« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

MEMBER DIARY

HSA Coalition and Freedom Works File Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on ObamaCare

By: Dan Perrin (Diary)  |  February 14th, 2012 at 07:59 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

The Amicus brief argues that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) ObamaCare deprives Americans of liberty by removing health care choices; and that the legislation and associated regulations will decimate the “bronze” plan options, leaving even fewer choices, further restricting liberty and greatly increasing the cost and therefore the burden of the mandate to purchase health insurance on individuals, small businesses and States.

Further, the brief cites a number of recent articles, including one by former Obama administration officials, who predict the end of insurance companies, in a NYT piece titled “The End of Insurance Companies.” This is important on the points of ObamaCare restricting liberty, but also because you need an HSA qualified health insurance plan to open an HSA or to contribute to it. These former Obama advisors, Ezekiel J. Emanuel & Jeffrey B. Liebman, actually write in the NYT’s that the “final bonus” is that accountable care organizations will relieve consumers of the need to choose among insurance plans, because these are choices “that few of us are any good at making.”

The Amicus brief also cites a study by Milliman, Inc., the world’s premier actuarial firm, on the impact of the Medical Loss Ratio regulations just issued by HHS. For a digestible summary, here is the press release about the Milliman report by the American Banker’s Association’s HSA Council. For full disclosure, I am an outside consultant for the HSA Council and I am also the President of the HSA Coalition.

There are fun quotes in the brief about then Speaker Pelosi’s statement that we would all have to wait for ObamaCare to pass, to see what is in it, as well as quotes from President Obama about how he wants to keep HSAs as an option.

The reality is that the current Medical Loss Ratio regulations will mean the end of insurers offering HSAs to the individual and small group markets, likely sooner than later.

Nothing says BIG FUN like reading an Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court asking to affirm the 11th Circuit Court decision to make ObamaCare null and void.

Cross posted at the HSA Coalition.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • greyeagle

    Obamacare is a huge nightmare foisted on the citizens of the US by Obama and the Democrats. I read the bill 3 times and was appalled by some of the things in the bill. Dr. Berwick and no doubt Ezekiel Emmanuel have been writing thousands of pages of regulations. So now there is no telling what is planned for us. Accountable Care Organizations for Seniors involve identify specific medicare claims are sent to all physicians and hospitals involved in your care. This means that anyone can read your personal information and medical condition. The purpose is to restrict what physicians and hospitals can provide you in the way of care. Unelected, unconfirmed bean counters and maybe a physician in Obama’s Independent Payment Advisory Board will penalize your Doctor and Hospital if they give you too much care. In fact, it is starting now. Now it is Seniors, later it will likely be other individual groups, like mentally and physically handicapped, people with chronic illnesses. They have already changed recommendations of mammograms from age 40 to 50. Watch the cancer mortality rate to go up. The people making this recommendation, did not have a Cancer Specialist in the group. They also went against the recommendations of the Cancer Society. The FDA took Avastin off a list for Breast Cancer because of COST. The FDA has never took a drug off for cost, at least in my lifetime. Avastin was used for inflammatory Breast Cancer and was effective. This has all been very well planned and in the making for a long time. The ultimate goal is a British type healthcare system. They deny care and people die there all the time. Their mortality rate in all types of cancers and disease is much higher there than in the US. The liberals in Congress consider this to be a Utopia. However, they are exempt and so is their staff and the Labor Unions. Think about it.