Well Would You Look At That...

[MayReasonRule]

[SheltieLover]

1. They are so stupid they literally do not know ACA is Obamacard

[yellow dahlia]

14. You had me at "they are so stupid".

[eppur_se_muova]

3. What's the source of the data used to construct this graphic ?

First question any MAGAt will ask, so have it ready.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. My question too. And terminology is suspect too: money "spent" does not equal "applications". Could be true, dunno. . nt

[ThreeNoSeep]

6. You have a much higher expectation of MAGA due diligence

Than my experience has been. Remember bleach up the butt to treat COVID?
Still, I do want to know where this came from.

[spooky3]

26. Graph was posted on BlueSky. Reuters is the source:

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-TRUMP/BUDGET/xmvjbqgmkvr/

The story describes how budget cuts would “cut deep” in Trump states.

[eppur_se_muova]

27. Thanks ! graphics are pretty, but not the whole argument ... so thanks. nt

[Wiz Imp]

30. Check out the link in post #25 for Charles Gaba's explanation of what's accurate about the graphic while also

explaining what is misleading.

[irisblue]

4. And theris Ohio.

[OhioBack2Blue]

41. Here, let me join you....

[paleotn]

7. What are the drivers I wonder?

[Demobrat]

8. Blue state people make too much money

to qualify for subsidies. If you are low income, it’s a great deal. Once you start to hit middle income for the country, not your high cost of living location, it gets very pricey.

Once again, blue state people subsidize red state people.

Much better to get insurance through group plans at work, if you can.

[MichMan]

11. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Those that are relatively well off help subsidize poorer residents.

[NJCher]

12. yes, but....

when it's the policy of the particular state to impoverish its residents, do you think it's right that the blue states, such as mine, pick up the tab for the red states and furthermore, give way more of our tax income than we ever, ever get back?

For example, my state, NJ pays out $10 billion to the federal government.

All the while, their politicians are falling right in line with trump, saying they will vote to get rid of this meager healthcare plan we have. Which also, btw, pays out huge subsidies to the health insurers.

[MichMan]

13. It is the individual taxpayers in states that are paying to the Federal government , not the states themselves

New Jersey is not writing a $10 billion dollar check to the Federal government every year.

If one is opposed to taxpayers in a blue state subsiding those in a red state, how is that any different than the wealthy suburbs not wanting to share any of their tax money with a neighboring inner city?

[paleotn]

17. Kind of missing the point.

States or individuals in those states is irrelevant. What matters is people in blue states have to subsidize the people in red states due to red state policies that perpetuate poverty. If we didn't, MS, KY and AR would look like Nicaragua and red state policy makers would be just fine with that.

[NJCher]

20. It's not the same thing

you have politicians in red states making an issue over taxes. Turning down Medicaid. The voters seem to think this is the way to go so they vote for them.

Meanwhile, there is a need for medical care for the people who can't afford it, so who picks up the tab? Blue states.

In your example of the wealthy suburbs not wanting to share with the inner city, there are no politicians claiming they are trying to keep taxes down by turning down programs.

It goes without saying that the taxpayers pay the money (first paragraph).

[Demobrat]

16. Yes. Exactly.

And that is why there are more users in poor red states than more affluent blue states. The problem is it can get to be a real financial burden quickly. $48,000 year in West Virginia looks a lot different from $48,000 in NYC. So people look for other options.

[paleotn]

15. Not scaled by cost of living. Interesting.

I've always been covered by employer group plans so I'm not terribly familiar with ACA's nuts and bolts. Here in VT any employer with 4 or more employees has to offer a group plan and pay part of the cost or the state charges them a hefty fee for being assholes. Needless to say, employer group plans are pretty much the rule here.

[Demobrat]

18. It's similar here in CA

Employers get around it by hiring people on as contractors with no benefits. So people have to buy their own insurance, and yikes. Monthly premiums for a family of three are more than a mortgage.

[Tesha]

9. Axios believes this

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/24/obamacare-aca-health-insurance-republican-states


They are more likely to need it

[Wiz Imp]

10. I found it on Charles Gaba's website (he is the expert on all things related to ACA enrollments)

https://acasignups.net/blogs/charles-gaba

Charles Gaba is a very trustworthy source. Now he isn't completely endorsing it (he calls it misleading) but he's calling it "accurate" at the same time. He apparently thinks it's accurate but missing context.

Here's what he said about it:

Schrodinger's Graph: NewsWire publishes an ACA enrollment graph which is both "accurate" & incredibly misleading at the same time

This morning, the Twitter account NewsWire_US, which claims to be a "U.S. and world news aggregator," posted an amazing-looking graph which purports to break out "Obamacare applications by state for 2025" by states which voted for Donald Trump vs. those which voted for Kamala Harris last month.

Here's the graph, which includes no further context (including any data sources...NewsWire claims it came from Reuters but I can't find the original link to a story by them with this graph) beyond making it look like a whopping 82% of ACA enrollees live in Trump states:

Technically speaking, this is accurate...but it's missing a TON of vital context.

[MayReasonRule]

21. Thanks For Researching It! Well Done Indeed!

I just happened to catch George Takei posting the information graphic on Bluesky yesterday during a break in festivities and posted here on DU.

Happy Thursday!

[TheRickles]

22. But nowhere does he explain what's so "incredibly misleading" about the data. What's the "vital context"?

[Wiz Imp]

23. Check out the updated link in post # 25

Last edited Thu Dec 26, 2024, 02:02 PM - Edit history (2)

[TheRickles]

32. Thanks.

[orleans]

25. link

https://acasignups.net/24/12/26/schrodingers-graph-newswire-publishes-aca-enrollment-graph-which-both-accurate-incredibly

[Wiz Imp]

28. Thanks. I didn't see that Charles Gaba posted an update with details.

The info at the link is very helpful to understanding the numbers.

[TheRickles]

33. Thanks, very helpful.

[MayReasonRule]

36. Thank You!

Good catch!

[spooky3]

29. I posted the link to the Reuters story above. Nt

[Wiz Imp]

31. Thanks! That's helpful as well.

[J_William_Ryan]

19. "Blue state people make too much money"

True.

And Blue states expanded Medicaid under the ACA or already have programs that provide access to affordable healthcare for low-income families.

Most red states failed to expand Medicaid or have no state healthcare program, hence red state residents’ reliance on the ACA.

And as usual Trump voters vote against their own interests.

[Clouds Passing]

24. Where's New Mexico? Are we not part of the 50?

[PaulRevere08]

34. Link to data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/marketplace-2025-open-enrollment-period-report-national-snapshot

[MayReasonRule]

35. Perfect! Thanks Y'all!

[ThePartyThatListens]

37. Good info

Thank you.

[Cherokee100]

38. They are

'They are so stupid', pretty much sums it up.

[Justice matters.]

39. And...

One "solution" (I know, not realistic)



Blue: Provinces of Canada
Red: Jesusistan

[Elessar Zappa]

40. Why are New Mexico and Colorado in red?

[Justice matters.]

42. They shouldn't be in that pic but it's the only one i found

somewhere (quickly, because it's not going to happen IMHO).

Although, the future is unknown, but since Canada's tax code includes the costs of healthcare for everyone, meaning income taxes for the upper-middle class and the wealthy are a lot higher (double in many cases), it would be a tough sale (and there would be a sudden urge for magats to migrate from the new Provinces to Jesusistan, and inversly, of blue voters in red states to relocate to Canada, which is kind of unrealistic, but who knows?).