When Health Care Costs Less People Demand More Of It

In the ongoing struggle between reality and the Reality-Based Community, reality strikes again!

Access to Health Care May Increase ER Visits, Study Suggests

By SABRINA TAVERNISE

Supporters of President Obama’s health care law had predicted that expanding insurance coverage for the poor would reduce costly emergency room visits as people sought care from primary care doctors. But a rigorous new study conducted in Oregon has flipped that assumption on its head, finding that the newly insured actually went to the emergency room more often.

The study, published in the journal Science, compared thousands of low-income people in the Portland area who were randomly selected in a 2008 lottery to get Medicaid coverage with people who entered the lottery but remained uninsured. Those who gained coverage made 40 percent more visits to the emergency room than their uninsured counterparts. The pattern was so strong that it held true across most demographic groups, times of day, and types of visits, including for conditions that were treatable in primary care settings.

The finding casts doubt on the hope that expanded insurance coverage will help rein in rising emergency room costs just as more than two million people are gaining coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

If that sounds familiar, it should:

Medicaid coverage also reduces the costs of going to a primary care doctor, and a previous analysis of data from the Oregon experiment found that such doctor visits also increased substantially. Researchers concluded that gaining health coverage led to an across-the-board rise in the use of health care.

Interestingly, the Times summary of the earlier study included this (my emphasis):

Those with Medicaid were 35 percent more likely to go to a clinic or see a doctor, 15 percent more likely to use prescription drugs and 30 percent more likely to be admitted to a hospital. Researchers were unable to detect a change in emergency room use.

The NBER web page dedicated to Oregon makes the same point about the original study:

Medicaid increased the likelihood of using outpatient care by 35 percent, using prescription drugs by 15 percent, but did not seem to have an effect on use of emergency departments.

I can't explain that seeming discrepancy and time does not permit me to dive in just now. Loose the stat hounds!

Comments

[Extraneus]

The effects of snow-free winter in Britain are already becoming apparent. This year, for the first time ever, Hamleys, Britain's biggest toyshop, had no sledges on display in its Regent Street store. "It was a bit of a first," a spokesperson said.

Fen skating, once a popular sport on the fields of East Anglia, now takes place on indoor artificial rinks. Malcolm Robinson, of the Fenland Indoor Speed Skating Club in Peterborough, says they have not skated outside since 1997. "As a boy, I can remember being on ice most winters. Now it's few and far between," he said.

Michael Jeacock, a Cambridgeshire local historian, added that a generation was growing up "without experiencing one of the greatest joys and privileges of living in this part of the world - open-air skating".

[Extraneus]

David Parker, at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Berkshire, says ultimately, British children could have only virtual experience of snow. Via the internet, they might wonder at polar scenes - or eventually "feel" virtual cold.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Britain is having a mild winter after 2 consectutive winters which were the coldest back to back winters in 50 years. T'is called 'weather' and it varies within climate parameters year to year in these latitudes. Tutorial over-- for more info go to WUWT Blog.

[MarkO]

Risking their lives to save the planet. As if.

What massive arrogance it is to suppose that humans, in our brief turn here, can "save" a planet that has endured.

[Save the Planet?]

"What massive arrogance.."

Believe it or not, Carlin agrees with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W33HRc1A6c

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Dr.K eloquently says whaty I've been trying to say here for 2 months: House Repeals the Insurance Company bailouts (and waivers) and conditions Debt Increase on those repeal. THIS is a political winner-- what do TPers think of this? http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-stop-the-bailout-now/2014/01/02/6b3087a2-73d7-11e3-8def-a33011492df2_story.html

[Specter]

As far as the "trapped" scientwits risking their lives, remember this. Turney wholeheartedly believes in his "science". It is "summer" in the Antarctic. Using his logic, there was no danger - all they would find would be melting ice. Talk about arrogance.

[daddy]

If you click on the Video here in this UK Guardian story, at about 01:50 you will see video, from a helicopter overhead, of the now trapped Chinese Ice Breaker, followed shortly after by video of the almost ice trapped Aussie Rescue ship.

I think when we see these massive modern ships stuck in the ice, it is worth remembering that we are comparing them to the ancient technology of non-iron hulled sailing ships of 1774 (Cook), 1842 (Ross), and Shackleton and Mawson of 1914 and 1912.

I don't know precisely how Cook's and Ross's wind powered ships would have survived in the same conditions as what we are seeing today, but I'm guessing they would have been much more susceptible to splitting open due to the pressure of the pack ice than the modern ships would, so in a way we are comparing apples and oranges when we try to compare one to the other.

Since they didn't split open in 1774 and 1842, it tells me that conditions were less harsh back then, especially since Cook penetrated to 70 degrees south, whereas the 3 modern ships stuck in the ice today are only at about 66 degrees south, exactly where Ross's 2 ships were in 1842.

[DrJ]

I have the Science article on Medicaid expansion in Oregon. If you would like a copy, please send me an email to info at sonatabio dot com. They are in PDF format.

[Stephanie looking forward to the BCS games]

Lol hit. You have me pegged except substitute a coke for that morning coffee..

[MarkO]

The planet isn't going away; we are.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Daddy-- those wood hulled sail ship skippers were limited by currents and winds, so they would only 'live to tell the tale' if they approached Antarctica without risk of the winds blowing sea ice in their course. The arrogance of modern day 'scientists' apparently trumps ancient navigation techniques and prudence, because that nitwit Turney stayed on even though the winds had changed and the sea ice was being blown into their course... result much hilarity and in short order lawsuits brought by angry russian ship owners.

[Ignatz]

--what do TPers think of this?--

What do OWSers think of this?

[Rob Crawford]

"no one ever said that climate change meant it wouldn't ever be cold"

Actually, they did. Remember the headlines saying the children of England would never again see snow? And how a massive winter storm followed it?

And it's not just the occasional cold snap that makes the AGW crowd ridiculous -- it's the seventeen years of no warming, the failure of the models they depend on to come anywhere close to reality, and the utter innumeracy and lack of basic knowledge so many of them show.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

OWS will support repealing the Insurer bailout... they hate insurance companies and believe the destruction of the insurance companies will expedite SinglePayer.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

RobC-- the whole AGW thing was ridiculous from the get go. It was created by watermelon socialists and grant seeking 3rd tier statisticians, and they exploited the millions of useful idiots they conned.

[Captain Hate]

Without even getting into the lack of tangible evidence of warming (and the hilarious account of how it's hiding in the deep sea), basing something as complex as the climate in an open system on one trace gas is just insane.

[Ignatz]

It's important to remember that the Medicaid expansion was not just an expansion in income eligibility.
Prior to Barrycare poverty alone did not qualify one for medicaid. If you were not diasabled, were not a low income senior or did not have or were about to have a dependent child, whether you were married or single, you did not qualify.
Now anyone making less than 133% of the poverty level is eligible.
That's a whole lot of people who are going to be automatically shunted into Medicaid with no recourse should they set foot in Barry's exchange trap.
So there is the wonder of progressivism; you either get stuck with a high premium, high deductible plan, are stuck in medicaid or incur a penalty.

[Rob Crawford]

CH -- a trace gas that: a) has a limit to the amount of energy it can trap, b) has already hit that limit, and c) from ice cores and good proxies, FOLLOWS warming rather than LEADS warming.

A cause cannot happen after the effect, therefore CO2 is not the cause of most of the Earth's climate changes. The great big fluctuating hydrogen bomb next door might be a place to look for that, as well as some other, more subtle causes.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

CaptH-- I am a 'luke warmist'. I have been convinced by Dr Richard Lindzen (MIT physicist) and Michael Crichton (genius-RIP) that the case for quantum mechanical warming from extra CO2 is scientifically sound, with the real question being... HOW MUCH warming? Answer-- unknown but it can't be the precipitous catastrophic scam claimed by the con artists. Here is Lindzen in 2011: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/01/17/richard-lindzen-a-case-against-precipitous-climate-action/

[Ignatz]

--and grant seeking 3rd tier statisticians--

I'm not actually aware of a single actual dedicated statistician involved in climate research. There may be some, probably are, but the most egregious statistical hijinx have to my knowledge all been perpetrated by scientists from other disciplines [mis]using statistics either incompetently or fraudulently to further their agenda.

[MarkO]

This seems like a good idea.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367427/stop-bailout-now-charles-krauthammer

[Bela1]

Ok...let's see if I understand the coming out party for Hillary... Hmm...she disappears for months since-blood because her priority at the time was to keep the consulate open, but to hell with security threats. She ends up testalying where she accepts responsibility for what happened, but not necessarily for the preventable deaths of Ambassador Stevens and 3-5 other sitting targets murdered in cold blood which she obviously doesn't give a hsit about... nor, did she concern herself with the bold-faced lying just to get her pathetic scuzzball comrade Barry re-elected. Months go by, where Hillary gets a new hair bob, with bangs, and appears to be wearing new makeup, a likely facelift hidden by 10 more lbs of makeup, and I notice new eye contacts rather than to stupid glasses she wore during the hearing.....

Now, I'm supposed to admire here for her recent award, sit back and watch her and this nutbag DeBlazio screw up more of America, and praise the lying SOB all because she's going to run for highest office? May she rot in the terrible hell she's inflicted on this country already, and to our troops in harm's way, and to the American people, where some remain mighty gullible to even praise, or even vote for that lying gasbag socialist nutbag witch hell bent on attaining power while destroying America as we know it.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Ignatz@12:21-- spot on. Obummer's conduct all through 2009-2010 showed he didn't know or care about the Exchanges and mandates. His nonnegotiable line with the CongressDems was the Medicaid expansion. That's what this was all about to him. Those Medicaid mills, emergency rooms, urban clinics, off insurance Third World docs --they all use SEIU healthcare workers. So he got them millions of new Medicaid beneficiaries which put Billions more in union pockets EVERY YEAR. It's Alinsky/ChiTown rules-- your friends GET PAID by redistribution from the productive classes. That's what this is about for Obummer.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Ignatz-- take a look at the IPCC roster of 'scientists'. More 'social' science numbers crunchers than physicists or geologists. It's a numbers scam to get the model output sought by the scammers.

[MarkO]

I have to pick up some prescriptions at the pharmacist today. I will report.

[Extraneus]

Quantum mechanical warming?

[daddy]

The arrogance of modern day 'scientists' apparently trumps ancient navigation techniques and prudence, because that nitwit Turney stayed on even though the winds had changed and the sea ice was being blown into their course.

NK,

That makes good sense to me. Cook didn't have the technological ability to exhibit the hubris that Turney did. Cook was as fully cognizant of his environment as possible since he had to be in order to stay alive, whereas Turney is obviously ignorant of that environment, and hubristically acts as if he doesn't need to be aware of it anyhow. Your's is an excellent point.

I like this part tho' about Cook's Midshipman George Vancouver:

January 1774 Cook goes as far south as he is able to go. Cook reaches 71 degrees south and his limit. He gives the order to turn north. Midshipman Vancouver stretches from the bow of the ship in order to be "the furthest south person on planet Earth."

Boys will be boys:)

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

The physical properties of CO2 altering the thermodynamic heat exchange process in the atmosphere-- 'The Greenhouse Effect'.

[Extraneus]

Tell us how you really feel, Bela. :-D

[Account Deleted]

DrJ,

Could you check your spam bucket? I'm getting kicked by something called "spamcop".

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Daddy-- thanks for that quote, I've never seen that account. Fabulous. BTW, I'm sure there were arrogant wood hulled skippers who trusted their instincts more than the wind gauge and sextant... they didn't live to tell the tale of sea ice.

[daddy]

NK,

I can't find the 2nd Voyage Journals this minute on the computer but I know thats in it. Here's a quote from another site drawing off the journal entry's:

30 Jan 1774: 30 Sun. At latitude 71°10’S. and 106°54’W longitude, farthest South. Both Vancouver on the bowsprit and Sparrman in his cabin claimed the “personal” farthest South! Decides to head north. Only in 1823 did James Weddell reach 74°l5’S. JC Beaglehole (Cook's famed Biographer) says that no one in this Pacific sector of the Antarctic has yet penetrated to the Continent by sea. Link.

[Jeff Dobbs]

daddy:
whereas Turney is obviously ignorant of that environment, and hubristically acts as if he doesn't need to be aware of it anyhow.

If things any worse, I hope they call Obama and asked him to make this the moment that we lowered the rise of the oceans sea ice.

[Captain Hate]

Interesting review in Rupert's Gazette about a Jewish woman's views on reconciling with Poles over the Holocaust: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304367204579268271955085630?mod=WSJ_Books_LS_Books_8

Interestingly she mentions "Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin" by Timothy Snyder, as being key to understanding just what happened.

[Beasts of England]

One of the rescue ships, the Xue Long, is now stuck in the ice. The Aurora Australis is being held in nearby open water should a rescue of the rescue ship be required. So, the re-supply that was the Aurora Australis' original mission is again delayed, further impacting the legitimate science being performed on Antarctica. The meter is running...

[DrJ]

Rick,

Sorry about that. You are running into spam filtering at my ISP -- it happens once in a while.

I'll set up a gmail account for this purpose. Give me a bit.

[Ignatz]

--Ignatz-- take a look at the IPCC roster of 'scientists'.--

My point was the actual important studies that have been discredited, Mann, Amman, Steig, Briffa, et al, have all used a misapplication of statistics by, at best, amateur statisticians.

[Account Deleted]

DrJ,

Thank you. I appreciate the effort.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Found out at lunch that my niece is friends with Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight from high school.

I sure hope the Sooners win their bowl game.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

No Doubt Ignatz. The 'third rate' IPCC statisticians have also been discredited, they admitted so much in their most recent 'report' which admits that their original projections were wrong. Third rate or amateurs, the key thing is that Climate Change 'science' is all about data manipulation, and nothing about the scientific method.

[Beasts of England]

They stand a good chance, hit...

[Captain Hate]

Try and put some money on that thought, hit. Bookies should be very open to that.

[Beasts of England]

@Ig/NK: The data manipulation is a serious issue, starting with the absurd idea of using tree rings as a temperature proxy. Further, they have extrapolated the tree ring records to fill in the data points for the 70% of the Earth covered with water. It's truly beyond ludicrous.

[DrJ]

Rick,

Try sending your request to sonatabioinfo at gmail dot com -- I've tested it and it works.

[DrJ]

This is novel:

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. (AP) — Call it a politician boldly going where no one has gone before.

On Thursday, David Waddell used the Klingon language to write his letter of resignation from the Indian Trail Town Council in North Carolina.

Waddell says he opted to use Klingon, the language of a warrior race on the "Star Trek" TV shows and movies, as an inside joke. Mayor Michael Alvarez is calling the letter unprofessional.

Kapla!

[Account Deleted]

If the IPCC statisticians are third rate, how should we rank the statisticians at the CBO or Fed?

The IPCC guys were tasked with studying the CO2 control knob. They aren't paid to to mention it's not hooked up to the machine any more than the CBO stats geeks are charged with incorporating reality in their instantly failed projections.

There is a not so subtle difference between the IPCC wizards and the enviroloons cooking the books in that the IPCC wizards fail due to crap data generated by enviroloons while the enviroloons are manifest liars whose lack of comprehension re statistics makes discovery of their dishonesty comparatively simple.

[henry]

Yay! Packers sold all their tickets. That means I can watch from the comfort of my chair in front of the fireplace.

[daddy]

Even more Global Warming:

Mountain goat numbers decline near mine

JUNEAU, ALASKA — The mountain goat population has declined near the Kensington Gold Mine north of Juneau but state biologists say the likely cause is harsh winters.

[Jane-Rebel Alliance1]

This seems like a good idea.

I swear I must be invisible. I've been pushing that idea since Krauthammer said it on Special Report days ago.

I think it is the perfect solution.

[matt]

Dog eats man in Korea. Now that's a bit of a turnaround.

The first thing you learn about Antarctica is to respect the hell out of it. When we went for a few days, we had a 3/4 day class on safety, what we could and could not do, and emergency procedures. You have @ 5-15 minutes in the water in a survival suit and don't get near the elephant seals. Zooming around on Zodiacs is great fun and has an edge down there.

Having said that, it was one of the coolest things we ever did.

I sort of doubt those thrill seekers had a similar prep. Typically these trips, like the church trips to the Holy Land, are organized by the leaders, who get a free trip out of the deal.

Not a bad thing, but the thought of even doing the most routine research on AGW climate change under these circumstances is laughable. "Here, can you hold this thermometer?" is the closest they might come. That the media doesn't even bother to question this is laughable.

At least we got to go around to half a dozen stations and ask questions. They do some pretty cool stuff down there. A lot of it, by the way, is simply establishing and maintaining national interests just in case someone else begins to exploit resources.

I was very jealous when 18 months ago we were on a plane from Santiago to Punta Arenas and all of these scraggle bearded Norwegians boarded wearing Amundsen 1912 - 2012 sweatshirts. I asked one of them sitting next to me what they were doing and he said they were flying to the Pole to commemorate Amundsen's feat. They were the sons and grandsons of Amundsen's crew. I told him about my ancestor and he sort of looked at me funny.

Later, when we had landed, they all came up to me and greeted me like a lost brother.I just wish we could have gone with them. One day I hope to get down all the way to the Pole.

There is a web site called the Antarctic Sun if you're interested. It's the US stations news outlet.

[Thomas Collins]

Speaking of bookies and third rate statisticians, a third rate bookie from Federal Hill in Providence during the Ray Patriarca era would have done a far better job of predicting future climate than the Global Warming Fundamentalists.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

ThomasC-- When was that era?

[Jeff Dobbs]

The mountain goat population has declined near the Kensington Gold Mine north of Juneau but state biologists say the likely cause is harsh winters.

I'm afraid they have the cause and effect reversed. The declining goat population is causing the harsh winters.

It was only the methane from mountain goat farts that was keeping the region from dramatically plunging temperatures.

[narciso]

So the gozer worshippers at Carlos Slim's are upset at the sound of the devil dogs, tough,

Would Red Queen Warren vote against the bailout, would Merkley, that's not at all clear,

[JIB]

Darn it.

Erin Andrews is in Green Bay (see the pic).

This is what a stadium would look like on an unihabited plantet:)

[Ignatz]

--There is a web site called the Antarctic Sun if you're interested. It's the US stations news outlet.--

Do they put it to bed for six months a year?

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Henry/et al-- you suffering Upper Midwesterners have 2 snows coming, sunday and then late next week, and in between the super cold Mon-Wed. But starting the weekend of 1/11 a mid winter thaw should come. If the Accu long range guess was right, after that thaw, late january and early february will be cold and snow stormy in the Northeast. What's going on in the Northeast in early February?

[JIB]

henry,

Heard an interesting postulation today from my barber as to why these games (bowls, Cincy, Indy and GB) are not sold out: When you can buy a 50" Samsung Smart TV for $500, why the hell would you then want to spend more money to see less.

I think he's spot on.

[narciso]

Btw, that menagerie pic of DeBlasio's immaculation had Cynthia Nixon, the declared lesbian from Sex and the City, so the guess about the Razorback Borgia, might have been wrong.

The Daily News is a peculiar artefact, their page one rant, involves John Miller, who has been one of the most knowledgeable on the subject of terrorism, as Bratton's deputy,

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

OWS and the Bailout repeal?- do you mean the 'true believer' useful OWS idiots, or the lying politicians like Warren? Different result from those 2 categories.

JiB-- Lambeau Field for Sunday?Cue the green and white paint machines saturday night... it will look great on TV Sunday.

[Thomas Collins]

Mid Fifties to Ray Sr.'s death in 1984, NK.

[Ignatz]

My 50" Samsung is stupid.
Why else would it be unable to show me anything worth watching on several hundred channels?

[narciso]

Taranto points out one Norman paradox that Ezra found

Republicans will immediately begin calling for the uninsured to get this same exemption. What will the Obama administration say in response? Why are people who plans [sic] were canceled more deserving of help than people who couldn't afford a plan in the first place?

Rest assured, he's still looking for the pony.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Ah-- I was a visitor to Brown U and the the Hill in the late 70s, and interviewed for jobs in Providence in 81-82 so, I really didn't know about the pre- Buddy C crew. Providence was so .. ahem.. colorful back in the day.

[Thomas Collins]

I won't ask you whether you took in the Gemini Lounge off Dean Street near Classical High School, NK. :-))

[narciso]

Of course, he has a better answer;

Those who had policies canceled, however, were injured in a different way by ObamaCare. For them, insurance, at least as it existed before ObamaCare, was worth the cost. They fell victim to Obama's fraudulent claim that "if you like your plan, you can keep it." If they are now unable to find a plan worth buying, their primary injury consists in being deprived of insurance. The new exemption spares them only of the lesser injury--one might call it an insult--of being taxed for being a victim of ObamaCare.

Furthermore, he points the bug, that this doesn't help anyone, the Sibelius diktat or ukazy,

[Ignatz]

I may be a throwback but I hate the idea of any NFL playoffs in domes.
They're supposed to be freezing their asses off in the snow, rain or sub zero temps; it's what separated football from most other sports.

[MarkO]

Jane,

My evidence is cumulative, but relevant.
Invaluable, not invisible.

[henry]

JIB, that's my plan... I'm waiting for lower TV prices though. ; )

NK, after next week anything above 0 is considered a thaw.

[narciso]

hou shall not invoke holy writ,

http://nypost.com/2014/01/03/public-advocate-caught-in-homeless-fib-upon-taking-office/

[narciso]

Rush was pointing this out earlier;

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/01/03/doctors-office-spends-2-hours-on-hold-with-health-insurer-for-patients-surgery-authorization/

[Thomas Collins]

Ignatz, I too enjoy the snow bowl type NFL playoff games. I'm hoping East Rutherford, NJ weather delivers for SB XLVIII.

[MarkO]

I can't wait for SB L.

[Frau Hydrophobia]

Just as with Asterix: Pres. Preposterus

[Captain Hate]

Of course, he has a better answer

Shocking that the WaPo's Top Men let this wizard of the mind go.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Henry-- hang on buddy a for real thaw is coming for you guys, like above freezing thaw.

[Captain Hate]

Rest assured we are in the best of hands: http://minx.cc/?post=346190

[Jane-Rebel Alliance1]

Ah ha Mark!

How was the prescription filling? I picked up 2 yesterday (that I ordered before the New Year) and got them fine. However my insurance doesn't expire until April.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Ig:
They're supposed to be freezing their asses off in the snow, rain or sub zero temps

Brrrrr!

Oakland, CA
Average High - Jan: 58
Average Low - Jan: 44
Record Low - Jan: 30 (1975)

But it does rain a lot, so there's that.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

ThomasC-- my trips to pals at Brown U back in the day. I remember getting off the bus... I remember walking up the hill and stopping for fresh made Portuguese sweet bread and coffee at the bakery.... I don't really remember anything in between. Strange that.

[MarkO]

Taranto makes this observation:

"Individual responsibility requirement" is HHS jargon for what is commonly called the "individual mandate" and is legally not a requirement or mandate at all but an additional tax on the income of Americans who lack medical insurance plans that comply with ObamaCare's multitude of actual mandates.
_____________________

Can the President lawfully waive or postpone a tax? It seems to me that Obama treats the “mandate” not as a tax. Absent the SC decision, we would be hearing a great deal about how “it is the law” to sign up for Obamacare. It is a mandate.” But, because of the Dread Pirate Roberts, Obama treads lightly.

This leads me to wonder if there is some way to get into court the question of whether this is a tax or a mandate? There is no definitive holding on that issue. But, it could cause “mischief” as Obama says of bloody terrorism.

[narciso]

the incompetence seems to migrate, even if you don't go through the exchange, the insurance company still gets basic details wrong,

[Thomas Collins]

What happened in Providence in the 70s and early 80s stays in Providence, NK!

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

TC-- it can't possibly leave because I honestly don't remember!!

[narciso]

the Court did not take up a more comprehensive critique of the law for the upcoming term, but eventually it would have to right?

[Ignatz]

--Oakland, CA
Average High - Jan: 58
Average Low - Jan: 44
Record Low - Jan: 30 (1975)--

Yeah but the Raiders were often playing away at Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Pittsburgh or [hmm] Miami.
I distinctly remember them suiting up with pantyhose under their pads one year for a playoff game on some boreal tundra, ostensibly because it provided a layer of non binding insulation, but considering who it was this explanation seemed suspect even to me, a mere lad at the time.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

The Mandate as Tax-- litigation is inevitable over a host of Obummer abuses-- abuses we've seen already and new ones. The Mandate as tax ruling will, IMO, become vital to successful challenges for reasons including MarkO's comment.

[narciso]

'What is it good for, Absolutely nothing, say it again'

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2014/01/03/even-after-website-improvements-obamacares-exchanges-get-poor-marks-from-uninsured/

[Thomas Collins]

It's highly unlikely that a federal court would issue an injunction requiring the IRS to administer the Internal Revenue Code to assess and collect the 404whatever it is. If it got to SCOTUS, I think it would be 9-0 for the Federales. If 404 decides to order the IRS not to assess and collect the 404whatever it is in 2014, that will stand. The Federales' administration of the taxing power is an area in which federal courts grant great deference to the IRS.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Pantyhose-- I remember Joe Willy Namath using the anti-cold pantyhose in frigid 60s Shea Stadium.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

TC-- agree with you on the collection aspect. I was thinking more about the waivers; how can the POTUS exempt certain employers from a tax, when the exemption doesn't explicitly exist in the statute. Is a 'rational' distinction enough to 'tax' one person but not a similarly situated person?

[MarkO]

But, then the "mandate" could not be considered a "requirement."

[narciso]

this is how Minitrue operates overseas;

http://babalublog.com/2014/01/03/reuters-shocked-shocked-by-cuban-car-pricing/

[Thomas Collins]

NK, I think even here 404 will get defernce, but I agree there must be a point at which a federal court would say enough is enough. My pessimistic view is that the "enough is enough" ruling would only come in an extremely abusive situation, for example, 404 saying he would order the IRS to administer the Internal Revenue Code only to tax of pallor people.

[Thomas Collins]

Make that "deference".

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

I am of the opinion that Roberts used the Tax Power to head off these kind of abuses. Time will tell when this gets back to the SCOTUS.

[narciso]

A good idea, i don't know how it would fly;

http://washingtonexaminer.com/congress-should-let-everyone-buy-catastrophic-health-insurance/article/2541178

[Account Deleted]

TM,

The Times modified

We are unable to reject the null of no change in emergency room utilization, although the confidence intervals do not allow us to rule out substantial effects in either direction.

from the NBER study reported in The Quarterly Journal of Economics May 3, 2012 to become

Researchers were unable to detect a change in emergency room use.

.

The initial NBER published report did not furnish the actual data although I believe it can be fished out of the NBER data archive. The report published in Science included the observational data.

[Account Deleted]

The NEJM published a study from Massachuesetts supporting the null hypothesis wrt ER utilization. The study was done subsequent to the imposition of DaddyofObamacare in MA and is neither as deep nor as wide as the Oregon study.