Detroit Shows How ObamaCare Will Bankrupt the Country

Posted on July 31, 2013 by DrJohn ( 8 comments already! )

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Cost-Shifting: Looks like Detroit might get a federal bailout after all, by offloading its retiree health costs onto federal taxpayers via ObamaCare. It’s a window into why Obama-Care costs will quickly spiral out of control.

On Sunday, the New York Times noted that Detroit hopes to push its younger retirees who aren’t yet eligible for Medicare into the ObamaCare exchanges, where many will be eligible for subsidized insurance. Federal tax payers will pick up the tab, rather than those in Detroit. (IBD’s Jed Graham first wrote about this last month.)

One of the first to suggest this clever cost-shifting idea was Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was in the Obama administration while it was putting ObamaCare together. In May, he revealed plans to save about $108 million a year by tossing 30,000 retirees into the ObamaCare exchanges.

If Detroit and Chicago get away with this, you can bet other cities will try, too. The U.S.’ 61 largest cities have more than $118 billion in unfunded retiree health care liabilities, the Pew Charitable Trusts estimates.

And the National League of Cities is practically drooling over the opportunity to shift as much as possible onto ObamaCare.

“It offers a very high-quality, potentially very affordable way to get people into health care without the burden falling back on to the city and town,” NLC’s program head Neil Bomberg told the New York Times.

More at IBD

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Nan G

11 years ago

Perhaps this is one of the many ways Obama is shafting the suburbs so as to aid his beloved liberal-run (into the ground) cities.
Obama’s plans to redistribute wealth from the suburbs to the cities, were written about by Stanley Kurtz in his book Spreading The Wealth: How Obama Is Robbing The Suburbs To Pay For the Cities.

While the MSM portrays the Obama administration as devoid these days of big ideas, in reality his big ideas are too controversial for him to discuss.
See this:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/07/obama-quietly-pushes-forward-with-anti-suburban-campaign.php
and this:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/michelle-obamas-shhhh-moment-and-what-it-tells-us-about-her-husbands-plans-to-spread-the-wealth.php

Pete

11 years ago

Obviously. The democrat run urban blight centers like Detroit can’t simply admit that their socialist policies are totally wrong and completely responsible for their march into decrepitude, so they will push all the pensioners medical benefits – which we were just told by the crazy left-wing judge was against the Michigan Constitution – but somehow it is OK to dump the cost onto the FEDERAL taxpayers. So in essence the thieves of Detroit (and Chicago, NYC, Boston, Oakland, and every other leftist run hellhole) can keep running up their debt load then dump it off on the citizens of Omaha, Amarillo and Shreveport despite the total absence of taxpayer representation of the people being forced to pay higher taxes.

Again, another glaring example of why voting for any democrat is civilizational suicide. Another is that total asshat Grayson in Florida, teaming up with that horrible Jan Schakowsky from Chicago. They are introducing a bill in the House to punish any business that cuts an employee’s hours below 30 per week to avoid the obamacare costs. Who didn’t see that coming?

Now wait for the inevitable laws from these marxist bastards that will force doctors to take obamacare patients. Mark my word, such laws will come if these progressive thugs are not voted out of office. When that happens, there will be a doctor shortage the likes of which you cannot begin to imagine.

Obamacare delenda est.

Mully

11 years ago

Detroit is low information voter taken to it’s natural conclusion.

This one

11 years ago

Yeah…nice try;

Health Care Costs: Fewer Americans Have Trouble Paying Medical Bills;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-frieden-md-mph/healthcare-costs-fewer-am_b_3390874.html

Obamacare To Cut Cost Of Health Coverage By Half For Many New Yorkers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/17/obamacare-new-york_n_3612914.html

Study shows costs decrease under insurance marketplace
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201306270102

Maryland Touts Low Obamacare Health Insurance Premiums
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/obamacare-premiums-maryland_n_3661017.html

Pete

11 years ago

@This one:
LOL. We already shattered the BS about Maryland premiums on the other obamacare thread and you are still pushing that one. Maryland premiums are going UP by 25% and they even say that 75% of residents will be getting subsidies. You still haven’t answered where the miney will come from to pay for all those subsidies. You still cannot deny that Obama himself insisted premiums would dectrease by 3000%, and that taxes would not go up by a single dime for people making less than $250, 000. So you think that people in the top 10% of wage earners should be required to pay for everyone else’s healthcare? Do you really believe that is even possible?

The other cites you mention are completely untrustworthy coming from the obamacare cheerleaders at the Huffpo website.

I suppose we shod at least be thankful that you are citing Huffpo propaganda, instead of simply plagerizing them.

Pete

11 years ago

@This one:
And more to the point, you still have not explained why, if Obamacare is going to be so damned great for the economic well being of the country, did fearless leader illegally postpone the implementation of the employer mandate until after the next election?