV>
<DIV>Health reform advocates were activated further to support the law as the
House and Senate struggled to come to consensus. As more aspects of the law that
were important to health reform supporters were jettisoned, such as coverage for
immigrants and inclusion of reproductive services, and the public option was
whittled down to nothing, support for the law became a partisan statement of
support for President Obama.</DIV>
<DIV>Members of Congress who supported the Medicare-for-all approach told us
that they were going to "hold their nose and vote for it." Progressive groups
and media feared that if the health bill did not become law, it would ruin the
Democrats' chance to hold a majority in Congress in the midterm elections and
would destroy the president's chance to be re-elected.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>6. The In-And-In</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The purpose of the final phase of the con is to make sure the victims do
not realize they've been conned.</DIV>
<DIV>Obama signed the ACA on March 23, 2010. Immediately the marketing began.
The three words we heard the most to describe it were <EM>universal</EM>,
<EM>affordable</EM> and <EM>guaranteed</EM>. Of course, the ACA is none of
those. But members told us personally that if they told the truth, they wouldn't
be re-elected.</DIV>
<DIV>Progressive groups started the work of explaining the advantages of the new
health law to the public. The few positive aspects of the law were promoted
without explaining the big picture. Overall, the ACA is similar to other
neoliberal economic policies; it defunds and destroys our public health
insurances and further privatizes health care.</DIV>
<DIV>The end goal of the ACA con, to make sure people do not realize they have
been conned, is ongoing. As we will see below, salespeople, often the same
nonprofits who pushed the ACA, are getting big money to sell insurance with
Madison Avenue marketing manipulation tactics.</DIV>
<DIV>At the same time, leading single-payer advocacy groups fear further
marginalization in their communities and so are afraid to tell the truth about
Obamacare. The public has been so hoodwinked by the partisan debate between
Republicans and Democrats, based on misinformation from both sides, that
single-payer advocates are afraid if they tell the truth, their allies, many
whom are Democrats, will push them away. So the truth has few emissaries, while
the well-funded deceivers continue the ACA con.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>The Con Continues: The Product</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>A fundamental problem with the ACA is that it is based on continuing our
complicated private health insurance or market-based system. Despite their
advertising slogans, private insurers primarily exist to create profit for their
investors or, in the case of "nonprofit insurers," to pay exorbitant salaries to
their executives. They care about health as much as Big Oil cares about the
environment.</DIV>
<DIV>Health insurers make their profits from charging the highest premiums they
can and by restricting and denying payment for care. They want to take in as
much money as they can, while paying out as little on health care as possible.
They have many tools with which to do this, and they've successfully skirted
regulations for decades. When they can't make a profit, they simply pull that
product from the shelf and create new products.</DIV>
<DIV>The public has been led to believe that the ACA has changed the behavior of
health insurers. In this section we briefly explain some major areas of concern
and why many of the promises of the ACA are false.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>More-expensive insurance premiums:</STRONG> A major promise was
that people could keep their insurance if they liked it, but many are finding
that this isn't working out. <A
href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/October/21/cancellation-notices-health-insurance.aspx"
target=_blank>Kaiser Health News reported</A> last week: "Health plans are
sending hundreds of thousands of cancellation letters to people who buy their
own coverage, frustrating some consumers who want to keep what they have and
forcing others to buy more costly policies." The Society of Actuaries released
a <A href="http://cdn-files.soa.org/web/research-cost-aca-report.pdf"
target=_blank>report</A> in March 2013 that showed insurance pools are set
to see an average increase of 32 percent in underlying claims costs by
2017.</DIV>
<DIV>The <A
href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/06/4365331/insurance-premium-increases-shock.html#.Umb_kBAeNXd"
target=_blank>Charlotte Observer reported:</A> "Across North Carolina, thousands
of people have been shocked in recent weeks to find out their health insurance
plans will be canceled at the end of the year - and premiums for comparable
coverage could increase sharply."</DIV>
<DIV>The increase in premiums will force more people to use the state health
insurance exchanges, where prices are <A
href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/09/25/federal-health-insurance-premiums-lower/2863401/"
target=_blank>supposed to be more affordable</A>, but even that is not a
solution. Russell <A
href="http://www.singlepayeraction.org/2013/10/09/single-payer-west-virginia-and-healthcare-the-movie/"
target=_blank>Mokhiber of Single Payer Action describes</A> the dilemma he faces
in West Virginia. Mokhiber received a notice that his current insurance expires
January 1, 2014. If he wants to keep his plan, it will cost twice as much. In
his state <A
href="http://www.post-gazette.com/businessnews/2013/09/12/Highmark-to-be-alone-on-W-Va-exchange/stories/201309120384"
target=_blank>only one insurance company</A>, Highmark, will be listed on the
exchange. He called Highmark to find out what his choices were and got bad news:
"The skimpiest plan is going to cost me more than I'm paying now and have a
higher deductible and out-of-pocket costs."</DIV>
<DIV>There are reports of increased premiums from across the country. One reason
for the increase in cost is, as <A
href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/20/little-competition-insurers-some-states-obamacare-plans/2986795/"
target=_blank>USA Today reports</A>: "About a third of insurance companies opted
out of participating in the exchanges in states where they were already doing
business, according to a recent report by McKinsey & Co. About half of
states … will see a 'material decline' in competitors."</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Decreased coverage:</STRONG> The ACA will increase the number of
people who have inadequate insurance that requires high out-of-pocket costs and
does not cover all necessary services. The ACA significantly lowers what is
considered to be adequate insurance coverage through its system of tiers. The
insurance exchanges offer four levels of coverage, with the least-expensive
plans paying for 70 percent and 60 percent of covered services.</DIV>
<DIV>These plans include high co-pays and deductibles that are barriers to care
- especially when 76 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. And
insurers are restricting coverage further by limiting their networks so they do
not include major medical centers or adequate numbers of health
professionals.</DIV>
<DIV>It is important to highlight that insurers pay only for covered services
because <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/august/many-do-not-understand-their-insurance"
target=_blank>people don't usually understand </A>that they will have to pay for
uncovered and out-of-network services themselves. The <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/june/in-network-providers-are-often-not-available"
target=_blank>use of out-of-network services</A> is often involuntary and
occurs without being known at the time of care, especially in emergency
situations.</DIV>
<DIV>The New York Times <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/us/comparison-shopping-still-hard-on-exchanges.html"
target=_blank>reports</A>:"Most of the 15 exchanges run by states and the
District of Columbia do not have provider directories or search tools on their
Web sites - at least not yet - so customers cannot easily check which doctors
and hospitals are included in a particular plan's network."</DIV>
<DIV>People are likely to choose the least-expensive plans without fully
understanding that a serious accident or illness could <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/june/illness-medical-bills-linked-to-nearly-two-thirds-of-bankruptcies-harvard-study">bankrupt
them</A> even though they have insurance. And the race to the bottom in coverage
will affect everyone. It is already estimated that <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/june/large-employers-moving-en-masse-to-high-deductibles"
target=_blank>44 percent of large employer-based plans will be high-deductible
plans</A> by 2014.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Tricks to mistreat those with pre-existing illness:</STRONG> One of
the great selling points of the ACA con is that those with pre-existing
illnesses will not be denied coverage. This is true, but insurers have many ways
to avoid the ill. The ACA was <A
href="http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/liz-fowlers-plan/"
target=_blank>written by an insurance company executive</A> from Wellpoint, Liz
Fowler, who went on to be <A
href="http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/07/14/former-wellpoint-vp-liz-fowler-to-be-in-charge-of-health-care-oversight/"
target=_blank>hired by Obama's HHS to implement the law</A> and <A
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/liz-fowler-johnson-johnson_n_2245367.html"
target=_blank>now works for a pharmaceutical giant</A>. So, all along the way,
the insurance companies had someone protecting their interests.</DIV>
<DIV>One way to avoid the sick was mentioned above: <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/september/new-york-times-exposes-the-injustices-of-private-insurers-narrow-networks"
target=_blank>excluding hospitals</A> where people with serious health problems
go, like major medical centers. Another way is by providing poor service to
people who have a lot of claims so they change insurers. And a third has to do
with the fact that insurance companies are allowed to <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/june/markets-impact-community-rating"
target=_blank>charge more in geographical areas</A> where health costs are
higher. If a plan in a particular area is not making enough profit, the
insurance company can simply stop selling in that area.</DIV>
<DIV>Insurance companies also can charge three times as much based on age.
Because most pre-existing illness comes with age, this greatly undermines the
protection of those with pre-existing illness. <A
href="http://www.pnhp.org/news/2013/july/insurers-will-continue-to-skirt-regulations"
target=_blank>Insurance companies are excellent at gaming laws and
regulations</A>, so we can expect more creative avoidance of people who actually
need health care.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Almost no reduction in youths without insurance:</STRONG> One of
the highly touted claims of the ACA con was that youths would be covered on
their parents' insurance until they are 26 years old. While this is true, the
percentage of 19- to 26-year-olds without insurance has merely fallen from 48 to
41. Why? Most parents cannot afford the increased premiums that are required
when more family members are covered. As a result this promise has been one of
little value, except to the wealthy - and to those selling the Obamacare
con.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>No cap on out-of-pocket spending:</STRONG> One of the selling
points of the ACA con was that it would limit how much people pay out of pocket
for health care. Of the thousands of waivers granted by HHS, one was the limit
on out-of-pocket spending. The insurance companies claimed that their computers
were not set up to handle this change. HHS took this absurd rationale seriously
and gave them a waiver on this important provision.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>The Con Continues: The Dealers</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>The most egregious aspect of the ACA is the individual mandate that those
without health insurance who do not qualify for public insurance such as
Medicaid must purchase private insurance or pay a penalty for being uninsured.
The public is being led to believe that the solution to the health care crisis
is to increase the number of people who have insurance. This ignores the fact
that having insurance does not mean that patients will have access to or will be
able to afford the health care they need.</DIV>
<DIV>The ACA required states to create new marketplaces for insurance called
exchanges or else the federal government would create the exchange. In essence,
the federal government is using billions of public dollars to finance the
exchanges, hire people to sell insurance and subsidize the purchases. Imagine
what a benefit it would be if those billions of dollars were used instead to
hire health providers and pay for actual care.</DIV>
<DIV>The <A
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/18/its-official-the-feds-will-run-most-obamacare-exchanges/"
target=_blank>federal government plays a big role</A> in running 26 of the state
health exchanges but is funding all of them. The <A
href="http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2012/december/01/health-insurance-exchanges-states-fees.aspx"
target=_blank>annual cost of operating the exchanges</A> will be $15 million to
several hundred million per state. In the end, consumers will pay the cost
through monthly surcharges tacked on to their premiums.</DIV>
<DIV>Part of the federal spending will be on "navigators" and "assisters,"
people whose job it is to help people buy insurance. The Obama administration
announced in 2013 that it would be directing $200 million to states, private
groups and local health centers so that they can hire workers, <A
href="http://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-FAQs/navigator-foa.html"
target=_blank>called navigators</A>, to sell insurance to Americans.</DIV>
<DIV>How are navigators paid? A <A
href="http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Republican-Staff-Report-on-Navigators.pdf"
target=_blank>House Committee on Oversight and Reform issued a report</A> on
September 13, 2013, that examined how navigators will be paid. One problem is
that many are paid based on the number of people they enroll. Obviously this
could lead navigators and assisters to not merely "facilitate" enrollment but to
persuade people to enroll. And navigators are not required to disclose this
incentive.</DIV>
<DIV>This payment structure is just one problem, the House report summarizes,
warning of scammers:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><EM>"… the training to be Navigators and Assisters will last only five to
20 hours and there is no requirement for a background check of Navigators and
Assisters who will have access to highly sensitive personal information, such
as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and income for everyone in an
applicant's household. Given the stories about how scammers are gearing up to
take advantage of the tremendous confusion caused by ObamaCare, Americans are
at an increased risk of being the victim of fraud and identify theft because
of the Administration's poor development of its outreach
programs."</EM></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The official navigators and assisters are only one part of the continued
conning of America. The groups that advocated for Obamacare have evolved into <A
href="http://www.enrollamerica.org/_" target=_blank>Enroll America</A>. The
group (<A
href="http://files.www.enrollamerica.org/homepage-rotation/get-covered-america-2/EA-slide-process-sc630x300-t1371648068.gif"
target=_blank>whose logo</A> is incredibly similar to insurance giant <A
href="http://www.pinklotusbreastcenter.com/breast-cancer-101/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/wellpoint.jpg"
target=_blank>Wellpoint</A>) not only includes advocacy organizations but also
interests that profit from the market-based US health care system, e.g.
insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. The president of
Enroll America, Anne Filipic, served in the Obama White House, the HHS, the
Democratic National Committee and in Obama's 2008 campaign.</DIV>
<DIV>Information on the budget of Enroll America has been vague. In June <A
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-usa-healthcare-outreach-idUSBRE95H16D20130618"
target=_blank>Reuters reported</A>: "In a conference call with reporters,
Filipic declined to answer repeated requests for details on the group's budget.
In January <A
href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Newsletters/Washington-Health-Policy-in-Review/2013/Feb/February-4-2013/Enroll-America-Eyes-100-Million-Fundraising-Effort.aspx"
target=_blank>Congressional Quarterly reported</A> they were eyeing a $100
million budget and quoted founder Ron Pollack, who led an NGO that lobbied for
Obamacare, saying: "We keep on saying it's got to be in the significant tens of
millions of dollars, and hopefully we reach another digit." Reuters reported
that the cost of the public outreach campaign would range into the tens of
millions of dollars, with "at least seven figures" going to paid advertising. In
a press release they <A
href="http://www.gih.org/files/FileDownloads/About_Enroll_America_1327688668262_3.pdf"
target=_blank>described the advertising campaign</A>:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><EM>"Enroll America plans to organize a massive public
education/advertising campaign about coverage eligibility and the ways people
can enroll in coverage. We expect to involve well-known athletes and
celebrities in the campaign. The advertising campaign will be segmented so
that it effectively reaches different demographic groups, such as young
adults, people in communities of color, low- and moderate-income families,
etc. Depending on the availability of resources, we may be able to tailor ads
to specific states."</EM></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The campaign is <A
href="http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/06/27/meet-the-woman-tasked-with-selling-ppaca?t=regulatory&page=2"
target=_blank>expected to spend tens of millions of dollars</A> on polling,
focus groups, paid advertising and running its operations with <A
href="http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Newsletters/Washington-Health-Policy-in-Review/2013/Feb/February-4-2013/Enroll-America-Eyes-100-Million-Fundraising-Effort.aspx"
target=_blank>a staff of a few hundred people</A>. Americans will be subjected
to all of the tools of Madison Avenue marketing through Enroll America along
with sales by navigators, assisters and the insurance industry.</DIV>
<DIV>How is Enroll America raising money? Secretary of Health and Human Services
Kathleen <A
href="http://www.benefitspro.com/2013/05/13/fundraising-from-hhs-secretary-draws-scrutiny"
target=_blank>Sebelius has been one of the fundraisers</A> for the organization.
According to the New York Times, her <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/us/politics/potential-donors-to-enroll-america-grow-skittish.html?_r=0"
target=_blank>fundraising has caused a political uproar</A>, with some
Republicans claiming it was illegal and two House committees investigating the
activity. They report: "Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming and Representative Jack
Kingston of Georgia, both Republicans, said Ms. Sebelius appeared to be 'shaking
down' businesses and other potential donors." <A
href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/301471-insurers-feel-pressure-from-health-group-with-close-ties-to-white-house"
target=_blank>The Hill echoed this, reporting</A> that insurance companies felt
like they were being pressured by the administration to donate to Enroll
America. One concern is that HHS has a lot of power over insurers as the agency
can delay or deny approval of their health-insurance plans for federally
approved exchanges.</DIV>
<DIV>Sebelius is <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/us/politics/health-secretary-raises-funds-for-health-care-law.html?_r=0"
target=_blank>seeking funds from</A> groups like Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
and H&R Block. And the Hill noted "Obama himself made a vague but personal
appeal for a close partnership with insurers, which some in the industry saw as
a precursor to direct fundraising pitches." In April 2013, "<A
href="http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/301471-insurers-feel-pressure-from-health-group-with-close-ties-to-white-house#ixzz2ilZqkPJW"
target=_blank>Obama reportedly</A> sat in for an hour-long meeting he was
initially not scheduled to attend and told insurance executives that the White
House and the industry were now "joined at the hip" trying to make the
healthcare law work."</DIV>
<DIV>Americans want health care, so why do they have to spend so much money to
convince people to buy ACA insurance? The American people will be subjected to a
sophisticated, echo chamber of marketing to sell them flawed insurance that
provides insufficient coverage, huge out-of-pocket costs and limited networks of
health professionals and hospitals.</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Understand the Con, End It and Replace It</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV>The ACA con is part of a broader con Americans and people around the world
are having inflicted on them, the <A
href="http://www.popularresistance.org/privatization-benefits-1-public-services-benefit-everyone/"
target=_blank>false idea</A> that privatization is a better way to provide
services than government. Even though there is virtually no evidence to support
this claim and there has been <A
href="http://www.popularresistance.org/the-long-history-of-privatization-failures/"
target=_blank>a long history</A> with many <A
href="http://www.privatizationwatch.org/" target=_blank>examples of
privatization</A><A
href="http://www.popularresistance.org/profiting-from-the-poor-outsourcing-social-services-puts-most-vulnerable-at-risk/"
target=_blank>costing more</A> and providing less, this is a centerpiece of
neoliberal economics. Politicians like President Obama and the leadership of the
corporate duopoly who believe in market solutions are pushing privatization at
home and through <A
href="http://www.popularresistance.org/trans-pacific-partnership-corporate-coup-detat-against-us/"
target=_blank>big-business-rigged</A> trade agreements like the <A
href="http://www.flushthetpp.org/" target=_blank>Trans-Pacific
Partnership</A>.</DIV>
<DIV>The fundamental flaw of the ACA is that it entrenches a market-based system
that treats health care as a commodity and profit center for Wall Street. The
big drivers of the rising cost of health care - insurance, pharmaceuticals and
for-profit hospitals - continue. The wealth divide that is a major byproduct of
neoliberal economics is institutionalized by law under the ACA. Some, like <A
href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/10/ted-cruz-has-health-insurance-plan-goldman-sachs/70869/"
target=_blank>Senator Ted Cruz, will receive the best health care from their
employer, in Cruz's case his wife's employer, Goldman Sachs</A>. Others, forced
into the individual insurance marketplace, will be divided in four classes based
on wealth, and millions will be in Medicaid, the inadequate health plan for the
poor. Thus, after a high-stakes partisan battle, we've made no progress in
confronting the fundamental problems in US health care. Indeed we have made some
of them worse.</DIV>
<DIV>There was an easier route and a more politically popular route. All that
President Obama had to do was to push for what he used to believe in, Medicare
for all. By just dropping two words, "over 65," the United States would not have
needed the 2,200-page ACA. Then the country could have worked to gradually
improve Medicare so that the United States moved toward the best health care in
the world, rather than being mired at the bottom.</DIV>
<DIV>To replace Obamacare with the single-payer system, we need to be clear
about the shortcomings of the law, especially its fundamental flaw of making a
human right, one of many <A
href="http://www.popularresistance.org/rights-americans-do-not-realize-they-have/"
target=_blank>human rights Americans do not realize they have</A>, into a
commodity like a cellphone. We need to recognize that ending the corporate
domination of health care is part of breaking the domination of big business
over the US government and the economy. Health care is at the center of the
conflict of our times, the battle between the people and corporate interests,
the battle to put people and planet before profits.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Further reading:</DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/10/beyond-spin-some-facts-about-affordable-care-act-2013101483653308300.html"
target=_blank>Beyond the spin, some facts about the Affordable Care
Act</A></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/aca-wrong-direction-time-medicare-all"
target=_blank>The ACA is the Wrong Direction, Time for Medicare for
All</A></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/15191-access-to-health-care-basic-necessities-a-matter-of-life-or-debt"
target=_blank>Access to Health Care, Basic Necessities a Matter of Life or
Debt</A></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14372-solve-the-real-problems-poverty-retirement-and-health-insecurity-and-the-economy-will-recover"
target=_blank>Solve the Real Problems - Poverty, Retirement and Health
Insecurity - and the Economy Will Recover</A></DIV>
<DIV><BR><A
href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14372-solve-the-real-problems-poverty-retirement-and-health-insecurity-and-the-economy-will-recover"> </A></DIV>
<DIV><EM>To hear Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers interview: The Struggle for
Health Care Continues with Guests Sergio Espana and Russell Mokhiber <A
href="http://clearingthefogradio.org/monday-greatest-insurance-scam-in-history-the-struggle-for-health-care-continues/">click
here</A>.</EM></DIV><SPAN>This article was first published on Truthout and any
reprint or reproduction on any other website must acknowledge Truthout as the
original site of publication.</SPAN>
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BORDER-BOTTOM: #666666 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #666666 1px solid; WIDTH: 62px; HEIGHT: 62px; OVERFLOW: hidden; BORDER-TOP: #666666 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #666666 1px solid
}
#photos DIV LABEL {
TEXT-ALIGN: center; WIDTH: 64px; WHITE-SPACE: nowrap; COLOR: #666666; FONT-SIZE: 10px; OVERFLOW: hidden
}
#reco-category {
FONT-SIZE: 77%
}
#reco-desc {
FONT-SIZE: 77%
}
.replbq {
MARGIN: 4px
}
#ygrp-actbar DIV A:first-child {
PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 2px
}
#ygrp-mlmsg {
FONT-FAMILY: Arial, helvetica,clean, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: small
}
#ygrp-mlmsg TABLE {
}
#ygrp-mlmsg SELECT {
FONT: 99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif
}
INPUT {
FONT: 99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif
}
TEXTAREA {
FONT: 99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif
}
#ygrp-mlmsg PRE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
CODE {
FONT: 100% monospace
}
#ygrp-mlmsg * {
LINE-HEIGHT: 1.22em
}
#ygrp-mlmsg #logo {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px
}
#ygrp-msg P A {
FONT-FAMILY: Verdana
}
#ygrp-msg P#attach-count SPAN {
COLOR: #1e66ae; FONT-WEIGHT: 700
}
#ygrp-reco #reco-head {
COLOR: #ff7900; FONT-WEIGHT: 700
}
#ygrp-reco {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI A {
FONT-SIZE: 130%; TEXT-DECORATION: none
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov LI {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 6px; LIST-STYLE-TYPE: square; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 77%; PADDING-TOP: 6px
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov UL {
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 8px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
#ygrp-text {
FONT-FAMILY: Georgia
}
#ygrp-text P {
MARGIN: 0px 0px 1em
}
#ygrp-text TT {
FONT-SIZE: 120%
}
#ygrp-vital UL LI:unknown {
BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none !important
}
</STYLE>
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