It’s all YOUR fault!

Here we have the assault squad finals, created with feedback by all of you.

Changes from the originals:

Widened stance on one of the leg sets.
Ankle armor to better ground the mini
Complete rework of the grenade launcher.
Addition of a squad leader’s sword.
Addition of an optional shield.

Taking feedback and making changes to these, took me in directions I would never have gone by myself. The vote for the grenade launcher was pretty much unanimous, as a lover of auto-feed weapons; the cylinder design was not an avenue I would have ever explored.

The sword design was so close that I needed to make the call, #1 and #2 were tied, so I stayed with what I had. The only acceptation was the addition of a squad commander’s sword to set him apart from his squad.

I would never have mated these with a shield but the folks on Dakka were pretty persistent and I am happy to oblige. This addition raised some interesting problems as the figures were not originally designed for the use of a shield. This meant I needed to affix the shield in such a way that we overcame collision issues with those massive shoulders and the large drum mag on the grenade launcher. I tried to keep the fit to the arm as tight as possible while allowing some play to be able to tilt the shield and overcome those collision issues. I also wanted to provide enough surface contact so we could avoid any pining and just use glue or green-stuff. As an optional piece you can leave it off if that is your preference.

Thank you to all who took the time to weigh in!

Next up will be the changes to the heavy weapons crew and giving those energy weapons a change to deal with that awkward left arm.

Here is the revised assault squad you helped create.

Here is the optional shield

And the squad with shields equipped.

I hope you enjoy the revisions and would like to once again thank all of you for helping to shape these minis.

Back to the Sturmtruppen for a review or three:

This was a write up over at DWARTIST’S . Although he pins his minis, I have not had a need to do so

He also made a neat discovery, the plastic heads form Warlord WWII minis work rather nicely with these figs.

There is also a review over at Resin Addict. He also discusses the figures on his forum, go check them out...

Anton over at Toomuchmetal posted up a review for his Secret of the Third Reich army. You can see some nice shots next to another manufacturers minis.

I should have these up for retail sales near the end of next week; I just need to push up some shopping cart software to the website to get thing rolling.

 

All the best!

Mark-

Swedish Meatball Surgery, Part XVI

When Swedish health care "professionals" aren't out trying to score hot nurses, they're apparently turning away fellow citizens who've suffered broken necks:

"A man from northern Sweden was sent home from his local clinic with a handful of painkillers ... Every time he moved or sat up his vertebral column moved three centimetres, which is enough to risk causing paralysis"

What is it about nationalized health care systems that's so darned attractive to Ms Shecantbeserious?

Gee, Mme Secretary, I wonder why...

From the lips of Ms Shecantbeserious:

"The private [health insurance] market is in a death spiral"

D'unh!

For someone like Mme Secretary this is, of course, a feature, not a bug.

But it's what happens when you impose rate controls, mandate coverage for non-medically necessary items, give away health insurance to irresponsible folks, and gin up phony "Exchanges."

Quelle surprise.

As Maine Goes, So Goes the Nation . . .

An offshoot of Obamaneycrap is the battle over how much regulation can be imposed on insurance carriers that operate in a free market. One of the side battles addresses premium rate increases.

We have long maintained that government intervention and price oversight is unnecessary in a competitive market. Health insurance premiums are self regulating.

If a carrier charges too much for a product, they lose market share to competitors. It really is that simple.

Of course the DC know-it-all's, many who have never held a real job much less managed a payroll, believe the only way to protect the consumer is through price controls.

Yeah, the Nixon wage-price controls worked so well . . .

Anthem Blue Cross in Maine wanted a premium increase. The Dept of Insurance said no. Included in their request for increase was a profit margin of 3.2%.

Not a guaranteed profit mind you, but if everything falls in place as expected, after all bills are paid (including claims), about $3 out of every $100 in revenue, would remain to pay stockholders AND taxes.

Bear in mind that a 3% profit margin is not excessive. Banks have a 5% margin. Retail food services operate off a 5 - 6% margin. Household products, an 8% margin. So 3% is not a lot of money.

The Maine Dept. of Insurance said 1% was fair and that was supposed to be the end of it.

So Anthem appealed to the state Supreme Court and this is what happened.

In its ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court said that Maine’s insurance superintendent had “properly balanced the competing interests” in arriving at an approved rate increase of 5.2 percent. The insurer, a unit of Wellpoint, the nation’s largest insurer, had sought a 3 percent profit margin as part of an overall 9.2 percent increase in health insurance rates for policies sold to individuals in 2011. It argued that state regulators’ decision to grant a 1 percent profit margin violated state law and the U.S. Constitution by depriving the company of a “fair and reasonable return.”

Anthem can appeal the decision and ask the court to reconsider their decision or file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

But that's a bit silly don't you think?

Now consider this comment.

“This is great news for consumers because it reaffirms that a state insurance regulator, when they have the authority, can do a balanced, comprehensive review of rates,” Kofman, now a researcher at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute.

Whoopee. The consumers can save 2% on their premiums.

But what if Anthem decides they no longer want to play ball and they pull out of the state? Maine is one of those unique places where over regulation has resulted in most health insurance carriers pulling out of the state.

In Maine, health insurance is subject to both guaranteed issue rules and community rating. The result is health insurance premiums that are some of the highest in the country and the market is dominated by essentially one carrier . . . Anthem.

My guess is Maine needs Anthem more than Anthem needs Maine.

The Grinch may end up stealing any opportunity for citizens of Maine to purchase health insurance from any source.

Gardisil Update: Told Ya So

Chock up another one for our prescience. Some 3 1/2 years ago, we discussed the possibility that young boys would also be given this tried-but-untrue panacea. Now comes word that "the American Academy of Pediatrics is fully recommending that boys get the shots as well."

And why is that?

Well, follow the money:

"The new policy should end any resistance among health insurers to covering HPV vaccines for boys"

At $130 a pop, no less.

Exit question: How long 'til HHS Secretary Shecantbeserious mandates that this be covered at 100%, as well? Sauce for the gander, and all that.

Breaking a Self-Imposed Embargo

I had decided some time ago to take a break from posting on the upcoming SCOTUS ObamneyCare© case, but Hot Air's Ed Morrissey has a post on a fascinating and refreshingly unique theory espoused by the Institute for Justice.

According to its website, the IfJ is "our nation's only libertarian public interest law firm ... We seek a rule of law under which individuals can control their destinies as free and responsible members of society."

And they've filed an amicus brief in the aforementioned case, based on the age-old caveat that a contract entered into under duress is non-enforceable. Their stance is that, because insurance is, in fact, a contract, forcing one under penalty of law to sign on the dotted line renders it moot.

Florida International University Constitutional Law Professor Elizabeth Price Foley, who helped draft the brief, explains:

Compact Fizzling?

Carrying on Bob's fizzling metaphor from this morning, we have a follow-up to our post on the efforts of the Ohio Health Care Compact (OHCC) folks to get some traction. Briefly, the HCC initiative would supercede ObamneyCare©, and put Buckeyes' health care decisions back in our control. I reached out to OHHC for additional information, and have finally received their reply.

Dianna Greenwood, the group's Outreach Coordinator, tells me that "unfortunately due to some issues, our committee will not be working on the Health Care Compact in Ohio. However, we all believe that this is still important legislation pending in the Ohio Senate and wanted to make sure that you received our answers."

So she in turn passed us along to Tea Party Patriots' State Coordinator Marianne Gasecki, who answered most of our questions:

InsureBlog: Let's start with a little background. How did this effort begin, who came up with the idea of using state compacts?

Marianne Gasecki: The Health Care Compact Alliance presented this idea at a Tea Party Patriots Conference of local coordinators in February of 2011. After a period of discussion, it was voted on by the coordinators and considered to be an exciting opportunity with great promise for not just healthcare, but other issues.

IB: Who funds this effort?

MG: To date, any efforts in Ohio have been minimal in cost due to the fact that it is mostly presentations at local tea party groups or other organizations, or meetings with legislators. Any costs have been covered by the individuals on the Ohio Health Care Compact Committee. Any efforts performed nationally, are most likely funded by the Health Care Compact Alliance.

[ed: I'll be contacting the Alliance folks ASAP]

IB: In the video, it's never clear which states we'd be joining in a compact. Texas is implied, and you mention "teams on the ground in 37 states," yet they've been passed into law in only 4. It's already 2012, with less than two years to go until full implementation. Aren't you concerned about timing?

MG: No. We know and understand that this is a long term project and are willing to go the distance. States such as Indiana will be added to the list shortly, as it has already cleared the house and is advancing quickly through their Senate. This is also an excellent tool to be used when questioning candidates regarding their sincerity in the belief of state sovereignty vs. a one size fits all centralized government.

IB: I also have some questions from my co-bloggers. Bob would like to know if there's enough money to meet federal requirements and address other financial obligations.

MG: Once the compact is ratified it supersedes federal law, and therefore federal requirements and obligations. Funds collected from the states by the federal government would be returned to the states with no strings attached. What needs to be reiterated is that these compacts are not policy making contracts. The compacts are just giving the states the authority to create policy that best suits the needs of their state. They can change nothing, or can change everything.

IB: Bob also points out that your FAQ states "The member states get funding according to the formula in the HCC." How does that work?

MG: The best explanation is that the amount for each state represents the total amount of money the federal government returned to that state in 2010. It includes ALL health care spending, minus the spending for veterans or for Native American Indians. That figure includes all grants, all appropriations, all Medicare spending, all Medicaid spending that the federal government sends to a state. 2010 is the base funding for each state moving forward with the HCC which, for Ohio, was about $35 billion.

IB: Finally, Mike observes that "the FAQ references "sale of insurance across state lines." He agrees with me that this is a deflection, not an answer. So: "why would the Compact make any difference?" In short, while it's a very nice video, neither it nor the FAQ explicitly lay out the end-game, other than "we opt out of ObamaCare." Yet you claim that "health care [is] in need of urgent reform." How do you square that circle?

MG: I think most people agree that layers of bureaucracy make everything more expensive and less efficient, whether it be in the private sector or government. But the compact is really about self governance. If you believe the states should have the opportunity to provide a more cost effective health care system rather than a one-size-fits-all federal program, then the compact idea for health care, as well as other issues, will look very promising to you. Again, it's not a policy document, as much as it is a document to give authority back to the states, bringing it closer to the people it directly affects.

Thanks, Marianne, for your time and candor.

And we'll be following up with the national Health Care Compact organization, as well.

Hedging Bets

Not sure what to make of this:

"The cost of providing health care insurance to the hedge fund community is rising at a slower rate for the first time in years ... insurance carriers raised their rates between 2% and 8%, on average, for hedge fund managers and their employees in 2011. This represents a marked improvement from the 6% to 18% rate hikes ... last year’s survey of 2010 rates."

What is there about the "hedge fund community" that would (apparently) shield them from some of the worst aspects of ObamneyCare©? My first thought was that many (most?) of these plans are probably self-funded, but the article says it's more likely demographics (primarily age). Another factor cited is that a lot of these plans "have less generous benefits than those in previous years."

So a Kia costs less than a Mercedes?

Who'da thunk it?

[Hat Tip: Mitch Ackles]

Medicare Fraudbuster Fizzles

Launched last summer, a $77 million computer system to stop Medicare fraud before it happens had prevented just one suspicious payment by Christmas. That saved taxpayers exactly $7,591.

Lawmakers had expected the system to finally allow Medicare to stanch a $60-billion-a-year fraud hemorrhage. Now they’re worried that cautious bureaucrats lacking a clear game plan will compromise its performance.

Medicare officials say it’s unfair to grade the new technology on a single statistic.

Maybe it's just me, but I would expect a bit more for a $77 million computer.

Rosemary's Health News

Time to break out that new standard, Days of Wine and Rosemary. Last week, we reported on the newest study touting the benefits of an occasional libation. Today, we learn that one of my favorite herbs has similarly beneficial effects on one's intelligence:

"Now researchers have used essential plant oils to see how much rosemary can improve brain power and mood ... Results indicated the 1,8-cineole taken into the blood through sniffing the plant improved brain performance. Those with higher levels had better speed and accuracy."

Rosemary-infused vodka, anyone?

The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen

The Heart of the Kingdom has been destroyed and now it’s up to Munchausen to save the day in The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen! With the light and prosperity of his kingdom gone, the king has no choice but to marry his daughter to an unknown stranger in exchange for a huge sum of money. Sensing the stranger’s evil, she writes to Munchausen who must now stop the wedding in The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen!

Game Size 327  MB

OR

Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

3D Mahjong Deluxe The Whole World in 3D

Take the world-famous Chinese classic to the third dimension. Puzzle through 120 brain-bending levels. Unlock 10 spectacular true 3D images. Then slip on your 3D glasses and experience them in all their extra-dimensional glory. Step into the future of mahjong with 3D Mahjong Deluxe!

 

Game Size 60  MB

OR

OR

Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

Natural Threat - Ominous Shores

Use your powers of observation to save your friends from the genetic aberrations that populate a forgotten island in Natural Threat: Ominous Shores! Brave the escalating threat that unfolds before you and save your companions! Each scene will bring new challenges, horrifying discoveries, and clues to what brought the monsters that populate the island to life. Be smart, and you might survive long enough to make the most shocking discovery of all in Natural Threat: Ominous Shores! 

Game Size 603  MB

OR

OR

(Password: AB )

Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

Bridge Constructor

Bridge Constructor puts you in the role of an engineer! Design and create bridges that span deep valleys, dangerous canyons, city streets or raging rivers. Sure you got it right? Send cars and trucks over your bridges and see what happens! Bridge Constructor features complex physics, realistic materials, and an introductory tutorial. Creativity and ingenuity required! 

This game requires Direct_X, Microsoft C++, Microsoft Net, install these apps first to get game working.

Game Size 70  MB

OR

Screenshots:

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

Safari Adventures

In Safari Adventures, explore the grasslands, mountains, and forests of Africa to help threatened animals across the continent! Park rangers will help you find and aid animals, but only you can rescue them from people whose only motivation is greed. Complete more than 90 missions and learn about the flora and fauna of each region. Meet animals including the lion, giraffe, elephant, monkey, and more. Safari Adventures is a beautiful, educational game for children who love animals and exploration!

This game requires Direct_X, Microsoft C++, Microsoft Net, install these apps first to get game working.

Game Size 300  MB

OR

Screenshots:

System Requirements
DirectX Version: 9.0c or above
Processor: Pentium 4 - 3.0 Ghz or better
RAM: 2GB XP, Vista
Operating System: Windows 7, Vista, and XP
Download Size: 511 MB

Have fun and feel free to leave your comments!

Recommended for free users: Use Jdownloader to increase download speed!

I love you guys!

After receiving some great feedback here and on Dakka-Dakka, the general consensus, (two or more mentions of the same issue) so far seems to be.

Make for easy weapon swaps:

Will do…. I will make a few blank arms without weapons.

Make all three helmets available as options for each figure:

Yep, all three will be included with each mini, for both heavy weapon and assault minis.

Energy heavy weapons need to be supported by free arm:

I will rework this, I agree the left arm needs something to do 

Some issues with the size or design of the shoulder pads:

I probably won’t make huge changes to these, it’s a design decision that defines the minis silhouette but I think they could use some tweaking to make the minis less top heavy while maintaining a heavily armored look.

Need to re-design the sword to more medieval two handed sword look:

Easy fix… will do. I will show an option and you can give a thumbs up or down.

Need to redesign the auto-grenade launcher to be more interesting:

Agree, but I’m completely uninspired here…. If you have examples of what you would like to see or a direction for me to take these in please speak up. (More input please) I will show an option and you can give a thumbs up or down. 

There are a couple of comments that reference them feeling like CAD models or stiff or what I call wooden. Simply meaning, that they lack life and movement or individuality. I must agree to some extent that this is true. It’s a side effect of making what I call a troop choice model rather than a character model. 

I can pose these as dramatically as any hand sculptor but the nature of making a multi-part, posable mini to represent a mass troop means that there is a certain amount of generic feel to them. I could make these as dynamic as a character figure but then you would have sixty minis that all look over posed, like a space ninja attack. I would also need to charge a bit more for each mini because I would not be able to swap parts from one mini to another, so every mini would be an individual print. This would likely quadruple the cost for each print and mold.

Keep in mind that the ability to pose these will gives you the freedom to make them more dramatic if you choose, and it also keeps a line of twenty from looking like clones. Making accessory packs will allow me and you to add bits, pouches, etc. that will also humanize the minis.

I don’t mind doing dramatic character models if you don’t mind paying the price the market is charging for them.

Overall, so much great feedback, thank you!

First changes up for review:
Reading the posts here and on Dakka, there have been a few mentions of shoulder pads and the foot size. I don’t want oversized clown feet but there was a great suggestion for an overshoe or ankle armor that I think worked out well.

I widened the stance, added ankle armor and made some very slight tweaks to the shoulders. My desire was to ground the mini a bit and deal with some top heavy issues.

Which grenade launcher do you like for the assault troops?
 1 2 or 3?

Next up, the sword.... which do you prefer?

Please let me know what you think, nothing is set in stone so if I make changes that you don’t like, just say so :)

All the best!

Mark-

HSA Update

Courtesy of our friends at FlexBank, some interesting late-model HSA factoids:

■ This year's (2012) max contribution ceiling is $3100 for singles and $6250 for families. If your employer is kicking in a few bucks (lucky you!), it'll count towards that total.

■ Thanks to ObamneyCare©, you'll need a doc's scrip for any Over-The-Counter (OTC) meds you want to run through your account.

■ You can't pay your regular health insurance premiums from your HSA, but COBRA, Long Term Care insurance and Medicare premiums are generally eligible.

■ This is VERY cool, and something I hadn't known: Mileage to obtain medical care is an eligible expense under a Health Savings Account. You can reimburse yourself at 23 cents/mile, but you'll need to keep very careful records.

[Hat Tip: Lou G]

Catholic Obamacare Bomb

Years ago there was a margarine commercial with the tag line "It isn't nice to fool Mother Nature." Comes now Obamacare that wants to tell everyone, regardless of religious persuasion, that they must pay for contraceptives by way of their health insurance plan.

The big push back so far has been the Catholic church, but it seems other groups including Protestants, Jews and even Muslims have tossed their hat in the ring as well in protest of the birth control segment of Obamacare.

The battle just heated up.

Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago (home to Obama) has tossed down the gauntlet.

In a missive to parishioners on the first Sunday of Lent, Cardinal George warns that the Catholic Church will shut down its hospitals, clinics, and charities before submitting to the mandate — and provides a little history lesson as well:

What will happen if the HHS regulations are not rescinded? A Catholic institution, so far as I can see right now, will have one of four choices: 1) secularize itself, breaking its connection to the church, her moral and social teachings and the oversight of its ministry by the local bishop. This is a form of theft. It means the church will not be permitted to have an institutional voice in public life. 2) Pay exorbitant annual fines to avoid paying for insurance policies that cover abortifacient drugs, artificial contraception and sterilization. This is not economically sustainable. 3) Sell the institution to a non-Catholic group or to a local government. 4) Close down. …

Since 1915, the Catholic bishops of the United States have taught that basic health care should be accessible to all in a just society. Two years ago, we asked that whatever instruments were crafted to care for all, the Hyde and Weldon and Church amendments restricting funding for abortion and respecting institutional conscience continue to be incorporated into law. They were excluded. As well, the present health care reform act doesn’t cover entire sections of the U.S. population. It is not universal.

The provision of health care should not demand “giving up” religious liberty. Liberty of religion is more than freedom of worship. Freedom of worship was guaranteed in the Constitution of the former Soviet Union. You could go to church, if you could find one. The church, however, could do nothing except conduct religious rites in places of worship-no schools, religious publications, health care institutions, organized charity, ministry for justice and the works of mercy that flow naturally from a living faith. All of these were co-opted by the government. We fought a long cold war to defeat that vision of society.

Boom.

Obamacare just stepped in it.

A Good Start

Heh:

"As many as 75,000 workers throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky – about 12 percent of those who have insurance through their job – don’t have coverage for contraceptives."

[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]

PCIP - Deal or No Deal?

One of the good things about Obamacare, perhaps the only good thing, is PCIP. The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, should be a god-send for those that are too sick to qualify medically for health insurance in the open market.

Only a very small percentage of individuals truly cannot qualify for health insurance at any given time. Many wait until after they are sick or injured before they consider buying insurance. How convoluted is that?

Others find themselves in the market through no fault of their own.

Regardless of the reason, PCIP is a "port in the storm" for those who need health insurance.

PCIP came in to existence in July, 2010. A grand scheme, it was expected that some 2oo,000 would enroll in the plan during the first year. Here we are almost two years in to the program and fewer than 50,000 have enrolled.

Given the apparent lack of interest you would think the plan is overpriced.

Not so.

A look at current data indicates this is a cash cow. Not for the taxpayers, but for those who bought the plan.

According to the Washington Post, PCIP is spending a lot of taxpayer dollars to keep the plan afloat.

Those who have enrolled in the program are projected to have significantly higher medical costs than the government initially expected. Each participant is expected to average $28,994 in medical costs in 2012, according to the report, more than double what government-contracted actuaries predicted in November 2010. Then, the analysts expected that the program would cost $13,026 per enrollee.

The costs also are significantly higher than those of similar high-risk pools that many states have operated for decades. States spent an average of $12,471 on enrollees in 2008, according to the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans.

Best estimates are the plans are paying out $3 for every $1 in premiums taken in and if the above projections bear out it will hit $5 in claims for every $1 in premium.

Then there is the case of Alaska. KHN reports the frozen state isn't doing a very good job of recruiting folks in to PCIP and the ones they are attracting are very expensive to treat.

A high risk pool set up under the federal health overhaul to help the uninsured who have pre-existing medical conditions expects to spend $10 million this year to cover about 50 members. That’s about $200,000 per person.

Bykerk said the high risk pool has attracted all types of high risk patients, ranging from women who were pregnant and unable to get traditional insurance to children who needed a heart transplant.

Alaska isn't the only state operating in the red.

Colorado has covered 1,087 people in its high risk pool and fears its $90 million allocation will not be enough. “Our claims experience indicates the population covered in this program have significantly higher medical needs than the general insured population,” said Kayla Arnesen, a spokeswoman for the Rocky Mountain Health Plan, which administers the high risk pool.

Kind of makes you wonder how well Obamacare is going to work in 2014. How much money will Obamacare REALLY cost once it is rolled out for everyone?

PCIP is a great deal for the insureds.

Not so much for the taxpayers supporting it.

Gender Bias?

The folks at KHN give us a bit of clarification on what is, and what isn't preventive contraception.

1) Are male-based contraceptive methods, such as vasectomies or condoms, covered by the rule?

An HHS official said on Friday that women’s preventive services guidelines apply to women only.

Sounds like someone is playing the gender card. Is it because the HHS Secretary is a woman? Does she have something against men?

2) Are over-the-counter products like female condoms, spermicides, sponges covered by the rules and, if so, will they require a prescription and how will insurers reimburse policyholders for purchases at retail stores?

Products that must be covered without cost-sharing include over-the- counter contraceptives when they are prescribed by doctors, the HHS official said Friday

So if a woman considers a relationship "sponge worthy" she must make a doctors appointment and get a prescription to buy an OTC birth control device.

Is that considered a FREE preventive care visit?

3) If a hospital stay is required for surgical procedures, such as when a women gets her tubes tied, would the procedure be covered without cost sharing?

Insurers say it is not clear if hospitalization or complications that might occur from surgery would be covered without the patient paying a co-payment or a deductible because they are not considered preventive.

Sounds like the free colonoscopy debate.

5) Who will be covered for contraceptives without co-payments?

The package of women’s preventive care benefits must be offered in all new insurance policies sold to individuals and employers starting Aug. 1, as well as in most policies that renew afterwards on the date that they renew. There is an exception for insurance provided by certain nonprofit religious employers who object to birth control.

Some groups, such as Catholic affiliated organizations, get a pass. But Obama said if an employee of a Catholic organization wants a free contraceptive the carrier must provide it for her.

Seems to me that Washington needs to stay out of our bedrooms.

Aetna Throws in the Towel

It appears Aetna is caving to Obamacare. In a recent conference meeting, Aetna CEO Bertolini declared health insurance carriers to be extinct.

Bertolini said an amalgamation of regulatory, demographic and economic factors were driving this change. The Affordable Care Act in particular, with its ban on medical underwriting, had made the traditional health insurance business model untenable in the long term, he said.

Bertolini offered a strong endorsement of the accountable health organization model, positing health insurers as uniquely suited to usher in an era of coordinated care. “We need to move the system from underwriting risk to managing populations,” he said.

Managing populations?

Sounds "big brother-ish".

Cuts, Cuts Everywhere

While we've often discussed the (so-called) Doc Fix, Medicaid is also facing severe budgetary problems. To address these, legislators in the Evergreen State recently passed a bill that would cut off coverage for non-emergency ER visits:

"Starting April 1, Medicaid will no longer pay for [unneeded ER] visits, even when patients or parents have reason to believe they're having an emergency."

On the one hand, this seems fairly drastic, but on the other, the ER should be for, well, emergencies. The tension here is, of course, how is a lay-person supposed to know the difference between, say, a panic attack and a heart attack?

The WSJ has more:



UPDATE/ADDENDUM: In the comments, FoIB NotWithStanding makes a VERY good point:

"Emergency departments are barred from federal law from turning people away without stabilizing them ... The Washington Medicaid plan would simply not pay the emergency providers for care rendered during "unneeded" ED visits, doing nothing to penalize people for coming in unnecessarily"

The reason they're forbidden from turning folks away is a little something the Feds call EMTALA, or the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. As NWS points out, this becomes a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't scenario for the provider.

But hey, health care's free, right?

Feedback from the Kickstarter project and a review of the minis.

Overall the feedback has been great. Comments like, "The best casts I have ever seen" and "The quality and design is excellent. It’s not often I get metal figures of this quality, nor ones that look relatively effortless to prepare for painting."

Don’t get me wrong, there have been issues... the wrong left arms were sprued on tabs with the right arms.... I have replacement lefts in transit to me right now and will have those out to the Kickstarters ASAP. Overall I am very happy with them and it seems that despite the error with the arms, so are my customers.

One of my customers, a very talented painter posted up a review.  DWARTIST’S PAINTING BLOG

A big thank you, to my customers for all their support and understanding.

Obamacare Cartoon

A not so funny cartoon about Obamacare. Apparently economists have side line jobs as fiction writers.

Let's look at some of the fantasy in this cartoon.

The cartoonist claims the current system is unfair without explaining why. Every form of insurance charges a premium based on risk factors. If health insurance is unfair, then so is life insurance, home owners insurance, auto insurance, etc.

Mr. Gruber also claims Obamacare will make health insurance "affordable" and then later claims Romneycare "cut health insurance premiums in half".

Really?

Massachusetts has some of the highest health insurance premiums in the country.

The cartoon claims carriers will no longer be able to deny coverage based on medical conditions, which is true. Of course Obamacare already imposed that restriction on children under the age of 19 and we know how well that has worked.

In addition to the disappearance of "child only" health insurance plans in most states rates for children's health insurance have doubled in many cases and when a child is considered extremely high risk their premiums can be as much as 5x standard rates.

He claims the Exchanges will control health care costs.

How so?

The Exchange is simply a market place where policies are sold in much the same way you can do right now through online marketing sites.

The Exchange has no impact at all on health care costs.

A laughable moment comes when cartoonist Gruber claims the Exchange will force carriers to compete for your business.

I don't know if this guy was asleep in class when they covered competitive markets but the government exchanges are no different from those that already exist . . . except they will be run by the government, not private enterprise.

He also claims Obamacare makes Medicare more affordable by closing the donut hole in prescription drug plans.

Pure fantasy.

Closing the donut hole may make prescription drugs more affordable but it increases Part D premiums. That is what you call rearranging the deck chairs.

Hope you enjoyed the cartoon, but there is nothing funny about it, unless you want to laugh at the ignorance of the cartoonist.