by Doug Book, staff writer
Who’s got trouble? We got trouble. How MUCH trouble? TOO much trouble! And it’s not going to get any better for Affordable Care Act groupies as the road to October 1st is paved with too many disasters for the good intentions to have any effect.
Deep blue, scrupulously liberal Colorado quickly signed up to invest its own residents money in Barack’s healthcare boondoggle and what state officials have reaped for their toil and investment may well mirror the success of the ACA in the rest of the nation–at least in a hopey, changey sort of way.
First off, the multi-million dollar computer system which was supposed to do all the work as customers clicked their way to affordable care; well it’s not exactly working. Not just yet anyhow. So anyone who wants to know whether they might be in line for a tax credit or federal subsidy “…will have to dial in to a call center in Colorado Springs to speak with someone who can manually walk them through an application for tax credits.” (1)
And even those vaunted navigators with as many as 20 hours of more-or-less pertinent training won’t have any answers. The reason? Because “…the online system for determining eligibility for tax credits is not accurate enough to trust yet.” (1) The folks running the system hope it will be up and running by December 15th.
Well they’ve only had 3 years. What do you want?
Maryland–another blue state which signed away its resident’s millions to build its own exchange–hopes to have it’s small business system working by March, maybe. Of course this means the tax credits and subsidy information will also not be available for the next 6 months. And by the way, “premium rates rose again in the final price sheets, rather than delivering the promised downward bend in the cost curve.” (2) In English that means affordable care just got less affordable.
And just for fun, the State of Washington will feature only ONE insurer for its small business market. And that company will cover only “certain geographic areas.” (2) Now there’s some rugged competition for you.
The massive, FEDERAL small business exchange isn’t doing so well either. For the forseeable future, “employers will have to choose a single plan for their entire company, rather than the multiple-plan option lawmakers envisioned.” Also, software problems will make featured premium rates unreliable. So no one will really know how much they’ll have to pay! (2)
But here’s some really good news about those lower prices Barack and Co have been guaranteeing shoppers. In many areas, they will be TRUE. Real lower prices. How did they manage it? “From California to Illinois to New Hampshire, and in many states in between, insurers are driving down premiums by restricting the number of providers who will treat patients in their new health plans.” (2)
What that means for healthcare purchasers are smaller than usual networks of doctors and hospitals. In short, fewer doctors willing to take fewer dollars for their services. Sound anything remotely like that “quality care” we’ve been promised for the past 3 years? How many top notch physicians do you know who would be anxious to sign up for smaller pay from a FAR greater patient load?
According to a Manhattan Institute analysis of HHS figures, “Obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for younger men by an average of 97 to 99 percent, and for younger women by an average of 55 to 62 percent.” If you live in North Carolina, “individual market rates will “…triple for women, and quadruple for men.” (3)
But not everything is doom and gloom. There is good news, if you happen to be the Department of Health and Human Services. It seems Kathleen Sebelius has succeeded in shaking down hospitals, health systems and the insurance companies she will be regulating for $1 billion, all for the purpose of pimping Obamacare and helping to sell the out and out lies she and Barack have been telling the American people about the “quality healthcare at affordable rates” they are SURE to get come next year! (4)
There’s always a silver lining if you just look for it!
Sources:
(1) http://www.healthpolicysolutions.org/2013/09/24/want-tax-credits-you-wont-get-them-online/
(2) http://hotair.com/archives/2013/09/23/wapo-yknow-obamacare-exchanges-arent-all-that-ready-to-go/
(3) http://hotair.com/archives/2013/09/25/more-of-hhss-obamacare-rates-are-out-and-good-news-theyre-lower-than-expected/
(4) http://weaselzippers.us/2013/09/24/private-health-care-companies-regulated-by-hhs-to-spend-1-billion-pimping-obamacare/