9.5 million Previously Uninsured Americans have gotten health coverage

[cthulu2016]

This is why I have always supported the ACA despite disliking all sorts of things about it. It is a substansial moral good in its net effect.

About 9.5 million Americans who were previously uninsured have gotten health coverage under Obamacare, according to a new analysis.

The Los Angeles Times reported the number, which combines data from an unpublished study by RAND Corp. with other publicly available figures. It's one of the most comprehensive efforts yet to asses the law's impact on the uninsured as open enrollment comes to a close.

The numbers break down like this:

•6 million people have enrolled in private coverage through Healthcare.gov and its state counterparts. The Times estimated that about one-third of them -- or about 2 million -- were uninsured, based in part on new numbers from RAND.
•4.5 million previously uninsured people have signed up for Medicaid since the law launched in October, according to RAND.
•3 million young adults age 26 and younger have gotten covered through their parents' insurance plan, as the law allows.
RAND also estimated that about 9 million people have signed up for coverage directly through their insurer, though most of those people were already insured. RAND has surveyed 3,300 adults, ages 18 to 64, nationally. It estimated that the uninsured rate for that population has fallen from 20.9 percent to 16.6 percent.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rand-study-obamacare-uninsured

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obamacare-uninsured-national-20140331,0,5472960.story#ixzz2xXuhljEu

[DirkGently]

1. It's a start.

And it's interesting that the Republicans' newly chosen angle of attack is that it is cruel to the poor, ignorant misogynist employers forced, FORCED to permit women in their employ to pay for insurance that includes reproductive care.

So ... employer-based coverage is a BAD thing?

I mean, a lot of people might agree with that premise, on grounds other than the need to control womens' sex lives.

Employers don't intrinsically know anything about health care. Yet they have to devote resources -- sometimes quite a lot of resources -- to locating and administering it. You end up with employers holding health seminars and passing out diet books and trying to get people to eat apples by posting memos in the toilet about all the wonderful BORON in apples and ...

Okay, got a little lost there. I've seen some wacky stuff at my workplace due to employer-based health insurance.

Interesting thing is, though, all of this points one way ==> Government-run, universal healthcare. Republicans of course don't want to connect those dots, but they sure are laying them down.

Wonder what will happen when they convince everyone that the holy sacred Private Sector is actually terrible at administering health insurance?

[ProSense]

2. This is

RAND also estimated that about 9 million people have signed up for coverage directly through their insurer, though most of those people were already insured. RAND has surveyed 3,300 adults, ages 18 to 64, nationally. It estimated that the uninsured rate for that population has fallen from 20.9 percent to 16.6 percent.

...a fascinating number. That means a portion of the additional "9 million people" were uninsured who signed up "directly through their insurer."

That will increase the number of previoulsy uninsured who signed up, adding to the 9.5 million.

The unisured rates vary by pollster, but it's fair to say that a 4.3 percentage drop is significant.

[iandhr]

4. 6 or 7 come from the exchange.

I think the rest is medicaid expansion.

[JoePhilly]

5. The OP actually breaks the numbers down so you can understand it.

Its not that tough to understand if one possess the math skills.

Oh, enjoy your stay.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. That poster is a RW shill, as we can see by her link to a Bush speech writer

and her belief that government should not be involved in healthcare. She'll be back soon, peddling more libertarian nonsense.

(and we also see, from her reply to me, that she like misogynist language too; it might as well be Alex Jones posting).

[JoePhilly]

10. Yea ...

... but I still like to play with them.

[hrmjustin]

15. Library girl begone! Stopped acting like a spolied brat!

[iandhr]

6. But but but

It's not single payer so it doesn't matter how many people are helped.

[joeglow3]

8. Personally, I am disappointed

And I would bet if we went back to five years ago, were discussing 47 million people not having coverage and said this plan would get coverage for 20% and would still leave 80% high and dry, you too would be disappointed.

[JoePhilly]

11. Should we repeal the ACA?

Or should we use it as a foundation and build on it?

[joeglow3]

17. How do we "use it as a foundation and build on it" to get coverage for 37M more people?

[penultimate]

13. Is it really leaving 80% high and dry?

That seems like a pretty high number based on what I've seen.

[joeglow3]

18. I am going off of numbers used when passing the bill

We were told 47 million did not have any coverage and this post is telling us 9.5 million gained coverage. That leaves about 80% (or 37 million) who still have no coverage.

[ProSense]

14. It took

"And I would bet if we went back to five years ago, were discussing 47 million people not having coverage and said this plan would get coverage for 20% and would still leave 80% high and dry, you too would be disappointed."

...Medicare 20 years to reach 30 million. Medicaid took 30 years. It takes time for people to get around to enrolling.

This is why the administration set goals. For March it was 7 million on the exchanges, to climb to 14 million at the end of the year. That was revised to 13 million.

Also, another 6 million people are being blocked from the Medicaid expansion by Republicans

[joeglow3]

19. I hope that is right.

9.5 million out of 47 million almost 5 years after the bill was passed is underwhelming, IMHO.

[ProSense]

20. The law is

"9.5 million out of 47 million almost 5 years after the bill was passed is underwhelming, IMHO."

...four years old, but it also was just implemented this year. So the sign-up rate is really over a six-month period (not counting young people on their parents' plan).

Still, it's about getting people to sign up, which is more about mobilization (and countering RW fear mongering) than the law.

[cthulu2016]

16. I am disappointed, while also pleased

[Skittles]

21. yes, that is it

me too

[pnwmom]

22. No one expected the numbers to drop precipitously in one year.

All the predictions were for more and more people to choose to sign up for insurance -- over the course of years -- as they saw how it was working for others.

[cthulu2016]

23. .

[bigwillq]

24. That's great.

K and R

[Jesus Malverde]

25. So the right wing pentagon think tank is supporting the ACA.

Interesting....

[Motown_Johnny]

26. the numbers are not that simple

The 6 or (more like) 7 million that have enrolled in private coverage through Healthcare.gov is a tricky number.

Many already had coverage and simply have better coverage now. Also, only about 85% of those who signed up there actually followed through and started making payments.

There are also people who went through brokers or directly to an insurance company to purchase insurance. Rough estimates have that around 5 million but it is to soon to know.


I think when the numbers all shake out, in a few months, it will be more like 12 million people who gained insurance thanks to Obamacare, so far.



P.S. The ~3 million young adults are aged 18 though 25. When you hit 26 you are no longer able to stay on your parent's plan.

[Liberal_in_LA]

27. kick

[Zorra]

28. I'm one of them, and my health care plan is wonderful. It's already saved me

at least $2000 this year.