Hurtling to Single-Payer: A Reference Guide to ObamaCare's Trail of Destruction

Everything they said about this bill was a lie. And that includes the word "the", "patient" and "protection". Worse still: the bill hasn't truly kicked in yet.

President Obama, March 8, 2010: "Our cost-cutting measures mirror most of the proposals in the current Senate bill, which reduces most people’s premiums."

CT: Anthem Approved For Health Rate Hikes As High As 47 Percent.

FL: Blue Cross Blue Shield: Rates Up 10% in 8 Months. Excerpt: "President Obama told us that under his plan, health insurance premiums would go down. I think he forgot to tell Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida."

NC: Celtic: Half of 18% Premium Increase Due to ObamaCare.

NY: Insurance for New York City small businesses rise as much as 74% in 2011. Excerpt: "[The company CFO] wants to know why [the] health care provider, GHI, is asking state regulators for permission to hike insurance premiums by 50% to 74%. ...The only solution he sees to rising rates is maintaining his current staff of 10 employees, instead of expanding—which does nothing to reduce the city's 9.4% unemployment rate."

OR: Regence BlueCross BlueShield: Expect Up to 17% Rate Hikes.

WI: Celtic Insurance Premiums To Rise 18%.

"Let me be exactly clear about what health care reform means to you," the president told residents of the Garden State. "First of all, if you’ve got health insurance, you like your doctors, you like your plan, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan."

IA: Principal cuts 1,500 jobs, exiting health business. Excerpt: "Principal Financial Group said Thursday that it will leave the medical insurance business, further reducing competition among health insurers in Iowa... Principal will transfer the renewal rights for its health insurance customers in Iowa and 30 other states to UnitedHealthcare over the next 36 months."

MA: Firms cancel health coverage. Excerpt: "The relentlessly rising cost of health insurance is prompting some small Massachusetts companies to drop coverage for their workers and encourage them to sign up for state-subsidized care instead."

WA: Regence BlueShield to drop child-only coverage in Washington.

US: WellPoint, CoventryOne to Drop Child-Only Coverage. Excerpt: "In anticipation of the law that will take effect this Thursday, insurers in at least 4 states announced that they would be dropping the child only type coverage... WellPoint and CoventryOne, two of the nations largest insurers, announced that the individual coverage for the children would be discontinued in California, Colorado, Ohio and Missouri."

US: Dozens of Companies Dropping Coverage May Get Waivers. Excerpt: "As Obama administration officials put into place the first major wave of changes under the health care legislation, they have tried to defuse stiffening resistance — from companies like McDonald’s and some insurers — by granting dozens of waivers to maintain even minimal coverage far below the new law’s standards."

On Monday, President Obama touted his healthcare reform plan, which he emphasized was supported by the American Medical Association (and the 150 physicians in white lab coats behind him)

CT: Squeezed And Blamed: Insurance Increases Aren't Going To Doctors. Excerpt: "On Dec. 1, Medicare physician fees will decrease by more than 24 percent, followed by another decrease of more than 6 percent on Jan. 1. These drastic fee cuts will force many Connecticut physicians either to accept no new Medicare patients or to drop out of the Medicare program entirely, with major implications for Connecticut seniors."

FL: Healthcare reform hitting physicians hard. Excerpt: "Healthcare reform is hitting physicians in private practice hard, said Robin Fielding, CEO of Orthopaedic Center of South Florida in Plantation... 'And the lack of tort reform will continue to push the cost of malpractice insurance through the roof.'"

NY: "It's not going to be easy or cheap". Excerpt: "...employers [are] 'being squeezed'... 'It's not going to be easy or cheap'... adding questions remain how already-distressed medical facilities will handle reforms that can carry financial penalties."

US: Study: ObamaCare will make doctor shortage 50% worse by 2015.

US: Mental Health Crisis. Excerpt: "...it creates a problem for the city's mental health-care providers, who said this week that they are faced with serving thousands of new clients they are not prepared to manage... The complaint by Hall and local mental health providers echoes general concerns about the health-care overhaul raised by hospitals, doctors, nurses and their advocates nationwide who say the mammoth program is being built on a network that cannot support it."

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The disastrous monstrosity known as ObamaCare must be de-funded and repealed. It is a catastrophic piece of legislation in every way. The federal government is poised to control your body: to reward and punish constituents by granting or withholding tests, medicines, and care.

If you want to stop this steaming pile of manure, vote the straight Republican ticket in November, at every level of government. It's the only way to be sure.