Posted on 05/19/2015 10:36:36 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Medicaid enrollment under Obamacare is skyrocketing past expectations, giving some GOP governors who oppose the program’s expansion under the health law an “I told you so” moment.
More than 12 million people have signed up for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act since January 2014, and in some states that embraced that piece of the law, enrollment is hundreds of thousands beyond initial projections. Seven states have seen particularly big surges, with their overruns totaling nearly 1.4 million.
The federal government is picking up 100 percent of the expansion costs through 2016, and then will gradually cut back to 90 percent. But some conservatives say the costs that will fall on the states are just too big a burden, and they see vindication in the signup numbers, proof that costs will be more than projected as they have warned all along.
Obamacare originally expanded Medicaid — which traditionally served poor children, pregnant women and the disabled — to all childless low-income adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (about $16,250 for an individual) across the country. But the Supreme Court made expansion optional in 2012. And 21 states, mostly with GOP governors, have resisted.
“The expansion of Obamacare will cost our state taxpayers $5 billion,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in an interview with POLITICO last week, referring to the 10-year cost.
In some states that did expand, the take-up has been startling — the result, officials say, of significant pent-up demand for coverage. In Illinois, nearly 541,000 people had signed up as of December, far beyond the 199,000 adults the state had estimated would enroll in 2014. The numbers increased to nearly 634,000 as of April. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
It was not meant to actually “work” as defined by how it was sold.
As designed.
Altho the SCOTUS ruling threw a nice wrinkle in, making it possible to do a compare/contrast between the states that expanded and those that didn’t.
Makes it harder for the Dems to lay their usual claim that things may cost more than expected, but still less than if nothing had been done.
A client of mine lives with the father of her child. They are, for intents and purposes, married. But they are not. Because if they get married, she loses her Medicaid for her son.
An evil government that continues to drip acid on the family unit in the name of “compassion.” And it’s no wonder the enrollments are skyrocketing. An artificial unlimited demand creates a real unlimited supply.
and the number of paying customers who have signed up is ...
I’ll take ZERO for 0, Alex...
Doing as the Left has planned, ‘cause they want single payer, therefore the current mess will lead to just what they want. Whatever is today will become total government tomorrow. It’s precisely the way it’s designed, and we are sitting here scratching our heads as the Left succeeds.
Why should single able bodied adults be eligible for Medicaid?
Why didn’t those governors that signed up for this know better?
Perverse Incentive:
A perverse incentive is an incentive that has an unintended and undesirable result which is contrary to the interests of the incentive makers. Perverse incentives are a type of unintended consequence.
Not sure I agree with the part of the definition that says the consequence is contrary to the interests of the incentive makers.
Single payer may have been one of the goals of the left,
but I assert that the primary underlying goal in Obama’s mind
was uninsuring the insured.
And there is your Single-Payer folks.
It’s contrary to the interests of those passing out the dole to work themselves out of jobs. So yes, more people on the dole is exactly what they want. Job security.
They were bribed by short-term funding, soon to end.
Those who don’t work get it all for free.
Those making less than others could get hundreds a month paid for by others.
I think of my case where our family is paying $9000 for insurance. The kicker is a friend of mine the same age has a much better plan than me subsidized down to $125 a month and I pay hundreds more for the bronze plan.
I also like most have a $6500 deductible.
This is ridiculous for the minority like me who pay and those having me and others paying love paying zero or near zero for their insurance.
Bump
This was how they intended it -
they intended Obamacare to punish those who previously “had it too good”.
Rick Scott is a fool for signing up for this budget buster when FL has millions of elderly from the east coast coming there to flee state income taxes, along with millions of illegals coming for free stuff. There is no excuse for a Republican to fall for Obamacare.
Who do you think paid for them?
It wasn't about signing them up. It was about government examining the assets of the other working folks.
[These people were already getting free medical at their local hospitals. It’s that sign in the Emergency room....”No one will be turned away”. Who do you think paid for them?]
Those who don’t have time for the waiting room can simply call an ambulance and get immediate attention.
Cloward-Piven
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