Politico: “Hey, That “Affordable” Care Act Is Not Working Out So Well”

28 Oct, 2013 by William Teach

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Is this a random act of journalism or do the writers understand that Obamacare is a really bad law which is causing a lot of problems and will only get worse?

(Politico) President Barack Obama has said it again and again: Obamacare is more than just a website. And he’s right – the Affordable Care Act’s benefits aren’t limited to healthcare.gov.

Neither are its hangups. (snip)

Consumers are suffering from sticker shock; a major cross-section of previously insured Americans are finding out that their plans are changing to conform with Obamacare even though the president promised they wouldn’t; evidence of customer satisfaction is anecdotal; and there’s still no guarantee that the young “invincibles,” who must make up 20 percent to 30 percent of the pool to make the exchanges work, will actually enroll. (snip)

Despite assurances from the White House, insurers are sending out cancellation notices by the tens of thousands in states around the country. That’s because a bunch of carriers are discontinuing the plans they sold in the individual market. Sure, some are offering to transition the people over into their new exchange plans – but it is, at a minimum, inconvenient. For some, it’s more than that: there are people happy with the cheaper, leaner coverage they have now and don’t want to shell out for the expanded benefits. Now they have to.

The few people who made it through the website are seeing their options for the first time, and some are not happy about what they’re seeing. Those with lower incomes are eligible for substantial subsidies, but middle income folks making 400 percent of poverty or more don’t get a thing, and the new insurance market rules are driving their premiums way up – in some cases doubling them, or more.

Obamacare desperately needs young, healthy people to sign up through the Exchanges in order to avoid a complete collapse from payouts for health care for those who aren’t healthy. People who had insurance they liked are being dropped by the hundreds of thousands, not tens of thousands. The replacement insurance isn’t typically as good, in terms of coverage, cost, and deductibles, as people previously had.

Papers all across the country are discovering that the “Affordable” Care Act is doing exactly what ACA opponents said it would do, even before passage in the dead of night with parliamentary tricks and bribes. The LA Times, certainly one of the big cheerleaders, had a front page story about the issues on the 26th. Grandfathered plans aren’t necessarily grandfathered. Companies haven’t started to receive their cancellation notices. And, let’s not forget, if anyone or any business wants to make changes, even minor ones, grandfathered status ends.

So, harping on healthcare.fail is fun, but the website is simply a symptom of a catastrophic law.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.