Taking the ‘affordable’ out of the AHA

Our View

Taking the ‘affordable’ out of the AHA

By now most of us are realizing that this so-called Affordable Healthcare Act, AKA Obamacare, was shoved down our throats back in 2010, that things aren’t cracked up to be what we were led to believe.

For those of us who actually work, earn an income, and are responsible enough to take care of ourselves and our family, are finding this entire socialistic health care scam lacks adequate coverage, requires expensive supplemental policies, fails to cover certain prescriptions and limits treatment for certain health issues.

And, in many instances not as affordable.

Nevertheless, more than nine million previously uninsured Americans are now receiving coverage under Obamacare, most of whom pay very little or nothing to see a doctor or get medicine.

In Arkansas we have what was originally called the Private Option, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson wants to change to Arkansas Works. Arkansas Words is an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, which too is a government subsidy. There are over 260,000 Arkansans taking advantage of this government handout.

To help coordinate the state’s subsidy we have what is called a health insurance exchange that is managed by the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace board of directors.

Now bear in mind folks, all these layers of governmental bureaucracy provides the opportunity for many people to reap the benefits of a socialistic system that was suppose to be the deal of the century.

To that specific point, we found it interesting that a state lawmaker showed concern when he mysteriously learned that the agency that operates a health insurance exchange for small businesses in the state just seemed to overlook telling him and other politicians about awarding bonuses to its director and other employees.

During a recent meeting, the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace Board of Directors gave a $10,200 bonus to the director, Cheryle Gardner, after concluding she had met or exceeded her performance goals.

And, most of the marketplace’s 14 other employees also received bonuses of up to 6 percent of their annual salaries.

Well, that irked Sen. David Sanders, chairman of a legislative committee that is suppose to monitor the marketplace, who said someone with the agency should have informed him of the bonuses and explained the evaluation criteria before anything was done.

Oh, Sanders said he wasn’t “chastising” the board but said it would have been helpful in understanding why the bonuses were given when taxpayers like us began asking questions.

Why, in heaven’s sake would we question such generosity? Well, in 2013 lawmakers created the marketplace board and in 2014 it was given a $99.9 million federal grant to set up health insurance exchanges for small-business employees and individual consumers.

And get this, these bonuses to Gardner and other employees come on top of performance-based salary increases of up to 6 percent that were awarded last year.

Gardner received a $5,000 raise in September, bringing her annual salary to $170,000.

And folks, this is all about “Affordable Health Care.”

BIBLE VERSE

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

4:10-12

Acts