Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Obamacare meets defined benefits

Fresno County lags most of California in embracing President Barack Obama's health-care reform, meaning thousands of uninsured residents could face delays in getting new federally funded medical care next year. County leaders say they can't afford to participate in a state program that already has begun integrating federal health care policy and signing people up for coverage. While many counties will be ready to put their uninsured residents on federal rolls and assure them services come Jan. 1 -- when the Affordable Care Act starts in earnest -- Fresno County is yet to figure out its transition. "The folks who need health care are just not going to get it," said former executive director of Fresno Metro Ministry Richard Yanes, who has been following federal reform efforts in Fresno County. "The process of taking an individual applicant through the system so that the individual is getting benefits is not easy to set up. And we're so far behind." Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/19/3140293/fresno-county-ill-prepared-for.html#storylink=cpy
Fresno County devotes about 30% of its budget to defined benefits. Another 10% is designated to pay off a retirement bond. This all comes to light now because the bond vigilantes are in town making the county budget honest. Negative multipliers across California on Obamacare for another four years.

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