Obamacare Creates Second Class Citizens

Democrats have created second class citizens out of their Obamacare law. If you are politically connected; have enough money and lawyers; you can get a waiver. Some of the biggest proponents for this legislation is exempted from participating, namely unions; and particularly SEIU, which is listed #55 on the United States Health and Human Services website.


The midterm election was a referendum on Democrats and their legislative agenda. Topping that list is Obamacare. The number one priority for the next congress is to repeal or defund this monstrosity; and the socialist who pushed for this law knows it:

"A week ago Tuesday was like a cold shower for some of the organizations that felt that job had been done, that health reform was enacted into law and will be a reality," says Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a consumer group. "If anything, the election results are re-energizing the many groups that worked hard to get the legislation enacted."


Pollack hosted a session Tuesday with about 20 groups representing patients, labor, consumers and health care providers, among others. It was one of many meetings that backers of the law have held since the elections.

Here is what SEIU had to say:

Service Employees International Union president Mary Kay Henry says supporters should promote items such as the law's small-business tax credits and keeping adult children up to age 26 on their parents' health insurance and emphasize the law will "stop this trading of wages for health care that has been going on in the economy for decades."

How can anyone take these people seriously? It must be nice to lecture others and at the same time be a member of a protected class. Talk about having your cake and eating it too. By the way, since when is a 26 year old considered a child? Isn’t an adult child an oxymoron? And somebody should tell this idiot that employers provide health care benefits in addition to wages; not as a trade off.


It seems to me that these exemptions are a violation of the equal protection clause guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment. I guess some people are more equal than others.


Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/14/1836891/defenders-of-health-care-law-fight.html#ixzz15H1KloXZ

http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html

AARP IN BED WITH OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Bloomberg News is reporting that the Obama administration wants to start a dialogue on how to convert retirement savings into a reliable stream of revenue for retirees: “The U. S. Treasury and Labor departments will ask for public comment as soon as this week on ways to promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams, according to Assistant Labor Secretary Phyllis C. Borzi and Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Mark Iwry, who are spearheading the effort.”

After the 2008 stock market contraction, which many saw a 30% plus decline in their portfolios, the federal government has taken it upon themselves to protect investors from the vicissitudes of the market. Rahm Emmanuel’s dictum: never let a crisis go to waste; is about to play out before our very eyes; and AARP is about to benefit once again from policies propelled by the Obama administration.

In the ensuing health care debate (if one wishes to call it a debate) the democrats proposed to cut $400 billion in Medicare and $150 billion in Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage gives seniors the option to join private plans that pay upwards to 12% in health care benefits than traditional Medicare. This cut would be a cash cow for AARP through its Medigap program, which is a supplemental insurance program to Medicaid. Medigap produces 70% of AARP’s annual income.

It seems that AARP is about to have another “windfall profit”. In 2007 AARP announced they were getting into the annuity business with New York Life Insurance Co. Now members of the Obama administration are trying to convert retirement savings into annuities. Just how cozy is AARP with the federal government and the current administration?

Barry Rand CEO of AARP gave Barack Obama the maximum donation of $8900 and a total amount of $15,900 to democratic candidates dating back to 1995.

AARP gets millions in grants from the federal government. John Carlisle wrote an article in Human Events outlining the largess:

Five cabinet level agencies dispense grants to AARP. The large majority of the money comes from one Department of Labor grant. For the year ending December 31, 2003 when AARP received $68 million in federal funding, the Labor Department gave AARP $63.3 million for its Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), a job training program for low-income senior citizens. The second largest federal grant maker is the IRS. That year, the IRS gave AARP $3.4 million as part of the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program, which provides volunteers to help seniors complete their federal taxes. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gave $626,279 for its Housing Counseling Assistance Program.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gave $444,493 for various special programs, typically legal assistance and Medicare fraud prevention programs. The Department of Justice (DOJ) gave $15,000 for telemarketing fraud prevention.The Labor Department’s SCSEP grant for the year beginning in July 2004 and ending in July 2005 was $75 million, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the $83 million in federal grant money AARP received as of December 31, 2004. The proposed IRS grant for the TCE program in fiscal year 2006 is $4.1 million.

AARP is a registered non-for-profit organization. However, it makes millions on royalties and service provider management fees from its corporate sponsors, while receiving grants from the federal government. It seems that this organization has a special status, unlike any other organization. And right now they are dictating policy that profits them at the expense of the citizenry.

Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/02/aarp_annuity.html http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=10731 http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/22/hmmm-is-the-aarp-getting-kickbacks-from-obamacare/
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