Friend of the blog Stan Gibilisco pokes his head up from his secret project to let all of us know he has fully abandoned the Republican Party, thanks to the Affordable Care Act:
$100 per month more in insurance premium, but $7,000 less in out-of-pocket costs for care: thank you, indeed, President Obama and the wise Democrats of the 111th Congress, for helping our man Stan and over 19,000 other South Dakotans. Now let’s just hope the Supreme Court doesn’t take that affordable insurance away.
Hear, hear Mr. Gibilisco. OBAMACARE IS WORKING …. Sodak participant’s 11% (second lowest in USA) is a source of pride for many wanting to “send a message” to the President. Begging anyone to join is foolish. In fact, my friends across the state saving money don’t say a word about it. Mr. G is an outlier in that regard. shhhhhhh!!! It’s like telling Facebook where the pheasants are in Codington County.
I knew it all along. He was just holding on to the label for what Republicans once were: a reasonable, financially responsible party. They’re dead and gone for the most part and offer no alternatives in the health care debate. Let’s hope the Supreme Court doesn’t take it away.
Interesting, Porter: you’ve heard South Dakotans not wanting to speak up about having ACA exchange policies? Does anyone here know other folks who do have ACA exchange policies and who’d be interested in speaking to the press about it?
I could have purchased an ACA exchange policy cheaper than my current BCBS, but I was worried the Repubs would keep pushing for repeal, or in this upcoming case eliminate the federal exchanges in those states that didn’t create their own. And stupid BCBS wouldn’t put their compliant policies on line yet. I mean insurance is supposed to give you peace of mind and it’s not doing that yet until this is settled. I really blame the Repubs for doing this. It’s very unfair. I have older siblings who could retire early but are afraid to so until they know they have complete portability. A lot of people would like to retire early but are still just hanging on until this is entirely settled is my gut feeling.
AMEN, happy camper … No, Cory. Nobody I know with Obamacare in South Dakota wants to be a pariah among their friends. FoxNews has so many convinced that it’s welfare when it’s now as American as Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. Sodak is like that. There are so few people it’s hard to be different. When an emergency comes along everyone needs everyone and it’s better to be silent and accepted. – In CO there are many people 60 – 65 who’ve been able to retire now that they can get means tested insurance.
what do we have to do to get thune, noem and rounds attention? we were hoping for an indictment of our governors ect, but i guess 48,000 residents w/o health care and 30-90 deaths per year as a result of failure to expand Medicaid is unimportant to the 250,000 republican voters.
perhaps our new mayor could sound out on this issue to our elected leaders. maybe sam can do us one last favor.
Isn’t Sen. Rounds in the business of selling policies for Wellmark and Obamacare policies compete with their near monopoly?
On the “new business” agenda …. today Ms. Clinton said she wants to unveil a ‘debt-free’ college plan – language that was greeted enthusiastically by liberal activists when her campaign manager used it in a recent television interview. That’s our new project. YAY!!!
Anyone who is the parent of a young adult 26 or younger who is still on the parent’s policy has Obamacare.
thank you Nick for your kind words the other day
All health insurance policies now have the Obamacare upgrades. In SoDak Wellmark just doesn’t sell policies that offer the Medicaid discounts for low income buyers.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this recent Supreme Court challenge to Obamacare coming from a guy that is paying less than $20 a month for his coverage?
Again South Dakota republicans will whine about anything they deem as socialism while at the same time accepting the services or government payments provided them.
Remember the tea baggers and their “don’t touch my Medicaid”?
I wouldn’t expect these closet Obamacare recipients to come out for genuine benefit they may just save their lives, they prefer to whine and moan about.
Leslie,
To get thune, rounds, and noem’s attention, we have to vote them out. Half measures will avail us nothing.
One doesn’t hear much about the positive changes to insurance policies requiring preventative care (cancer screenings, etc.) driven by the Affordable Care Act, especially by those whose political party wants it repealed.
“Does anyone here know other folks who do have ACA exchange policies and who’d be interested in speaking to the press about it?”
I had an ACA policy for 6 months Cory. It was the only affordable insurance I could get and I paid about $350 a month with a high deductible. The alternative was scary.
So as you might guess I’m a big fan
BAH. Obamacare is driving the health care industry into the turf.
I want to know more about Mr. Gibilisco’s secret project.
For all of you who think OC is grand for everyone, your sadly mistaken. My family set up a corporation to help pass down the farm to two kids from my father and uncle. As we have taken over the management of the corporation our parents moved into the role of employees. We reimbursed them their medical expenses thus our business gets to deduct the monies paid to them. Both my uncle, who had military service, and my father had insurance. Both had different plans. OC does not allow us to reimburse their expenses or insurance premiums . Because they don’t have the same or group coverage. My father has bone cancer so changing a provider 4 years in was not a question. We still pay some of his medical expenses, but now it is taxed at his regular tax rate. If we would have kept doing it the old way our penalty would have been $100/day for both my dad and uncle. Wasn’t one of the points of OC to get employers to provide coverage for workers. I guess when you look around farm country it wasnt. Also I have 4 kids under 26 and I don’t have an ACA plan. Start looking into the schools health benefits, the counties and most of state government. Ask them if they are better off. I believe the majority is not
Grud! Get the taters out of your eyes and the grits out of your ears and stop being deliberately uninformed!
Grud when you say crap or lie, it only reflects poorly on you and the people who actually listen to you.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/21/investing/unitedhealth-earnings-obamacare/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2015/03/01/hospital-profits-soar-as-obamacare-prescribes-more-paying-patients/
In MN some insurance companies that sell via the ACA are planning significant price increases. That’s a concern for people like JSR, and really anyone using the program. My hope is that greed will overcome common sense, insurance companies will jack rates way up, and people will clamor for Medicare Part E.
http://www.startribune.com/health-insurers-seek-premium-hikes/306048821/
As Nick, Porter, and SuperSweet remind us, lots of Americans are getting better insurance because of the ACA, not just the folks buying policies in the health insurance exchanges. The ACA is better than the status quo, but not as good as the single-payer system that President Bernie Sanders would fight for.
It could be that for the majority of exchange participants, the ACA doesn’t change much in their lives. If one was healthy but working for minimum wage, they didn’t have health care. Now they have health care, but are still healthy and don’t use their insurance much. Others’ lives may have been saved by the ACA, but consider their health a private matter.
@Roger Cornelius … you noted, “Again, The South Dakota Republic Party will whine about anything they deem as socialism while at the same time accepting the services or government payments provided them.” – Porter sez, “I know, right Roger? And Obamacare makes it so much cheaper to remove that stick outa’ their ass.” lol
Well put, Mr. Freed . Once again one political party has shown weak ability to make predictions ( especially when it involves the future). By the way, Republic Party, when is OBAMA comin’ for all the guns? And, when are all the Doctors going to quit? How about all the Mexicans streaming over the border with nukes and Ebola? I’m afraid your credibility has none.
Very good Porter. (my laugh here).
So many South Dakota republicans dislike government so much they will continue to forget how good they may actually have it because of their government.
PS…..They Hate Her. They Really, Really Hate Her
Will They Ever Escape From Their Own Vicious Bigotry? – from Alan Colmes
Caittlin Jenner told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that she is a Republican.
But that makes little difference to the loudest voices in conservative media, who have unleashed a tsunami of bilious blather agaunst Jenner in the wake of Vanity Fair’s release of photos from the session that accompanies her cover story.
Former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer told the Washington Post, “Republican reticence and at times intolerance on LGBT issues is a problem for them because they have become a litmus test for young people.”
Can the GOP change with the times, or are they so beholden to bigots that they won’t? Share your opinions!
Porter, And today (6-5-2015) David Rooks calls Jenner a “freak” in an incredibly nasty RC Journal Editorial. Rooks purports to be so religious, but I wonder if Jesus would take such a intolerant position against another human being.
Bear,
I read Rook’s hateful sermonette, too.
He also said the last republican that he picked for president and won was Ronald Reagan, that explains a lot about him.
One thing is for sure, if Rooks is a Christian, I sure as hell don’t want to be one.
Let’s hope David Rooks does not have a grandchild or relative who is transgender. Steroids have nothing to do with causing someone to be transgendered and it’s doubtful Bruce Jenner ever used them since he’d probably would of been caught.
Remember the Cold War and the East German Olympic Team being all “roided” up. When Jenner won those Gold Medals in 76 it seemed much bigger then since the Olympics were like the West vs Communist Bloc East and in East those athletes were well supported and it was their jobs to train. The US program was at a disadvantage. It was a huge victory for us as a morale booster not long after Vietnam and Watergate then. It was a way we could compete peacefully. It’s amazing the hurtful comments directed towards Caitlyn Jenner without trying to understand.
I despise the Kardashians and how our culture supports their narcissism but it must have been incredibly painful for Caitlyn to play the role of Bruce all those years knowing the pressure of being a historic Olympic Champion. There was so much to lose and that people simply would not be able to understand. She knew she would become an object of ridicule and hate and that is most likely why she delayed her transition.
Outstandingly well said, Lynn.
Porter,
Thank you! I’ve known athletes that were on a US National Team and competed in the Olympics and although a few of them medaled Bronze and Silver what Jenner accomplished in 76 was incredible. Even just making th Those athletes sacrifice for years inflicting pain on themselves with training, working thru injuries getting up early in the morning to train when they would rather take the day off and live in poverty to pursue a dream. Considering that moment in history give Caitlyn Jenner a break and try to understand.
Sorry! didn’t finish a sentence up above. Just qualifying for Nationals to gain a slot on the US Team is quite an honor.
I know, right? Watching it was riveting. Decathlon was longer than the Olympic Games, themselves. One or two events started even before the opening ceremonies, I believe. You described the Eastern athletes perfectly.