Jackson Jambalaya

Does Chaney seem bumfuzzled? It is because he does not know and understand insurance on many levels. I remember when he first ran-he is a politician. Private Medicare insurance is a joke in our state. He has done nothing to make it better nor has the legislature(insurance committee). Are they really that stupid or are they bought and paid for?

The State Insurance Commissioner doesn't have the power or authority to 'improve medicare insurance'. How do you suggest he might do that? I don't think he was bumfuzzled; just a good example of a Southerner faced with the non-stop ratchet-jaw of a liberal huckster out on the trail hawking Obamacare.

I'm surprised you didn't chide him for leaving the lemon wedge on his tea glass.

Chaney is light years ahead of what Donkey Dale had accomplished.
More insurance companies are here bringing more markets and competitive cost for the consumer.

and BTW Mike has been in the insurance business for decades.

It's being reported that Commissioner Chaney is halting (at least until after the Nov. elections) the Healthcare Exchanges. I commend him on that!

Shadowfax said...
I don't think he was bumfuzzled; just a good example of a Southerner faced with the non-stop ratchet-jaw of a liberal huckster out on the trail hawking Obamacare.

Ummm.... that wasn't a liberal huckster out on the trail hawking Obamacare. That was a libertarian, former U.S. Senate Republican policy analyst/adviser who is anti-Obamacare.... In other words, exactly the opposite of your assertion.

Its Shadowfax. What do you expect?

Regardless, it remains goodness that SFax is free to come here and express his opinion.

One still must not be complacent just because the like of Shadowfax habitually puts forth blatant falsities born from lazy ignorance.

The threshold for truth, reason and accuracy should never appear to be movable or influenced by continued assaults of untruth, unreasonable inaccuracies.

If it is true that he is halting the exchange until after the election, I applaud him too. You can't ding Chaney too much for not knowing about all the crap that is in Obamacare. Yesterday was the first time I heard that the existence of a state exchange triggered the $2000 fine per employee for employers that don't provide coverage.

Remember this was a bill no one read before voting for. I bet the justices didn't even read the entire thing. And it was never voted on, it was voted as "deemed to have passed" in the House.

Hows that hope and change thingy working out for you?

These were two people opposed to Obamacare.

I'm a " Romney man" might be a good enough response were Chaney not the Insurance Commissioner. In that role, he should be able to either concur with Cato or state the reasons why Cato is mistaken. Knowledge of insurance issues is Chaney's JOB.

Also, an ELECTED official ought to be able to respond to ANY constituent's poltitely stated questions/concerns any time, any place.

Never had an impression of Chaney as an individual until watching this. Now, my impression is VERY negative.

I'm sorry, Chaney is a who-person again?

Lots of misinformation here and on BOTH sides of the argument. Yesterday was a disaster and nothing but a setup for Chaney by the MCPP. Not saying Chaney is right, but it was a bad environment for that to take place. Those discussions needed to happen with Legislative and executive leaders.

So if Cheney is a "Romney guy", as he says about 10 times, does that mean he is a Mormon or at least supports Mormon beliefs? That means he's anti-Christian!

I know every statewide elected official except the AG, and while none of them quail at the thought of unpopular decisions, Mike Chaney is the one who is least likely to make a policy decision under political pressure. I don't think he cares a whit about who's going to be making money under the new system. His work on the insurance exchanges is simply following the law as he sees it. I'm glad that he's suspended his preparations for now, and hopefully the elections will enable Obamacare to be repealed and it will be moot, as he said. Bill Billingsley

Shadowfax, check your facts on private medicare insurance. Each state has some say so as to the products, price, etc. Some states have annual open enrollment for medicare supplements. We don't. This would lower the price for seniors. The flip side is it would cut profits for insurance companies and agents. What say you?

Those of you who confuse a libertarian/prior policy analyst with conservatism need to take another look instead of jumping down my throat. Beware hucksters in suits and ties showing up at high-rise luncheons claiming to have ridden in on a white horse while waving a Reagan or Bush banner.

Page 32 of the Federal Guide To Health Insurance For People With Medicare, Health and Human Services CMS Product Number 02110, pages 32 and 49-52 discuss switching Medigap policies, cancellations, guaranteed issue, assurances to cancel and renewability. Or check with your financial or insurance advisor.

Chaney was 'bumfuzzled' in the same sense that Columbo and Matlock always seemed to you clowns to be bumfuzzled.

Shadow, I don't even care who that guy was or what he had to say. My point is that Chaney needs to be more proactive in the area of medicare insurance(something I am well educated about). I stand by my previous statements about annual open enrollment for medicare supplements. I have called the Ins. Comm. office and get nowhere. I have spoken with legislators who understand my points and agree but once they speak with their more established colleagues(who have relations with lobbyists) they get quiet. They toss the ball back to the commissioner. We have 80 year old senior widows on fixed income in our state paying $300 monthly for medicare supplements. The only choice the have is to drop it and have out of pocket they can't afford or get medicare advantage which is trash. Annual open enrollment could fix this but the powers to be won't let it happen. Why? The people of MS deserve better.

There are thousands of folks in Mississippi who are eligible for HCTC whose job has been moved overseas. However, each state must have an approved carrier, all of our surrounding states have an approved carrier (all are BlueCross), but for some reason Chaney can't seem to convince any carrier to take on this line in Mississippi.

I have personally talked to Chaney about attempting to help these folks, but he is not very interested and his worthless staff is just that worthless.

This would be a great deal of help to Mississippians if we could simply get this elected official to do his job!!

Note: HCTC=Health Care Tax Credit. Google HCTC and then take a look at the IRS web site.

Chaney is going to continue to set up the exchange regardless.
Under Chaney's plan certain businesses friendly to his office benefit to the detriment of the rest of Ms citizens and its businesses.
Governor Bryant and the legislature needs to step in assert final authority as whether to tender Ms Health care Exchange to the secretary of Helath and Human services.
Forcing the federal government back to the negotiating table will allow all Mississippians to enjoy the benefits that Commissioner Chaney is trying to give to just a few of his well heeled friends.

Bill, as you get older you'll more fully understand the complexity of politics. I do commend you for trying though. Don't give up. The fog will eventually lift. You young'uns are our future.

Wish you had the whole debate. They went at it for a good 10-15 minutes. Media took a while to catch on and once they surrounded Chaney, the debate went downhill. Shadowfax, Michael Cannon is a liberal in the classical sense, but is not what the word connotes today. He is a libertarian who is vehemently opposed to the expansion of government and the ACA. To @3:30 PM, are you being sarcastic? Bill is about sixty years old and has been around the political block longer than most of us. That being said, I don't agree with his assessment of Chaney's motives. I do think there is real financial incentive for a lot of powerful forces in the state.

MCPP didn't set up Chaney. He knew what the event was about, and anyone who took two seconds to Google "Michael Cannon" would know where he stands on state exchanges. Furthermore, Chaney didn't have to talk in front of the cameras. He could have stopped and walked away -- and in fact, he almost did several times, but the reporters kept asking him questions and he kept coming back. It was terrible press for him, but it was all his fault for not being more disciplined.

I was poking bill. I value his opinion. He's a smart guy. Plenty of horse sense

Did the MDEQ ever force Chaney to clean up his property in Vicksburg? His bulk oil plant (Chaney Oil Co).

If not, then you have to wonder how deep the " good ole boy" network runs with him.

I wonder if Chaney is gaining financially from this exchange or hopes to gain from in in the long run. Very odd that he would go against Mississippi business over this exchange. This is not good for Mississippi only good for those with fingers in the pie.

9:01 am asks if Chaney is benefitting financially. The health insurance exchange's budget appears on page 6 of one of the documents on the Deptof Insurance's website. The budget this year is $20 million. The budget for the next two years is about $17 million each.

While the Adams and Reese law firm gets $500,000 per year, it appears the vast bulk of the budget goes to items that are the responsibility of Leavitt Partners out of Utah.

Chaney has repeatedly said he is 68 and doesn't care if he serves another term. Does anyone think he wants to go work for Leavitt or for Adams and Reese? Adams and Reese is the same firm George Dale worked for when he left office.

Kingfish said...
Its Shadowfax. What do you expect?

July 13, 2012 8:31 AM


It's OK Kingfish. I understand. Apology accepted.