Posted on 09/30/2013 2:36:17 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
ObamaCare's new insurance marketplaces are ready to launch as scheduled Tuesday "shutdown or no shutdown," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday.
"We're about to make some history, and I think some very positive history for lots of families," Sebelius told reporters.
Most of the funding for the healthcare law's implementation was provided in the law itself, and therefore would not be cut off if the federal government shuts down beginning Tuesday.
The HHS officials who are overseeing the launch would not be sent home during a shutdown, nor would call centers, "navigators" and other people assisting with enrollment.
She said, however, that a prolonged shutdown could have bigger consequences. If the government shuts down Tuesday, 52 percent of HHS will be furloughed, Sebelius said.
"That begins to look more serious the longer it takes," she said.
Sebelius also reiterated the administration's warning that some "glitches" are inevitable when the new insurance marketplaces come online.
She drew a comparison to Apple's latest software upgrade, which required a patch to fix problems in the initial update.
"No one is calling on Apple to not sell devices for a year, or to get out of the business because the whole thing is a failure," she said. "Everybody just assumes, 'Well, there's a problem, they'll fix, we'll move on.' We're likely to have some glitches. We will fix them and move on. Is this a sign that the law is flawed and failed? I don't think so. I think it's a sign that we are building a piece of complicated technology."
HHS is running all or part of the exchanges in 36 states a massive logistical undertaking.
HHS officials, including Sebelius, sidestepped questions about the metrics they plan to track on Tuesday to determine whether the launch has been a success.
They noted that the window to enroll in coverage lasts six months, giving them time to fix any issues and to mount a sustained promotional campaign.
"Oct. 1 is not the end of anything; it is the beginning," Sebelius said.
Sebelius spoke to reporters as HHS officials demonstrated the process for applying for coverage through a federally-run insurance exchange.
The new websites are designed to take in customers' information and quickly determine whether they are eligible for Medicaid or for tax subsidies to help buy private insurance.
The website then displays a list of plans for consumers to choose from, breaking down the monthly premium and out-of-pocket costs, with links to check provider networks.
The exchange itself will not handle enrollment. Once consumers have selected a plan, they will be directed to contact the relevant insurance company to sign up.
Officials said they do not expect applicants to stray from the process at that point.
MAKE DC LISTEN: TELL YOUR SENATORS, ESPECIALLY THE DEMOCRATS !
State .... Senator .... Party .... Phone
AK Mark Begich D (202) 224-3004
AK Lisa Murkowski R (202) 224-6665
AL Jeff Sessions R (202) 224-4124
AL Richard C. Shelby R (202) 224-5744
AR John Boozman R (202) 224-4843
AR Mark L. Pryor D (202) 224-2353
AZ Jeff Flake R (202) 224-4521
AZ John McCain R (202) 224-2235
CA Barbara Boxer D (202) 224-3553
CA Dianne Feinstein D (202) 224-3841
CO Michael F. Bennet D (202) 224-5852
CO Mark Udall D (202) 224-5941
CT Richard Blumenthal D (202) 224-2823
CT Christopher Murphy D (202) 224-4041
DE Thomas R. Carper D (202) 224-2441
DE Christopher A. Coons D (202) 224-5042
FL Bill Nelson D (202) 224-5274
FL Marco Rubio R (202) 224-3041
GA Saxby Chambliss R (202) 224-3521
GA Johnny Isakson R (202) 224-3643
HI Mazie K. Hirono D (202) 224-6361
HI Brian Schatz D (202) 224-3934
IA Chuck Grassley R (202) 224-3744
IA Tom Harkin D (202) 224-3254
ID Mike Crapo R (202) 224-6142
ID James E. Risch R (202) 224-2752
IL Richard J. Durbin D (202) 224-2152
IL Mark Kirk R (202) 224-2854
IN Daniel Coats R (202) 224-5623
IN Joe Donnelly D (202) 224-4814
KS Jerry Moran R (202) 224-6521
KS Pat Roberts R (202) 224-4774
KY Mitch McConnell R (202) 224-2541
KY Rand Paul R (202) 224-4343
LA Mary L. Landrieu D (202) 224-5824
LA David Vitter R (202) 224-4623
MA Edward Markey D (202) 224-2742
MA Elizabeth Warren D (202) 224-4543
MD Benjamin L. Cardin D (202) 224-4524
MD Barbara A. Mikulski D (202) 224-4654
ME Susan M. Collins R (202) 224-2523
ME Angus S. King I (202) 224-5344
MI Carl Levin D (202) 224-6221
MI Debbie Stabenow D (202) 224-4822
MN Al Franken D (202) 224-5641
MN Amy Klobuchar D (202) 224-3244
MO Roy Blunt R (202) 224-5721
MO Claire McCaskill D (202) 224-6154
MS Thad Cochran R (202) 224-5054
MS Roger F. Wicker R (202) 224-6253
MT Max Baucus D (202) 224-2651
MT Jon Tester D (202) 224-2644
NC Richard Burr R (202) 224-3154
NC Kay R. Hagan D (202) 224-6342
ND Heidi Heitkamp D (202) 224-2043
ND John Hoeven R (202) 224-2551
NE Deb Fischer R (202) 224-6551
NE Mike Johanns R (202) 224-4224
NH Kelly Ayotte R (202) 224-3324
NH Jeanne Shaheen D (202) 224-2841
NJ Jeff Chiesa R (202) 224-3224
NJ Robert Menendez D (202) 224-4744
NM Martin Heinrich D (202) 224-5521
NM Tom Udall D (202) 224-6621
NV Dean Heller R (202) 224-6244
NV Harry Reid D (202) 224-3542
NY Kirsten E. Gillibrand D (202) 224-4451
NY Charles E. Schumer D (202) 224-6542
OH Sherrod Brown D (202) 224-2315
OH Rob Portman R (202) 224-3353
OK Tom Coburn R (202) 224-5754
OK James M. Inhofe R (202) 224-4721
OR Jeff Merkley D (202) 224-3753
OR Ron Wyden D (202) 224-5244
PA Robert P. Casey D (202) 224-6324
PA Patrick J. Toomey R (202) 224-4254
RI Jack Reed D (202) 224-4642
RI Sheldon Whitehouse D (202) 224-2921
SC Lindsey Graham R (202) 224-5972
SC Tim Scott R (202) 224-6121
SD Tim Johnson D (202) 224-5842
SD John Thune R (202) 224-2321
TN Lamar Alexander R (202) 224-4944
TN Bob Corker R (202) 224-3344
TX John Cornyn R (202) 224-2934
UT Orrin G. Hatch R (202) 224-5251
UT Mike Lee R (202) 224-5444
VA Tim Kaine D (202) 224-4024
VA Mark R. Warner D (202) 224-2023
VT Patrick J. Leahy D (202) 224-4242
VT Bernard Sanders I (202) 224-5141
WA Maria Cantwell D (202) 224-3441
WA Patty Murray D (202) 224-2621
WI Tammy Baldwin D (202) 224-5653
WI Ron Johnson R (202) 224-5323
WV Joe Manchin D (202) 224-3954
WV John D. Rockefeller D (202) 224-6472
WY John Barrasso R (202) 224-6441
WY Michael B. Enzi R (202) 224-3424
- See more at: http://tedcruzforsenate.org/tell-your-senators-to-oppose-cloture-on-h-j-res-59/#sthash.CvqYzXvd.s4d7EOIg.dpuf
Or zay vill be SHOT!
I think I will call my insurance carrier tomorrow and ask what’s doing between Obamacare and me.
We all need to sign up tomorrow, three or four times at least.
Be sure to get your free patient # tattoo!
Not so. Post-dated checks have been signed, but there must be money in the account to draw on.
Still, Obama made similar noises like that at his lecture to the press today. Did I hear him suggest he could spend whatever he wished on Obamacare?
C'mon house of reps. Force his hand!
Little Flower, please pray for US..At his weekly public audience on April 6, Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of talks on the Doctors of the Church, speaking about the enormous influence of St. Therese of Lisieux (1873- 1897). Although she lived only 24 years, a very simple and hidden life, St. Therese became one of the most beloved saints of the Catholic Church because of her writings, with illuminated all the Church with her profound spiritual doctrine, the Pope said. In proclaiming her a Doctor of the Church, in 1997, Pope John Paul II referred to St. Therese as an expert in the science of love. The key to the spirituality of St. Therese, the Pope told the crowd of 10,000 in St. Peters Square, was living the greatest love in the littlest things of daily life. Her love of God, Pope Benedict said, was constant and strong, like the continued breathing of the soul. And her last wordsMy Lord, I love you!expressed the fundamental reality that is at the center of all her writings. --Catholic Culture
Obama and his cronies are all saying Obamacare is already funded. Then why are they screaming for the republicans to refund it?
Sibelius: “Of course it’s funded! I have the checks to prove it!”
Interesting how ZeroCare will continue if the gub’mint shuts down, but the Senate needed to pass a special proviso to keep our guys in uniform receiving paychecks.....
In that case, we are being lied to. If Obamacare lives on without funding, then the Democrats are doing this all for show.
Watch as numerous systems completely fail. I’ve seen retailers take longer to implement a simple POS system across their stores, and still have problems.
Liar.
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