HHS now runs the insurance industry and SecHHS has repeatedly threatened to exclude from the government exchanges insurers who cite Obamacare as the basis for their premium increases. Blue state governments in CN and elsewhere retaliated on behalf of HHS. The insurers got the message.

Health insurance inflation for the individual market where most of the Obamacare mandates were imposed was 2.5% in 2010 and then soared to 9% in 2011 and has been in the high single digits since then. ALL of these mandates cost money.

Every year some plans and some people see rates go up as much as 20%. That’s hardly new. Our small group plan for 11 employees increased over 20% this year. Of course we had a breast cancer surgery and a heart surgery and surprise surprise our rates went way up. According to Kaiser the average yearly increase for the 10 years prior to the ACA was a little over 7%. From 2004 to 2010 our rates increased an average of 14%, with as little as 6% and as much as 18%. In the last two years since the ACA was passed we had 18% in 2011 and 4.8% in 2012.

So the key for someone who wants to discuss this subject intelligently is to try and determine the amount that is the result of the ACA vs other factors. I’m sure there will be a lot of people who will prefer to attribute all the increases to the ACA because that will fit their political views.

Ford Motor owes the government $5.9 billion it borrowed in June 2009, the same month GM filed for bankruptcy. By Sept. 15, Ford needs to start paying that money back. In a government filing, the carmaker said $577 million is due within the next year, and the full amount must be paid off by June 15, 2022.

The Obama Administration, dreaming of a million electric cars on the road by 2015, loaned Ford the money to help it pay for development of hybrids and EVs, and to retool its factories to produce smaller, cleaner vehicles. While not characterized as a “bailout” by any means, let’s be honest: Ford’s loan – received at a critical time when other sources of financing weren’t available to automakers or their suppliers – no doubt helped the carmaker survive the industry crisis and contributed to its strong market position today, especially after the Obama Administration finalized tougher fuel economy rules this week.