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Obamacare Enrollment Is Going Better Than You Think

Posted by Michelle Moquin on November 30th, 2013

Good morning!

Obamacare is obviously still a very talked about topic in the news. And I am happy to see so many of you getting involved and responding to what is going on. There are a lot of lies being spewed, as yes, there are those that oppose and want Obama and whatever he does to be a failure. I am here to support his actions, and HOPEfully get out the good that is really happening with health care and other issues.

As you know, it is a continual process as there are so many that are against his success in anything he does. But...there are also many that are in support. I am one. And if you’re here, except for a few (you know who you are), most likely you are too.

From Think Progress:

Obamacare Update

Nov 12, 2013 | By CAP Action War Room

Obamacare Enrollment Is Going Better Than You Think, Here’s Why

It’s shaping up to be another big week on the Obamacare front.

Tomorrow, House Republican Inquisitor-in-Chief Darrell Issa is planning a hearing on HealthCare.gov’s woes. Facts, of course, rarely get in the way of Issa’s attacks on the Obama administration. For example, an Issa aide even went so far last week as to defend a false and widely-criticized 60 Minutes piece on Benghazi that has since been retracted. Issa’smisleading leaks ahead of the Obamacare hearing indicate it will be about as fair and balanced as his previous investigations into Solyndra, Benghazi, and the IRS non-scandal.

On Friday, the House of Representatives will consider a bill that takes advantage of the controversy over dropped policies in order to remove key consumer protections in Obamacare. This will be the 48th such vote in the Republican-controlled House, which refuses to take up important bills like ENDA and claims it doesn’t have time to deal with immigration reform (though Republicans did find time earlier this year to pass a measure to deport DREAMers).

In related news, Congress’ approval rating dropped to another single-digit record low.

The Obama administration is also due to release the first official statistics on the number of Americans who enrolled in health coverage during the month of October, when HealthCare.gov’s functionality was at its worst.

ThinkProgress rounds up six reasons why enrollment is actually going better than you think:

1. More than 500,000 have signed up for insurance overall. Avalere Health, a consulting firm tracking sign-ups, estimates that at least 440,000 people have signed up for Medicaid and another 49,000 people enrolled in coverage in 12 states and the District of Columbia that are operating their own exchanges. Significantly, that state number don’t appear to include enrollment from California, Massachusetts, or Oregon. Thus, all told, more than 529,000 have enrolled in coverage.

2. People are enrolling despite an error-ridden website. Some enrollees — particularly the younger and healthier population who does not absolutely need coverage — may be putting off enrollment given HealthCare.gov’s technical glitches or are waiting until the website is fixed to sign up. The administration reports that more visitors are now successfully getting through the enrollment process from beginning to end, but the website is still struggling to process enrollees and deliver accurate and verifiable information to health insurers. “Given all of the web site problems, I think 50,000 sounds pretty good, if this is actual private plan enrollments through the federal marketplace,” Tim Jost, a professor at William & Mary, told ThinkProgress. “I am surprised it is that high. But I hope it picks up for November and takes off for December. ”

3. The Massachusetts experience predicted low early enrollment. In the first four months of enrollment in Commonwealth Care — the Massachusetts health care exchange for subsidized care — 15,560 of an estimated 80,000 uninsuredwho qualified for coverage signed up and after the first full year, one-third of the total eligible population — 122,000 people — became insured. The road to nearly universal coverage was gradual, as enrollment didn’t fully ramp up until almost a year after the initial rollout. Significantly, early enrollment data also showed a high number of Medicaid enrollees.**

4. New public programs slowly ramp up to coverage. “Enrollment in new programs begins slowly and often takes several months to build momentum,” saidAvalere CEO Dan Mendelson. Indeed, The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and President George W. Bush’s Medicare Part D experienced this very same enrollment pattern. As Stan Dorn, a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, told ThinkProgress, “It’s like any other human activity, it takes time to figure out how to do it right. CHIP, a bipartisan Clinton-era initiative that primarily provides health insurance to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, initially fell far short of enrollment goals and more than half of the seniors who signed up for Medicare Part D didn’t do so until after the initial enrollment period and enrolled despite the Bush administration’s well-publicized initial glitches in extending coverage to low-income beneficiaries.

5. The government didn’t market Obamacare. Given the technical glitches plaguing the site, the administration and outside groups couldn’t deploy a big public campaign urging uninsured people to sign-up for coverage and did not run a heavy media campaign in the 36 states where the federal government is operating the exchanges. As a result, news about reform was saturated by the website’s problems and likely depressed enrollment.

6. People less likely to sign up now for coverage that begins in January. “One would assume that people who are older and in poorer health would be the most persistent, at least initially, in navigating the federal website despite all the glitches and inability to complete the process,” Edwin Park, Vice President for Health Policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said. This may be part of the reason why the insurance risk pools are coming in older than originally predicted. Administration officials say they expect younger people to enroll in coverage closer to the deadline (and when the first bill is due).

**Here is a chart of enrollment for Commonwealth Care in 2007, the low-income program:

*****

Readers: Any more thoughts?

Happy Saturday!! Blog me.

Peace out.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, November 30th, 2013 at 10:35 am and is filed under Health & Well Being. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

16 Responses to “Obamacare Enrollment Is Going Better Than You Think”

Owen Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:32 am
Woo hoo! 1.5 M approvals within ACA’s first Month: Nationwide, nearly 1.1 million people have been deemed eligible to get insurance through one of the new marketplaces, according to applications that have been submitted by consumers, the Department of Health and Human Services reported.

An additional 396,000 people have been deemed eligible for the government’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, officials reported.

Payments aren’t due until December for 1/1/14 coverage with enrollment extended through 3/31/14.
John Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:33 am
“estimates that at least 440,000 people have signed up for Medicaid”

Translation: didn’t actually get health insurance.
Allen Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:34 am
Owen, I’m sure the 5M+ folks that have lost insurance so far don’t feel like they are winning. Are you paying more? I am.
Burns Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:36 am
John;

Because they are not contributing to the greater pool and helping lower costs. Every person on medicare is lost buying power in the private market.”

Everyone I have ever known who was on Medicare put all their money into the private market. They spend what they have on all kinds of things. It may not be health care directly, but what is the standard we proceed from?

As a Christian, I am committed to helping those in need. It is what we are about. I begin from the premises that we see to it these people are taken care of.
If they can help fund that, fine. If they can’t, we still take care of them.
Human life before dollars, man.

This, by the way, is how the French approach it. The begin with the notion that “Dammit, we are going to take care of our people.” Then they figured out how and came up with a system that is far better than ours and costs half as much.

They have the same approach toward education so the cost does not determine how far a student goes.

John, try starting out with helping all get basic necessities as an attitude and see what follows.
Andy Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:37 am
John, what do you think people on medicare do with their money put it in offshore accounts?lol.. They benefit their immediate community because they buy goods and services right there locally.
Burns Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:38 am
Owen, one think lacking is voter registration forms so those not registered to vote can do so when they sign up. Then they are ready when the Republicans try to take away their health insurance and the Republicans will have to find something else to be scared of….
Owen Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:39 am
Allen, NY premiums fall 70% 1/1/14. Keep your old plan: Now Cancelled Health Policies Can Be Renewed through 2014. Insurance companies will be required to tell people renewing cancelled plans of alt options & benefits they’ll lose! http://www.alan.com/2013/11/14/obama-to-announce-cancelled-health-policies-can-be-renewed/

95% of the US has 2 or more insurance Co’s to choose from under the ACA. Check HC.gov or call.
Andy Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:39 am
Owen, but it will still be blamed on ACORN
Barkley Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:41 am
I hope I can get sum birf control free fo my ***, and free abotions too, I’m getting tired of usin that coat hanger… Republicans hates thems wemons,, mm,my, sho does.nigs
Owen Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:42 am
Burns, Via The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the ACA must ask ‘Would you like to register to vote?’ Obamacare is a better vote getter and registration vehicle than the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) than ’1,000 points of blinking boob lights’-as grampa.usthai may post.
Burns Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:43 am
Burn’S SECOND LAW OF POLITICS
Conservatives want to give the most to those with least need, and give the least to those with most need;
with liberals it is generally the opposite.
Andy Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:44 am
Barkley, I wish your mom could have gotten free birth control.
Burns Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:46 am
Owen:

Yeah, I keep saying that.
It’s a nightmare for Republicans for more than one reason.
First, it is a nightmare for them because millions of Americans are getting health insurance.

Republicans oppose those in need getting help.
Second, those getting insurance will be registered to vote, and we know Republicans prefer fewer people voting.

This is their vision for America being done in by the nightmare of Americans having their lives improved and voting for those who helped them out.
Banks Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 3:48 am
At this stage of the game. If every little right wing comment is refuted (in the media) at this stage, they’ll come up with new shit to refute.

I say give them a little rope. There will be time to shoot all them all down – they got nothing.
Gloria Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 10:16 am
burdened beneath the downside of life
every man cries his progeny.
job days clamor the blank minded sweat
for bread and roof and shoes.
plurals of humanity
ever and over abundant,
breed to mold a strong economy
of blood in minor war.
mothers of slight casualties weep,
bureaucrats decree
obscene shipnents of strong,
young flesh
and the up side of life hymn sings.
Sally Says:
December 1st, 2013 at 10:35 am
What no regulars? This is becoming a blog like any other. Where is the special flavor that makes this blog our blog?

Eh, Zen Lill, Howie, Anonz, Social Butterfly, and my favorite missing royal Prism Princess?

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