Obama Administration Bashes Florida for Blocking Health Insurance Navigators

By | September 13, 2013

  • September 13, 2013 at 9:52 am
    Asok Asus says:
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    Excellent move. Fundamentally, this just bars Federal agents from invading local county offices where they have no business operating and no legal authority to operate. Let the Feds rent their own office space, get their own telephone systems, and get their own support staff.

    • September 13, 2013 at 1:10 pm
      SWFL Agent says:
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      I suspect that if the Fed Gov’t didn’t offer their services, Gov. Scott would be singing a different tune: “The Feds are forcing this on us and haven’t offered any assistance”.

      I’m still amazed. He made his millions in the heathcare industry but I’ve never heard him put forth a plan that is any better. Seems like if he’s an “industry expert” he might have an idea that could work. But of course his millions weren’t made from his “expertise” in the healthcare industry. He exploited loop holes and soaked taxpayers.

      • September 17, 2013 at 8:28 am
        BW says:
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        We’re talking about a guy who spent millions implementing mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients and who gave the contract for all of the mandatory testing to his wife’s company. It saved what, $60k in welfare handouts at a cost of $6m+ to the tax payers? It turns out that Scott’s good ideas are only really good for the members of his household.

    • September 13, 2013 at 1:33 pm
      D says:
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      Another moron statement from the opposition to providing access to health care to people who can’t get it.
      So it’s the FBI and ATF looking to “invade” local county offices? I am not used to seeing those organizations seeking to link uninsured people up with actual insurance coverage that could improve their quality of life and even save it if needed.

  • September 13, 2013 at 10:26 am
    Whodathunkit? says:
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    Here is a quote from an ariticle in a western PA newpaper recently, “Resources for Human Development, a Philadelphia group that received about $950,000 to hire 20 navigators in several communities, including Pittsburgh, is “still hiring, still going through training,” Corporate Assistant Director Laura Line said”.

    Do the math folks, that’s $47,500 per navigator.

    Does the term “spending money like a drunken sailor” ring a bell? (I can use that because at one point in my life I resembled that remark.)

    • September 13, 2013 at 12:49 pm
      Ron says:
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      Whodathunkit?,

      Can you confirm that the $950,000 is for salaries of navigators only? Is it possible that some of that money will go to equipment, training, or other expenses. Did you bother to look up what the salaries of the navigators will actually be or did you just do a simple division problem?

      • September 13, 2013 at 1:36 pm
        D says:
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        …not to mention rent for office space, P&C insurance, transportation. Way to think, Whodathinkit.

      • September 13, 2013 at 1:38 pm
        Captain Planet says:
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        Yes, I, too, would like to see confirmation of the salary. Then, I’d also like to know what’s wrong with a $47,500 salary for a PPACA expert who is going to help uninsured people find a plan that will work for them. I’m guessing you have no problem with a CEO making 400 times that of his/her executive administrator. The money hasn’t trickled down, it’s flooded up!

        • September 13, 2013 at 1:48 pm
          Kevin L says:
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          Send the Waaambulance. How unfair that people make more money than you. Perhaps if the the executive’s assistant had the education and drive of the executive, plus worked as many hours as the executive, the assistant would make more money. That’s the problem with many people these days: instead of finding how to better themselves they wallow in self-pity that life is unfair and how they’ve been screwed. How pathetic.

          • September 13, 2013 at 1:55 pm
            Ken says:
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            booyah!

          • September 13, 2013 at 2:16 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            Kevin L,
            Not at all what I’m saying. But, what happened to the days when a CEO made 30 times that of his/her assistant? I’ll tell you what happened, Reaganomics which has resulted in the largest gap in wealth in any civilized nation EVER. I agree a CEO should make more. And, 30-50 times that of those that also help keep the ship afloat seems more reasonable to me. As it did America at large until Ronnie decided to ruin the country.

            Want to fix the economy? Roll back the Reagan era tax cuts on the top 1%, get rid of corporate welfare, and put people to work fixing our dying infrastructure including collapsing bridges and a rail system that is a joke compared to other First World nations.

        • September 13, 2013 at 2:02 pm
          Whodathunkit? says:
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          The article didn’t say that was the salary, the article says the money was to hire 20 navigators. Ladies and gentlemen, this money goes down a blackhole to friends of the bureaucrats, and doesn’t trickle down necessarily.

        • September 13, 2013 at 2:06 pm
          FFA says:
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          Navigators are not supposed to be experts. After going through the training, they are just paid to regurgitate information off scripts.
          I envision them using a lot of searches to find the information. The navigator section of the OBama Care training was very basic knowledge requirements. Nothing that would allow someone to truthfully say “I’m an expert”.
          Besides, just another one of them – Go to your local independent agent type of an endorsement. So agents in FLA, be happy about this. You will reap the rewards of this decision.

          • September 18, 2013 at 2:41 pm
            Always Amazed says:
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            And these navigator will be available at a Walmart near you.

          • September 19, 2013 at 11:21 am
            Libby says:
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            FFA – I think there are Navigator Class I and Class II positions. Class II will be more of the expert, not only in helping people understand Exchange plans but also navigating the health care system and where to go to get what treatment. They will have to have some healthcare background. It’s my understanding that these are the folks that will be making $42k.

        • September 13, 2013 at 2:13 pm
          Cheetoh Mulligan says:
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          What’s wrong with $47,500 for a Navigator who signs up people for health insurance? My first image is some non-caring, non-knowing person handing someone the long application along with a pen and directing them to a table and chair to fill out the app. My question is, for how long will a Navigator be working? This isn’t going to be a year long job for most of them, or maybe it will be since it is a democrat thing.

          • September 13, 2013 at 2:43 pm
            D says:
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            But you really have no idea for sure. Right Cheeta? Is there anything else you have no clue about that you would like to write about? The GOP platform of making wild predictions is really lives inside of you doesn’t it?

          • September 13, 2013 at 2:54 pm
            FFA says:
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            Its way too much for the job description. If you have gone through the Navigator Training, you would know this is a low level job with no education requirements spelled out. I don’t recall them even required to have a high school education.

            I may be wrong, but I did not see anything requiring any thing but the 4 hour on line class to be qualified.

          • September 19, 2013 at 11:23 am
            Libby says:
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            As long as there are people who need help navigating through the healthcare system, Cheetah. Just like the Medicare navigators we have had for several decades.

    • September 13, 2013 at 4:19 pm
      FFA says:
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      The way I read it is $47500 to spend per navigator. That would include the cost to go through the hiring, training, housing – all overhead. That would reduce the actual wage to about $10.00 per hour. They would probably work them part time so as to not have to cover benefits…

  • September 13, 2013 at 11:39 am
    SWFL Agent says:
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    I know very little about the history of healthcare, why it’s so high, or how to fix the problems. But I thought the orginal concept of employers providing health care was to find and retain good employees. And supplement income. But now it’s considered a job killer. Probably because it’s so high I would guess.

  • September 13, 2013 at 1:44 pm
    D says:
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    Great point SWFL. The concept of employers providing health insurance started in the early 50 when the economy was doing well and companies needed to compete for workers. This has totally shaped our concept in the US about access to medical care. It’s too bad FDR died when he did. He was in the early stages of directing the development of a system to provide health care. Had he lived a few years longer, there is no doubt the whole thought process behind health care access would be totally different than it is today. True, there would have been bugs in the system as there is in Medicare, and the future worries about Social Security. But the concept of having to choose between paying the rent or mortgage or paying for a vital medical proceedure would not exist as it does for many unfortunate people.

    • September 13, 2013 at 1:56 pm
      Kevin L says:
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      Thank God FDR wasn’t able to be in office longer than he was. FDR was a Socialist that grew the size and role of the federal gov’t. Had he not been distracted by WWII he would have had the feds in many more parts of our life.

      You really want the Federal Government being the nation’s health provider? Other than the military, there isn’t any government program that runs efficiently or better than private enterprise can.

      There’s no doubt some people have to choose between rent/mortgage and medical care. But it’s a small percentage. Many people neglect their health because they would RATHER pay for material things like smartphones, big screen TVs, and other things instead of caring for their health. Millions spend over a hundred per month for cell phone service, but won’t go and have a check up for a few hundred bucks.

      • September 13, 2013 at 2:14 pm
        D says:
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        So, are you going to give up your social security when the time comes to collect? I guess you can’t concieve of the millions of people who have benefited from that one program. For you it might be a couple a hundred bucks a month but for many it’s meal money and rent. Guys like you seem to feel better when you dismiss those in dyer situations as inhabitants of a “small percentage” of ufortunate people. It makes you feel better. I get that. Many people neglect their health over big screen TVs? Really? Did you read that in the American Spectator or hear it on Fox News? What friggen planet do you live on? How many people have you sampled and where have you traveled? Please enlighten us on your basic understanding of the human condition in the US. After you come back from rural West Virginia, Appalachia, the slums of Chicago and Detroit etc., let us know how it is. Because I am sure you have not been anywhere near those places. If you did you would not have enlightended us with your annecdotal tales of BS.

        • September 13, 2013 at 3:17 pm
          Kevin L says:
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          It’s come to the point where social programs have become so prolific that in many places it takes a salary of $30,000 to $40,000 to replace the social benefits. For many, there’s no incentive to get off their butts and work hard. So many things that were luxuries in the past have become “rights” under left-wing programs. Take Obamaphones – why the hell does someone deserve a cell phone, one with texting, no less. The idea is they are lifelines. Are they going to text 911. If they are truly lifelines, then the phones should be programmed to call 911 and one or two other emergency lines. No 500 minutes a month, no online access, no texting. Just a lifeline. Liberals have mocked the things that made this country great. Hard work and motivation was what made this country great. We all make choices in life. Just because many choose to slack off in school, if they go at all, doesn’t mean that those that work hard should share with the slackers. In the past, friends, family, and your church helped those in need. Now, liberal policies, including Social Security that has morphed into far more than ever intended, remove incentive. The Democrats continue to find more ways they can coddle Americans by giving them handouts, knowing this helps keep time in power.

          I used to live in a part of a planet where hard work, ethics, values, and family foundation made my country the envy of the world. Now, I’m not sure where I live, but I’m starting to like it less and less. You, D, and others with your mindset that they deserve everything are ruining the USA. It’s life, liberty, and PURSUIT of happiness. It’s not the guarantee of happiness.

          • September 13, 2013 at 3:35 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            Obamaphones, really? Who are you, Sean Hannity? That program, called The Lifeline Program (for low income consumers) started under Ronald Reagan.

          • September 13, 2013 at 5:07 pm
            FFA says:
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            Was Reagan even alive when Cell Phones were invented???
            You young guys think everything was around for ever. There was a day when you had to get out of your chair to change the TV station. Two Bands. VHF and UHF.

          • September 13, 2013 at 5:22 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            FFA – I was certainly alive back then. The program originated with home phones. Here, see for yourself:

            http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/322041-fcc-chief-reagan-could-be-proud-of-obamaphone-program

            Yes, I remember the VHF and UHF. Remember when we finally got those black boxes with the turn dial then went up to 32 channels? Our first VCR remote was hard wired into the unit, too.

          • September 16, 2013 at 12:20 pm
            FFA says:
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            So, you do remember a day when you did not have a button to push from your seat. You had to get up and actually – you know – move…

          • September 16, 2013 at 12:46 pm
            Captain Planet says:
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            Oh yes, I remember those days clearly. How about the extra long phone cords so you could multitask around the house? They always got bunched up and every now and then you’d have to disconnect the cord and try to get it untwisted. Answering machines and having to buy tapes. Or, worse yet, when a prank caller found out you were gone and would fill up your tape with a bunch of garbage. You don’t even hear of anyone prank calling any more. It’s amazing how far along TV and phone technology has come along. I won’t even get into computers. I think the first PC I had “featured” a 1 GB hard drive. Hilarious!

          • September 17, 2013 at 12:14 pm
            FFA says:
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            Cap, Yes, Yes and Yes. I am actually still using my Answering Machine that I bought the day I opened my office.
            I remember All in the Family being on prime time….

            “Sittin around talking about boring stories of my glory days!” (The Boss).

          • September 18, 2013 at 10:04 am
            Captain Planet says:
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            Nice, FFA! love it when anyone can drop a Springstein reference on IJ. Classic!

            I moved away from the answering machine quite some time ago. I don’t even have a landline at home anymore. Ever have a laser disc player? Or, remember when movies on VHS were over roughly 2 hours and you’d rent the double pack so you could watch the whole movie? Be kind, please rewind!

          • September 18, 2013 at 2:52 pm
            FFA says:
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            Cleaning out the parents house, I came across the old VHS rewind machine.

      • September 13, 2013 at 3:08 pm
        SWFL Agent says:
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        No, I really don’t want the Fed Gov’t being the nations healthcare provider but I’m not sure the medical community, at least from a cost perspective, has done so well either. No one understands their bills and costs vary, not because of services rendered, but because of who is insured and who isn’t.

        You’re right, the Gov’t is not efficient but my business wouldn’t be efficient either if I had to serve everyone. I am sure the local DMV office would work more efficiently if everyone in line spoke English, had the correct documents in hand, and could read/write.

  • September 13, 2013 at 2:03 pm
    D says:
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    If republicans hate Obamacare so much, why did they not think of a plan in the days when Bush was President and there was a GOP majority in the house and senate? Probably because they couldn’t give a damn about folks who must make life or death decisions because our system is do draconian with it comes to access to the best health care in the world. Make it easier for middle and lower class people? No, the GOP is more concerned about making sure the top 1% of the country is more comfortable. Their idea of health care is Medicare Part D which is an absolute joke, was never funded, and caused deficit expansion while not helping the people it was supposed to help, except for the very well-to-do.
    Oh, the GOP did back a plan in the Clinton years as an alternative to Hilary’s plan. The Conservative think tank Heritage foundation came up with their own concept. That concept, including the single payer option and health exchanges are front and center in Obamacare. But, when the GOP ruled the house, senate, and congress there was no need to resurect that idea. And…now they hate those ideas. Mitch McConnel, Boener, Cruz, Ryan, Paul etc. could care less about anyone outside their limited and shrinking Constituencies.

    • September 13, 2013 at 2:09 pm
      FFA says:
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      Because Health Insurance was still cheap comparatively speaking as to where its at today.

    • September 13, 2013 at 2:16 pm
      Cheetoh Mulligan says:
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      The Republicans don’t back socialism, that’s why Bush didn’t do anything about it.

      • September 13, 2013 at 2:19 pm
        Captain Planet says:
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        What’s socialist about privately run providers competing for business? And, I’m guessing Bush was for Heritage Foundation’s and Bob Dole’s response to Hilarycare. In other words, he was for the PPACA before he was against it (assuming he is).

        • September 13, 2013 at 2:46 pm
          Whodathunit? says:
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          You’re drinking the coolade Captain. The system is designed to become a government run and controlled program. Prices will be decided by Government. The USSR tried that and it failed. Market prices are the interplay between consumers and suppliers. If the government pushes down on prices the economic impact will pop-up somewhere else, like in fewer doctors.

        • September 17, 2013 at 3:47 pm
          FFA says:
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          What was wrong with agents providing this under the old system?

      • September 13, 2013 at 2:39 pm
        D says:
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        Busch probably didn’t even know about it. He only knew what Dick Cheny told him. Socialism? Really? Did you go to school and read your text books and listen to lectures on economics? If you feel Obamacare (Heritage Foundations creation) has any similarity to socialism you need to ask for your money back from whatever school you attended. Because you didn’t learn a thing. Obama is not even close to being a socialist. If we was the banks would have been nationalized in 2009. Please get a brain and stop being a GOP nitwit.

    • September 13, 2013 at 3:44 pm
      Ron says:
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      D,

      They would have implemented Republican solutions to health care if they were so gosh darn busy fighting terrorists overseas. At least that’s what Agent told me.

      Apparently multi-tasking is not part of their platform.

    • September 13, 2013 at 4:06 pm
      Ron says:
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      Correction: “weren’t so gosh darn busy…”

  • September 13, 2013 at 4:07 pm
    FFA says:
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    My how quickly we lose site of the topic.
    This is great news for FLA agents. Their gov is limiting competition with the agents that can write the policies.
    I’ll be taking advantage of it – yet another state letting their people know that navigators are not the way to go.
    So agree with it or not, it is an endorsement for agents to use.
    Ride the wave or not. Its a free country (for now).

    • September 19, 2013 at 10:04 am
      LiveFree says:
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      I agree. Hate him all you want (he may deserve it) but I like this move by Scott and FL. In the end it protects agents who have put in the work through the government (ironic) to get licensed. Now they want to implement theses navigators to take away from the agents after putting them through the stupid licensure process?

      I am all for getting rid of unneeded counterproductive licensure but this is just the fed gov’t undermining the FL agents.

      Private agents can help people sign up for healthcare, Obamacare or private, can’t they? They even have the “government approved” licensing to prove they know what they are doing. Why give their work to these fed navigators? Even if these navigators are licensed as well (I doubt it) this is still private industry taking a hit and handing over work to more unproductive public services. Disgusting and wasteful.

  • September 13, 2013 at 4:40 pm
    Jim Masiello says:
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    As a FL resident, it is time for Castor to go. I completely support the actions that is blocking the hiring of Navigators. Are they former Obama Acorn members??

    • September 13, 2013 at 4:54 pm
      Captain Planet says:
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      If they are, does that make them scary or something? Did you buy the Acorn fishline hook and sinker? If so, you’ve been catfished.

    • September 13, 2013 at 4:59 pm
      FFA says:
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      Ozzi went back to Cuba didn’t he?? And thanks for taking him out of Chicago (BTW)

  • September 13, 2013 at 8:27 pm
    Wayne says:
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    The job of the ‘navigators’ is to help people make choices on health insurance? I have a license to do that, issued by the State of Florida, I get paid for what I do and I have a responsibility to do it correctly or I may be subject to an E & O loss.

    If these ‘navigators’ are properly licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation I don’t have a problem with it but if they aren’t, why am I required to have a license?

  • September 22, 2013 at 5:39 pm
    CP Kazor says:
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    Wayne – I agree and I understand IF YOU HAVE A LICESNE YOU CAN NOT BE A NAVIGATOR !!!

    WHY Navigators at all? Agents would be happy to explain coverage and government subsidies for a fair fee — and Agents are covered by E & O — as well of us have information breach coverage– As I understand it the that is the rub — WHO will be responsible for E & O ALSO many of the NAVIGARTORS are 1099 independent contractors and there is NO E&O AT ALL !!! — 7 DAYS AND NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING!!! THIS WILL CRASH AND BURN QUICKLY — Good Job Florida



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