GOP Attack on Obamacare with Flawed 'Study' Goes Down in Flames

Imagine that, a group bought and paid for by the Koch's with the help of ALEC who is loyal to the Koch's puts out a "Misleading and Highly Incomplete Study" on ACA

Figured when The Drudge Report had the headlines that Affordable Care Act (ACA) was going to cost much more then expected that somewhere there was a 'report' that probably didn't use full facts but followed a Republican narrative instead of facts to end up supporting Congressional Republican opposition to AHA.  The minute I saw the Heritage Foundation was involved knew there were major problems because former Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has never played by the rules but follows a narrative.  He is going to damage the reputation of The Heritage Foundation to the point when they put out any research, it will be assumed to be tainted.  No wonder the Koch Brothers wanted DeMint to take over Heritage Foundation. They have their own little puppet in charge now who when they pull the strings dances to their agenda.

the latest “the sky is falling” study of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has just been released by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and its message is clear. Insurance companies are going to take it on the chin starting in 2014 and every year thereafter.

Imagine that, a group bought and paid for by the Koch's with the help of ALEC who is loyal to the Koch's puts out a "Misleading and Highly Incomplete Study."  Who would have thought?  Only about 60% of Americans or more instantly figured the Republican Party donors were up to no good again.  We are proved right again with ALEC being involved now in trying to turn people against ACA for Republicans.  This group just doesn't stop in attempting to damage the Country and this President.

To get to the high numbers Drudge was shouting would doom ACA, Politicususa looked inside the report:

It covers medical claims for only “individual health policies.”   No estimates were included for employer plans, the source of the majority of health insurance coverage. 

Only individual policies were studied not employee plans?  Right there you have an extremely flawed report without going any further discussion. They have completely ignored in their report how much our healthcare costs have been rising over the last ten years ( 131% increase in premiums).  The American people got sucker punched once again by the Koch Brothers on behalf of the Republican Party and their members of Congress.  Fortunately Americans are a lot smarter now after the 2010/2012 elections about what the hard right is up to when they release a so-called 'study,' and you look under the cover.

The Obama Administration found the flaws in the report immediately:

Administration officials pointed out more shortfalls in the design of the study; a design whose parameters in my opinion were intentionally drawn to result in a preordained conclusion. Tax credits and other special payments to companies that would in all likelihood insure most of the sicker clients were ignored.

Right there are the facts - the so-called 'study' is flawed but then when you have ALEC (think Koch Brothers) and Heritage Foundation (think Jim DeMint) involved, there is no other conclusion that could be reached.  When facts don't fit their narrative, this group eschews the facts to plow ahead with parameters that will fit their narrative.

The dots are connected by Politicususa as to who is behind this flawed 'Study' attack on ACA:

A Misleading and Highly Incomplete ‘Study’ Continues the GOP Attack on Obamacare  (excerpts)
By: Dennis SMar. 28th, 2013 

(snip) 

Here comes the juicy part. John Haley, an influential “Fellow” in the SOA is CEO and President of Towers Watson & Company. TW & C specializes in health and group benefits. Tasty when you can get the outfit you serve as a “Fellow” to do the heavy statistical lifting for your company. And, wouldn’t you know it, Haley’s company is the daddy to Extend Health, America’s largest private Medicare Exchange. There’s that competition I was talking about that was left out of the study. The health insurance industry must not be hurting too much; 2011 total compensation for Haley was $6,288,629; for 2012 a “healthy” $7,617,513 including stock awards and options. He also draws money from several boards he sits on. 

Here’s the payoff. I called the folks at SOA and asked them if this was an in-house study or was it commissioned by an outside source? Turns out 2 companies combined their resources in ordering the ACA chop-job. One of the companies was “The Lewin Group.” It’s a health care consulting firm with at least a dozen health plans and the far right American Legislative Council (ALEC)-connected Heritage Foundation among its clients. 

The other money contributor that commissioned the study is where it really gets interesting. The company is called OptumRX (at least as of this submission). It has also answered to Ingenix and OptumInsight in the past. Part of the name changes has to do with a $350 million dollar class-action restitution fund growing out rigging a database to underpay doctors and patients. The Optum parent company is UnitedHealth, a company that, according to Kaiser Health News has a reputation for denying or underpaying claims, especially to out-of-network physicians. I guess that’s how you become the #1 health insurance company in the country. 

It should come as no surprise to any thinking human being that United Health is a major ALEC player that has been a $50,000 “Chairman” level sponsor and exhibitor at an ALEC annual conference. 

So that’s how it works. The special interests bent on destroying Obamacare, keep the pressure building, oft-times through legitimate “non-partisan” organizations like the Society of Actuaries. Such organizations have expenses. For SOA there’s rent to pay at their Schaumburg, Illinois Martingale Rd. Suite and the tab for the Queensland Hong Kong office and staff (still semi-capitalist after nearly 16 years of Chinese rule), neither locale’s staff works for nothing. There are research and education projects undertaken by SOA itself plus conferences to go to and ordering in (Chinese?) for top management. 

You can read more of the article at Politicususa.com  (Note:  My bold in the article)

As you read the details of this report you realize that the Society of Actuaries was well paid to do this so-called 'study' but seems they were provided the parameters to use which has resulted in a total flawed 'study' that can be labeled worthless.  That doesn't stop Republicans from touting the study to try and end Obamacare which makes no sense since it is essentially their plan from the early 90's.  Do they hate Obama and Democrats that much to trash a plan that they helped come up with in the 90's?  Sure looks like it and why the GOP no longer should be listened to in Congress as they are proving daily that most of them do not have the best interests of the Country at heart but their own selfish and wealthy donor interests.

What are Republicans going to pull out of the hat next to try and destroy Obamacare since this 'study' is going down in flames?