The old definition of Chutzpah – A man kills his parents. He is tried and convicted. As the court is about to announce his sentence, he stops the judge and begs for mercy because he is an orphan. That’s Chutzpah.
The new definition of Chutzpah – After the Trump Administration has spent the last eighteen months intentionally destabilizing the health insurance marketplace, Alex Azar, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, publishes an article in the Washington Post with the headline “Obamacare forgot about you. But Trump didn’t.” That’s Chutzpah.
Mr. Azar uses about a thousand words to trash the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), decry the rising premium costs that only some people have to pay, and tout the expansion of short term health insurance options. He unfortunately ran out of space before he had an opportunity to mention any of the consumer benefits of the PPACA (guaranteed issue, coverage for preexisting conditions, etc…) or how President Trump and his administration have played a significant part in the premium increases for 2018 and 2019.
One of the points that Secretary Azar hammers is that people who get subsidies through the marketplace aren’t as negatively impacted by premium increases as those of us who pay the full premium. Yes, and the sun rises in the east daily. This blog detailed how Mr. Trump’s Executive Orders and Trumpcare would balloon the deficit and raise premiums. This was all explained last October. Eliminating the funding for the Cost Sharing Reduction and the penalty for healthy people choosing to forego coverage (Individual Mandate) have had the predictable results. The creation of an alternate health insurance marketplace for the young and healthy (Short terms on steroids) will only escalate the pricing crises. It is hard to believe that someone with Mr. Azar’s resume wouldn’t know all of this, wouldn’t be able to explain this better than me, were he not a member of this Cabinet.
Mr. Azar wants us to know that President Trump didn’t forget us. This may a good time to pray for amnesia. That and that Chutzpah is only fun to watch when you aren’t involved.
DAVE
Picture – David L Cunix – He Had 4 Of A Kind