Mitch Perry
There’s more news about the Affordable Care Act this week, and it ain’t that good.
Aetna announced Tuesday it would be pulling out of Florida and 10 other states next year, giving those on the government plan less options for choice here in the Sunshine State.
There have always been problems with the ACA, and they’re starting to exacerbate.
But the answer isn’t just to repeal it, like most congressional Republicans have invoked like a mantra for the past three years.
However, Democrats have got to raise their game and not just robotically defend it.
This is a test for all of our federal candidates on the ballot this fall — for David Jolly, Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio and, probably, Patrick Murphy — what do you plan to do?
Hillary Clinton is calling for a “public option” for states, which would expand health insurance coverage beyond the current provisions in Obamacare. Clinton also is calling for allowing people 55 years and older to be able to enroll in Medicare. Currently, the typical age for enrollment is 65. She pledged to expand funding by $40 billion for primary care services at federally qualified health care centers.
Will that get congressional approval, especially if Republicans still control the House? I have no idea, but having Washington remain at loggerheads on our health care coverage is simply not acceptable, not with costs going up everywhere (not just with the ACA) and the citizenry only getting older, this is as big a problem we have in this country.
According to today’s New York Times, “The administration is also hunting for consumers who can deliver ‘testimonials’ advertising the benefits of coverage under the Affordable Care Act. “Interested consumers could appear in television, radio, print and/or digital ads and on social media,” the administration said in an appeal sent last week to health care advocates and insurance counselors.
The paper reports that in Tennessee, Cigna last week requested rate increases averaging 46 percent, double the request it made in June, and Humana is seeking an average increase of 44 percent, up from 29 percent in June. The other major carrier in the state, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, said it was standing by its original request for increases averaging 62 percent in 2017.
The Affordable Care Act is becoming less affordable by the day, it seems. Time for an intervention.
In other news…
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC is backing Patrick Murphy in the U.S. Senate race, and Pam Keith doesn’t like it one bit.
Victor Crist wants Jeff Brandes to know he’s not down with proposed rules that could compel Uber and Lyft to leave Hillsborough County.
Speaking of Brandes, the St. Petersburg state senator and co-sponsor of Amendment 4 on this month’s ballot takes exception to criticism of the proposal made by one Al Sharpton.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is crushing Tim Canova in their CD 23 race in South Florida, according to a new poll published on Wednesday.
And more endorsements: Frank Peterman is supporting Wengay Newton for the job he once held — representing House District 70 in Tallahassee (It was District 55 when he was in office, for what it’s worth).
And the Florida Education Association is backing Ben Diamond in the House District 68 contest.
The Department of Children and Families says New Beginnings of Tampa did no wrong back in 2008, the second government investigation that has cleared the group after a series of damning articles were published by the Tampa Bay Times in late 2014.
Hillsborough County makes a move to preempt any civil unrest if things go sour between law enforcement and the community.
