Obamacare / Affordable Care Act : classic or dud?

*raises hand* I still have to actually go out and use it, though.

there was a glitch in my application to oregon's expanded medicaid program, so i didn't receive my introductory packet for a long time. however, whoever runs the twitter account for the oregon exchange was basically telling people "email me if you're having problems and i'll figure it out," so i did and they did! they also sent me a copy of the entire email chain generated by my request, like four different people all in communication with each other trying to pinpoint the source of the error. it was pretty cool.

Cool i hope they send me a packet i have given them my address three time now.

Apparently you can now keep your insurance for another two years if you want.

In other words, Obama is afeared that there will be blowback in the midterms.

Another proud moment in US politics.

All of the voters that were angry about Obamacare will now vote for democrats because of the extension. Brilliant political move, at least a dozen dimensions of chess right there, these guys are in charge for a good reason!

btw I haven't actually read any conformation on this so I'm trusting that dandydonweiner's account is 100% accurate

I signed up via the exchange but didn't have any kind of subsidy.

ah, here we go: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/us/politics/obama-extends-renewal-period-for-noncompliant-insurance-policies.html?hp&_r=0

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would allow consumers to renew health insurance policies that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act for two more years.

The action helps Democrats in tight midterm election races because it avoids the cancellation of insurance policies that would otherwise have occurred at the height of the political campaign season this fall.

it's really weird that the second sentence is stated as a fact

so the masterfully executed strategy was

1. have obama repeatedly say "if you like your policy, you can keep it"
2. get absolutely destroyed in the media for many months because it turned out that in many cases, no, you couldn't keep your policy if it was non-compliant, no matter how much you liked it.
3. wait patiently until the firestorm of criticism over 1 and 2 has successfully angered every single voter who would ever hear about it and care one way or another
4. go ahead and let people keep their policy if they like it

can I start a get-rich quick scheme by making new policies that don't conform, or is it only ones that are grandfathered in?

I think a bunch of them are of the format: "send us $20 per month, and if you have a catastrophic injury, we'll pay up to $10,000 after you satisfy the $9500 deductible"

tbh I'm surprised anyone is surprised by this latest laffer

it's all over now, baby soetero

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-obama-care/031214-693001-latest-obama-mandate-exemption-change-guarantees-obamacare-failure.htm

I think weakening the mandate is a bad thing, but

Another easy out: Just fail to pay a utility bill until a shut-off notice arrives. Send that in and — poof! — hardship exemption.

wtf dude

"I'll just have my power shut off! It'll be fun! Easy peasy!"

That's something you do after deciding to have more children to scam extra food stamps.

i've seen today apoplectic stories that the white-house has fatally undermined obamacare by compromising on the individual-mandate, and stories from aca-focused journalists saying it's no big deal. anyone know what's happening here, in a sentence?

i prefer to be apoplectic, honestly. c'est cathartique !

It continues to boggle my mind that people who work in and around health care blame every new change on "Obamacare." I worked with a transport person today who was convinced that the "government" is behind the (often absurd) pilot projects and studies at my place of employment. How does anyone who knows anything not realize that it's about insurance exchanges, not about doctors and administrators doing studies that (while sometimes absurd) do impact medical and nursing practices?

can I start a get-rich quick scheme by making new policies that don't conform, or is it only ones that are grandfathered in?

only grandfathered policies

;_;

so what if i claim that my grandfather created the new non-conforming policies?

Ok so I got the address of where to mail my proof to (just a copy of my driver's license) and it will take 2 weeks but if you have been trying and unsuccessful they are lenient on time so March 31st isn't the end-all-be-all date.

Still, it's silly, and hasn't made me feel like my account is any safer, in fact, now I have given out my personal info to 4 people over the phone. The mind boggles trying to imagine exactly how someone would steal my identity and use it to sign up for health insurance. Pretty sure the 'insurance fraud' scare tactics are just another chip in the massive giveaway to private industry that this is. Going through this process, I have had multiple people tell me I should get a credit card, get loans, etc., - not just these companies I have to talk to on the phone to access my stuff - but friends that are genuinely trying to help.

I pay for everything in cash, whether it is buying a car or going to college. If I can't afford it, I don't want it.

Clearly the insurance industry and credit industry are hand-in-hand, and no doubt had as much of a say in writing the ACA.

Still, I'm going to finally get health insurance! I am so excited.

That is awesome.

congrats, man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJLSopIWnc

lebron is proud of you.

bron constantly hawking products he doesnt use like staying in school and govt healthcare

that'll end now that he is past his prime and unlikely to get future endorsement deals.

haha

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/obamacare-deadline/obamacare-website-fails-deadline-arrives-n67666

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/03/31/obamacare-fails-to-collapse-time-to-move-on-folks/

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_03/waiting_for_the_obamacare_alte049701.php

there's no secret to what the gop will offer as an aca "alternative," right? they will impose caps on med/mal suits; emphasize, as a bipartisan measure, new steps to further prevent and prosecute health-care fraud; propose "high-risk" pools; and propose allowing insurers of one state to sell policies to citizens of another state (on the theory that competition reduces prices and increases consumer-choice).

these are humdrum or totally regressive ideas. and they're all stale, across the board (except for further fraud-busting measures, which should be bipartisan and should be applauded).

A friend was trying to go online yesterday to make sure they had an extended deadline and it was too busy all day.

I'm still waiting on snail mail from the regional center...

nice article talking about how enrollment will continue during non-open enrollment parts of the year: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/obamacare-enrollment-is-far-from-over

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obamacare-cuts-kentucky-uninsured-rate-by-40-percent

Impressive

The governor was on Chris Hayes' show last night touting this phenomenon.

LOL @ POTUS-BO for sending this out on April Fool's Day. suck it "conservatives"

Hello everyone,

Last night, the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act came to an end.

And this afternoon, we announced that 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through the new Health Insurance Marketplaces.

7.1 million.

That doesn't count the more than 3 million young adults who have gained insurance under this law by staying on their families' plans. It doesn't count the millions more who have gotten covered through the expansion of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It doesn't include the more than 100 million folks who now have better care -- who are receiving additional benefits, like mammograms and contraceptive care, at no extra cost.

Now, millions of our fellow Americans have the comfort and peace of mind that comes with knowing they're no longer leaving their health and well-being to chance. For many of them, quality health insurance wasn't an option until this year -- maybe because they couldn't afford it, or because a pre-existing condition kept them locked out of a discriminatory system.

Today, that's changed. And while our long-broken health care system may not be completely fixed, it's without question a lot better. That's something to be proud of -- and there's no good reason to go back.

Regardless of your politics, or your feelings about the Affordable Care Act, millions more Americans with health coverage is something that's good for our economy and our country.

At the end of the day, that is what this law -- and the other reforms we're fighting for, from a 21st-century immigration system to a fairer wage for every American who's willing to work for it -- are all about:

Making sure our country lives up to our highest ideals.

I am thankful to be your President today, and every day. And I am proud that this law will continue to make life better for millions of Americans in the years to come.

Thank you.

President Barack Obama

Great responses to Ted Cruz's FB poll about Obamacare:

https://www.facebook.com/SenatorTedCruz/posts/517779935000978

ahahahaha

According to Byron York, if you are getting Medicaid benefits or you are 26 years or younger and getting coverage on your parents’ health insurance plan, you simply do not exist. There are an estimated seven and a half million people in this country that fall into one of those two categories and now have access to health care that they would not have enjoyed if John McCain had won the 2008 election, but they don’t count.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ten-miles-square/2014/04/if_obamacare_helps_you_you_don049707.php#

am i wrong in thinking that there are millions still without coverage because they 1) can't afford even the most basic plans & 2) their states have rejected medicaid expansion? so they fall into a doughnut hole of sorts, where they're too "rich" for classic medicaid but too poor to afford a plan?

That sounds about right. Heard someone suggest that the White House should allow in the long-term more basic cheaper plans, but it concerns me that they could get caught in a Republican race to the bottom bind that way with insurance plans that don't really provide anything. Not sure where the happy medium is. There is also so much variance between states-- with so many Republican southern states opting out of the Medicaid expansion. Plus the cost iof insurance plans are varying widely across the country. I heard a cynic say US healthcare costs will remain higher than those of Canada and Germany, no matter what (even if Obamacare changes do limit the rate of increased costs here somewhat).

that "doughnut hole" points to the fact that ACA didn't really address the root issue plaguing US healthcare: the exorbitant and often times arbitrary costs involved relative to what the rest of the world pays. Yes, more people can now have access to outrageously price-gouged healthcare, super.

Theoretically, getting more more folks with insurance and medicaid who are not just showing up in the ER will help push down healthcare costs a bit. But it will take more.

yep. they tackled the one problem which can be addressed in a pro-business way, and ingorned all the rest. Shocking.

so the most recent conservative talking points re: ACA seem to be

1. The bulk of the 7 MIL sign ups had been kicked off their previous plans in 2013 and forced to sign up for new plans under ACA, so the net gains are minimal.

2. No one who's signed up for ACA has actually paid for their plans yet, so those numbers aren't even real.

My assumption is that both points are complete BS, not even sure what #2 is supposed to mean really. Has anyone seen these addressed anywhere or do they only exist in the fevered minds of republicans?

the latter. no one's paid yet because premiums aren't due yet. grasping at straws, Repubs are.

re: #1, people didn't get kicked off old plan and then just told to go sign up at healthcare.gov. They were mapped onto new ACA-compliant plans, which didn't happen via the exchanges (though some could've decided on their own they wanted to actively shop for their new plan rather than be passively placed on one)

I mean my employer represents 1 company working in 5 states and we have 9 million members. Roughly 75% of those 9 million had non-grandfathered plans and so had to be mapped onto ACA ones. That's 6.75 mil right there who "had to sign up for Obamacare cause got kicked off old policy". ie the 7 mil figure mostly doesn't include these people.

Mapped on to a new ACA-compliant plan, or had to seek out a new plan from the marketplace? I think the numbers are marketplace-only.

My numbers there are out of date, just checked and we have 14 mil members. So that's 10.5 mil that got "kicked off" their old policy.

that "doughnut hole" points to the fact that ACA didn't really address the root issue plaguing US healthcare: the exorbitant and often times arbitrary costs involved relative to what the rest of the world pays. Yes, more people can now have access to outrageously price-gouged healthcare, super.

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, April 2, 2014

i think the admin knows this. it has used the aca to begin creating an atmosphere less friendly to fee-for-service reimbursements (which is what keeps health care costs, and utilization, so high) and more friendly to alternative approaches (which reward efforts to keep patients healthier and with less utilization (like "ACOs")).

I'm more worried about the high deductibles I keep reading about (and a relative who's not an Obama hater told me about).