General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Biggest Problem With Obamacare’s Rollout Is Being Caused Intentionally by Republicans
The Biggest Problem With Obamacares Rollout Is Being Caused Intentionally by Republicans
November 21, 2013
by Joshua Holland
..................According to Jonathan Gruber, a leading health care wonk at MIT, all private insurance premiums in the 25 red states that are refusing to expand their Medicaid programs will be 15 percent higher as a direct result of that decision.
But those numbers dont capture the human cost. The reality is that conservatives are complaining about insurance policies being cancelled and the ACAs error-plagued exchanges at the same time as they actively work to keep millions of poor Americans from gaining coverage under the laws Medicaid expansion.
The victims of Obamacares implementation problems being hit the hardest, by far, are those whose incomes fall between the federal poverty line and the eligibility cutoffs in those 25 states rejecting Medicaid expansion. Not only will they be left uncovered, they wont even be eligible for the generous subsidies that people earning slightly more than they do can use to buy insurance. Its brutally unfair. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 4.8 million poor adults may fall into that coverage gap about twice the number of people expected to pay more for their insurance when their substandard policies are cancelled.
And it gets worse. In 40 states, adults without children are ineligible for Medicaid regardless of their income level. In 30 states, the parents of children who qualify for Medicaid may not be eligible themselves. All of these people would be covered under Medicaids expansion, but theyre being left high and dry in the 25 states who have rejected expansion. And while the problems plaguing healthcare.gov result from mismanagement and a contracting boondoggle, those red state lawmakers who refuse to expand Medicaid are inflicting this harm intentionally, based solely on their ideology.
In other words, theyre actively working to maintain Americas shamefully high rate of uninsured. And that comes with deadly consequences. Because, in this country, we do let em die we let the poor and the uninsured die from treatable illnesses every day.
MORE:
http://billmoyers.com/2013/11/21/the-biggest-problem-with-obamacares-rollout-is-being-caused-intentionally-by-republicans/
rucky
(35,211 posts)that's their whole playbook.
MFM008
(19,803 posts)swine.
I used site last night and it moved at lightening speed.
rudolph the red
(666 posts)Donna Brazile @donnabrazile 19h
The Biggest Problem With Obamacares Rollout Is Being Caused Intentionally by Republicans http://zite.to/1fy8k3C