Obamacare Enrollment Has Now Reached 5 Million

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

DYLAN SCOTT – MARCH 17, 2014, 5:00 PM EDT

More than five million people have now enrolled in private health coverage through Obamacare, the Obama administration announced Monday.

The figure, announced via a blog post, provided another data point as the law's open enrollment comes to a close at the end of March. The administration said 4.2 million people had enrolled by the end of February, which means about 800,000 have signed up in March.

Obamacare is still set to fall well short of the Congressional Budget Office's original enrollment projection of 7 million, but the CBO's revised projection of 6 million -- offered after HealthCare.gov's disastrous launch -- seems attainable.

Administration officials and health policy experts have long said they expected enrollment to accelerate ahead of the March 31 deadline.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obamacare-enrollment-5-million

[Autumn]

1. I'm curious how many have gone into the states Medicaid programs.

[bigdarryl]

2. It's funny that the media is always saying the numbers

Fall short of what they predicted.The Obama administration didn't predict anything the CBO made that seven million prediction

[progree]

17. Well, the administration used the 7 million number too

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101448421

However, Tavenner herself { Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services } in a Sept. 5 memo to { Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen } Sebelius had used the total 7 million estimate in a table entitled "Projected Monthly National Enrollment Targets for Health Insurance Marketplaces."

Weeks later, in a Sept. 30 interview with NBC News on the eve of the launch of the Obamacare exchanges, Sebelius herself said, "I think success looks like at least 7 million people having signed up by the end of March 2014."

Not that it matters -- its amazing that its coming out as close as it is, something like this is incredibly hard to predict.

It drives me wild the "expectation game" -- if some number falls below some forecast, even by a little bit, it's made out to be some terrible disastrous shortfall. But if a number exceeds the forecast, its made out to be some awesome achievement.

[someone else]

8. I have little faith the ACA will work

We should bite the bullet and do some form of single payer.

[brush]

9. It's already working

Single payer is of course the holy grail but the ACA has helped millions get health insurance they couldn't afford before.

And it's certainly better than subjecting oneself to the triage of ERs.

[dotymed]

23. Clarksville, Tn.

NO Medicaid expansion. For profit hospital. 50+, un/underemployed? Get seriously hurt, get a Band-Aid (figurative) at E.R. = big Bill, temporarily "stabilized" (of course no permanent fix, surgery, etc. & certainly no follow-up care) suffer silently/ die quickly. The ACA did shit for these people.
UNIVERSAL health care is the ONLY solution.

example- a 50 year old works under the table $6 an hour, week end nights only, as a "bar-back." Fight breaks out at bar (duh) bar-back tears ACL trying to stop disturbance.
Taken to hospital. No insurance? Here's a $500 knee brace ($20 at WAL MART)...have a good life, please pay at the door on your way OUT in a wheelchair. Pain? OK, here is a prescription for Tylenol...DEA says so..

[brush]

24. You do know about the subsidies that come with the ACA don't you?

The person in the example you mentioned could very well be eligible for a substantial government subsidy that will make a monthly premium affordable. There are some people that have a premium of less than even $100 a month.

He should definitely do some research and find out.

[Autumn]

10. The ACA will help. I would rather have a public option,

and I think that they should have opened up Medicare and Medicaid. The subsidies could have gone to those programs. Welcome to DU someone else.

[Adrahil]

11. I understand your trepidation....

... and while I LIKE the idea of single payer, the idea of going single payer with the possibility of the Republicans controlling it scares the hell out of me. WE absolutely need a public option thought.

But the ACA is better than nothing, and big step in the right direction, even if it has issues.

[Cha]

14. Well, aren't behind times.. You need to keep up. Do some research and then

come back and report to us. It's already working as much as the idiots in the gop hate it.

[progree]

16. Yes, it is indeed a travesty, an abomination

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2014, 01:49 PM - Edit history (5)

Here's my little list of all the reasons why Obama and his cheerleaders should all be hauled before the Court of International Justice in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity - [font color = gray, size = 1]sarcasm thingy[/font]

no more exclusion or higher premiums because of pre-existing conditions

copays are now capped

no more annual or lifetime caps

no more cancellations because one gets injured or sick

preventive services now free

insurance companies have to spend at least 85% of revenue on actual health care, else refund the excess back to consumers

covering adult children under age 26 on parent's plan.

Medicare Part D - Prescription drug donut hole closing

reliable birth control methods are now affordable (as in free)

People of the "wrong" gender are no longer charged more

Comparing plans is much easier

Can switch plans easily (because insurers can no longer use your medical history / pre-existing conditions against you) -- should make for more real competition

Don't have to fill out any long medical history forms (or short ones either), there are no medical questions asked (except about smoking). In the old days, if you forgot some yeast infection you had as a 6 year old child, that was reason to deny an expensive claim 50 years later on the basis of history form fraud. Meanwhile the state insurance regulators just sat on their butts.

Entrepreneurial types can now much more easily leave their employer and start their own business and still have insurance. And in general much reduces "job lock" for everyone, where people stayed with a job they hated because they needed the job-supplied health insurance -- http://news.yahoo.com/health-law-workers-ponder-quit-option-060047469.html

anything else?

---------------------
listmania tag

[marions ghost]

22. Those are the biggies

A friend of mine has his first health insurance in 25 years...

[progree]

27. I added a couple more (kick)

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2014, 02:43 PM - Edit history (1)

I added "don't have to fill out any long medical history forms" and "People of the 'wrong' gender are no longer charged more"

I'm very glad to hear about your friend.

[bhikkhu]

21. It worked for my family

We got insurance in January, the first time in 10 years, and very affordable.

Now I've gotten a new job (big company) and we will be getting new insurance next month again, a pretty good plan. Looking over the packet, I recognize a lot of the details from the ACA requirements.

[ALBliberal]

3. Saved so much

Two girls in college staying on our plan the past two years. My right wing friend told me the other day that is not Obamacare. I corrected her. Also our premium through my husbands work our share went from 800 to 500. I can only guess because of competition? In the benefit market place. Thank you President Obama. Oh yeah its all going back into the economy tuition cars you name it!

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Welcome to DU!

The ability to keep kids on to 26 really makes a big difference to so many.

[Dustlawyer]

5. Does for 2 of my 3! My son has coverage now through work

since last year. My youngest is still in college and will be until age 24-25.

[pnwmom]

7. I'm glad for you. Two of our family members have, too.

One got a new individual policy for 60% of what he was paying for COBRA, and the other got Medicaid.

Welcome to DU!

[bigwillq]

18. Hello.

Welcome to DU!

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[quadrature]

12. how many are rollovers? 70% 90% 99% ? ..nt

[Kablooie]

13. The new Republican health plan is based on the premise that you can keep your current insurance.

But now there are 5 million people that will lose their current insurance if the Obamacare is eliminated.

[Cha]

15. Thanks Don.. Thanks Obama!

“I’m One Grateful Old Lady”

http://theobamadiary.com/2014/03/17/a-word-from-57/

[Arugula Latte]

19. I'm going to add to that number today.

I've been delaying dealing with this but I found a comparable policy that is significantly cheaper. Thank you, Obamacare!

[riqster]

25. Good for you!

[DiverDave]

20. My wife and I just completed the

enrollment.
6.60 per month for BC/BS.
Now I can go to the dentist.

[Arugula Latte]

28. Wow, that is great!

Happy for you!

[bananas]

26. What's the March 31 deadline? nt