Did ObamaCare ‘Work’?

ZeroHedge, Dec 07, 2023 – Via Political Calculations blog, | Excerpts:

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. It was slowly implemented, going into full effect in 2014. One of the main goals of the law was to make health insurance more affordable for Americans, but has it worked?

One way to answer that question is to see how much Americans are paying for health insurance since the ACA became law and to compare that how much American households would otherwise have paid if the preceding trend for health insurance costs remained in place.

We can make comparison using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Consumer Expenditure (CEX) Survey. The CEX has reported how much an average “consumer unit”, which roughly corresponds to an American household, has paid for health insurance in each year from 1984 through 2022. It compares those data points with the trend based on the actual expenditures for health insurance from 2000 through 2010. Here’s the chart:

Compared to the pre-Affordable Care Act trend from 2000 through 2010, Americans household consumers paid 35% more on average for health insurance in 2022 than they would otherwise have paid based on the trend for these costs from 2000 through 2010.

How does that compare with the household consumers’ other major health care expenditures? The chart is adapted from an older version and narrows in on the period from 2008 through 2022 to track the change in the average expenditures per American consumer unit for several health care expenditure categories. These categories include health insurance, medical services, drugs, and medical supplies.

Through 2022, what American household consumers pay for drugs and medical supplies has changed very little, with medical supplies within $95 and drugs within $133 of their cost in 2008.

Expenditures for medical services has seen more growth over time. In 2013, the year before the Affordable Care Act took full effect, Americans paid just $69 more for medical services than they did in 2008. By 2019, that increased to $257, which then dipped to $137 in the pandemic year of 2020. What American consumer households pay for medical services has risen rapidly since, as of 2022 they reached $457 more than they paid in 2008.

But what Americans pay for health insurance has relentlessly risen in all but one year (2017). In 2013, just before the Affordable Care Act became fully operational, Americans paid $576 more for health insurance than they did in 2008. That jumped immediately to $1,215 in 2014, and has since risen to be $2,190 more than what American consumer units paid for health insurance in 2008.

2022 is the most recent year for which we have figures available. The Census Bureau will collect the data for 2023 in March 2024 and will crunch the numbers for several months before reporting it all sometime in September 2024.

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The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an integral component of The Leviticus 25 Plan, will restore citizen-centered health care and summarily reduce ‘annual expenditure for health insurance’ by eliminating bureaucratic bloat, unfriendly and complicated medical access pathways, cumbersome, drawn-out claims processing, and rapidly shrinking reimbursements for physicians, pharmacists, and other health practitioners.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan offers a powerful new access strategy for patients receiving medical and pharmaceutical services, home medical equipment, and home care services.

The Plan grants citizens the freedom to pay directly, in person, for their week-to-week health care purchases. It cuts out layers of bureaucracy and middlemen … simplifies access to health care and restores genuine ‘patient-provider’ relationships.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.  It ‘resets’ the health care industry to present a clean, efficient and responsible system.  Most importantly, this plan restores individual citizen-centered health care for all participating Americans.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is available to each and every U.S. citizen – with no coverage mandates. Each U.S. citizen who wishes to participate will be granted a full and complete exemption from the ACA.

Each participating U.S. citizen shall receive a credit extension, through a special Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury Citizens Credit Facility of $30,000, electronically deposited into a Medical Savings Account (MSA) – for direct allocation toward family health care needs.

Private insurance – Families shall be allowed to enroll in high-deductible major medical plans, that include basic, ‘no frills’ medical plans which best suit their individual needs and desires. These streamlined plans would lower premium costs for employees and employers, encouraging employers to cost-share savings with employees through incentive-based employer MSA contributions.

Those with extraordinary medical issues may be included in a high-risk category, with such plans being eligible for a government subsidy (similar to current Medicare Advantage).

Federal / state programs – Individuals enrolled in Medicare / Medicaid / VA / TRICARE / FEHB programs would maintain their covered status, with an annual deductible of $6,000 per year per enrolled family member, for a period of five years for those benefits. The dedicated MSA funds would fully fund the offset for the higher ($6,000) deductible feature for that five-year period. MSA funds could also be used to pay Medicare supplement premiums and other potential co-pay obligations.

Where health care services paid by patients directly with MSA funds, providers would not be bound by federal / state rules pertaining to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and other unnecessary administrative burdens.

………………………………….

The Leviticus 25 Plan activation period is slated for the 5-year period beginning in 2026 and ending in 2030.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – Each participating U.S. citizen will receive a $60,000 deposit into a Family Account (FA) and a $35,000 deposit into a Medical Savings Account (MSA).

Qualification: All U.S. citizens residing in the United States are eligible to participate, contingent upon meeting qualification standards and agreement to specified recapture provisions. Participants (other than ‘custody account’ applicants) must prove stable credit history, stable job history, no recent drug/felony convictions.

These general recapture provisions include:

• Waiving all federal income tax refunds for a period of 5 years.
• Waiving benefits from income security programs, select benefits from means-tested welfare programs, SSI, and SSDI for a period of 5 years.
• Enrollees in the Medicare, Medicaid, VA Healthcare system, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and TRICARE will be subject to a $7,000 deductible for primary care and outpatient services annually for a period of 5 years. (See full plan for more details)

The Leviticus 25 Plan generates $37.303 billion federal budget surpluses annually during each of its first five years of activation (2027-2031), and pays for itself entirely over a 10-15 year period.

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The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (34114 downloads )

WSJ: The Inflation Reduction Act Comes for Medicare

It will cut benefits and increase premiums, upsetting millions of elderly voters.

By Casey B. Mulligan and Tomas J. Philipson

Nov. 21, 2022 – Excerpt:

President Biden has accused Republicans of scheming to cut Medicare. In fact it is his signature legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, that will lead to benefit cuts and premium increases for seniors. Medicare’s popular drug-coverage program is headed for a painful amputation.

The private plans participating in Medicare’s prescription-drug program, known as Part D, currently draw on three sources of revenue to finance prescriptions: out-of-pocket payments from patients, premium payments made by plan members, and subsidies from the federal government. In 2025, under the Inflation Reduction Act, both government subsidies and out-of-pocket payments by patients are scheduled to be cut sharply. The difference will have to be made up by premiums. But the statute inhibits this third revenue source, which is also subsidized, from increasing more than 6%. That’s hardly enough to cover inflation, let alone compensate for the other two revenue losses.

We estimate that beginning in 2025, plan subsidies—specifically, the reinsurance subsidies for the beneficiaries with the most drug spending—will be cut $30 billion, out of revenue that currently totals about $110 billion. With $30 billion less to finance prescription benefits, something will have to give. Plans currently have far too little profit to span the chasm that the Inflation Reduction Act opens between expenses and revenue.

Existing plans have room to cut benefits, although the original Part D statute limits their ability to do so. As plans are under no obligation to take a loss, their other choice is to exit the market, which from the patient’s perspective means that all the benefits disappear. In essence, the Inflation Reduction Act statute may prohibit Part D plans from being economically viable, even if it doesn’t explicitly ban them.

We see a last resort. Seniors might find drug coverage in Medicare Part C even as the Biden administration unwittingly amputates stand-alone drug plans from the Medicare program. These plans, known as Medicare Advantage, cover drugs, hospitalization and physician visits. They will also be losing the same two drug-revenue sources, but the Inflation Reduction Act gives them room to compensate with higher premiums, reduced drug benefits (with fewer drugs covered and more constraints on accepted claims), or cuts to nondrug benefits such as dental or mental-health coverage. They will likely do all three, which will be undesirable for seniors but at least be economically viable. The best part of the last resort? The plans won’t go away.

Roughly half of Medicare beneficiaries currently have traditional Medicare coverage rather than Medicare Advantage plans. These are the beneficiaries relying on stand-alone Part D drug plans, which are the ones that may be run out of business by the Inflation Reduction Act. Traditional Medicare members face a difficult choice in 2025: Either take drastic cuts in drug coverage, or switch to Medicare Advantage plans that cover prescriptions but may not cover the hospitals and doctors who are currently providing them care.

Welcome to the fiscal and regulatory nightmare known as government-provided health care, where those writing the rules don’t understand the consequences of what they do. Democrats hate that Medicare Advantage has been available as a pseudo-private alternative to original Medicare’s single-payer arrangement. Yet they have (unwittingly?) passed a law that so thoroughly disrupts traditional Medicare as to render it the worst of the Medicare options.

From a political perspective, Democrats couldn’t have scheduled Medicare’s amputation for a worse time. With Congress so evenly divided, a short-term legislative fix may be impossible. By September 2024, the presidential campaign will be in high gear at the same time that beneficiaries begin to consider their 2025 Medicare enrollments. That’s when the Inflation Reduction Act will thoroughly upset tens of millions of elderly voters, all while the authors of the statute ask the country to vote for their presidential nominee. By then, America will have no doubt which party is cutting Medicare.

Mr. Mulligan, an economics professor at the University of Chicago and a fellow with the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, was chief economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, 2018-19. Mr. Philipson, an economist at the University of Chicago, was a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, 2017-20, and its acting chairman, 2019-20.

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It is time to shift from ‘government-provided health care’ to ‘citizen-centered health care.’

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (33715 downloads )

America needs a comprehensive plan to de-centralize health care. And there is just such a plan, loaded up and ready to launch…

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Insurers Request Huge Obamacare Rate Hikes, Many Over 20%

ZeroHedge, Jul 20, 2025 – Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Excerpt:

Medical care costs are surging already. A big leap is coming.

Health Care Shock Coming

The Wall Street Journal reports Obamacare Insurers Seek Double-Digit Premium Hikes Next Year

If you buy your own health insurance, you are probably going to pay more next year—a lot more.

Insurers are seeking hefty 2026 rate increases for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, the coverage known as Obamacare. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois wants a 27% hike, while its sister Blue Cross plan in Texas is asking for 21%. The largest ACA plans in Washington state, Georgia and Rhode Island are all looking for premiums to surge more than 20%.

The companies say the big increases are needed because of higher healthcare costs and changing federal policy, including cuts to subsidies that help consumers pay for plans. The higher premiums would come after years of enrollment growth and mostly single-digit rate increases in the Obamacare market, where individuals and families buy insurance for themselves. About 24 million people have ACA plans.

At the request of The Wall Street Journal, the health-research nonprofit KFF analyzed the rate requests for the largest ACA plans by enrollment in 17 states where the insurers’ filings have already become public, as well as the District of Columbia. They showed that some of the biggest national ACA players, including Centene and Elevance Health, are seeking double-digit increases in several states. The Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans of Texas and Illinois are both owned by Health Care Service, a giant nonprofit.

Most Obamacare enrollees’ monthly insurance bills will go up substantially next year because of reductions in federal subsidies that help pay for their coverage. Enhanced payments passed by Congress in 2021 will lapse at the end of December. The drop-off in subsidies is both helping to drive higher premiums and making it harder for many consumers to pay them.

Some people “are going to be hit with this double whammy” of bigger monthly insurance bills and losing the subsidy that blunts their cost, said Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF.

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The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an integral component of The Leviticus 25 Plan, restores citizen-centered healthcare by eliminating governmental bureaucratic bloat, skyrocketing premiums, unfriendly and complicated medical access pathways, cumbersome, drawn-out claims processing, and rapidly shrinking reimbursements for physicians, pharmacists, and other health practitioners.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan offers a powerful new access strategy for patients receiving medical and pharmaceutical services, home medical equipment, and home care services.

The Plan grants citizens the freedom to pay directly, in person, for health care plan premiums, and for their week-to-week health care purchases. It cuts out layers of bureaucracy and middlemen … simplifies access to health care and restores genuine ‘patient-provider’ relationships.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.  It ‘resets’ the health care industry to present a clean, efficient and responsible system.  Most importantly, this plan restores individual citizen-centered health care for all participating Americans.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is available to each and every U.S. citizen – with no coverage mandates. Each U.S. citizen who wishes to participate will be granted a full and complete exemption from the ACA.

Each participating U.S. citizen shall receive a direct credit extension, through a special Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury Citizens Credit Facility of $30,000, electronically deposited into a Medical Savings Account (MSA) – for direct allocation toward family health care needs.

Private insurance – Families shall be allowed to enroll in high-deductible major medical plans, that include basic, ‘no frills’ medical plans which best suit their individual needs and desires. These streamlined plans would lower premium costs for employees and employers, encouraging employers to cost-share savings with employees through incentive-based employer MSA contributions.

Those with extraordinary medical issues may be included in a high-risk category, with such plans being eligible for a government subsidy (similar to current Medicare Advantage).

Federal / state programs – Individuals enrolled in Medicare / Medicaid / VA / TRICARE / FEHB programs would maintain their covered status, with an annual deductible of $6,000 per year per enrolled family member, for a period of five years for those benefits. The dedicated MSA funds would fully fund the offset for the higher ($6,000) deductible feature for that five-year period. MSA funds could also be used to pay Medicare supplement premiums and other potential co-pay obligations.

Where health care services paid by patients directly with MSA funds, providers would not be bound by federal / state rules pertaining to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and other unnecessary administrative burdens.

………………………………….

The Leviticus 25 Plan activation period is slated for the 5-year period beginning in 2026 and ending in 2030.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – Each participating U.S. citizen will receive a $60,000 deposit into a Family Account (FA) and a $35,000 deposit into a Medical Savings Account (MSA).

Qualification: All U.S. citizens residing in the United States are eligible to participate, contingent upon meeting qualification standards and agreement to specified recapture provisions. Participants (other than ‘custody account’ applicants) must prove stable credit history, stable job history, no recent drug/felony convictions.

These general recapture provisions include:

• Waiving all federal income tax refunds for a period of 5 years.
• Waiving benefits from income security programs, select benefits from means-tested welfare programs, SSI, and SSDI for a period of 5 years.
• Enrollees in the Medicare, Medicaid, VA Healthcare system, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and TRICARE will be subject to a $7,000 deductible for primary care and outpatient services annually for a period of 5 years. (See full plan for more details)

The Leviticus 25 Plan generates $37.303 billion federal budget surpluses annually during each of its first five years of activation (2027-2031), and pays for itself entirely over a 10-15 year period.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (33715 downloads )

Government control over virtually any segment of the U.S. economy always leads to price distortions, inefficiencies, waste, fraud, abuse and a decline in economy liberty.

WSJ Letters, 4-25-17 – “Many Medicaid Providers Provide Virtually Free Care”

“Because we get paid so little – if we ever get paid – for care given to Medicaid enrollees, it won’t make a difference to me if cuts are made (“Senate Weights Cuts to Medicaid,” U.S. News, May 15).  Whenever I agree to see a Medicaid patient in Indiana, I understand it is a freebie.  The system is extremely poor at ever paying claims.  We providers are giving free care, causing a misrepresentation of Medicaid and medical deficit in this state, and I suspect most of the states. Medicaid is sicker than most people realize.”   Nicholas F. Hrisomalos, M.D. – Indianapolis

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Imagine a health care model in which Medicaid patients pay directly, with cash, for qualifying primary care events.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an integral component of The Leviticus 25 Plan, directly addresses Medicaid’s current “systemic flaws” by eliminating bureaucratic bloat, skyrocketing premiums, unfriendly and complicated medical access pathways, cumbersome, drawn-out claims processing, and rapidly shrinking reimbursements for physicians, pharmacists, and other health practitioners.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan offers a powerful new access strategy for patients receiving medical and pharmaceutical services, home medical equipment, and home care services.

The Plan grants citizens the freedom to pay directly, in person, for their week-to-week health care purchases. It cuts out layers of bureaucracy and middlemen … simplifies access to health care and restores genuine ‘patient-provider’ relationships.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.  It ‘resets’ the health care industry to present a clean, efficient and responsible system.  Most importantly, this plan restores individual citizen-centered health care for all participating Americans.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is available to each and every U.S. citizen – with no coverage mandates. Each U.S. citizen who wishes to participate will be granted a full and complete exemption from the ACA.

Each participating U.S. citizen shall receive a credit extension, through a special Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury Citizens Credit Facility of $30,000, electronically deposited into a Medical Savings Account (MSA) – for direct allocation toward family health care needs.

Private insurance – Families shall be allowed to enroll in high-deductible major medical plans, that include basic, ‘no frills’ medical plans which best suit their individual needs and desires. These streamlined plans would lower premium costs for employees and employers, encouraging employers to cost-share savings with employees through incentive-based employer MSA contributions.

Those with extraordinary medical issues may be included in a high-risk category, with such plans being eligible for a government subsidy (similar to current Medicare Advantage).

Federal / state programs – Individuals enrolled in Medicare / Medicaid / VA / TRICARE / FEHB programs would maintain their covered status, with an annual deductible of $7,000 per year per enrolled family member, for a period of five years for those benefits. The dedicated MSA funds would fully fund the offset for the higher ($7,000) deductible feature for that five-year period. MSA funds could also be used to pay Medicare supplement premiums and other potential co-pay obligations.

Where health care services paid by patients directly with MSA funds, providers would not be bound by federal / state rules pertaining to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and other unnecessary administrative burdens.

………………………………….

The Leviticus 25 Plan – Each participating U.S. citizen will receive a $60,000 deposit into a Family Account (FA) and a $35,000 deposit into a Medical Savings Account (MSA).

Qualification: All U.S. citizens residing in the United States are eligible to participate, contingent upon meeting qualification standards and agreement to specified recapture provisions. Participants (other than ‘custody account’ applicants) must prove stable credit history, stable job history, no recent drug/felony convictions.

These general recapture provisions include:

• Waiving all federal income tax refunds for a period of 5 years.
• Waiving benefits from income security programs, select benefits from means-tested welfare programs, SSI, and SSDI for a period of 5 years.
• Enrollees in the Medicare, Medicaid, VA Healthcare system, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and TRICARE will be subject to a $7,000 deductible for primary care and outpatient services annually for a period of 5 years. (See full plan for more details)

The Leviticus 25 Plan generates $37.303 billion federal budget surpluses annually during each of its first five years of activation (2027-2031), and pays for itself entirely over a 10-15 year period.

………………………………….

The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (33592 downloads )

CMS OIG Report:  A nationwide audit of Medicare Part C and Part D data from 2018 and 2019 revealed a staggering 3 billion prescription drug events (PDEs), representing $234 billion in total drug plan payments. 

Imagine the impact of approximately 80% of the 3 billion annual Medicare Part C and D prescription drug events (PDEs) being paid for by cash-paying customers.

Imagine the estimated 88,000 pharmacies across the U.S. being paid ‘in cash’ for 2.4 billion Medicare Part C and D PDEs. Higher profitability. No Part D or Part C plan middlemen. No claims filing. No rejected claims.

Imagine The Leviticus 25 Plan that generates $36.568 billion federal budget surpluses annually during each of the first five years of activation (2026-2030), and pays for itself entirely over 10-15 years.

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KFF: A Current Snapshot of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit

Juliette Cubanski
Published: Oct 09, 2024
KFF – The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Excerpt:

Key Takeaways

• In 2024, 53 million of the 67 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Part D plans, including employer-only group plans; of the total, 57% are enrolled in MA-PDs and 43% are enrolled in stand-alone PDPs. As of June 2024, 3 million Part D enrollees receive premium and cost-sharing assistance through the LIS program.
• The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that spending on Part D benefits will total $137 billion in 2025, representing 15% of net total Medicare spending. Funding for Part D comes from general revenues (75%), beneficiary premiums (15%), and state contributions (13%).
• Medicare’s aggregate reinsurance payments to Part D plans are projected to account for 17% of total Part D spending in 2025, a substantial reduction from 2024. This change reflects the reduction in Medicare’s liability for catastrophic drug costs from 80% in 2024 to 20% for brands and 40% for generics in 2025.

Part D Spending

In its June 2024 Medicare baseline projections, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that spending on Part D benefits would total $137 billion in 2025, representing 15% of total Medicare outlays (net of offsetting receipts from premiums and state transfers).

However, based on actual bid data submitted by Part D plans for coverage in 2025, CBO estimates higher federal spending on Part D of between $10 billion and $20 billion relative to its initial projections for 2025. CBO also estimates that Medicare will spend an additional $5 billion in 2025 on subsidies to plans that are participating in the Part D premium stabilization demonstration.

Payments to Plans

For 2025, Medicare’s actuaries estimate that Part D plans will receive direct subsidy payments averaging $1,417 per enrollee overall, $1,504 for enrollees receiving the LIS, and $445 in reinsurance payments for high-cost enrollees; employers are expected to receive, on average, $640 for retirees in employer-subsidy plans. Part D plans also receive additional risk-adjusted payments based on the health status of their enrollees, and plans’ potential total losses or gains are limited by risk-sharing arrangements with the federal government (“risk corridors”).

As of 2025, Medicare’s reinsurance payments to plans for total spending incurred by Part D enrollees above the catastrophic coverage threshold will subsidize 20% of brand-name drug spending and 40% of generic drug spending, down from 80% in previous years, due to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act. With this change in effect, Medicare’s aggregate reinsurance payments to Part D plans are projected to account for 17% of total Part D spending in 2025, based on KFF analysis of data from the 2024 Medicare Trustees report. This is a substantial reduction from 2024, when reinsurance spending had grown to account for close to half of total Part D spending (46%) (Figure 7). Moving forward, the largest portion of total Part D spending will be accounted for by direct subsidy payments to plans (54% of total spending in 2025).

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The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen –Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (32660 downloads )

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. –R. Buckminster Fuller

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The Leviticus 25 Plan and its U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan component shift a sizeable portion of government subsidy payments from layers of embedded health care ‘middlemen’ to Medical Savings Accounts for direct allocation by U.S. citizens – all through a special Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury U.S. Citizens Credit Facility (similar to the gigantic credit facilities which were set up to bail out Wall Street financial institutions during the 2008-2010 great financial crisis and the 2021-2022 Covid-19 crisis).

Imagine millions of patients paying cash for billions of prescriptions processed each year.

Imagine a new model where the MediCare Trust fund collects payroll taxes, while at the same time Part C and D Prescription Drug Event claims plummet – effectuating Medicare Trust Fund bailout, through the hands of hard-working, tax-paying U.S. citizens.

That time is here. The Leviticus 25 Plan – loaded up and ready to launch.

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Over 300 Pharmacy Closures Reported in the Last 3 Months
Drug Topics – News Article
March 14, 2025
By Brian Nowosielski
Excerpt:

A new report from the American Economic Liberties Project presents the continued challenges pharmacies face since Congress’ failure to pass PBM reform at the end of 2024.

Since December 19, 2024, as many as 326 pharmacy storefronts have closed their doors for good, according to a news release.¹ That late-2024 December day is notable because it was when Congress’ plan for pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform was abandoned in the 2025 spending package, leading to continued hardships within the pharmacy industry.

“As predicted, without Congressional intervention, the Big Three PBMs have continued to abuse their market power, squeezing at least 326 pharmacies—237 of them independent—out of business in fewer than 10 weeks and stranding their most vulnerable patients in pharmacy deserts without access to lifesaving care,” said Emma Freer, Senior Health Care Policy Analyst with the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP). “Given these high stakes, it is critical that Congress stand up to these health care monopolist middlemen and pass structural PBM reforms that will save their constituents’ time, money, and lives.”

From A Plus Pharmacy in El Paso, Texas, to Woodside Rx Inc in New York City, pharmacy closures have become common within the industry in recent history. Going back even further, a Health Affairs study found that 29.4% of all retail pharmacies operating in the US had closed at some point from 2010 to 2021. They also found that closures were more likely in minority communities than in those that were predominantly White.²

With pharmacy closures and their subsequent deserts becoming an increasingly pressing issue, many experts blame it on Congress’ failure to pass PBM reform. Last year was unprecedented for the pharmacy industry, partially because of the record number of store closures, but also due to the increased attention on PBMs and their controversial tactics that harm smaller community pharmacies.

Increased attention on PBMs led to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into the prescription drug middlemen. With its first report released in July 2024—and eventually a second report in early 2025—the FTC confirmed many of the PBMs’ common tactics used to grow their profits at the expense of patients and pharmacies.^3,4

However, despite all of the positive movement in the eyes of PBM critics, what was considered significantly bipartisan support for PBM reform failed to come to fruition at the end of 2024.

Now, with a new administration settling into the White House, PBM reform has since taken a back seat and the provisions that community pharmacies were hoping for must now be put on hold. In the meantime, reform advocates on both sides of the political aisle are continuing to highlight the need for PBM legislation and what it will do for the industry.

Simultaneously, they are highlighting the sheer unsustainability of the Big 3 PBMs— Caremark Rx, LLC (CVS), Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), and OptumRx, Inc.—and their market control.⁴

“The Big Three PBMs also use their market power—combined with a rebate-driven business model that biases PBMs toward higher list price drugs, as Economic Liberties detailed in a February 2023 policy brief—to mark up drug prices by as much as 7,736%, according to the Federal Trade Commission,” continued the AELP press release.¹ “As Economic Liberties has outlined in recent letters to Congress, the strongest PBM structural reform legislation would require PBMs to reimburse pharmacies fairly while eliminating the conflicts of interest that incentivize them to gouge patients.”

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The Leviticus 25 Plan and its U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan component “create a model that makes the existing [PBM-centered] model obsolete.”

The most powerful economic acceleration plan in the world – restoring liquidity, profitability, and financial security for pharmacies across the nation.

The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (32660 downloads )

WSJ: Health Care Plans: Something Must Be Done

The Wall Street Journal (Letters, March 21, 2017) published a letter several years ago from a New Jersey physician which included this on-target excerpt:

“If costs of delivering world-class health care are driven downward, then government mandates, overregulation and new taxes may not be necessary. Those of us who provide medical and surgical services each day know what it takes to stop the bleeding.  All the politicians need to do is ask.

Lack of price transparency, drug advertising hype, defensive medicine, self-referrals, pre-approved hurdles, insurance billing labyrinths, high overhead, big patient subsidies, discontinuity of care, electronic data keeping, specialty fee disparities, top-down decision-making, emerging hospital cartels, and case work overload are some of the systemic flaws that must be addressed sooner rather than later.”  – Jonathan L. Fox, M.D. Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Northfield, N.J.

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The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an integral component of The Leviticus 25 Plan, directly addresses those very “systemic flaws” by eliminating bureaucratic bloat, skyrocketing premiums, unfriendly and complicated medical access pathways, cumbersome, drawn-out claims processing, and rapidly shrinking reimbursements for physicians, pharmacists, and other health practitioners.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan offers a powerful new access strategy for patients receiving medical and pharmaceutical services, home medical equipment, and home care services.

The Plan grants citizens the freedom to pay directly, in person, for their week-to-week health care purchases. It cuts out layers of bureaucracy and middlemen … simplifies access to health care and restores genuine ‘patient-provider’ relationships.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.  It ‘resets’ the health care industry to present a clean, efficient and responsible system.  Most importantly, this plan restores individual citizen-centered health care for all participating Americans.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is available to each and every U.S. citizen – with no coverage mandates. Each U.S. citizen who wishes to participate will be granted a full and complete exemption from the ACA.

This plan offers freedom of choice and equal justice for all. Those Americans who might wish to stay with the ACA may stay (‘If you like your ObamaCare, you can keep your ObamaCare’).

Each participating U.S. citizen shall receive a credit extension, through a special Federal Reserve / U.S. Treasury Citizens Credit Facility of $35,000, electronically deposited into a Medical Savings Account (MSA) – for direct allocation toward family health care needs.

Private insurance – Families shall be allowed to enroll in high-deductible major medical plans, that include basic, ‘no frills’ medical plans which best suit their individual needs and desires. These streamlined plans would lower premium costs for employees and employers, encouraging employers to cost-share savings with employees through incentive-based employer MSA contributions.

Policies would not be automatically loaded with expensive government healthcare mandates.

Those with extraordinary medical issues may be included in a high-risk category, with such plans being eligible for a government subsidy (similar to current Medicare Advantage).

Federal / state programs – Individuals enrolled in Medicare / Medicaid / VA / TRICARE / FEHB programs would maintain their covered status, with an annual deductible of $7,000 per year per enrolled family member, for a period of five years for those benefits. The dedicated MSA funds would fully fund the offset for the higher ($7,000) deductible feature for that five-year period. MSA funds could also be used to pay Medicare supplement premiums and other potential co-pay obligations.

Where health care services paid by patients directly with MSA funds, providers would not be bound by federal / state rules pertaining to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and other unnecessary administrative burdens.

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The Leviticus 25 Plan activation period is slated for the 5-year period beginning in 2027 and ending in 2031.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – Each participating U.S. citizen will receive a $60,000 deposit into a Family Account (FA) and a $35,000 deposit into a Medical Savings Account (MSA).

Qualification: All U.S. citizens residing in the United States are eligible to participate, contingent upon meeting qualification standards and agreement to specified recapture provisions. Participants (other than ‘custody account’ applicants) must prove stable credit history, stable job history, no recent drug/felony convictions.

These general recapture provisions include:

• Waiving all federal income tax refunds for a period of 5 years.
• Waiving benefits from income security programs, select benefits from means-tested welfare programs, SSI, and SSDI for a period of 5 years.
• Enrollees in the Medicare, Medicaid, VA Healthcare system, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), and TRICARE will be subject to a $7,000 deductible for primary care and outpatient services annually for a period of 5 years. (See full plan for more details)

The Leviticus 25 Plan generates $37.303 billion federal budget surpluses annually during each of its first five years of activation (2027-2031), and pays for itself entirely over a 10-15 year period.

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The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (32625 downloads )

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.  –R. Buckminster Fuller

When government controls the allocation of resources in a given economic sector (‘for the public good’) … bureaucratic red tape, systemic inefficiencies, pricing distortions, and other economic dislocations  become the rule of law.

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Overhead costs exploding under ObamaCare, study finds | TheHill

by Sarah Ferris 05/27/2015 – Excerpts:

The administrative costs for healthcare plans are expected to explode by more than a quarter of a trillion dollars over the next decade, according to a new study published by the Health Affairs blog.

The $270 billion in new costs, for both private insurance companies and government programs, will be “over and above what would have been expected had the law not been enacted,” one of the authors, David Himmelstein, wrote Wednesday.

Those costs will be particularly high this year, when overhead is expected to make up 45 percent of all federal spending related to the Affordable Care Act. By 2022, that ratio will decrease to about 20 percent of federal spending related to the law.

The study is based on data from both the government’s National Health Expenditure Projections and the Congressional Budget Office. Both authors are members of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer system.

“This number – 22.5 percent of all new spending going into overheard – is shocking even to me, to be honest. It’s almost one out of every four dollars is just going to bureaucracy,” the study’s other author, Steffie Woolhandler, said Wednesday.

She said private insurers have been expanding their administrative overhead despite some regulations from the Obama administration to control those costs, such as the medical loss ratio, which requires a certain amount of premium dollars to be spent directly on healthcare. She argues that a better approach would be a type of Medicare-for-all system.

The extra administrative costs amount to the equivalent of $1,375 per newly insured person per year, the authors write.

About two-thirds of the new overhead costs are the result of rising enrollment in private plans, which the authors say carries “high costs for administration and profits.”

The rest is the result of expanded government programs, such as Medicaid. It also includes the cost of running ObamaCare exchanges at both the federal and state levels.

The federal exchange, as well as the 13 state-run exchanges, have all been boosted by grant money, though those funds will run out by 2016. The exchange will then need to rely on fees to plan premiums.

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Additional 2015 headlines:

$2.1 billion cost for ACA federal exchange

Obamacare Adds 3,322 Pages of Regs to $234 Billion Tax Complexity Burden…

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The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an integral feature of The Leviticus 25 Plan, allows U.S. citizens to allocate resources directly and take ownership of their own health care needs and decisions.

This dynamic new plan is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.

Freedom starts at ground level.

The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (32592 downloads )

A Wall Street Journal editorial several years ago by Justin Haskins and Michael Hamilton of the Heartland Institute was a step in the right direction.  At the same time, it was weighed down by several major flaws…

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Give Medicaid Dollars Directly to Patients – WSJ

Apr 12, 2017: As Republicans take another crack at devising a plan to replace ObamaCare, here’s an idea they should consider: Give each Medicaid patient a health savings account—and put $7,000 in it every year.

Under ObamaCare, Medicaid has become the only option for millions of Americans. But that doesn’t mean much if the doctors in their communities don’t accept new patients through the program—and 30% of physicians don’t.

Full article accessed via Lux Llibertas:

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“Give Medicaid Dollars Directly to Patients” – shortcomings:

This plan does nothing to offer exemptions from ObamaCare.

This plan does nothing to benefit working families NOT on Medicaid.

It does nothing to untangle and change the complexion of other government health care programs like Medicare, Medicaid/CHIP, VA, FEHB, TRICARE.

This plan is an ongoing, open-ended cash-based subsidy.

There is a better way.

The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan, an essential component of The Leviticus 25 Plan, is the only comprehensive, citizen-centered health care plan in America.  It ‘resets’ the health care industry to present a clean, efficient and responsible system.  Most importantly, this plan restores individual freedom and liberty for all participating Americans.

The Plan:

1. The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is available to each and every U.S. citizen who wishes to participate – with no coverage mandates. Each U.S. citizen who wishes to participate will be granted a full and complete exemption from the ACA.
2. This plan offers freedom of choice and equal justice for all. Those Americans who might wish to stay with the ACA may stay (‘If you like your ObamaCare, you can keep your ObamaCare’).
3. Each participating U.S. citizen shall receive a credit extension, through a special Federal Reserve Citizens Credit Facility, of $35,000, electronically deposited into a Medical Savings Account (MSA) – for direct allocation toward family health care needs.
4. Each participating U.S. citizen will then have a $7,000 deductible for each of the five years of activation (2027-2031) for primary health care claims related to Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE, FEHB.
5. Private insurance – Families shall be allowed to enroll in high-deductible major medical plans. These streamlined plans would lower premium costs for employees and employers, encouraging employers to cost-share savings with employees through incentive-based employer MSA contributions.
6. Policies would not be automatically loaded with expensive government healthcare mandates.
7. Those with extraordinary medical issues may be included in a high-risk category, with such plans being eligible for a government subsidy (similar to current Medicare Advantage).
8. Federal / state programs – Individuals enrolled in Medicare / Medicaid / VA / TRICARE / FEHB programs would maintain their covered status, with an annual deductible of $6,000 per year per enrolled family member, for a period of five years for those benefits. The dedicated MSA funds would fully fund the offset for the higher ($6,000) deductible feature for that five-year period. MSA funds could also be used to pay Medicare supplement premiums and other potential co-pay obligations.
9. Where health care services paid by patients directly with MSA funds, providers would not be bound by federal / state rules pertaining to Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), and other unnecessary administrative burdens.

Benefits:                                                                                 

Lower health care costs – With the elimination of millions of minor insurance claims across the nation over the course of each month, system-wide efficiency would improve, medical costs would drop significantly, and the direct patient-provider relationship would be restored. Medical professionals would not have to answer to HMOs, insurance companies, or government agencies in providing basic day-to-day healthcare access for their patients.

Scoring – if 240 million U.S. citizens were to participate in the plan, the total dollar transfer into family-based Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) would amount to $8.4 trillion.

The potential cost savings from the $7,000 deductible provision for the approximate 173.5 million people currently enrolled in Medicare (69.6 million), Medicaid / CHIP (77.0 million), VA (9.2 million), TRICARE (9.4 million), and FEHB (8.3 million) would amount to just under $5.25 trillion over the first 5 years (or, 62.5% of the $8.4 trillion initial roll out cost).

Summary:

This plan would generate trillions of dollars in cost savings from streamlining, vastly improved efficiency, and reductions in waste and fraud.

This plan would improve quality and ease of access to health care for all participating Americans.

 For patients: It would dramatically lower the cost of health care, while improving quality and access for all who chose to participate.

 For providers:  It would streamline payment dynamics and improve reimbursement for services, and restore the patient-provider relationship, and significantly reduce massive cost and time burdens imposed by a centralized system.

 The U.S. Health Care Freedom Plan is an integral feature of a larger, comprehensive economic plan: The Leviticus 25 Plan.

The Leviticus 25 Plan 2027 – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$95,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2026 (32591 downloads )