Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule

New York Times ^ | October 19, 2013 | by Ross Douthat

[Oldeconomybuyer]

THIS is not the column about the Obamacare rollout I expected to write.

If you had told me, months ago, that weeks after the health care law’s coverage expansion went into effect I would be writing about the problems its launch had exposed, I would have assumed I’d be writing about rate shock, rising premiums and the disappearance of many cheap insurance plans.

I may be writing about those issues soon enough. But for now there is a more pressing subject: The online federal health care exchange, the heart of the Obamacare project, is such a rolling catastrophe that it may end up creating a major policy fiasco immediately rather than eventually.

If the fix-it effort moves too slowly, it’s possible to envision a worst-case scenario unfolding. If the Web site doesn’t work soon, even liberals concede that the mandate would have to be delayed, because you can’t very well fine people for failing to buy a product they can’t access. And that combination — a hard-to-navigate online portal and no penalty for staying uninsured — could effectively discourage all but the most desperate customers from shopping, which in turn would create an unsustainably expensive insurance pool, driving prices up and driving people away, and potentially wrecking the entire individual insurance market in short order.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

NYT water boy urinating his pants.

[C. Edmund Wright]

The author writes: THIS is not the column about the Obamacare rollout I expected to write.

And yet, us tea party hick idiots KNEW this was the column that you would HAVE to write.....

[tet68]

discourage all but the most desperate customers from shopping,

Shopping????
How can they call this shopping?
++doublegood I guess.

[JPG]

Everything is right on track.

[JohnBrowdie]

the defunding effort will turn out to be a major plus in the midterms. “we tried to defund this thing. the democrats stopped us, demonized us, and ultimately lied to all of you so they could control your life”.

[dennisw]

Ross Douthat
Author
Ross Gregory Douthat is a conservative American author, blogger and New York Times columnist. He was a senior editor at The Atlantic and wrote Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, Grand ... Wikipedia

[C. Edmund Wright]

He’s no conservative.....only compared to other NYT folks.

[JediJones]

could effectively discourage all but the most desperate customers from shopping, which in turn would create an unsustainably expensive insurance pool, driving prices up and driving people away, and potentially wrecking the entire individual insurance market in short order.

Guess that's why he said "ahead" of schedule. They'll wreck private insurance faster than expected and be ready for single-payer much more quickly. And people said Cruz was crazy for pulling out all the stops to try to stop this train wreck? Why is the world so upside-down? Demonizing the only guy who was trying to prevent this catastrophe that everyone admits is unfolding.

[C. Edmund Wright]

AGREE....Cruz will be a national hero in a year.

[Carry_Okie]

the defunding effort will turn out to be a major plus in the midterms. “we tried to defund this thing. the democrats stopped us, demonized us, and ultimately lied to all of you so they could control your life”.

Correct. The polls showing public dissatisfaction with Congress include those who are angry that they haven't rid us of this beast.

[cripplecreek]

the defunding effort will turn out to be a major plus in the midterms.

Going to be a real treat watching the sellouts trying to get back on that train.

[MUDDOG]

Like the Bush administration in Iraq, the White House seems to have invaded the health insurance marketplace with woefully inadequate postinvasion planning, and let the occupation turn into a disaster of hack work and incompetence.

LOL. It's Bush's fault.

[Steely Tom]

Rush designed the website?

[onyx]

Final FReepathon of the Year!
Help Screw the Libs - Please Make Your Donation Here!

[dennisw]

the defunding effort will turn out to be a major plus in the midterms. “we tried to defund this thing. the democrats stopped us, demonized us, and ultimately lied to all of you so they could control your life”.

Ted Cruz and Mike Lee forced the Republicans to deliver a powerful message. That 0-care is theft and a rip off of the middle class and you will find out very soon we were right

[JohnBrowdie]

Going to be a real treat watching the sellouts trying to get back on that train.

I think there are some people that need to remember who the real enemy is, and who really hijacked our healthcare.

[Secret Agent Man]

i expected it since before they passed it.

[raygunfan]

the comments on the story are all liberal gibberish.....it’s hilarious....they refuse to see anything but rainbows and unicorns, and any issues are all republican’s fault,

[cripplecreek]

I think there are some people that need to remember who the real enemy is, and who really hijacked our healthcare.
Democrats and their treasonous sacks of kapo puss in the GOP.

[Excellence]

"...and potentially wrecking the entire individual insurance market in short order."

Which is the point of the whole thing.