The number of days from 3-23-2010
(ObamaCare signed into Law) to 10-1-2013 (website due date) =  1,289 Days

VERSUS

The number of days from 12-7-1941 (Pearl
Harbor) to 5-8-1945 (VE day)  =  1,249 Days

What this means is that in
the time we were attacked at Pearl Harbor to the day Germany surrendered our
government mobilized  millions of
Americans, building tens of thousands of tanks,  planes, jeeps, subs,
cruisers, destroyers, torpedoes, millions upon millions of guns, bombs, ammo,
etc.  Thus, turning the tide in North
Africa,  Invading Italy, D-Day,  Battle of the Bulge, Race to Berlin
– all while we were also fighting the Japanese in the Pacific!!  

And in that amount of time –
our government can’t write regulations, educate consumers, and build a working
webpage.

(Source:  a good friend who voted for Barack Obama)

For a number of reasons the current form of the Affordable Care
Act, aka ObamaCare, could be delayed or modified, in my opinion.  Exactly how ObamaCare will be delayed or changed
is unknowable at this time.  Significant
uncertainty will persist for the healthcare industry until this gets sorted
out.  Healthcare and biomedical stocks
have risen substantially in the last several years in anticipation of more people
being included in the system.  This
underlying assumption is in jeopardy. 
For this reason I am recommending taking some profits on healthcare and
biomedical stocks by selling 50% of the position and reinvesting the proceeds
into another investment category until the cloud of uncertainty has been
removed.

A word about the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare. According to CNN’s numbers, about 7 million
Americans must sign up under Heathcare.gov including 2.7 million young
Americans for the program to be successful from an actuarial perspective.  As the first month of the sign up period
comes to an end (the first of six), no government reports are available for the
number of sign-ups yet.  However,
according to a CNN report, government sources have committed to publishing the
first such report in Mid November.  We
will monitor this carefully since many are directly impacted by this program
which affects one-sixth of the U.S. economy.

Health insurance exchanges, now known
as marketplaces, are set to launch in October but imposter exchanges can
already be found online and are expected to increase.

There are four common Obamacare scams
you should be aware of. Always contact your local police department or district
attorney’s office if you encounter one of these scams. A con artist calls you
claiming to be a federal employee, offers to sell you a new federal insurance
card under the Affordable Care Act, and needs your personal information. There
is no need for any new national insurance card, do not give out your
information.

Scam artists prey on seniors telling
them they need a new Medicare card because of changes from the Affordable Care
Act and request their Medicare numbers. Medicare numbers are identical to
Social Security numbers and enable scam artists to commit identity theft. There
is no need for a new Medicare card. Never give your Medicare number to a
stranger.

Scammers were also found using a real
health reform provision that allows young adults up to age 26 to remain on
their parents’ health plan. They tried to sell a “new young adult policy from
the ACA.” There is no need for a separate individual policy for children on
their parents plan. This is the point of the provision.

Fake exchanges are already online with
the word “exchange” in a banner on their home pages. Often, these sites collect
personal data that may be used to commit identity fraud. The real health
insurance exchanges aren’t available until Oct. 1.

Arguments on how to make the American health
care system more efficient and cost effective will continue for
generations.  One reason is the dramatic
differences in health care expenditures by different Americans.  According to Kaiser Family Foundation
study:  5% of the U.S. population
accounts for about 50% of all health care expenditures; but, 50% of the U.S.
population accounts for just 2.7% of all health care expenditures. 

On the surface, the above statistics seem ripe
for the use of insurance to spread the risk. 
But the “devil is in the details.” For more information, listen to Laurie Siebert CPA, CFP, AEP on this
week’s “Your Financial Choices” radio show: http://www.yourfinancialchoices.com.