The Obamacare Spin Goes On

Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

The Obama administration continues to spin the virtues of Obamacare even as it is becoming more obvious that it is a failure.

Andy Slavitt, acting head of CMS, in testimony before a congressional committee explained the failure of the Obamacare Co-Ops. In an effort to distract the committee Mr. Slavitt repeated Health Secretary Sylvia Burwell’s comment in February, after enrollment ended, that more than 90% of Americans are insured because of Obamacare. She said this was a record number of people who are insured.

The committee was not impressed. To my disappoint none of the Republican dominated committee members pointed out the insignificance of the enrollment statement.

There are 330 million people in this country. If 10% are uninsured there are still 33 million people who are uninsured.

Prior to Obamacare there was an average of 43 million people uninsured or 13% of the population. In 6 years there has only been a 3% increase in insurance coverage at an estimated cost of almost $1 trillion dollars.

Healthcare.gov insurance is even too expensive for people who have receive federal subsidy. A recent blog post said it all.

“Now I Have Insurance. But I Can’t Use It. What Am I Supposed to Do?”

Obamacare is not the successful project Secretary Burwell and the Acting Head of CMS spun to congress and the American people.

The federal loss of $1.23 billion dollars in loans to state Co-Ops alone because of the failure of 13 of the 23 Non-Profit Co-Ops is a large failure. The federal government will never be paid back for the loans to these failed Co-Ops.

The loans will probably not be charged to Obamacare. At present 2 more have failed and 6 of the remaining nine Co-Ops are under investigation and at the verge of failure.

Co-Ops enrolled 400,000 in 2014 and more than 1 million at the end of 2015 enrollment.

Twenty-two (22) of the twenty-three (23) Co-ops lost money in 2014. Only 9 reached targeted enrollment. The 13 failed Co-Ops served 14 states. They have all closed down.

718,000 enrollees lost coverage through the Co-ops that failed.

If the enrollment for 2016 is truly 1 million people these enrollees will be distributed in the remaining half of the states that lost money in 2014. These Co-ops are bound to failure in 2016 unless the federal government pours money into the remaining Co-ops.

As of March 1, 2016 according to acaSignups.net there were 12,668,585 signups for 2016.

9.6 million signed up through HC.gov. The CBO projected 21 million signup for 2016.

The Min-Med programs approved for McDonald’s and other fast food businesses and exempt form Obamacare are still allowed. These workers are essentially uninsured if they become ill. Yet the government counts these workers as being insured.

President Obama and his administration continue to deceive Congress and the American people about the success of Obamacare.

The Republican dominated congress does not challenge the Obama administration on these deceptions. They are afraid the people will react negatively to the congress.

The people are reacting to President Obama, his administration and the congress. Maybe the people are smarter than all the politicians think they are.

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.