Posted on 11/10/2013 6:42:45 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
One of the biggest criticisms of Kentucky’s early returns from the state’s health exchange is that an overwhelming majority have landed on the government’s Medicaid program rather than private insurance.
But state officials say that’s to be expected early in the open enrollment period, which began Oct. 1 and ends March 31.
The reason the number of Medicaid enrollees is so much higher so far is because if someone’s income qualifies them to be on that program, they’re automatically signed up. It’s like a turning on a light switch.
Others who earn more than 138 percent of the poverty rate — $15,856 for an individual — can find private insurance through the exchange from either two or three companies depending on the area in which they live. But that process often takes longer so that people have time to mull over their options and the cost of the plan, said Gwenda Bond, assistant communications director for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
As of this fall, Kentucky had 640,000 people who were uninsured. The latest numbers provided by the Health Cabinet show that 32,485 of those uninsured have enrolled in new health coverage. Here’s how those numbers break down:
308,000 of them are eligible for Medicaid now that it has been expanded to cover more low-income Kentuckians. And so far, 27,854 individuals have enrolled in Medicaid.
The other 332,000 uninsured Kentuckians make too much to qualify for Medicaid but could find health coverage with private and nonprofit insurers through the exchange. But only 4,631 of those individuals have signed up so far — less than 1.5 percent of those who are expected to qualify.
(Excerpt) Read more at mycn2.com ...
McConnell’s Fault.
A. People like free stuff.
This is true in most states....people are being shunted over to medicaid not Ocare
All of which is illegal.
Our a$$hole Democrap governor started the exchange via EO after the legislature refused to do so. According to the KY constitution, it could only be done legislatively. It’s been in the courts, I don’t know the current status.
But, in typical liberal fascist fashion, Breshear knew that if he got the Frankenstein program far enough along before the courts stopped it, the courts would say “it’s too far along, we have to leave it in place”.
The Dems just do it illegally knowing that either the activist courts will back them up, or that it will become too intrenched and no judge will have the stones to stop it.
There is no rule of law in this country. Again, it is the fault of the Republicans for refusing to do what is necessary to stop these illegal actions. Republicans are whiny bitches and collaborators.
Mitch McConnell...well there goes my dinner.
same here got a letter stating that starting on January 1, I will placed on Medicaid. Sheesh no never asked for my opinion.
Who is surprised? Obama’s war on coal has created a lot of people who are eligible for Medicaid, especially in KY, WV and TN.
Nonprofit insurers?
The two biggest cons in nobamacare:
1. You get a policy with a monthly premium of, say, $500. But you’re deductible is $10,000. You, in effect, don’t have insurance.
2. The number of people in Medicaid will explode, just like the number of people on food stamps. Who pays for this?
Don't confuse insurance (what that describes) and pre-paid healthcare.
Six reasons Obamacare will only get worse for Democrats:
I feel like King George is in “OUR HOUSE”....Talk about the world turned upside down...
#5 on the list will be the source of ongoing bad news.
The Navigators are generally poorly trained and incompetent to advise clients on insurance. There training is focused only on how to get people through the signup process. To a significant extent their compensation will be based on successfully completed enrollments. This creates an incentive to advise clients to enter information that minimizes the out-of-pocket cost for enrollment, typically by underestimating income to maximize the subsidy. In other words, just opposite of the no doc mortgage loan, the Navigators will encourage no doc ObamaCare clients to understate income.
In 2015, when 2014 tax time rolls around, a large number of ObamaCare clients are going to be shocked at their income tax liability. That’s because at the income levels around 400% of the poverty line, which is not too far off median income, marginal income tax rates can be as high as 740,000%. (Not a typo. If I earn $1 over the $62040 hurdle, my income tax liability goes up $7400. 740,000% marginal income tax.)
Of course, a similar situation exists at 138% of poverty line. The Medicare enrollees potentially face an even higher marginal tax rate.
Marginal tax rates influence behavior once they are understood. Few understand the perverse incentives created by ObamaCare, but they will eventually become clear. ObamaCare has huge potential to destroy the work ethic and individual aspiration that once created a great economy.
#5 on the list will be the source of ongoing bad news.
The Navigators are generally poorly trained and incompetent to advise clients on insurance. There training is focused only on how to get people through the signup process. To a significant extent their compensation will be based on successfully completed enrollments. This creates an incentive to advise clients to enter information that minimizes the out-of-pocket cost for enrollment, typically by underestimating income to maximize the subsidy. In other words, just opposite of the no doc mortgage loan, the Navigators will encourage no doc ObamaCare clients to understate income.
In 2015, when 2014 tax time rolls around, a large number of ObamaCare clients are going to be shocked at their income tax liability. That’s because at the income levels around 400% of the poverty line, which is not too far off median income, marginal income tax rates can be as high as 740,000%. (Not a typo. If I earn $1 over the $62040 hurdle, my income tax liability goes up $7400. 740,000% marginal income tax.)
Of course, a similar situation exists at 138% of poverty line. The Medicare enrollees potentially face an even higher marginal tax rate.
Marginal tax rates influence behavior once they are understood. Few understand the perverse incentives created by ObamaCare, but they will eventually become clear. ObamaCare has huge potential to destroy the work ethic and individual aspiration that once created a great economy.
so far, 27,854 individuals have enrolled in Medicaid.
******
If they are on Medicaid.....which is free and paid for by tax-payers, they should be so poor they don’t have internet fees and a computer. Grrrrr!
OMG - so if someone needs money for property taxes, flood insurance etc (for next year), they should take it out of their IRA before the end of this year? You're great on Obamacare - but even better on weird tax stuff. Thanks for sharing Skepolitic...
My question is.......why do they have to go through Obamacare to determine that they qualify for Medicaid anyway. If the qualify, they can sign up by applying for medicaid without ever riskeing their personal information, etc.
The next question is, why can’t people sign up blind, that is, never divulging any personal information directly because they have a strongly (double, maybe triple) encrypted identifier that will allow access to their bank account, home address, etc. without ever revealing any of the actual numbers to the bureaucrats.
Yes, King George the TURD!
I like it!!
Because a high percentage of those who didn’t have insurance previously - the fifteen percent of the country for which the other eighty-five percent had to have their insurance disrupted in the name of “healthcare reform” - were already eligible for Medicaid but just hadn’t bothered to sign up - easier just to go to the emergency room dontcha know - and because the Medicaid standards have been expanded to cover about twice as many people as before......
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