The Biggest Problem With Obamacare’s Rollout Is Being Caused Intentionally by Republicans

[babylonsister]

http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/21/the-biggest-problem-with-obamacares-rollout-is-being-caused-intentionally-by-republicans/

The Biggest Problem With Obamacare’s Rollout Is Being Caused Intentionally by Republicans
November 21, 2013
by Joshua Holland


The media have been buzzing with stories — many of them wildly exaggerated — of people facing higher premiums as a result of Obamacare. But there’s a story about rates you may not have heard: According to Jonathan Gruber, a leading health care wonk at MIT, all private insurance premiums in the 25 red states that are refusing to expand their Medicaid programs will be 15 percent higher as a direct result of that decision.

But those numbers don’t capture the human cost. The reality is that conservatives are complaining about insurance policies being cancelled and the ACA’s error-plagued exchanges at the same time as they actively work to keep millions of poor Americans from gaining coverage under the law’s Medicaid expansion.

The victims of Obamacare’s implementation problems being hit the hardest, by far, are those whose incomes fall between the federal poverty line and the eligibility cutoffs in those 25 states rejecting Medicaid expansion. Not only will they be left uncovered, they won’t even be eligible for the generous subsidies that people earning slightly more than they do can use to buy insurance. It’s brutally unfair. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 4.8 million poor adults may fall into that coverage gap — about twice the number of people expected to pay more for their insurance when their substandard policies are cancelled.

And it gets worse. In 40 states, adults without children are ineligible for Medicaid regardless of their income level. In 30 states, the parents of children who qualify for Medicaid may not be eligible themselves. All of these people would be covered under Medicaid’s expansion, but they’re being left high and dry in the 25 states who have rejected expansion. And while the problems plaguing healthcare.gov result from mismanagement and a contracting boondoggle, those red state lawmakers who refuse to expand Medicaid are inflicting this harm intentionally, based solely on their ideology.

In other words, they’re actively working to maintain America’s shamefully high rate of uninsured. And that comes with deadly consequences. Because, in this country, we do ‘let ‘em die’ – we let the poor and the uninsured die from treatable illnesses every day.

more...

http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/21/the-biggest-problem-with-obamacares-rollout-is-being-caused-intentionally-by-republicans/

[Laelth]

1. Interesting. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[lovuian]

2. Medicare for all is really the true answer

America medical care and health system is broken

and the world knows it

The Republican party is dying out and placing nails in their coffin

It isn't about helping sick people but its about keeping a greedy corrupt fraudulent system on its last gasp alive

[dem in texas]

3. Good Read! Hope the average man on the street realizes this

Yes, It is apparent that all the problems are in the states that refused to create their own exchanges and declined the Medicaid expansion. I hope people "wake and smell the coffee" and realize how much these republican governors and legislatures have cost the people in their states and especially in my own state, Texas.

[IrishAyes]

4. Not to hear THEM tell it! Instead, it's all those Democrats' fault.

The RedNeck Brigade around here believes the rocky rollout is all President Obama's fault and is heavenly retribution for all his political crimes against humanity. They'll still be crying that to the rooftops, too, when they sign up. I really think their set is in the grips of mass psychosis. They're madmen, dangerously so, as much if not more to themselves as to others. Not much can be done to save them from themselves either. We must try, but don't hold our breath waiting for it to happen either. I certainly don't plan to be dragged down with them.

[Martin Eden]

5. The Obama Administration should be pounding this message home!

And hopefully they will as soon as the web site is running better.

[SHRED]

6. Ten Thousand Per Day and growing in BLUE California

http://coveredcanews.blogspot.com/2013/11/rate-of-applications-completed-nearly.html

[Iliyah]

7. K & R

Blue states will pave the way and Obamacare will succeed. Red states will wonder why they have crappy insurance or no insurance at all. I don't blame too much on the people who live in the Red states since they are bombarded with every negative thing about the Government and any other political party while GOPers are being praised for their stupidest, but at some point I hope many of them will wake up.

[Xyzse]

8. I could have told you that day one.

From the sabotage of Republican governors in their state.
To the limited companies they are able to utilize for the initial creation of the site.

[IronLionZion]

9. They are intentionally causing life to be better in blue states while red states miss out

or until they throw out their useless R governors and replace them with a Dem like in Virginia where the medicaid expansion, budget cuts, and ACA were major campaign issues.