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Obamacare is having one huge success nobody knows about
Obamacare is having one huge success nobody knows about
By Ezra Klein
<...>
The background here is that before the rollout of the Affordable Care Act there were a lot of people eligible for Medicaid who simply didn't know it. This "take-up rate" -- wonk-speak for the percentage of people eligible for the program who sign up for it -- varies widely from state to state, with some states as low as 36 percent and others as high as 81 percent.
The publicity around the new health-care law has led a lot of those people to inquire about whether they're eligible for health insurance -- and they're finding out that they are. The clearest example of this is in the red states that aren't participating in the law's Medicaid expansion: There, 91,000 people have tried to sign up for health insurance and learned, in the process, that they are already eligible for Medicaid coverage.
The effect is also present in the blue states. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that of the 70,000 people who've enrolled in Medicaid in Washington State, 30,000 were eligible before the new law took effect -- they just didn't know it.
The result is that while the expansion of health-care coverage still isn't working nearly as well as it needs to be, it's actually making preexisting coverage expansions work better than they ever have.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/15/obamacare-is-having-one-huge-success-nobody-knows-about/
By Ezra Klein
<...>
The background here is that before the rollout of the Affordable Care Act there were a lot of people eligible for Medicaid who simply didn't know it. This "take-up rate" -- wonk-speak for the percentage of people eligible for the program who sign up for it -- varies widely from state to state, with some states as low as 36 percent and others as high as 81 percent.
The publicity around the new health-care law has led a lot of those people to inquire about whether they're eligible for health insurance -- and they're finding out that they are. The clearest example of this is in the red states that aren't participating in the law's Medicaid expansion: There, 91,000 people have tried to sign up for health insurance and learned, in the process, that they are already eligible for Medicaid coverage.
The effect is also present in the blue states. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that of the 70,000 people who've enrolled in Medicaid in Washington State, 30,000 were eligible before the new law took effect -- they just didn't know it.
The result is that while the expansion of health-care coverage still isn't working nearly as well as it needs to be, it's actually making preexisting coverage expansions work better than they ever have.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/15/obamacare-is-having-one-huge-success-nobody-knows-about/
ACA’s ‘Woodworking’ Effect Playing Out As 91,000 People Eligible For Medicaid Learn They Can Get Coverage
By Phil Galewitz
Supporters and opponents of the federal health law still can’t decide whether to call it the “woodwork” or “welcome mat” effect — the millions of people currently eligible for Medicaid who are not enrolled and who are expected to sign up as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
The Obama administration’s first enrollment report released Wednesday shows the phenomenon is real. It is happening even in Republican-led states that have fought the health law and refused to take advantage of a provision that would expand their Medicaid programs.
In the first month of open enrollment, about 91,000 people in those non-expanding states who would have qualified for Medicaid before but had not signed up, came to the federal online marketplace and were deemed eligible for the program, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the data.
In Florida, nearly 13,000 people have visited healthcare.gov and been determined eligible for Medicaid – more than in any of the states not expanding the program. In Texas, the figure is about 11,600. Texas and Florida have been among the most hostile states to the health law. Nearly 11,000 people in Wisconsin have also been deemed eligible for Medicaid. Wisconsin is planning to reduce Medicaid eligibility next year.
- more -
http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2013/11/about-91000-enroll-in-medicaid-as-result-of-aca-woodwork-effect/
By Phil Galewitz
Supporters and opponents of the federal health law still can’t decide whether to call it the “woodwork” or “welcome mat” effect — the millions of people currently eligible for Medicaid who are not enrolled and who are expected to sign up as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
The Obama administration’s first enrollment report released Wednesday shows the phenomenon is real. It is happening even in Republican-led states that have fought the health law and refused to take advantage of a provision that would expand their Medicaid programs.
In the first month of open enrollment, about 91,000 people in those non-expanding states who would have qualified for Medicaid before but had not signed up, came to the federal online marketplace and were deemed eligible for the program, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the data.
In Florida, nearly 13,000 people have visited healthcare.gov and been determined eligible for Medicaid – more than in any of the states not expanding the program. In Texas, the figure is about 11,600. Texas and Florida have been among the most hostile states to the health law. Nearly 11,000 people in Wisconsin have also been deemed eligible for Medicaid. Wisconsin is planning to reduce Medicaid eligibility next year.
- more -
http://capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org/index.php/2013/11/about-91000-enroll-in-medicaid-as-result-of-aca-woodwork-effect/
<...>
Texas had 11,000 new people sign up for Medicaid last month thanks to these changes. Again, this isn't a cure-all -- states that aren't expanding Medicaid have about 51 percent of the currently uninsured population and only 28 percent of the new Medicaid sign-ups. However, by cutting punitive bureaucracy and making it easier to apply, the ACA is already helping hundreds of thousands of poor people in the red states, despite the efforts of their reactionary governors.
<...>
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/15/1255645/-ACA-Medicaid-sign-ups-lead-the-way-even-in-states-rejecting-the-expansion
Texas had 11,000 new people sign up for Medicaid last month thanks to these changes. Again, this isn't a cure-all -- states that aren't expanding Medicaid have about 51 percent of the currently uninsured population and only 28 percent of the new Medicaid sign-ups. However, by cutting punitive bureaucracy and making it easier to apply, the ACA is already helping hundreds of thousands of poor people in the red states, despite the efforts of their reactionary governors.
<...>
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/15/1255645/-ACA-Medicaid-sign-ups-lead-the-way-even-in-states-rejecting-the-expansion
16 replies
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