Sunday, January 18, 2015

Paul Krugman, "Hating Good Government": Once Again, the Wonders of Obamacare!

“In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.


. . . .


We won’t do all this twenty years from now, or ten years from now. We’ll do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States.”


- Barack Obama, June 2008


In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Hating Good Government," Paul Krugman writes:

"Meanwhile, the news on health reform keeps coming in, and it keeps being more favorable than even the supporters expected."

Now compare Krugman's  sanguine declaration with a November 14, 2014 New York Times article entitled "Cost of Coverage Under Affordable Care Act to Increase in 2015" by Robert Pear, Reed Abelson and Agustin Armendariz, which begins:

"The Obama administration on Friday unveiled data showing that many Americans with health insurance bought under the Affordable Care Act could face substantial price increases next year — in some cases as much as 20 percent — unless they switch plans."

Also have a look at an October 23, 2014 Forbes article entitled "Now There Can Be No Doubt: Obamacare Has Increased Non-Group Premiums In Nearly All States" by Chris Conover, which informs us:

"However, a new study from the well-respected and non-partisan National Bureau of Economic Research (and published by Brookings Institution), overcomes the limitations of these prior studies by examining what happened to premiums in the entire non-group market. The bottom line? In 2014, premiums in the non-group market grew by 24.4% compared to what they would have been without Obamacare. Of equal importance, this careful state-by-state assessment showed that premiums rose in all but 6 states (including Washington DC)."

The news on health reform is more favorable than even its supporters expected? Yeah, right!

And with free community college studies on their way - Who is going to end up paying for this? - good government just gets better and better.

3 comments:

  1. I have no problem with free community college education. I don't have any problem with free education at general. I do have a problem with illiterate societies whose education is reduced by corporate powers to "smile permanently and shake hands firmly" training. Partly because the consequence of this non-free "education" is the destruction of societies.
    I also have a problem with Krugman - a profoundly unethical individual notorious for his ethical posturing. Nobody with a microgram of decency can work for the NYT.

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  2. "Lower premiums?" Take a look at the plans.If savings exist,they do because of large deductibles and co-payments.

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  3. Good luck finding a doctor ... every time the gov does anything to disrupt 'health' insurance (1998 HMOs!!; privatize Blue Cross2002!!; Medicare doc fix 2006-present!!!
    leads to new doctors with more mistakes, changes or losing access, and must be part of the plan to kill off everyone over 55...

    The Krugman effect always makes me so depressed.

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