Posted on 09/11/2014 5:16:30 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
ObamaCare defenders keep insisting that the law is a huge success while public approval continues to deteriorate, even among Democrats and especially among the uninsured.
It's supposed to be the GOP's worst nightmare — President Obama's health care takeover turns out to be a success, proving once and for all that small-government conservatives are delusional.
ObamaCare has, we're told, signed up more than expected while avoiding terminal rate shocks. In fact, a new report suggests premiums for "benchmark" Silver plans will actually be lower in many states next year....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
do they know how many uninsured didn’t trust the government and did not sign up? Here, I’ll start counting...
1,...
The Next Chapter of Obamacare
http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-next-chapter-of-obamacare.html
A few highlights:
We won’t know what the real Obamacare rates will be until we see the 2017 rates––when there will be plenty of valid claim data and the Obamacare reinsurance program, now propping the rates up, will have ended.
The HealthCare.gov backroom is not built yet––a year and counting after it should have been.
How many people are enrolled in Obamacare? Without a government to insurance company accounting system yet built, no one knows.
The administration says they are going to auto-renew existing Obamacare policyholders. But they don’t have a valid baseline census from which to start.
Actuarial firm Milliman put the impact of Silver baseline plan changes this way in a recent issue brief: “Even modest premium increases by market leaders of 5% could lead to materially higher net premium contribution increases of 30% to near 100% for low income [subsidy eligible] enrollees during 2015.” Milliman also pointed out, “If consumers choose to auto-enroll because of the simple process versus evaluating their options by going to the federal exchange, individuals who auto-enroll may have unexpected materially higher net premium contributions relative to payments in 2014 for the same plan.”
So, this headline about the baseline plans decreasing their rates in so many markets is more about the carriers who sold the most in the first year increasing their rates while the plans that sold very little business, and able to fall back on the Obamacare reinsurance scheme, cut their rates in a no lose attempt to gain business.
Five to ten million people all trying to get through exchange websites between November 15 and December 15? Add however many people are going to sign-up for the first time this November to all of those existing participants re-enrolling for January 1, who will all be hitting the still fragile Healthcare.gov and state exchanges during that four week period, and it is not hard to see how Obamacare could be back in the news.
While the open-enrollment is now scheduled to begin until 11 days after the November election there will be plenty of renewal and cancellation letters going out in October––not the least will be more pre-Obamacare policies being cancelled this year now that their one-year extension is up––carriers aren’t necessarily allowing policies to be extended further.
Does this all sound confusing? Just wait until we approach the next open-enrollment with millions of people hearing about all of this complexity and having just four weeks to get their enrollment validated for January 1. The Obamacare anxiety index is going to be off the charts well before November 15th.
Add to all of this bigger deductibles for 2015 (those go up with cost trend as well as the rates) and more narrow networks as well as generally larger rate increases for the plans that got the most enrollment and there will be lots to talk about.
Anyway, couple of years ago they were both very much in the bammy camp - couldn't wait for obamacare. This was going to be great, answer to a prayer, just you wait and see. Did I mention he was (is?) self-employed and uncovered? Did I mention his business fell on hard times several years ago? Due to the nature of the business and the market niche he's in he was one of the first victims of the obama economy and war on business. His clients dried up. But he still backs bammy, he and the bimbo were sure bammy walked on water and obamacare was going to be great.
Not any more. Now they are very, very subdued about bammy. As far as obamacare goes? They pretend it doesn't exist. Only heard him admit once it was way too expensive for the coverage he'd need. (did I mention the bimbo's 3 kids from a previous marriage?)
No one wants obamacare except for diehard big-government liberal fascists who want the control.
Pain is a patient teacher.
The case needs to be made that the uninsured, such as people in NC who make below a certain amount of money, dont get the supplement provided by the medicaid bribe.
WHY should the poorest be held to a different standard? So obama can point at it and say, if these Republican administrations would only take over my screwed up plan and make it work for me, even though the majority of people dont want it.
IF dim-0s cared about the po’, why did they make obamacare unavailable to the poorest folk without having to have Republicans go against what they think is right, to provide it?
“ObamaCare defenders keep insisting that the law is a huge success”
Titanic crew insists the deck chairs look better on the port side.
Wait until they file their taxes!
At a very base level, I can answer why the left insists on different rules for rich and poor -
because the Bible says that they should be held to the same standard.
My family has been “allowed” to keep our policy through this year. We are then left to the tyranny of the system.
Any thoughts on resources for how to best assure coverage but release no personal information to the system?
In the Land of Freep we all agree on your point. The bottom line however is that the PPCA is the law of the land, said law will not be repealed and it will eventually morph into a universal single payer program. The elites of the GOPe are as you said, big-government liberal fascists.
When Congress realizes their medical needs are not being handled correctly enough for them is when repeal will take place.
bbb......bbbbu......bbbbb......bbbbbut I heard him promise that it would be FREE!
There are still those who firmly believe that Obamacare’s intent and reality is
that everyone gets quality medical care, on demand, for free.
I thought Obamacare was supposed to give everyone coverage. Why are there uninsured people out there? Have we been lied to?
When Congress realizes their medical needs are not being handled correctly enough for them is when repeal will take place.
_____________
No, they will make separate laws for themselves, carving out monies and access that the rest in the system do not have.
You might want to join a health sharing ministry.
Alternatives to Obamacare
http://tamarawilhite.hubpages.com/hub/Alternatives-to-Obamacare
I’m still waiting on my $2500 premium reduction
bkmk
We really need to stop calling it Obamacare. This is Democratcare and has been on their list of things to do for decades.
It wouldn’t have passed without all those noble Dems. Once Obama leaves office the scourge doesn’t end. Democrats will remain.
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