The Affordable Care Act is winning:
The big news was the release of new data from the White House indicating that enrollment in Medicaid has surged in states that elected to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. In April alone more than 1 million people signed up for coverage. Medicaid enrollment in states that rejected the expansion has also gone up as people who didn’t know they were eligible started signing up – the so-called Woodwork Effect. Add all those enrollees to the number of people who were on Medicaid or CHIP prior to the ACA’s implementation, and you come up with just over 65 million Americans enrolled in the program [Simon Maloy, "GOP’s Quiet Obamacare Disaster: How This Week’s Biggest Story Got Overlooked," Salon.com, 2014.06.06].
How is having 1 in 5 Americans on Medicaid a good thing? First, the obvious: a whole lot of people hit hard by the Republican-prolonged economic slowdown have health coverage. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, six million more Americans can afford to go to the doctor, get well, and get back to work and family.
Second, politically speaking, when we add all those Medicaid beneficiaries to the folks getting Medicare or veterans health coverage, we get 125 million Americans getting health insurance from Uncle Sam. That's almost 40% of us covered by collective, public effort. (Add up Medicaid, Medicare, and veterans in South Dakota, and you get a similar percentage here, and we're still waiting for Dennis Daugaard to get over the 2008 election and expand Medicaid for 48,000 more South Dakotans.)
The GOP candidates still wheezing "Repeal ObamaCare!" must resort to saying, "Government health insurance is bad"... which means they are saying to 40% of their constituents (yes, the poor and the sick are still your constituents, Mike, Dennis, Kristi...), "We'd like to take away your health insurance.
Go ahead, Republicans. Run on that slogan.
Right now you can sign up for ObamaCare unless you have a qualifying event. They can't sell you insurance otherwise. There are some short term policies available but they are very few.
You are correct Michael B, you cannot sign up for Obamacare unless you have a qualifying event. The short term policies that are available are not credible coverage, and have pre-existing conditions. As they are not credible coverages they fall under subject to the penalties.
Mike Rounds and his insurance industry are beating up on the lame stream media to report the truth about Obamacare and how it is helping vast amounts of American citizens. But what the hell, as long as the lying liars have control of the media, they will print what they want, even if it is a lie. The insurance industry and the medical industry though, are pushing for the truth, we shall see.
Good news! South Dakota makes headlines once again...in a negative way, of course. Obamacare works, Medicare Advantage is screwing us all. http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/06/04/14840/why-medicare-advantage-costs-taxpayers-billions-more-it-should
The latest GOP crapola is that the problem with VA health system is a killer for the idea of single-payer systems. Some retired Colonel and doctor has one of what I expect to be many similar blasts. He of course does not mention that the House GOP idea of helping Veterans was slashing the budget by $300 Million.
Found out what will happen to my premium if I switch to cheapest available ACA compliant plan.
Anybody wanna buy a nice house in the Northern Hills?
wow jerry! big story. thks.
btw-qualifying event?? for example?
Why would you want to switch Stan, you have a health plan that you can keep as it is with no problems, at least that is what you said some time ago. The open enrollment does not begin again until November so you cannot change anything now anyway.
A qualifying event would be something like an involuntary loss of job so you would loose your health coverage. At this time of the year, teachers are retiring and are not eligible for Medicare so that would qualify them to purchase an ACA compliant plan or they could take the short term plan that Michael B spoke of.
Divorce is another one that would qualify you to be able to sign up for a plan. If you have any doubts or concerns, you can check out healthcare.gov or you could contact an insurance agent that knows their stuff.
Stan, John T. reports that Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield will be coming into the picture at this next open enrollment. That competition will certainly mean lower pricing, things are going to be better price wise come fall.
I don't know if this helps but I have insurance through the ACA. I was laid off November of 2012 and due to a preexisting condition I was turned down for insurance by 2 insurance companies. I went on Cobra and due to the school program I was on I got a tax credit that paid for 70% of my premium. That ended in January and my premuim jumped tpo over $400 per month. Thanks to the ACA I was able to have afforadable insurance and now that I've finished school and found a job that pays part of the premium I'll be off of the ACA.
I guess I'm not sure about a "qualifying event." I don't remember seeing anything about that when I went on the ACA. Maybe I'm wrong.
Stan, I agree with Jerry. What would you switch to the ACA is if it's more expensive? For me the ACA was a bridge that I used untile I got a good job.
I was an RN for decades. Anybody who thinks Medicaid recipients receive the same quality of medical care as private pay patients is completely out of his mind.
So Anne, doctors don't follow their oath?
They just want to make sure they make enough to have an extra house?
That's such a blanket statement, Ann. Please do give us examples of doctors and nurses not giving "quality" care to Medicaid patients so I can report them.
After 6 years and over 50 votes to repeal, Ms. Noem has finally presented the Republican "replace" plan in her recent RC Journal Op-Ed:
"Wear sunscreen year round".
I will keep my existing plan as long as possible.
Wait will not sink this boat.
But haste would waste it.
Repeal Obamacare and replace with Kucinichcare.
If politicians,especially of the wingnut persuasion,paid as much attention to their constituents(the 47%) as nurses and doctors do,maybe we could actually advance this Nation forward. Politicians should be subjected to malpractice suits for sucking koch and expecting the rest of us to kiss their arses.
Is the ACA perfect? No,but then neither is dying from neglect all you little wingnut godalmighties!!
Owen, when you entered into the ACA, you were in open enrollment so there was no need for a qualifying event. The qualifying event is for those dates after March 31, 2014 and beyond to the open enrollment that will begin in November 2014 for the plan year 2015.
It is supposed to work exactly as it has done for you sir, so where are the headlines that declare that? Why do we hear from a second rate politico like Rounds calling you a liar when you can prove perfectly well that it does work. Mercer..Bob Mercer..Paging Bob Mercer..Time for some ink.
Thanks for clearly that up Jerry. You're right.
I agree Jerry where are the headlines? What is really disgusting is the right wants to repeal Obamacare but offers no alternative. Nothing but crickets.
All that I know was that the ACA, while not saving my, could have if something would have happen to me. I'm sure I'm not a lone here in South Dakota.
Interesting article from Drew Altman, CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation that should be of interest, especially to our media.
Follow the links in the article to see how popular the ACA IS.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/06/05/how-much-political-coverage-of-the-health-care-law-is-too-much/?utm_campaign=KFF:%20General&utm_content=5828074&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
That is exactly true Jana, but it seems that the few reporters we have are busy doing something. I have heard that the fish are starting to hit so maybe that is where they are. Waiting on the shore with camera in hand because unless there is a scandal or Rounds blathering against it, healthcare reporting is dullsville man.
Nothing about the veterans that are without health coverage either. D-Day is over now, so veterans are put on the back burner along with the rest of the working poor until the 4th of July. Then we dust off Old Glory and speak in tongues about the wonderment of it all. In the meantime, South Dakotans are dying because they cannot get basic healthcare. Should picket the church where Daugaard goes and let his fellow parishioners know what a piece of work they praise the poor carpenter with.
Stan,
Do the basic arithmetic on what it will take to repeal Obamacare. How many senate votes? How many house votes? Would the president sign the repeal of legislation he created?
Repealing Obamacare is a ruse that is nothing more than a campaign slogan.
Roger, I left out the snark tags. Sorry.
But I am serious about Kucinichcare. Do you know what that is?
If a Kucinichcare bill came across Barack Obama's desk next week, he would sign it in a New York nanosecond.
But it won't. Pity.
Stan,
My apologies for the snark, I have become irritated with the Repeal Obamacare line and politicians that have not explained the likelihood of it being repealed.
I'm familiar with the Kucinich plan and like it, but it probably makes too much sense.
Most likely, over the years Obamacare will endure modifications and changes and correct numerous errors, Social Security and Medicare didn't exactly have perfect roll outs in their start. They have experienced many changes and will make many more as the plans grow in popularity.
The repeal Obamacare advocates need to consider the number of people that are now participating in the program. When you hear repeal Obamacare, do these people get kicked to the curb?
Note Cory's statement about 40% of Americans are now receiving some form of government insurance.
Dennis K was a believer in single payer, just like Medicare. I am as well. I even think that one time I saw a UFO, not snark.
Single Payer Universal!!!!!
I'm sure this will get scrubbed. Maybe you can get lucky and get some of that great government healthcare they offer at the VA.
Whew at least I was able to get screen shots, before the anti first amendment police show up.
Christopher, don't inflate the importance of your comment by pretending you're fighting evil censors. Check your e-mail, and tell us: are you advocating that veterans should get something other than government-funded health care? Are you saying they should just buy their own health insurance and pay their own medical bills?
I confess, I do get that great government run healthcare system called the VA. As luck would have it, I got my ass blown away in I Corps Vietnam in 1969! Who would have thunk it. I did not do that intentionally and I have been in government run healthcare since then. I have seen many things that have improved since then and am very grateful that a country would take care of its own. I have noticed though that since President Barack Obama appointed General (Ret.) Eric Shinseki the director of the VA, it improved even further. I noticed more of my fellow veterans getting enrolled and I noticed more or my fellow veterans that are now young men and women like myself when I came on board. The biggest hurdle the VA and veterans have is that republicans tend to hate us and will not provide the VA with adequate funding so we can get the doctors and facilities we need because of the additional couple of million or so, new veterans just added. It shames me to think that a bright young troll like yourself Christopher would dare think that what we have been provided is less than adequate. My injuries are not superficial either and have had to undergo some procedures to the old heart as well. The VA did a fantastic job and I am here to tell you that as living proof.
I think that Rick Weiland is correct about the ACA Obamacare in that it is a start and it is still too expensive. We should phase it in to a Medicare for all government run healthcare program. Medicare for all would be the choice for everyone and veterans would have the choice of where they wanted to go, be it Medicare or the VA. The VA would always be the place to go for veterans like myself that have multiple problems and issues and for me, that makes the most sense. Now Christopher, have a pleasant day and please get on with your trolling about something else, you are kind of boring.
Now Jerry, you know as well as everybody else, republican dislike for you doesn't start until you get your ass blown off, they loved you right up to that point. Thank you sir for your service!
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/08/07/3314406/idaho-losing-33-billion-in-federal.html
Idaho can easily make that chump change up by cutting taxes on the wealthy.
No one talks about the deaths that have happened because of not expanding Medicaid. If a good lawyer wanted to shake some things up, they could sue the state for negligence regarding the deaths of folks who would have qualified had it not been for their political beliefs.