by Jim Meyers
A crucially important book on Obamacare has just been published, and author Nick Tate tells Newsmax how the new law will fundamentally change the way healthcare is delivered.
The book is the “ObamaCare Survival Guide: The Affordable Care Act and What It Means for You and Your Healthcare” — the first comprehensive but easy-to-understand road map of the 2,700-page law, officially called the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax, Tate explains what prompted him to write this book.
“Since the Supreme Court has ruled that Obamacare is the law of the land, I felt it was important to let people know what’s in this law,” he says.
“Many provisions have already rolled out and there are many more to come so it’s not an overstatement to say that this law will affect everyone in this country."
He added that the implications of Obamacare are massive and the law "fundamentally restructures the way healthcare is delivered.
“The way you will interact with your doctor, your insurer or your hospital will fundamentally change. This book attempts to give you the roadmap to get the best bang for your healthcare dollar.”
Editor's Note: New 'ObamaCare Survival Guide' Reveals Dangers Ahead for Your Healthcare — Click Here.
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican congressional leaders have vowed to repeal Obamacare if they win the White House and retake the Senate.
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| Nick Tate |
“Clearly, the big winners are people who now don’t have insurance. That’s 37 million Americans.
“A series of programs will push people into Medicaid, and new healthcare exchanges will allow individuals who are not employed or who are self-employed, or independent contractors who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, to pick low-cost, high-quality affordable care programs through these exchanges.
“If you don’t have insurance now, you’re going to be a winner. If you’re self-employed and you don’t have an employer who’s paying your insurance, you’re going to benefit from this program as well."
But the costs of the new coverage will be enormous.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates there will be close to a trillion dollars in new federal spending to sustain the massive health coverage.
In addition to this, insurance companies are also free to pass on their new costs of covering claimants with pre-existing conditions and family members covered by their parents’ policies until age 26.
Premiums for those insured have already begun to spike, and the law has yet to be fully implemented.
“I will also point out that for individual households, last year, health insurance premiums rose by 9 percent, which is the greatest jump since 2004, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. That was the year after this legislation was passed,” Tate says.
“So the hopes that Obamacare would somehow address the cost issue have not yet proven to be true.”
The law does provide new demands on businesses. Some small businesses will get tax benefits that could be seen as a winning arrangement, but there are significant qualifications for such credits, the “ObamaCare Survival Guide” reveals.
“As for people on the other side who are going to be hit a little harder, big businesses are going to take a hit. They’re going to pay a penalty, if they don’t [provide] health insurance for people, of about $2,000 per person," Tate said.
Some companies may opt to pay the fine rather than give full coverage, the book notes.
According to the “ObamaCare Survival Guide,” seniors on Medicare may suffer the most.
To pay for the newly covered, the Obama law envisions cuts of between $500 billion to $700 billion to the Medicare program.
Additionally, the law requires that doctors and medical practitioners offering Medicaid services be paid the same amount as practitioners being paid by Medicare.
Experts believe this will mean a reduction in care for the elderly to cover the millions of Medicaid users added to the system.
Some critics have argued that Obamacare’s creation of an Independent Advisory Board — dubbed by critics as a "death panel" — will control Medicare costs by cutting services and rationing care.
Obamacare will affect single American, and the “ObamaCare Survival Guide” is of vital interest to them all, in particular to the insured, the employed, the uninsured, seniors and Medicare users, young adults, business owners, prescription drug users, medical professionals, Medicaid recipients, doctors, and union members.
The book details how taxpayers will foot the bill for nearly half of Obamacare’s funding in the form of new taxes and fees, and individual and employer penalties.
It also reveals:
- How currently insured Americans will be affected by rising premium costs and other factors.
- New rules and funding cuts for Medicare
- New protections for the uninsured
- Hidden fees and levies
- New taxes for the affluent
- New requirements and tax credits for small businesses
- New fees for prescription drug users
- Essential benefits insurance companies must provide
- Individuals’ responsibilities and penalties under the new laws
- How to maximize your healthcare dollar on the new plan
- The costs to consumers
The Guide features chapters on a range of issues related to Obamacare, including the timetable for implementation of its provisions, the individual mandate, the expansion of Medicaid, health insurance exchanges, long-term care, and the price tag for Obamacare, and answers this key question: Why did insurance companies support Obamacare?
The book also explores five ways Obamacare may undermine your healthcare — and most importantly, how to protect yourself against Obamacare.
Newsmax says: “The ‘ObamaCare Survival Guide’ is the first and best road map for you to understand the new law. Every American is affected by Obamacare — making this book essential to you and your family.”
Nick Tate is an award-winning journalist and editor who has written extensively about health and consumer affairs issues. After a fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, he authored “The Sick Building Syndrome.” His work has also appeared in the Miami Herald, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boston Herald, and other publications.
Jim Meyers
Source: http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/obamacare-survival-guide-tate/2012/10/01/id/458300?promo_code=F269-1
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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