Obama seeks to soothe big insurers
OBAMA SEEKS TO SOOTHE BIG INSURERS President Obama has summoned health insurance CEOs to the White House today as he attempts continued damage control from the failed launch of his new health insurance entitlement program. The Hill reports that the insurance executives will be joined by their industry's top lobbyist for the White House huddle that will include senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Obama partnered with insurance firms to win passage of ObamaCare in 2010, promising to deliver young, healthy customers to the companies to offset costs associated with new regulations forcing them to cover those with preexisting conditions. But the botched launch of http://www.footballbroncosprostore.com/broncos-ryan-clady-jersey-c-34.html the program is proving dire for the industry. Insurers have reported widespread problems in the accuracy of data received as well as low numbers of enrollees.
[President Obama's permanent campaign arm, Organizing for Action, is using the continued problems of ObamaCare's Web site as Peyton Manning Jersey the basis for a fundraising pitch. Watch Obama's plea here.]
Explaining to do While Obama is dealing with frustrations from his industry allies, administration officials will be facing the wrath of congressional Democrats who are under fire from the left and right for their support of the program, expected to be the central issue of the 2014 midterms. While Hill Democrats might be placated with promises of urgent action to fix the fouled Web site and sign up system, the insurance chiefs are likely to be less understanding. If ObamaCare doesn't deliver the millions of desirable customers the president has promised, widespread rate shocks even higher than those already reported could cause more insurers to dump customers and get out of the business altogether.
[Texas insurance dump The Texas Health Insurance pool, which offers insurance to those that cannot qualify under a regular plan, has informed its 94,000 customers they have until Dec. 15 to purchase another plan under ObamaCare. [H/T reader Marc A. Cisneros of San Antonio]
Damaged control This is a pivotal moment for the president's effort to rescue his troubled program. The rebuilding of the original coalition for the law is crucial to his hope to get back on track. The president is facing weeks of playing insurance salesman in a bid to get more customers for insurance firms in order to keep the project together. Before he hits the road, he needs to know that the home team is behind him. ET tonight during "Special Report with Bret Baier." New numbers will include a scorecard and the latest on how voters feel about the health law.]
SEBELIUS SHIELDS OBAMA Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is facing plenty of heat for refusing to answer questions from Congress about her role in the failed launch of ObamaCare's new health insurance entitlement program. Sebelius has promised to testify next week, but refused requests to appear tomorrow. She is off to Boston today to appear at a gala celebrating federal programs for the mentally ill, but before leaving town she sat down with CNN to defend her agency and President Obama. She told the network that she would have like to have had five years instead of two to construct the Web site that has continued to sputter. She also claimed that Obama had no advance knowledge of the crash despite multiple internal and external warnings of the coming meltdown, suggesting the president learned about the systemic problems along with the public "in the first couple of days."
[House Budget Committee head Rep. Paul Ryan, R Wis., has sought her testimony since Aug. 15. The department dodged three separate requests and has yet to respond to Ryan's multiple letters seeking answers. More.]
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Raving Ravens While the NFL has ignored pleas from the White House to promote ObamaCare, the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens have accepted a $130,000 contract to promote the entitlement program, according to Washington Examiner.
[WaPo looks at problems plaguing ObamaCare's insurance co ops, designed to increase competition but now threatening taxpayers with a $1 billion failure.]
DEM SEEKS DELAY, CITES LAUNCH 'RIDDLED WITH PROBLEMS' Sen. The move would delay the penalty for uninsured Americans who refuse to comply with the law's mandatory coverage provision. In the letter, Shaheen states, "For over three years, we have been waiting for the creation of the health insurance exchanges, which now in their fourth week of existence, are riddled with problems." The Granite State senator also sought clarification on whether individuals would be fined while the Web site is not working properly. Shaheen is not the first Democrat to suggest a delay of the March 31 enrollment deadline. Sen.
[WaPo's Dana Milbank: "It may Ryan Clady Jersey not be fair, but there's no point in complaining. Democrats own health care all of it."]
BAIER TRACKS: A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME"Well, you know you've had a bad week as president when you spend Monday in the Rose Garden reciting 1 800 numbers to try to salvage the signup for your signature health law, the Saudis essentially won't pick up the phone in protest of your policies in the Middle East, the IRS tells you they accidentally paid out $13.6 billion in earned income tax credits to people who were not supposed to receive them and it's only Wednesday. Now, add this one. You find out someone on your National Security staff has been tweeting harsh criticisms about your administration and its policies under a pseudonym. Joseph had been working on the administration's Iran policy. Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry joined others pressing about the botched rollout; he asked whether anyone at the White House knew about tests showing the Web site wasn't ready. Carney answered with a soon to be familiar refrain: "I would refer you to HHS for that." In fact, Carney punted to HHS at least a dozen times during the briefing. The final question of the day was whether reporters would actually get any answers from HHS. Carney's response? You guessed it. The agent "Dean" tells the customer "Don't lose your sanity over this website. Try it. If it doesn't work, walk away. Try it tomorrow," and "don't run with scissors." The agent also admits to offering canned responses. ]
[Watch Fox: Sen. ET hour]
NEARLY TWO THIRDS CALL BENGHAZI A COVER UP Voters continue to have serious doubts about President Obama's handling of the Sept. outpost in Benghazi, Libya. A new Pat Caddell and Republican pollster John McLaughlin for the hawkish political action group Secure America Now found 63 percent of respondents felt the Obama administration was covering up the facts on the Benghazi attacks. Only 29 percent felt the administration has been honest. Another 62 percent would like to see Congress create a special committee to learn the truth about the attacks that killed four Americans.
[House Intelligence Committee head, Rep. Mike Rogers, told Chief Intelligence Correspondent Catherine Herridge, investigators have laid out a timeline showing an advanced level of planning in the attacks. military since Vietnam.
PUFF, PUFF, PASS A new Gallup survey shows a seismic shift in American attitudes about legalizing marijuana. Fifty eight percent of respondents said that recreational use of cannabis should be legal. That's a 10 point jump from when the question was asked last year and marks the first time a clear majority has shown support for such a measure. Support among Democrats (65 percent) and Republicans (35 percent) inched up, but among independents, support rose by a full 12 points. The only age group with a majority opposed was those 65 and over, with 53 percent who continue to think pot should be illegal.
[Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein considers for the Washington Post how the move toward legalized pot, already on the books in Colorado and Washington state, will play in Democratic primaries as candidates embrace the idea. "If it's perceived to be successful, then expect Clinton's competitors for 2016 to flirt with or perhaps even embrace the position."] YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEEThomas Sowell considers race relations in America, and considers the untold stories of racial conflict in the nation. His call is for honesty in reporting and in discussions. "Refuting requires thought, which has largely been replaced by fashionable buzz words and catch phrases, when it comes to discussions of race. Thought is long overdue. Democrat Terry McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli 46 39 percent, basically unchanged since Oct. 10. Nevertheless, voters don't seem to like either candidate very much, both scoring low on favorability. In Virginia coal country, polling shows the candidates each received less than 50 percent of likely voter support. That may spell trouble for Cuccinelli, as Republicans traditionally have relied on rural areas like southwest Virginia for votes.
[Ryan backs Cuccinelli Rep. Paul Ryan joined a conference call Tuesday to offer his support for Cuccinelli in Virginia's gubernatorial race.]