7.1 million

[Further]

My thoughts on the subject.

The goal that was near universally mocked as impossible, of signing up 7 million people on Obamacare in the first enrollment period, was actually achieved. And if you include the ones that did it through their states, an increase of over 10 million Americans have healthcare today than had it before the Obamacare law passed.

There were major issues with the website originally, and there still are some tweaks witch will need to be addressed for the long term health of this law, but all in all, this was a major victory by Obama and the Democrats. Even the polls are starting to show that the American public is coming around on Obamacare and not buying into the negative narrative which was rampant only weeks ago. One recent ABC poll (likely an outlier, more polls need to verify first) even shows the American people nearly equally split on Obamacare.

I don't know if there will be enough movement by the public to negate the projected losses in the midterm elections, but it certainly is a possible boon to the Democrat chances. Especially when you look at the improvements in the economy and the massive public support on Democratic economic issues like min-wage and other income disparity measures. Right now all polling shows the Democrats likely get killed in the midterms, but still a long time to go till November and narrative and hopefully momentum swings to the left.

One thing seems to be almost certain, the path of just repealing Obamacare seems highly unlikely now, if the Republicans are able to get a major victory on the subject, it will almost certainly be a repeal and replace, which is basically just a repeal in name only. Many Americans are still very unhappy with Obamacare but the solid majority now believes that there should be some type of universal healthcare. That, is a giant step forward regardless of the longterm prosperity of the actual ACA.

 

[THE HCP]

Isn't having 10 million people or 7 million people with insurance now who didn't have it before a good thing? I believe it is.

 

[Further]

Isn't having 10 million people or 7 million people with insurance now who didn't have it before a good thing? I believe it is.

Sounds like a great thing to me! And the fact that people with preexisting conditions can have coverage, that's great too.

 

[Eastoff]

Isn't having 10 million people or 7 million people with insurance now who didn't have it before a good thing? I believe it is.

There is some question about if the some of the 7 million people had insurance before. And the insurance cost more now for some of the people (and less for some of the people).

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

doesn't this number include people who haven't finished their application, just started the process?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

There is some question about if the some of the 7 million people had insurance before. And the insurance cost more now for some of the people (and less for some of the people).

My thought is democrats can play with the numbers to make Obamacare look like an overwhelming success while the republicans play with the numbers to make Obamacare look like a complete disaster.

Truth is probably somewhere in between.

 

[Further]

doesn't this number include people who haven't finished their application, just started the process?

No, the number is expected to rise once those people are counted, since they are grandfathered in to this round.

 

[Natebishop3]

Population of the United States 313.9 million.

So, roughly 2.2% of the population has health insurance now? And that's assuming they were people who didn't have insurance before. How much did Obamacare cost?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Population of the United States 313.9 million.

So, roughly 2.2% of the population has health insurance now? And that's assuming they were people who didn't have insurance before. How much did Obamacare cost?

minus the millions of policies cancelled/to be cancelled due to Obamacare. :MARIS61:

 

[Further]

My thought is democrats can play with the numbers to make Obamacare look like an overwhelming success while the republicans play with the numbers to make Obamacare look like a complete disaster.

Truth is probably somewhere in between.

Well. the 7 mil mark was being mocked as impossible not only by the Republicans, but as little as three weeks ago the AP stated that it would take a miracle to reach the revised 6 mil number. I'm not going to say there aren't problems, but considering the newness of this program and the extreme vitriol levied at Obama and the ACA, right now this program is much closer to a success than a failure. Hopefully both sides of the isle can come together and fix the remaining problems.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The tally is based on the number of people who enrolled for coverage by Monday’s deadline through the new federal insurance marketplace operating in three dozen states. It also includes people who enrolled in 14 state-run marketplaces as of the deadline or, in the case of a few states, by last weekend.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...6b8b96-b99b-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

 

[Further]

minus the millions of policies cancelled/to be cancelled due to Obamacare. :MARIS61:

Scare tactics

 

[Natebishop3]

Scare tactics

How much has Obamacare cost the country so far?

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Scare tactics

BRO STOP SPEWING YOUR VITRIOL.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Well. the 7 mil mark was being mocked as impossible not only by the Republicans, but as little as three weeks ago the AP stated that it would take a miracle to reach the revised 6 mil number. I'm not going to say there aren't problems, but considering the newness of this program and the extreme vitriol levied at Obama and the ACA, right now this program is much closer to a success than a failure. Hopefully both sides of the isle can come together and fix the remaining problems.

Yes the 7 million mark is a major success for Obama and democrats. I suspect republicans are going to do everything possible to try and spin those numbers and stay the course that Obamacare is bad legislation for the country. But it sounds like currently even republicans are backing off Obamacare a little:

Republicans, who have not relinquished their crusade to dismantle the 2010 legislation, were praising but more skeptical. “At some level you have to take your hat off and say congratulations,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. But he was quick to add, “It’s an interim accomplishment at best.”

Coming from the source, got to say that this Obamacare might actually help Obama's legacy . . . where before I have taken then position that Obamacare is going to greatly taint Obama's legacy.

 

[Eastoff]

How much has Obamacare cost the country so far?

129.8 Million. Oh wait that's the number of emergency room visits in 2010. $1,233 oh that's the average cost of an emergency room visit. Well if we just multiply those for fun, we get 160$B in 2010 for emergency room visits. Sorry What was the question?

e:
Okay so I looked a little more and then I found this:

CEA estimates that a 0.5 percent reduction in health care expenses in 2011, 2012 and 2013 would amount to a savings of about $135 per person in the U.S. in 2013 (though the CEA allows that the actual savings may be somewhat smaller because there’s some evidence lower prices may cause people to receive more care).

wait a minute, that's not right. I'll have to keep digging!

e2:

The federal government spent roughly a trillion dollars on health care in fiscal year 2013, and it gave up about another quarter of a trillion dollars in tax subsidies related to health care. That spending figure is a lot larger today than it was a decade or two ago, and it will be much larger still a decade or two from now. Indeed, growth in federal spending for health care is the key factor making the budget policies of the past unsustainable in the future. My topic for today’s talk is why federal health care spending is growing rapidly and what changes in policy could slow that growth. (In the interest of time, I’m focusing on federal spending for health care and leaving aside much of federal tax policy that affects health care, although it is also quite important.)

 

[Further]

Yes the 7 million mark is a major success for Obama and democrats. I suspect republicans are going to do everything possible to try and spin those numbers and stay the course that Obamacare is bad legislation for the country. But it sounds like currently even republicans are backing off Obamacare a little:

Republicans, who have not relinquished their crusade to dismantle the 2010 legislation, were praising but more skeptical. “At some level you have to take your hat off and say congratulations,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. But he was quick to add, “It’s an interim accomplishment at best.”

Coming from the source, got to say that this Obamacare might actually help Obama's legacy . . . where before I have taken then position that Obamacare is going to greatly taint Obama's legacy.

I'm not sure about how everything will shake out. Obviously, from my posts you could glean my support, but mostly I just think it's a travesty for a first world nation to not have universal healthcare. I would like it to go much further. But I'm sure there will be successes and failures of ACA, and if it is able to stand the test of time, I assume it will settle on a fairly different final version than we have currently (for good or bad). Yesterday was a win, but it's going to take years to sift through all the good and bad.

 

[Natebishop3]

129.8 Million. Oh wait that's the number of emergency room visits in 2010. $1,233 oh that's the average cost of an emergency room visit. Well if we just multiply those for fun, we get 160$B in 2010 for emergency room visits. Sorry What was the question?

e:
Okay so I looked a little more and then I found this:


wait a minute, that's not right. I'll have to keep digging!

Was that what I asked? No. I did not ask for that information. I asked how much Obamacare is costing.

129.8 million emergency room visits in 2010? Are those all uninsured? I visited the ER a couple times in the last year. I have insurance. Also, 7 million is 5.3% of 129.8 million.... so it's not even denting that number.

 

[Eastoff]

Was that what I asked? No. I did not ask for that information. I asked how much Obamacare is costing.

I gave you your information eventually. =]

 

[Further]

here is a recent poll by washington post/ ABC news
It's only one poll, but its been climbing over the past few months. Now, we have this:

"Overall, do you support or oppose the federal law making changes to the health care system?"
3/26-30/14 -> support 49%, oppose 48%, unsure 3%
more specifics can be seen at the link.


"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling implementation of the new health care law?"
3/26-30/14 -> approve 44%, disapprove 54%, unsure 2%


"Overall, do you support or oppose efforts by Republicans in Congress to replace the new health care law?"
3/26-30/14 -> Support 47%, oppose 49%, unsure 4%

 

[Eastoff]

so most people dislike Obama.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I'm not sure about how everything will shake out. Obviously, from my posts you could glean my support, but mostly I just think it's a travesty for a first world nation to not have universal healthcare. I would like it to go much further. But I'm sure there will be successes and failures of ACA, and if it is able to stand the test of time, I assume it will settle on a fairly different final version than we have currently (for good or bad). Yesterday was a win, but it's going to take years to sift through all the good and bad.

We share the same belief in that I too think universal healthcare is needed in the US. But I also thought given the baby boom generation is getting to that age of needing more medical care and that same generation has many people who didn't save and are in fact in debt . . . well implementing universal healthcare is going to hurt many was my thought. If Obama can make it happen in a relatively painless way I will be very impressed.

 

[MarAzul]

My thoughts on the subject.

The goal that was near universally mocked as impossible, of signing up 7 million people on Obamacare in the first enrollment period, was actually achieved. And if you include the ones that did it through their states, an increase of over 10 million Americans have healthcare today than had it before the Obamacare law passed.

There were major issues with the website originally, and there still are some tweaks witch will need to be addressed for the long term health of this law, but all in all, this was a major victory by Obama and the Democrats. Even the polls are starting to show that the American public is coming around on Obamacare and not buying into the negative narrative which was rampant only weeks ago. One recent ABC poll (likely an outlier, more polls need to verify first) even shows the American people nearly equally split on Obamacare.

I don't know if there will be enough movement by the public to negate the projected losses in the midterm elections, but it certainly is a possible boon to the Democrat chances. Especially when you look at the improvements in the economy and the massive public support on Democratic economic issues like min-wage and other income disparity measures. Right now all polling shows the Democrats likely get killed in the midterms, but still a long time to go till November and narrative and hopefully momentum swings to the left.

One thing seems to be almost certain, the path of just repealing Obamacare seems highly unlikely now, if the Republicans are able to get a major victory on the subject, it will almost certainly be a repeal and replace, which is basically just a repeal in name only. Many Americans are still very unhappy with Obamacare but the solid majority now believes that there should be some type of universal healthcare. That, is a giant step forward regardless of the longterm prosperity of the actual ACA.

I find it hard to believe it isn't way more. Since over six million lost their insurance, they should all have it plus some of the 40 million that did not before the act.

I know in my case where nearly 400,000 lost their former employer health care, we nearly all have something new, vastly inferior but new insurance.

 

[MarAzul]

I'm not sure about how everything will shake out. Obviously, from my posts you could glean my support, but mostly I just think it's a travesty for a first world nation to not have universal healthcare. I would like it to go much further. But I'm sure there will be successes and failures of ACA, and if it is able to stand the test of time, I assume it will settle on a fairly different final version than we have currently (for good or bad). Yesterday was a win, but it's going to take years to sift through all the good and bad.

Ha! It will take years only for the very dim.

 

[Eastoff]

I find it hard to believe it isn't way more. Since over six million lost their insurance, they should all have it plus some of the 40 million that did not before the act.

I know in my case where nearly 400,000 lost their former employer health care, we nearly all have something new, vastly inferior but new insurance.

http://democrats.energycommerce.hou...uments/ACA-Coverage-Statistics-2013-12-31.pdf This claims 4.7M. Slightly different, but you make a valid point.

 

[Stevenson]

There were 30 million Americans without health insurance before Obamacare, and many of those were people who worked for small businesses. Romneycare has created 97% coverage in Mass., and they expect that Obamacare will reach numbers close to that in the near future.

And yes, that is a good thing.

 

[Cryptkeeper]

Population of the United States 313.9 million.

So, roughly 2.2% of the population has health insurance now? And that's assuming they were people who didn't have insurance before. How much did Obamacare cost?

About 40-60 mil people don't have computers or internet access of any kind. That's about 20% right there. I'll agree that 2.2% is a very small number, but remember, the Republicans' goal was 0.

 

[Cryptkeeper]

so most people dislike Obama.

Yes, that conclusion was reached a while ago.

 

[MarAzul]

http://democrats.energycommerce.hou...uments/ACA-Coverage-Statistics-2013-12-31.pdf This claims 4.7M. Slightly different, but you make a valid point.

I have no idea why they dispute the reports of people losing their coverage. In the case of the retired people, They put a tax on employers for each person covered. I sure as hell don't expect they believe they were going to produce revenue with this tax. So you know the purpose was to move all those people to the market with the uninsured. The same will be the case this coming year with the self insured employers with current workers. They are being taxed also. For what purpose? Terminate that system!!!

Then we have the man reason for the big hub bubb about OBama's lie, "If you like your health care, you can keep your health care!" Those policies were cancelled because they may not have covered Aids, Pregnancy and a host of conditions not previously covered. They had to get all those people off those plans and force them to buy the new plans that covers all that shit most people do not want to pay for.

It is down right criminally unjust to make 50 year old men and woman buy insurance that covers pregnancy or Aids for Crap sake. Most people do not need to insure those things because they know how to avoid the risk which isn't usually much of a risk at all for people over
40.

 

[Further]

Well if the Republicans can come up with a better plan that covers more people and lowers costs (which some of them like Steele claim they can) then I would be happy to support that plan. But so far what I saw was, Hillary and then Obama along with most Democrats trying to get something accomplished towards ending the plight of the uninsured in America while the Republicans fought tooth and nail against any such legislation. Now, that something has been accomplished and the American people are warming to the idea, the Republicans are trying to re-frame the situation as they just want a different universal plan. Well, if they start fighting for actually improving the ACA, then I'll support them.