Less Than One-Third Of Obamacare Exchange Enrollees Were Previously Uninsured

[Valin]

RS: Kentucky woman to Obama: What are you doing to fix Obamacare?

1/31/14

 

A woman confronted the president today on the fact that she lost her insurance, that she liked, and has been struggling feverishly to get her ducks in a row. She asks Obama What are you doing to fix Obamacare?

 

Whoever recorded it didnt include Obamas entire answer, but I suspect thats because it was a lot of the normal bs he spews.

 

[Valin]

 

Bad for Dems when Stewart laughs at them.... Laughs in Pelosi's face about O'care.

 

 

Grrr ya beat me too it!

 

God Bless San Fran Nan! Between her and Slo Joe we'll never run out of material!

 

http://youtu.be/7OFeUm-RvOk

 

Hot Air: Former Clinton aide to Pelosi: Apologize

[clearvision]

Obamacare computers not yet equipped to fix errors: report

The HealthCare.gov website is not yet equipped to handle appeals by thousands of people seeking to correct errors the system made when they were signing up for the new federal healthcare law, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

 

The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, said appeals by about 22,000 people were sitting untouched in a government computer.

 

"And an unknown number of consumers who are trying to get help through less formal means — by calling the health-care marketplace directly — are told that HealthCare.gov's computer system is not yet allowing federal workers to go into enrollment records and change them," according to the Post.

 

It added that the Obama administration had not made public the problem with the appeals system.

 

So they developed a system with no way to make corrections? You better like what you get the first time.

[SrWoodchuck]

Obamacare computers not yet equipped to fix errors: report

 

The HealthCare.gov website is not yet equipped to handle appeals by thousands of people seeking to correct errors the system made when they were signing up for the new federal healthcare law, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

 

The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, said appeals by about 22,000 people were sitting untouched in a government computer.

 

"And an unknown number of consumers who are trying to get help through less formal means — by calling the health-care marketplace directly — are told that HealthCare.gov's computer system is not yet allowing federal workers to go into enrollment records and change them," according to the Post.

 

It added that the Obama administration had not made public the problem with the appeals system.

 

So they developed a system with no way to make corrections? You better like what you get the first time.

 

I don't like what I got the first time....in '08.....and I hated getting it again in 2012.....

[Valin]

@clearvision @SrWoodchuck

 

Gentlemen, I will have you know that the system is fixed a fully functional (let joy be unrestrained)! The President told us that last night on national TV.

[Valin]

Labor union officials say Obama betrayed them in health-care rollout

Steven Mufson and Tom Hamburger

2/1/14

 

Labor leaders who have spent months lobbying unsuccessfully for special protections under the Affordable Care Act warned this week that the White Houses continued refusal to help is dampening union support for Democratic candidates in this years midterm elections.

 

Leaders of two major unions, including the first to endorse Obama in 2008, said they have been betrayed by an administration that wooed their support for the 2009 legislation with promises to later address the peculiar needs of union-negotiated insurance plans that cover millions of workers.

 

Their complaints reflect a broad sense of disappointment among many labor leaders, who say the Affordable Care Act has subjected union health plans to new taxes and mandates while not allowing them to share in the subsidies that have gone to private insurance companies competing on the newly created exchanges.

 

(snip)

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

[Valin]

How ObamaCare Misreads America

The Washington elites who designed the law must be bewildered: Why doesn't everyone behave as they do?

Michael Barone

Feb. 2, 2014

 

People learn from their mistakes. Or they canand should. Which is the reason we should try to learn from the revelations of mistakes about health care and health insurance since the passage of ObamaCare. The evidence is not all in. But it seems that Americans are not behaving as ObamaCare's architectsand many criticsexpected.

 

Start with the assumption that just about everyone wants health insurance. You can easily find polls that support this proposition. ObamaCare architects assumed that if you offered health insurance with subsidies for those with relatively modest incomes, those currently uninsured would flock to apply. So far that seems not to have happened. A McKinsey & Co. survey of those thought to be eligible for ObamaCare health-care exchanges found that only 11% of those who bought new coverage between November 2013 and January 2014 were previously uninsured.

 

(Snip)

 

A second assumption of ObamaCare's architects is that health insurance will make people healthier. That assumption has been tested in Oregon. In 2008 the state government, with limited Medicaid funds, held a lottery to determine which people who were eligible for Medicaid would be enrolled. The result was an unusual randomized control trial of similarly motivated people with and without insurance. The results, reported in the May 2013 New England Journal of Medicine, were that after two years there was no significant difference between insured and uninsured in blood-sugar level, blood pressure and cholesterol levelsalthough those with Medicaid saved money and were less likely to suffer depression.

 

A third assumption is that those with health insurance are more likely to seek care from physicians and less likely to go to emergency rooms. But the Oregon health study showed that those with Medicaid were 40% more likely to go to emergency rooms than those without insurance.

 

(Snip)

[clearvision]

Obamacare computers not yet equipped to fix errors: report

 

The HealthCare.gov website is not yet equipped to handle appeals by thousands of people seeking to correct errors the system made when they were signing up for the new federal healthcare law, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

 

The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, said appeals by about 22,000 people were sitting untouched in a government computer.

 

"And an unknown number of consumers who are trying to get help through less formal means — by calling the health-care marketplace directly — are told that HealthCare.gov's computer system is not yet allowing federal workers to go into enrollment records and change them," according to the Post.

 

It added that the Obama administration had not made public the problem with the appeals system.

 

So they developed a system with no way to make corrections? You better like what you get the first time.

From elsewhere:

 

.... declined to say when the computer program to process those appeals is expected to be finished, or which contractor is working on the program. The administration recently tapped the consulting firm Accenture to replace CGI as the lead contractor responsible for HealthCare.gov’s ongoing construction.

 

 

"Declined to say when" ... meaning "Oh we totally forgot about appeals and updates"..

[Valin]

 

From elsewhere:

 

.... declined to say when the computer program to process those appeals is expected to be finished, or which contractor is working on the program. The administration recently tapped the consulting firm Accenture to replace CGI as the lead contractor responsible for HealthCare.gov’s ongoing construction.

 

 

"Declined to say when" ... meaning "Oh we totally forgot about appeals and updates"..

 

 

 

Why should there be any need for appeals and updates? The system has been fixed, and so any talk of appeals or the need to update that system is just talk by troublemakers....and they will be dealt with.

 

Here we see our crack crew of skilled professionals repairing the ACA web site.

[pollyannaish]

The Chart That Could Sink Obamacare

Chris Conover

 

Health policy wonks are likely familiar with a chart that got wide circulation in the blogosphere in late October (especially among progressives)characterized by David Weigel at Slate as The Chart That Could Save Obamacare. Originally created by Brookings fellow Justin Wolfers and Tweeted on Halloween, the chart was based on estimates provided by Jonathan Gruber in an interview with Ryan Lizza that appeared in The New Yorker. Heres the bottom line as summarized by Lizza:

Gruber summarized his stats: ninety-seven per cent of Americans are either left alone or are clear winners, while three per cent are arguably losers. We have to as a society be able to accept that, he said. Dont get me wrong, thats a shame, but no law in the history of America makes everyone better off.

(Snip)

 

 

The Harsh Reality of Obamacare

 

Jon Gruber is not exactly an impartial observer. After all, he was an architect of both Romneycare in MA and Obamacare who has avidly championed the plan from the op-ed pages of the New York Times and Washington Post, in media interviews on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News, among others. In the words of ABC News, Gruber has been a go-to voice for reporters seeking a respected academic view on health care reform costs. But he also has been criticized for not disclosing that since March 2009, he had been a paid consultant to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, to the tune of nearly $400,000 paid for his work in modeling health reform options. As one critic aptly summarized the situation: Gruber has an obvious professional interest in seeing Obamacare implemented and in arguing for it. So lets unpack his rosy claims with a more critical eye keeping in mind that his figures (and my alternative estimates) are intended to serve as an extremely rough approximation of a very complicated reality.

My version of the chart is a little more fine-grained since I wanted to distinguish between big winners and losers (for whom the impact of Obamacare might be measured in thousands of dollars) versus small and minimal winners and losers for whom the impact would be much less profound.

 

 

(Snip)

We did not have a big policy change yet. However in the last few weeks we have discovered that many required tests that were covered by instance are now considered optional even though the doctor has to require them to get a good patient care rating and keep from getting fined.

 

So I get to choose: pay cash for the needed tests that keep me healthy, or live with the consequences. So ok. What is the governments angle here? To use that to pay for reassignment procedures and abortion?

[pollyannaish]

Journalists may be bored with it, but this disaster has barely begun. Wow.

[Valin]

@pollyannaish

 

 

So ok. What is the governments angle here?

 

 

Ever see Logan's run?

You know Grand Ma Grand Pa, you've lived a long life and you're starting to cost more than you produce, so maybe it's time for you to go.

 

ok I know this is a dystopian view, but....if we can kill people in the womb.....know what I mean?

[Valin]

Journalists may be bored with it, but this disaster has barely begun. Wow.

 

 

Oh it's being covered alright and everything is just wonderful.

[Valin]

Oregon’s Obamacare Scandal: Fraud Charges?\
Steven Hayward
2/3/14

 

John wrote here a few weeks ago about the fiasco of Oregon’s state-designed Obamacare exchange, and especially how his old college classmate, the current governor John Kitzhaber, walked out of a TV interview when pressed on the issue. Maybe he walked out to avoid having to admit that the whole situation is worse than had been disclosed–that Oregon may in fact face federal fraud charges. That’s the allegation reported today by a state legislator:

 

 

PORTLAND, Ore. – You already know the process that led to the failed rollout of the Cover Oregon website was bad. But was it criminally bad?

 

Former Republican state Rep. Patrick Sheehan told the KATU Investigators he has gone to the FBI with allegations that Cover Oregon project managers initiated the design of dummy web pages to convince the federal government the project was further along than it actually was.

(Snip)

 

 

I’m sure Eric Holder’s Justice Department will be all over this. (/sarc)

[clearvision]

ObamaCare network vulnerable to cyber attack

 

U.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website, raising fresh concerns that private data posted by millions of Americans will be compromised.

 

The intelligence agencies notified the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of the HealthCare.gov network, about their concerns.

 

Specifically, officials warned that programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, were suspected of inserting malicious code that could be used for cyber attacks, according to U.S. officials familiar with the concerns.

 

 

Probably just FOX trying to stir up trouble for Obama.

[Valin]

ObamaCare network vulnerable to cyber attack

 

U.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website, raising fresh concerns that private data posted by millions of Americans will be compromised.

 

The intelligence agencies notified the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of the HealthCare.gov network, about their concerns.

 

Specifically, officials warned that programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, were suspected of inserting malicious code that could be used for cyber attacks, according to U.S. officials familiar with the concerns.

Probably just FOX trying to stir up trouble for Obama.

 

 

The Belarusian Connection

Obamacare network vulnerable to cyber attack

Bill Gertz

February 3, 2014

 

U.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website, raising fresh concerns that private data posted by millions of Americans will be compromised.

 

The intelligence agencies notified the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of the Healthcare.gov network, about their concerns last week. Specifically, officials warned that programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, were suspected of inserting malicious code that could be used for cyber attacks, according to U.S. officials familiar with the concerns.

The software links the millions of Americans who signed up for Obamacare to the federal government and more than 300 medical institutions and healthcare providers.

 

The U.S. Affordable Care Act software was written in part in Belarus by software developers under state control, and that makes the software a potential target for cyber attacks, one official said.

(Snip)

[clearvision]

Affordable Care Act Seen Cutting 2.3 Million Full-Time Workers by 2021

 

The Affordable Care Act is projected to reduce the number of full-time workers by roughly 2.3 million people through 2021 and insure 2 million fewer people this year than previously estimated, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.

 

The CBO had previously estimated the labor force impact would be around 800,000 people in that time frame. CBO said the jobs figures largely represent Americans who will choose not to work rather than those who will lose their jobs or have their workweeks reduced because of the law.

 

The new estimates could further complicate the political landscape for many vulnerable Democrats, as Republicans are planning to use the health-care law as a key cudgel in November. The White House has also been working to try and reverse the number of workers who are leaving the labor market, and CBO's new estimates on this phenomenon could also embolden many in the GOP.

 

Now they tell us....

[Valin]

Affordable Care Act Seen Cutting 2.3 Million Full-Time Workers by 2021

More Here The Hill

[Valin]

Animals call for O-Care sign-ups in national PSA
Elise Viebeck
2/4/14

Household pets have joined the chorus of activists calling for people to sign up for ObamaCare coverage.
In a large new advertising campaign, dogs, cats, birds and fish sing to the camera, urging their owners to "enroll today" in health coverage under the reform law.
"There's a plan for every budget, so don't accept defeat … You can get covered and still buy me treats," the animals sing.

Aimed at uninsured young women, the public service announcements (PSAs) may become some of the most visible pro-ObamaCare ads on television.
The spots will air on thousands of media outlets thanks to the campaign's co-sponsor, the nonprofit Ad Council, which creates and distributes PSAs.
An average Ad Council campaign receives at least $30 million in donated time and space from the media, according to a press memo.

(Snip)

[Valin]

Didnt vs. couldnt

Gary Gross

04 February 2014

 

This article highlights a clash between Rep. Kurt Daudt and Rep. Paul Thissen. It doesnt sound like much of a difference but its significant:

 

 

Thissen, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member from Minneapolis, said theres clearly been problems, significant problems, in the implementation of it but that the bugs are getting worked out and the system will provide coverage for thousands who hadnt previously had it.

 

When Thissen started criticizing proposed GOP alternatives, Daudt, a Republican from Crown, jumped in, saying Minnesotans dont want a blame game.

 

The whole philosophy behind this is flawed, Daudt said of MNsure. Under the states old system, he said, about 93 percent of people had coverage. We scrapped the system that was a leader in the country, Daudt said, to go to one thats riddled with problems.

 

But that 7 percent who couldnt get coverage under the old system represents about half a million people that the state has a moral obligation to help, Thissen said. Until Daudt has a solution for that group, you ought to stop pointing fingers, he said.

When he was a member of one of the committees with jurisdiction on the HHS omnibus bill, Steve Gottwalt pointed out that 93% of Minnesotans had health insurance and that half of those that didnt have health insurance were eligible for a government-offered health insurance. That means approximately 96.5% of Minnesotans were eligible for government-offered insurance or had health insurance.

 

Thats before questioning whether the other 3.5% of Minnesotans wanted insurance. Its possible that a significant portion of those people didnt want health insurance.

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

5 Devastating Obamacare Facts From CBO’s Latest Economic Report
Sean Davis
2/4/14

 

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest analysis of the country’s economic and budget outlook, and it’s a doozy. If you’re a Denver Broncos fan who watched in horror as your team disintegrated during the Super Bowl on Sunday, then you’ll have some idea of how Obamacare’s proponents will feel as they read this report.

 

Yes, it’s that bad.

 

It’s so bad that there’s even a report section entitled, “How Much Will the ACA Reduce Employment in the Longer Term?” (Spoiler alert: a lot). As predicted by its conservative opponents, Obamacare has indeed destroyed jobs, increased spending, and made health care less accessible.

 

Here are 5 facts from CBO’s report that illustrate how the law’s effects bear no resemblance whatsoever to its namesake’s promises.

 

(Snip)

[clearvision]

Dems are saying the lost jobs are a good thing because those people did not really want to work. They were only working to pay for health care. Now that it is (or they think it is) paid for them they can quit there jobs at a younger age. This means younger people who really want to work will be able to.

[SrWoodchuck]

Dems are saying the lost jobs are a good thing because those people did not really want to work. They were only working to pay for health care. Now that it is (or they think it is) paid for them they can quit there jobs at a younger age. This means younger people who really want to work will be able to.

 

And the older ones that quit....can now be euthanized under Obamacare-less Death Panels. Win-Win.

[Valin]

5 Devastating Obamacare Facts From CBOs Latest Economic Report

Sean Davis

2/4/14

 

 

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest analysis of the countrys economic and budget outlook, and its a doozy. If youre a Denver Broncos fan who watched in horror as your team disintegrated during the Super Bowl on Sunday, then youll have some idea of how Obamacares proponents will feel as they read this report.

 

 

 

Yes, its that bad.

 

 

Its so bad that theres even a report section entitled, How Much Will the ACA Reduce Employment in the Longer Term? (Spoiler alert: a lot). As predicted by its conservative opponents, Obamacare has indeed destroyed jobs, increased spending, and made health care less accessible.

 

Here are 5 facts from CBOs report that illustrate how the laws effects bear no resemblance whatsoever to its namesakes promises.

 

(Snip)

 

How the White House Tried to Spin Todays CBO Report

John Hinderaker

2/4/14

 

(Snip)

 

This was not interpreted as good news for Obamacare, so Jay Carney swung into action with a Statement by the Press Secretary on Todays CBO Report and the Affordable Care Act. Carneys statement typifies the duplicity we have come to expect from the Obama administration:

 

 

Claims that the Affordable Care Act hurts jobs are simply belied by the facts in the CBO report. CBOs findings are not driven by an assumption that ACA will lead employers to eliminate jobs or reduce hours, in fact, the report itself says that there is no compelling evidence that part-time employment has increased as a result of the ACA.

 

Note that Carney doesnt mention the CBOs bottom line, that working hours equivalent to two million jobs will be foregone. It is true that the report says there is no compelling evidence that part-time employment has increased as a result of the ACA, but that is hardly surprising, since the employer mandate wont go into effect until 2015. After the language quoted by Carney, the report goes on to say, In any event, because the employer penalty will not take effect until 2015, the current lack of direct evidence may not be very informative about the ultimate effects of the ACA.

 

It is true, too, that the CBO attributes the 1.5% to 2% annual shortfall in hours worked almost entirely to disincentives to work rather than to lack of demand by employers. But this is partly because the CBO thinks employers will be able to pass Obamacare penalties on to their employees. The CBOs discussion of this point is interesting and warrants reproducing in full:

[clearvision]

Obamacare enrollees hit snags at doctor's offices

 

After overcoming website glitches and long waits to get Obamacare, some patients are now running into frustrating new roadblocks at the doctor's office.

 

A month into the most sweeping changes to healthcare in half a century, people are having trouble finding doctors at all, getting faulty information on which ones are covered and receiving little help from insurers swamped by new business.

 

Experts have warned for months that the logjam was inevitable. But the extent of the problems is taking by surprise many patients — and even doctors — as frustrations mount.

Maria Berumen, a tax preparer in Downey, was uninsured for years because of preexisting conditions. The 53-year-old was thrilled to find coverage for herself and her husband for $148 a month after qualifying for a big government subsidy.

 

She jumped at the chance in early January to visit a primary-care doctor for long-running numbness in her arm and shoulder as a result of bone spurs on her spine. The doctor referred her to a specialist, and problems ensued. At least four doctors wouldn't accept her health plan — even though the state exchange website and her insurer, Health Net Inc., list them as part of her HMO network.

"I'm a complete fan of the Affordable Care Act, but now I can't sleep at night," Nelson said. "I can't imagine this is how President Obama wanted it to happen."

 

 

I'm shocked!