Obama pushes another Obamacare deadline back past mid-terms...

Obama can apparently change Obamacare any way he wants.

(Washington Examiner) – The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it would allow insurers to keep until October 2016 health plans that do not meet Obamacare regulations, pushing back another Affordable Care Act deadline well past November’s midterms.
Facing the prospect of another wave of cancellation notices this fall, the administration took even further action to mitigate the blowback from President Obama’s broken promise that all Americans could keep their health care plans under Obamacare.
The Department of Health and Human Services had already given insurers the option of continuing those plans facing cancellation through 2014, and on Wednesday said those policies could remain in effect an additional two years.
For example, if an individual renewed their health plan on Oct. 1, 2016, their coverage would last into 2017.

Here comes another Obamacare delay...

Is this delay 4629? I lost count. 

Via WaPo:

The Treasury Department rolled out Monday afternoon more tweaks to the health care law’s requirement that all large employers–those with 50 or more workers–provide insurance coverage to their workers. This is the part of Obamacare was supposed to take effect at the start of 2014, but was delayed by the White House this past summer as the White House was facing significant push back from employers.
In today’s final rule, the Obama administration is essentially relaxing the employer mandate for 2015–in a big way for medium-sized businesses, and a smaller way for the largest employers. Here’s a rundown of the key changes.
1. Employers with between 50 to 99 employees get another year of transition. The Obama administration will give medium-sized businesses another year’s pass on providing insurance coverage to workers. Treasury estimates that about 2 percent of American businesses fall into this category, but does not have numbers on how many people work for businesses of this size. For these companies, the employer mandate does not take effect until 2016. [...]
2. Employers with 100 or more workers aren’t required to cover everyone. Previous regulations had required large employers to offer coverage to 95 percent of full-time employees to be considered in compliance with the employer mandate. Today, Treasury is ratcheting that requirement back: Large companies that offer coverage to 70 percent of their employees will be counted as fulfilling the employer mandate. This is a transitional measure and, by 2016, large employers will need to hit the original, 95 percent target. Treasury estimates another 2 percent of American businesses fall into this category, with more than 100 employees, but again, we don’t have numbers on how many workers those companies employ.
3. Volunteers won’t be counted as full-time employees. There had been some tussling on Capitol Hill over whether certain volunteers – mostly volunteer firefighters – would count as full-time employees, for purposes of the health care law. Today’s rule clarifies that they do not count as employees–which eliminates any incentives to get rid of volunteer positions.
Keep on reading…

Yet another Obamacare delay...

According to The New York Times,the Obama administration will not enforce the equality clause of Obamacare in 2014 because they haven't written the regulations yet.

Via FOX News:

The Obama administration is reportedly delaying enforcement of another aspect of ObamaCare, one that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than those being offered to regular employees.
According to The New York Times, tax officials said they would not enforce the provision in 2014 as they had not yet issued the appropriate regulations.
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, says employer-sponsored health plans must not discriminate “in favor of highly compensated individuals” with respect to either eligibility or benefits, and provides a tax break for employer-sponsored insurance, while demanding employers not provide better coverage to higher-paid employees.
Yet Bruce I. Friedland, a spokesman for the I.R.S., told the New York Times that employers would not have to comply until the agency issued regulations or other guidance.

Fear: Sen. Al Franken now ready to delay Obamacare...

You can smell the fear coming from democrats up for re-election...

The Washington Post reports:

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) says he would be open to a brief delay in the individual mandate if the problems with HealthCare.gov aren't fixed by the end of the month, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

"I think then we have to consider extending the deadline for the mandate, but let’s hope that doesn't happen," Franken told MPR.

Franken has so far been relatively quiet about potential changes to the health-care law, but he now joins a growing group of Senate Democrats in seats that could be targeted by the GOP in 2014 who are speaking up on the issue.

Change: Obama give people six extra weeks to sign up for his overpriced Obamacare health insurance

Unless you are getting free Medicaid, get a large subsidy and take a silver plan have really serious pre-existing conditions, Obamacare is a really bad deal for you.An extra six weeks won't change that math.

Via AP:

With website woes ongoing, the Obama administration Monday granted a six-week extension until March 31 for Americans to sign up for coverage next year and avoid new tax penalties under the president’s health care overhaul law.
The move had been expected since White House spokesman Jay Carney promised quick action last week to resolve a “disconnect” in the implementation of the law.
It comes as technical problems continue to trouble the website designed as the main enrollment portal for people who don’t get health care at work.
As a consequence, Republican lawmakers, and some Democrats as well, are calling for a one-year delay in the penalties most Americans will face starting next year if they remain uninsured. Monday’s action by the administration stops well short of that, and amounts only to a limited adjustment
Keep on reading…

Boehner finds a pair?

House Republicans to put one year Obamacare individual mandate delay in next funding bill...

Via Politico:

House Republicans will vote to pass a one-year delay of Obamacare in exchange for funding the government, a plan that drastically increases the chances of a government shutdown this Tuesday.

The decision was announced by the GOP leadership in a closed meeting Saturday afternoon,
according to sources present. Republicans will also pass a bill to fund U.S. troops if the government shuts down, according to GOP lawmakers. The House’s funding measure will keep the government open until mid December.

This puts Senate Democrats and the White House at loggerheads with House Republicans, a standoff that could lead to the first government shutdown since 1995.

Read more here...

Procrastinating 111th Congress Causes 50 Million Taxpayers to Wait for Refund

Liberals touted the productivity of the 111th Congress, but they delayed too long passing an extension of the Bush tax cuts. The delay will cause some 50 million taxpayers to have to wait for their refund. The IRS says it will be mid-February before they are ready to process tax refunds for itemizers.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Itemize your tax deductions? Itching for a refund? You're going to have to wait.


The IRS said that it needs until mid- to late-February to reprogram its processing systems because Congress acted so late this year cleaning up the tax code. The bill, which includes deductions for state and local sales taxes, college tuition and teacher expenses, wasn't signed into law until Dec. 17.

Shocker: Ill. GOP Senator-elect Mark Kirk seating delayed by "paperwork" delays

Joe Manchin and Chris Coons will take office on the first day of the lame duck Senate session. Of course they are Democrats. The corrupt democratic political machine in Illinois seems to be having trouble processing Republican Mark Kirk's paperwork.

The Washington Examiner reported:

Senator-elect Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is one of three senators elected Nov. 2 to fill seats vacated by individuals who joined the Obama administration. Illinois law requires that Kirk assume his office immediately following the election, but unnamed state officials say Kirk can't be sworn in until Nov. 29 due to "paperwork" delays.

If Brown Wins Massachusetts, Dems Plan to Delay Seating to Pass Obamacare

Democrats are getting a little nervous now that Republican Scott Brown is within striking distance of capturing Teddy Kennedy's senate seat. The odds are still with a democratic victory in Massachusetts, but the abomination of Obamacare must be rammed down America's throat regardless of the victor. If Brown wins, democrats plan to delay seating him until after the vote.

The longtime aide and confidant of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was handpicked by Gov. Deval Patrick after a controversial legal change to hold Kennedy’s seat, vowed to vote for the bill even if Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, who opposes the health-care reform legislation, prevails in a Jan. 19 special election.