The Angry Bear

A problem is reining in the rogue ACA Agents without slowing enrollment as also reported by KFF. Regulators are contending with a problem affecting people’s coverage. Some brokers are signing people up for Affordable Care Act plans and are switching them into new ones without their permission. The problem is how to thwart the bad actors without affecting ACA sign-ups. Two private bad actor enrollment sites have been blocked from the ACA market...

by Prof. Heather Cox Richardson The Democratic National Committee today released a platform that lays out the history of the last four years and explains how and why the Biden-Harris administration has oriented the United States government toward ordinary Americans. It is in many ways a snapshot of the United States of America in this moment. At the most basic level, it shows how rapidly the political world is changing. Approved on July 16, five...

Goldratt’s “The Goal” talks about throughput at any cost (if need be). More or less a business novel preaching insightful truth. Productivity is the act of bringing a company closer towards its goal. If the company’s goal is to make money, then we should focus on increasing throughput, decreasing inventory, and decreasing operational expenses. At the same time, you will find Goldratt saying to use older inefficient methods to increase productivity...

 – by New Deal democrat I figured this month I would report on new and existing home sales at the same time, since they have been reported only one day apart. I have been looking for a rebalancing of the market between the two, which means *relatively* more existing vs. new home sales, firming in new home vs. existing home prices, and more inventory growth in existing homes vs. new homes.  To cut to the chase, it looks like that rebalancing is...

The false dichotomy of climate change remediationYears ago, I had a Facebook friend from my hometown who was a big enthusiast of molten salt nuclear reactor technology. He wasn’t a scientist or engineer, but his dad had worked on MSRs in the ‘60s, and he fetishized his dad’s memory. As some point, I mentioned that we had installed rooftop solar on our house, and he began attacking me. Rather than see MSRs and solar as two parallel paths towards...

Who is the bigger scab? In an interview with Musk, Trump appeared to endorse firing striking workers. The United Auto Workers Union has filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the union said Tuesday. In a thread on X, the union said Trump and Musk had illegally attempted to “threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes.” Musk...

CMS finally clamping down on agents plan switching, assigning existing enrollees to themselves. CMS requires agents seeking to act on an existing account with a different Agent of Record or with no AOR to: – either conduct a three-way call with the client and the marketplace center. The client authorizes the new agent to act on their behalf, or – have the client click the final button after an agent makes changes to the account using a...

I am late to the discussion of the (possible) US soft landing. I think I better write about the soft landing (so far) in case it is ceasing to be soft (I am not making a forecast). The remarkable thing is that the dramatic increase in the Federal Funds Rate did not induce a downturn let alone a recession The way interest rates affect GDP is principally residential investment and exchange rates. Other monetary authorities also raised rates in...

 – by New Deal democrat For the last several months, jobless claims have been buffeted first by unresolved post-pandemic seasonality, and then also by the effect of Hurricane Debby on claims in Texas. The first is now abating, and the second has ended, as this week claims in Texas declined to their typical level last year at this time. To the numbers: initial claims rose 4,000 to 232,000, while the four-week moving average declined -750 to...

“Kabuki is a form of classical theater in Japan known for its elaborate costumes and dynamic acting. Phrases such as Kabuki theater, kabuki dance, or kabuki play are sometimes used in political discourse to describe an event characterized more by showmanship than by content.” Maybe I am wrong in calling it such. The style of play occurring between the two companies and the management give ne the impression of such. If you have been following...