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Health Insurance Startup Collapses In Iowa (Obamacare death spiral)
Kaiser Health News ^ | January 14, 2015 | By Clay Masters, Iowa Public Radio

Posted on 01/14/2015 8:00:13 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

... CoOportunity Health has failed. The Affordable Care Act set aside funding for health care co-ops, to enable the organizations to compete in places where there aren’t many insurers. CoOportunity Health was the second largest co-op in the country in terms of membership, and one of the largest in terms of the federal funding it received.

But then CoOportunity hit a kind of perfect storm, says Peter Damiano, director of the University of Iowa’s public policy center. First, the co-op had to pay a lot more medical bills than those in charge expected.

“CoOportunity Health’s pool of people was larger than expected, was sicker than expected,” Damiano says. “So their risk became much greater than the funds that were available.”

On top of that, when the Obama administration in late 2013 allowed people to keep the insurance plan they already had, many customers happy with Wellmark stayed put. Damiano says this meant many of the customers who flocked to CoOportunity tended to be people with expensive health problems who’d had trouble paying for insurance before.

Not only were the patients sicker, but CoOportunity’s leaders initially thought they would enroll about 12,000 people in Iowa and Nebraska. They got about ten times that, according to Nick Gerhart, Iowa’s insurance commissioner.

Also, Gerhart says, the co-op thought it was going to get more federal money.

“On December 16 around 4 o’clock we were informed they weren’t going to get any further funding,” he says. “Nothing was pulled — it just wasn’t extended further.”

Gerhart is now essentially the CEO of the co-op because the state has taken it over. He likens the situation to a small business suddenly having its credit shut off by the bank.

(Excerpt) Read more at kaiserhealthnews.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: 0carenightmare; exchanges; failure; healthcarecoop; iowa; obamacare; rinocare; socialism
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Cluster.
1 posted on 01/14/2015 8:00:13 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“...pool of people was larger than expected, was sicker than expected,” Damiano says. “So their risk became much greater than the funds that were available.”

Y’A

THINK?


2 posted on 01/14/2015 8:06:26 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
“CoOportunity Health’s pool of people was larger than expected, was sicker than expected,” Damiano says. “So their risk became much greater than the funds that were available.”

In plain English: This enabling shill corporation couldn't find enough suckers with money who were willing to foot the bill(via increased premiums) for a bunch of low-life no goods who couldn't figure out how to get on Medicaid..

3 posted on 01/14/2015 8:06:34 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
than those in charge expected

Yes, the brilliant ones.

4 posted on 01/14/2015 8:08:16 AM PST by PROCON (Je suis PISSED!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Totally unexpected.


5 posted on 01/14/2015 8:09:14 AM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
CoOportunity Health was the second largest co-op in the country in terms of membership, and one of the largest in terms of the federal funding it received.

Also, Gerhart says, the co-op thought it was going to get more federal money.

So the WHOLE THING was a government set up and run insurance scam from start to finish. This insanity is not going to end well for the entire country. I'm starting to believe that their needs to be a Darwin Award for entire countries and that we will probably be the first award recipient.

6 posted on 01/14/2015 8:11:39 AM PST by Lorianne (fed pork, bailouts, gone taxmoney)
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To: Jim Robinson

I guess we are not as healthy a people as we think we are.


7 posted on 01/14/2015 8:11:57 AM PST by DonaldC (A nation cannot stand in the absence of religious principle.)
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To: Jim Robinson

According to plan.


8 posted on 01/14/2015 8:13:28 AM PST by AU72
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To: AU72
The same thing happened back in the 1960s when BC & BS of Iowa put on an experimental program at the Gilfillan Clinic in Bloomfield. The uninsured and folks who had never seen a doctor began showing up for ailments. The little clinic was overwhelmed.
Anytime anyone hands out free anything, expect a crowd.
9 posted on 01/14/2015 8:18:19 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Rip it out by the roots.)
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To: SMARTY

So that idea of letting the young healthy pay skyhigh premiums so the older unhealthy uninsured could get insurance isn’t working out?

Another Lib failure.

But it looked so good on paper!

Libs want to be judged by their intentions, not the results of their actions.


10 posted on 01/14/2015 8:20:49 AM PST by TomGuy
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To: Jim Robinson

almost as if Rube Goldberg himself had been named HHS Secretary


11 posted on 01/14/2015 8:21:15 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I had an Aunt who was a very kind lady. My Uncle had passed away, but he had a great health insurance plan which she continued with. For her, every Monday was “Go to the big city and see the Doctor day”. My cousin would pick her up and they would go to the big city so my Aunt could see her Doctor. They also ate at restaurants and went shopping. Going to the Doctor, because of the low cost, became a social event for a lonely lady. Going to the Doctor isn’t always about health issues.


12 posted on 01/14/2015 8:24:33 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Jim Robinson

Its only unexpected to someone wanting to be lied to.


13 posted on 01/14/2015 8:26:47 AM PST by 556x45
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“CoOportunity Health’s pool of people was larger than expected, was sicker than expected,” Damiano says. “So their risk became much greater than the funds that were available.”

Unexpected. The Feds are one constant face palm these days.


14 posted on 01/14/2015 8:36:58 AM PST by lurk
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To: TomGuy

They never think past their noses...JUST like “O”, the perennial ‘beginner’ who is ALWAYS present but NEVER relevant!


15 posted on 01/14/2015 8:43:24 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: TomGuy

Libs want to be judged by their intentions, not the results of their actions.


Winner. That’s exactly right.


16 posted on 01/14/2015 8:46:34 AM PST by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
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To: SMARTY
They never think past their noses...JUST like “O”, the perennial ‘beginner’ who is ALWAYS present but NEVER relevant!

But he's getting better at his golf game! No other president has ever worked harder on that.
17 posted on 01/14/2015 8:48:42 AM PST by Deo volente (God willing, America shall survive this Obamanation.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I think we’ve been Grubered.


18 posted on 01/14/2015 8:50:03 AM PST by ForYourChildren (Christian Education [ RomanRoadsMedia.com - a Classical C!hristian Approach to Homeschool ])
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To: Deo volente

Golf is recreation... it’s what you do when your work is DONE!


19 posted on 01/14/2015 8:50:19 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
the co-op had to pay a lot more medical bills than those in charge expected

PPPPPP

20 posted on 01/14/2015 8:52:06 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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