The Week Just Past: Rallying Support for New Jersey’s Sandy Victims

Higher Health Care Costs and Spending Under Obamacare

Flu in New Jersey: “Ahead of Schedule”

The Week Just Past: Rallying Support for New Jersey’s Sandy Victims

“Although we are 75 days past the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, the clean-up, restoration and recovery from this historic storm continues to occupy our time every day. 

“Next Tuesday, the House will finally begin debate on a delayed Hurricane Sandy Emergency Disaster Appropriations bill.  I will be offering the key amendment to the bill to ensure that FEMA, Governor Christie and his administration have the resources they’ve asked for to recover from the 'Super Storm' that ravaged our state and New York, Connecticut and other states along the East Coast, in late October.

“Governor’s Christie and Cuomo have endorsed my amendment and I expect the entire bipartisan New Jersey Congressional delegation to vote for it as well.  Our challenge is to clearly make the case that Sandy inflicted unprecedented damage in our region.  For example:

• 346,000 household units were destroyed or damaged in New Jersey alone. (Compared to 215,000 units in Louisiana from Hurricanes Katrina AND Rita!)

• 2.4 million utility customers in New Jersey lost power (compared to 800,000 in Katrina and Rita.)  As a result, over six million state residents, two-thirds of our entire population, were without power, many for weeks!

• Roughly 190,000 businesses were affected (compared to 18,700 in Louisiana in Katina and Rita.) 75 percent of New Jersey small businesses were affected.

• Sandy cost New Jersey 8,000 jobs in November! 

•  New Jersey’s acute care hospitals, assisted living facilities and other health care centers sustained over $53 million in damage.

•  New Jersey Transit sustained damage to 294 rail cars, 74 locomotives and rail, infrastructure and facilities at a cost of over $320 million.

•  An estimated 10,000 structures statewide will have to be demolished.

• Over 6.4 million cubic yards of debris must be removed.  For example, derelict cars, trucks and other obstructions must be removed from rivers and waterways before they can be navigable. 

“Our State’s additional costs – to state and municipal governments, for example - go far beyond this brief accounting.

“Yes, we’ve witnessed an inexplicable delay in assistance.  But this week’s vote will be another critically important step toward providing for our state and our residents.

“I will be reminding my House colleagues of the proud tradition of the Congress: whenever a crisis or natural disaster has hit any part of the nation, the House and the Senate have responded and approved emergency assistance in a timely manner.  Elected representatives from regions not affected by floods or tornados or earthquakes or wildfires have always stepped forward to help their fellow Americans in need. 

“Because that is what we are all about – when one American is in need, we all step up to provide a helping hand.”

Rodney Frelinghuysen

Higher Health Care Costs and Spending Under Obamacare

The release of a report this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) detailing national health care expenditures confirms that nearly three years since Obamacare became the law of the land, President Obama’s often-repeated promise to reduce the cost of health care remains unfulfilled.  Perhaps what is most disturbing, is that the lesser-read analysis accompanying the annual report details what many hope will go unnoticed, but that America cannot afford to ignore.  Namely, the report reveals that future health care spending will increase significantly more than if the law had never been passed and enacted in the first place.

Specifically, the report predicts that:

Obamacare will increase health care costs and spending:

• Once the Obamacare Exchanges and Medicaid expansion take effect in 2014, private health insurance premium growth will increase 108 percent faster than what would have occurred prior to ObamaCare.  From 2015-2021, growth in private health insurance premiums will increase 5.9 percent annually; and
• In 2014, “national health spending is projected to rise to 7.4 percent,” 39.6 percent faster than what would have occurred without Obamacare. 
• From 2015 to 2021, “health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 6.2 percent annually.”

Under Obamacare workers lose the health insurance they have:

• Obama Administration officials have “an expectation that some large employers of low-wage workers will discontinue coverage.”

Since Obamacare became law, the report found that costs are increasing for individuals and families:

• National health expenditures increased by $100 billion;
• The rate of growth in out-of-pocket health care costs for Americans increased 33 percent;
• The annual Medicare spending growth rate increased 44 percent and will continue to increase, highlighting the need for real Medicare reform.

As though the increased costs weren’t enough, the report exposes a harsh reality - had it not been for a sluggish economy, things would be even worse.  The actuaries stated that, “Nonetheless, economic, income, and job growth in 2011 was modest and less than what normally might be expected during an economic recovery.”

Recommended Reading: Reed Abelson, writing in the Monday New York Times,“Health Insurers Raise Some Rates by Double Digits.”

Flu in New Jersey: “Ahead of Schedule”

The annual flu season typically lasts from October to March and peaks around January. However, this year, the flu season apparently has arrived ahead of schedule.

The New Jersey Department of Health is reporting "moderate" or "high levels of flu activity" throughout all 21 counties.

According to this morning’s Star Ledger, “This winter has been worse than previous years because of the type of influenza. It’s a new strain (H3N2) and few people have built up immunity.”

For more information on the flu and how to prevent its spread, visit the website of the Centers for Disease Control here:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

To find out where you can get a flu shot, visit the New Jersey Department of Health website here:

http://www.state.nj.us/health/flu/findflushot.shtml