More unintended consequences from Obamacare

By Rick Moran

One of the major justifications for passing Obamacare was the idea that we needed to cover those with pre-existing medical conditions.

As it is turning out, the fund set up to take care of that problem may run out of money before 2014 when insurance companies will be forced to take customers regardless of their medical condition.

The Hill:

Healthcare experts of all stripes warned during the healthcare debate that $5 billion would likely not last until 2014. Millions of Americans cannot find affordable healthcare because of their pre-existing conditions, and that amount would only cover a couple hundred thousand people, according to a recent study by the chief Medicare actuary.

Republicans continued to hammer that point on Thursday, asking HHS officials to brief them about the program.

We are "deeply concerned that these pools may not provide quality coverage or will limit enrollment," Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas), John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the ranking members on the Energy and Commerce panel and its health and oversight subcommittees, wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The letter requests a briefing on high-risk pools by July 15, particularly on three topics: protections and services in place "to make sure that access is efficient and unimpeded; whether HHS believes the program is financially sustainable through 2013; and details about how each state's pool will be administered and what options they'll have available."

The reason they only funded the program to the tune of $5 billion is obvious; if they had funded the true amount that would be needed, it would have been 3 or 4 times as much, thus going over their self-imposed ceiling of $900 billion over the next decade for Obamacare.

You wonder how many other little landmines like this are in that massive boondoggle of a bill.