AWAY FROM OZ

The world continues to turn no matter what takes place in OZ. Rather than needing a mind transplant this writer for years has not had the stamina to cover that self proclaimed paragon of transparency; that opaque silent major money mover known as the BOE.

Instead of dwelling on why both the BOE and the OZ city administration need a complete examination of their fiscal transactions over the past few years by a higher authority I am going to return to the real world.

That sage and raconteur Will Rogers remarked that “All I know is what I read in the newspapers” I have TV as well as radio and the Internet to supplement that source of intelligence. No I do not rely or use Facebook or Twitter as a media.

Two papers are enough because they represent opposite ends of the political fulcrum.

Much of what I write about today’s problems in Health Care comes not only from a lifetime of active involvement but from reading the media.

We have had two economic and social revolutions in Americas Health system in the last   50 years. The first was the emergence of the managed care concept and the HMOs giving the Insurance companies the role as dispenser of care. The second is the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act fondly known as Obama Care.

Once again advocates of Socialism have led well intentioned popular public entitlements become the law without fully understanding the fiscal or delivery methodology’s impact

Who would think that universal health care or access would result in increase cost of the produce reaching your table? An article in Wednesday’s Times “Tacking Health Care Costs Onto California Farm Produce”  points out that the migrant farm workers that bring in the crops are not individually hired by the farmers but are contract from  labor aggregators who because of the numbers they employ are subject to providing health insurance. Part of the article states:

 “I’ve been to at least a dozen seminars on the Affordable Care Act since February,” said Chuck Herrin, owner of Sunrise Farm Labor, a contractor based here. “If you don’t take the right approach, you’re wiped out.”

The effects of the law could be profound. Insurance brokers and health providers familiar with California’s $43.5 billion agricultural industry estimate that meeting the law’s minimum health plan requirement will cost about $1 per hour per employee worked in the field.”

As you may know that Obama’s administration by Presidential action not congressional law has not only postponed the implementation of this part of the law for one year to Jan. 1, 2015.  This use  of Administration action along with the recent fiat absolving members of congress and their staffs from being subject to the Cadillac tax for high premium insurance has not been see n since Nixon’s days and the legality is questionable. Congress legislates, administration carries out the law does not change it, and Justice if asked determines.

There also appeared on Monday in the Wall Street Journal an article about the impact of the law on small business who if they have 50 or more full time and/or qualified part timer employees are mandated to provide insurance. Many will limit their growth. Those with over 20 up to 49 employees can provide insurance through the pools but it will likely be at a higher premium that of large companies. Why? Because the pool is smaller the risk factors increase.

There are other unanticipated fallouts as a a result of the law. Employers are b egin9ing to not offer spouse coverage where the spouse is also working and their employer has to offer a mandated insurance plan.

UPS has just announced t hat 1500 employees will be affected by this move which will help its bottom line. The University of Virginia has also adopted a similar position.

Even weirder, like other large employers;  Penn State University has instituted a new “Wellness Program’’ that requires employees to provide detail health information or pay penalties that may total up to $1200.00 a year. ($100.00 a month). A University spokesman is quoted as saying the University was “addressing costs concerns on multiple fronts and the change is to empower employees  to be more informed about their health status and  health risks”. 

The University goes on to state that this will help employees identify ways to improve their health. If you buy that perhaps I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.

By the way; no one can guarantee the safety of the data; any computer system can be hacked.