55% increase in costs, thanks Obamacare

[LDB]

Even some of the dumber than dirt liberal morons should be able to figure out what a train wreck this foolishness is.

Employees pay more out of pocket for healthcare - Nov. 13, 2014

 

[RoadTime]

Unrelated but not really. Michigan raised the minimum wage. I was just at a "Hollywood pizza" buffet. Signs were posted that because of the increase, so does the price. Can't win either way

 

[cheri1122]

Where in the article does it say Obamacare is the reason for the increase? What I read was this:

The increase comes after a period in which the weak economy kept insurance costs from rising too much. But with the job market now improving, employees are spending more on health care and other "discretionary items," said Tim Nimmer, chief health care actuary at Aon Hewit.

And you seriously doubt that anyone & everyone who can won't raise prices/premiums and blame it on Obamacare?
Same with the pizza: prices have been raised on almost everything, everywhere, every year [half the stuff on Wendy's '99 cent' menu is up to $1.49!] and minimum wage didn't cause it, but now, it's a handy excuse.
The price gets increased either way, just because the costs of everything go up [except expediting, apparently - our rates haven't increased in 10 years!]. If it weren't the minimum wage, it'd be something else, count on it.

 

[Turtle]

When the Minimum Wage Goes Up, the Menu Price Also Rises - Businessweek

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/u...-affordable-care-act-to-increase-in-2015.html

 

[OntarioVanMan]

So...DON'T eat out so often....problem solved....money saved....Americans eat out far too much....Obesity is at record levels....Obesity causes your healthcare costs to increase and that is on YOU! Not Obama........

 

[davekc]

Those increases represent a higher cost than eating out for most. Think the rates are high now, wait until we are required to provide free insurance for the majority of illegals. Already started. Someone is going to be paying. Guess who? To provide that coverage, insurance rates will rise more, or they will start to trim the subsidies and coverage.

And on a related note, reality is setting in. Approval of this train wreck keeps dropping.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/poll-obamacare-approval-112948.html

 

[Turtle]

Also keep in mind that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (another one of those phrases that's the exact opposite of what it actually is) insurance companies were tightly regulated as to how much they could raise premiums year to year. Obamacare removed those restrictions.

 

[davekc]

Also keep in mind that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (another one of those phrases that's the exact opposite of what it actually is) insurance companies were tightly regulated as to how much they could raise premiums year to year. Obamacare removed those restrictions.

That is true. The new rates for 2015 don't reflect any costs for illegals. Or so they say. They are projecting that for next year and beyond depending on what benefits are extended to them. My guess is they start with free benefits (already in progress) for children and expand from there.

 

[cheri1122]

The fast food industry is predicting price increases of 1-1.5%, I doubt that's a deal breaker for anyone. Even the Cheesecake Factory's 2% increase is inconsequential, considering they don't count low income folks among their regulars, lol. And as mentioned, the price of almost everything on Wendy's 'dollar menu' has been steadily rising [up to 50%] for years, and so what? I still buy the baked potatoes & salads, considering the cost a reasonable deal, for not having to do it myself. [Yeah, baked potatoes are easy, right? Unless you have no oven, that is.]
The insurance industry, though - they're just flat out rapacious. And unscrupulous, and expert at blaming cost hikes on everything other than the truth. When they screamed for tort reform, because high jury verdicts were killing them, they didn't mention their bottom feeding rate war, [taking on the high risk docs they had rejected before], or their investing the new income in risky investments that tanked, either. When the inevitable lawsuits against the newly insured malpracticing docs hit, they blamed the juries. They got the tort reform passed, of course. And now they can blame it all on Obamacare, and they'll get away with that, too.
That Obamacare is basically a gift to the insurance industry [like they deserve it], and does nothing to address the cost of health care, or the reasons so many can't afford it, has always been my problem with it. The only 'problem' it solved was the need for insurance companies to make more profits - the problems people have getting affordable health care remain unaddressed.

 

[davekc]

The fast food industry is predicting price increases of 1-1.5%, I doubt that's a deal breaker for anyone. Even the Cheesecake Factory's 2% increase is inconsequential, considering they don't count low income folks among their regulars, lol. And as mentioned, the price of almost everything on Wendy's 'dollar menu' has been steadily rising [up to 50%] for years, and so what? I still buy the baked potatoes & salads, considering the cost a reasonable deal, for not having to do it myself. [Yeah, baked potatoes are easy, right? Unless you have no oven, that is.]
The insurance industry, though - they're just flat out rapacious. And unscrupulous, and expert at blaming cost hikes on everything other than the truth. When they screamed for tort reform, because high jury verdicts were killing them, they didn't mention their bottom feeding rate war, [taking on the high risk docs they had rejected before], or their investing the new income in risky investments that tanked, either. When the inevitable lawsuits against the newly insured malpracticing docs hit, they blamed the juries. They got the tort reform passed, of course. And now they can blame it all on Obamacare, and they'll get away with that, too.
That Obamacare is basically a gift to the insurance industry [like they deserve it], and does nothing to address the cost of health care, or the reasons so many can't afford it, has always been my problem with it. The only 'problem' it solved was the need for insurance companies to make more profits - the problems people have getting affordable health care remain unaddressed.

You have identified the problem. If fast food raises their prices because of raising the minimum wage, everything stays the same except some will layoff or cutback to adjust. If you raise the minimum wage from 8 to 10 dollars for 50 million people, you still have, 50 million poor people. Same if you went to 15 per hour. Any wage above that will adjust accordingly and prices on everything will rise. Simple economics. So, the 15 per hour hamburger flipper is still financially challenged. Unless you move people into marketable careers, no amount of money will correct it. Trillions of dollars spent on the "war on poverty" and nothing has changed.

I do agree with you on healthcare. Obamacare is a disaster. Nothing more than a grand plan of wealth redistribution. With population of 300 million and Ocare having 9 million signed up, the numbers speak for themselves. For every person that gets it free or subsidized, another drops out because of the access and affordability. They projected they would 13 million and downgraded it this week to 9 million covered. Outside of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, it is pretty much a train wreck.

 

[mjmsprt40]

Straight up: Any time the powers-that-be think they have to lie to you because, in their minds, you don't know what's good for you--- nothing good can come of it.

Obamacare was sold on a pack of lies. What did you think would happen next?

Before certain parties here gits any idears---- I'm looking at you, LDB--- voting for Romney would have made no difference. Obamacare is re-packaged Romneycare--- the same stuff Romney sold to Massachusetts. Same old garbage, different name.

 

[davekc]

I think Romney might have pulled the same thing but it would have stalled out in Congress. He is in no way as good of liar as Obama.

 

[Ragman]

. . . He is in no way as good of liar as Obama.

But a liar, none the less.

It's politics, they all lie.

 

[cheri1122]

If fast food places raise prices by 1-2% to offset a hike in minimum wage, it should not have any effect on anyone else - we [consumers] are quite accustomed to regular price increases, expect them, even, and so what? If management uses it as a reason for layoffs or not hiring, they're not being honest, period.
Speaking of being dishonest, there is a great article about what happened to a lot of poor [and not terribly bright, either] people who agreed that going back to school is the only way to improve their lives. Because they don't want to be dependent on the government, dammit!
And before you get all snarky about how gullible they are/were, consider this: Glenn Beck just announced his 'recovery' from a medical problem [adrenal fatigue] the endocrinologists say is entirely made up, lol.
It's a long read, but thought provoking. [Why aren't the liars held responsible for the damage they cause?]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mollyhensleyclancy/lower-education

 

[Moot]

If you raise the minimum wage from 8 to 10 dollars for 50 million people, you still have, 50 million poor people.

Exactly! There will always be poor people. An increase in the minimum wage eventually floats all wage earner's boats.

 

[skyraider]

You must remember this...

 

[LDB]

So many lies, so little time.

 

[skyraider]

So many lies, so little time.

http://www.stephen-foster-songs.de/MP3/foster22.mp3

 

[cheri1122]

Exactly! There will always be poor people. An increase in the minimum wage eventually floats all wage earner's boats.

Of course there will always be poor people - we get that. There will also always be people whose best financial interests lie in keeping the working poor as poor as possible, because there's only so much profit: more for you is less for me. It is not in our best interests to restrain them too much, because they are the smart & successful kind of people - but neither is it in our best interests to allow them to decide who is worth how much, once the failure of self restraint is so glaringly obvious.
It's all about balance. When CEOs made 2 or 300 times as much as their entry level workers, no one complained, but the gap just kept getting bigger. It's now somewhere around 850 to 1 in many companies, and that's just plain nuts.
As Dave says, the answer is moving people into marketable careers - only there aren't enough of those to satisfy the need. College graduates can't find jobs, even in 'in demand' fields, because so many jobs have been outsourced, to improve the profits at the top.
If it continues, where does it end? How do we function without a viable middle class?

 

[xiggi]

There will also always be people whose best financial interests lie in keeping the working poor as poor as possible, because there's only so much profit: more for you is less for me.

Sorry but the idea that their is only x amount of profit (available dollars to be made) is completely false which pretty much blows the rest of your theory out of the water.