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| Government |
| Less Than One-Third Of Obamacare Exchange Enrollees Were Previously Uninsured |
| 2014-01-19 |
| At the end of the day, for all of the rhetoric and promises about what Obamacare would achieve, the health law's most ardent supporters have stuck to their guns because of one thing: coverage expansion. But new data suggests that Obamacare may fail even to achieve this goal. Instead of expanding coverage to those without it, Obamacare is replacing the pre-existing market for private insurance. Surveys from insurers and other industry players indicate that as few as 11 percent of those on Obamacare's exchanges were previously uninsured. If these trends continue, the probability increases that Obamacare will eventually get repealed. 65-89% of Obamacare exchanges enrollees were previously insured The latest reporting on this topic comes from Christopher Weaver and Anna Wilde Mathews of the Wall Street Journal. They cite several industry surveys on the coverage history of those signing up for insurance on the Obamacare exchanges. The first, from McKinsey & Co., indicates that "only 11 percent of consumers who bought new coverage under the law were previously uninsured." McKinsey surveyed 4,563 individuals "thought to be eligible for the health-law marketplaces," of which 389 had enrolled in exchange-based plans. Of those that didn't sign up for Obamacare-based coverage, 52 percent stated that "affordability" was their biggest complaint with the exchanges' plan offerings. Only 30 percent cited "technical challenges in buying the plans." HealthMarkets, a insurance holding company based in Texas, conducted its own survey based on the 7,500-or-so people that the company enrolled in exchange-based plans. Based on their survey, obtained by Wilde and Mathews, only 35 percent of enrollees were previously uninsured. 10 percent previously had employer-sponsored coverage, but were dropping into the exchanges either because the exchanges offered a better (i.e., taxpayer-subsidized) deal, or because their employer had stopped offering coverage. 15 percent previously had individually-purchased coverage, but their old plans had been rendered illegal by Obamacare and were canceled. The remaining 40 percent were people previously covered under the old individual market, a market that was substantially less expensive than the Obamacare exchanges. Not growing the insured; 'we're just adding complexity' Priority Health, a non-profit health insurer in Michigan, surveyed 1,000 "enrollees...in plans that comply with the law," and found that only a quarter were previously uninsured. Another 25 percent had previously enjoyed employer-sponsored coverage; the remaining 50 percent had been previously covered under individually-purchased plans. Joan Budden, chief marketing officer at Priority Health, told Wilde and Mathews that Michigan's health insurers had expected 400,000 uninsured Michiganders to enroll in exchange based plans during the initial enrollment year. According to the latest data from the Obama administration, as of December 28, only 75,511 had "selected a marketplace plan." Of those, only an unknown fraction had paid their first month's premium, and therefore were actually enrolled in new health coverage. "I don't know if we're growing the number of people with insurance," a Minnesota-based health insurer told Wilde and Mathews. "We're just adding complexity." If we assume that around one-third of exchange enrollees were previously uninsured, and that 90 percent of those who have "selected a marketplace plan" will eventually enroll in coverage, the Obamacare exchanges have thus far only expanded coverage to 660,000 people, far less than the 7 million projected by the Congressional Budget Office. Obama administration also exaggerating Medicaid enrollments The Journal report comes on the heels of new analyses indicating that the Obama administration is wildly exaggerating the number of people who have signed up for the law's expansion of the Medicaid program for low-income Americans. The administration claims that more than 4 million Americans have signed up for Medicaid coverage under the law. But Sean Trende of RealClearPolitics figures that only 5 to 7.5 percent of those enrollees were due to Obamacare. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #10 brought to you by your Democrat Party |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-01-19 21:01 |
| #9 Things are falling apart rapidly. Reimbursements are horrible for services provided. Layoffs are very broad in healthcare at this time. Complementary support services also are impacted. Hospitals are trying to merge, Share medical personnel. Large Ambulance service is laying off as well in my area. This is very broad. They have destroyed a major economic engine. So Unions get a waver. If there are no Doctors what are you going to do. Remember if you haven't paid for your insurance you don't have any.Single payer?, that is a joke. No way that will work. They haven't paid on claims going back to 2008 with Medicare. Major cash flow issues at this time. Some hospitals will close. |
| Posted by: Dale 2014-01-19 19:49 |
| #8 It was about money and power. The left-wing radical politicians figured that if they could get Americans to go along with ObamaCare then they could get them to go along with about anything. I also smell desperation. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-01-19 17:40 |
| #7 Got nothing to do with healthcare. It's a money grab. They're FLAT BROKE and desperate ! Pretty frightening when you look beyond this ridiculous scheme. It may not end well. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-01-19 17:12 |
| #6 The number of people who didn't want ObamaCare has consistently been around 60-70% before it was passed and after it was passed. HillaryCare was about as popular. It got rejected and was stillborn. These politicians just have not learned that the American people don't like things being forced down their throats. The current crop of politicians don't trust the American people and that is reflected in what comes out of Washington. Our roots are in revolution and resistance to tyranny. The quiet revolution continues to resist Obamacare. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-01-19 17:07 |
| #5 3-1/2 months in and they still say they don't know exactly how many have actually enrolled. You know, like paid? They're lying. They know and it's a death spiral. Say NO to Insurance company bailouts |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-01-19 16:38 |
| #4 Still will be touted as a glorious victory. Brother have you heard the good news? They increased the chico-ration from 30 to 26! |
| Posted by: regular joe 2014-01-19 16:04 |
| #3 Next up - insurance company bailouts |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-01-19 13:17 |
| #2 How are the revenues compared to projections? How many have actually made a payment? The most basic business metrics have yet to be gathered. Another trillion dollar boondoggle. |
| Posted by: Airandee 2014-01-19 13:06 |
| #1 Hey, come on, sign up. Richard Simmons and I need YOU ! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-01-19 12:06 |