When counting the cost of government, taxpayers should pay close attention to OPEB, the “Other Post-Employment Benefits” of government employees aside from their pensions but including their health care costs. Now taxpayers have a calculating tool, State Retiree Health Plan Spending: An examination of funding trends and plan provisions, a new report from the…
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Today, the Independent Institute is launching a fun, five-part, satirical, YouTube web series called Love Gov! Here’s more information on what the series is about: “Love Gov is a way to help anyone, especially Millennials, understand the federal government’s ever-expanding reach into personal lives,” says David J. Theroux, Founder and President of Independent Institute….
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As this column has noted, Emily Bazar of the California Health Care Foundation’s Center for Health Reporting has been working three shifts documenting the abuses of Covered California, a wholly owned subsidiary of Obamacare. These abuses include a dysfunctional computer system that cost nearly $500 million, cancellation of health insurance without notice when people…
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As we have noted, Covered California is the Golden State’s wholly owned subsidiary of Obamacare and similarly dysfunctional, insecure, and wasteful. Even so, some people managed to sign up, the largest group ages 55 to 64. Now, according to Emily Bazar of the Center for Health Reporting, many are finding it impossible to leave….
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For years private health care managed by greedy insurance companies had left thousands without coverage. Then Covered California, a wholly owned subsidiary of Obamacare, rushed to the rescue. Now everybody has with easy access, lower costs and superior care. That glowing government narrative leaves out a few harsh realities. As Emily Bazar of the…
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As we recently noted, the Veterans Administration has been cooking the books and falsifying information about wait times. According to CNN, at least 40 veterans died while awaiting treatment at the VA facility in Phoenix. President Obama says he’s angry over the situation but he has not fired VA boss Eric Shinseki. Now, as…
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According to the official government website, “The President’s vision for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to transform VA into a 21st Century organization that is Veteran-centric, results-driven, and forward-looking.” So no surprise that “the President’s 2015 Budget includes $163.9 billion for VA in 2015. This includes $68.3 billion in discretionary resources and…
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We recently noted massive dysfunction at Covered California, the state subsidiary of Obamacare, which, among other things, wasted $1.3 million on an absurd promotional video. But as Emily Bazar of the CHCF Center for Health Reporting notes, these are hardly the only problems. She writes that California paid Accenture $359 million to set up…
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“If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” President Obama said that, but it isn’t true. At this article notes, Obamacare wipes out existing health care plans in 10 states: California, Missouri, Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Georgia. More than 50 percent…
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The Washington Post reports that the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has come up with a plan to address the nation’s fiscal house of cards. The major points of the plan include: Deficit reductions by nearly $4 trillion over the next decade Large reductions in discretionary spending Tax code reform He hits…
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