Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

“Hurricane”

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell That’s the story of the Hurricane But it won’t be over till they clear his name And give him […]

How Much Will You Pay for Health Care in 2015? What You Need to Know About Healthcare Inflation

Maggie Mahar: You probably have seen headlines like this one: “O-Care premiums to skyrocket.” The warning, which was posted on The Hill, seemed designed to cheer conservatives distraught by Obamcare’s enrollment numbers. It began by announcing that next year, “premiums will double in some parts of the country. The sticker shock will likely bolster the […]

Polk County Arkansas 9th Street Ministries Medical Mission Clinic is Closing

After providing free medical services to individuals without Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial insurance since 1998, Polk County, Arkansas’ 9th Street Ministries medical clinic mission will be closing its doors on April 24, 2014. Although the clinic faced funding difficulties during the Great Recession, the reason for its closure is unrelated to finances or lack of […]

How Many of Obamacare’s New Enrollees Were Uninsured Last Year? Why It Doesn’t Matter

Maggie Mahar on the Uninsured: As I explain in an earlier post, Charles Gaba, the enrollment guru who has been tracking Obamacare sign-ups since October, now estimates that by April 15, some 17 million Americans will have purchased their own insurance policies either in the Obamacare Exchanges (8 million) or off-Exchange (9 million) But how […]

Obamacare Enrollment Heads for 17 million

by Maggie Mahar at The Health Beat Blog. Charles Gaba, who has become the “Nate Silver” for Obamacare enrollment numbers; now predicts that by April 15, 17 million Americans will have purchased their own healthcare coverage. His back-of-the-envelope estimate includes “a nice round 8 million”  who buy policies in the government marketplaces. In parentheses, he […]

Obamacare Enrollment Hits 7 Million, Putting Downward Pressure on 2015 Premiums; Word-of-Mouth Spreads the Truth

Maggie Mahar at The Health Beat Blog has been keeping track of the progress made by people in enrolling in the PPACA. Cross posted from The Health Beat Blog. As the “train wreck” called Obamacare pulls into the station it’s becoming clear that some 7 million Americans are signing up to purchase insurance in the […]

Student Debt is Challenging the Reason for Getting that Long Sought After College Degree

What has changed for many of the college educated is finding themselves in debt longer than their parents were after college, being penalized for having student debt when going to buy homes, cars, etc., and in the end having less wealth and a lower salary when compared to those without a college education. One reader’s […]

The PPACA Penalty Fee in 2014 Misinformation

A lot of people think that all they have to pay is $95 in 2014 to get around the PPACA. The $95 penalty is true if you make < $19,650 in Household  income and this comes after your deduction of $10,150. The individual shared responsibility payment is capped at the cost of the national average […]

“Never predict anything, especially the future,” as Casey Stengel wisely said. “But let’s look, instead, at the past.”

Usually, I would leave this type of post to the Steves, Jazz, Ken, Roberts, Edwards, Mikes, Thomas, etc. of Angry Bear Blog and stick to my manufacturing expertise to which flow the big bucks for me; but, this is in laymen’s terms and it makes sense to me at least.  Arend Brett’s latest article on […]