Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Obamacare Enrollment Is Far From Over
Obamacare Enrollment Is Far From Over
John Graves and Jonathan Gruber
With the recent closure of the initial enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is enormous jockeying around interpreting the number of enrollees in state and federal exchanges. Proponents and opponents of the law are interpreting the preliminary numbers in the way that best makes their case. But what neither side is emphasizing enough is that enrollment in the ACA is far from over now that March 31st has passed. This is because millions of individuals will lose their insurance during 2014 – and Obamacare will be there to catch them.
An underappreciated fact about insurance status is that it is very dynamic. Every year, millions of Americans move into and out of insurance coverage. Since most people obtain coverage through an employer, the most common reason for losing coverage is a loss or change in jobs. But as anyone who has applied for COBRA coverage surely knows, the premium requirements to maintain generous employer coverage can be prohibitively expensive, particularly in the months when a job loss triggers a sharp income decline. Moreover, for Americans with any medical history who sought plans on the individual insurance market prior to the ACA, there were few affordable places to turn for protection against medical bankruptcy. In most states, insurers could deny coverage, or could charge sick individuals many multiples of their healthy counterparts to buy insurance.
The ACA’s state Marketplaces, in contrast, provide a non-discriminatory home for those losing their insurance coverage. In many cases, the loss of insurance coverage is what is known as a “qualifying event” that allows individuals to purchase insurance on their state Marketplace even after the open enrollment deadline. And for those seeing a sharp drop in income due to job loss, the tax credits available through the ACA exchanges can provide a much more affordable option than COBRA; in about half of the states, Medicaid will also be available for those suffering the largest income losses.
The number of Americans that will eligible for these qualifying events is large. In 2012, for example, 7.6 million people lost coverage and became uninsured. Almost half of this group, or 3.4 million, cited loss of job as the reason for losing insurance; another 600,000 cited loss of student insurance upon graduation or due to aging out of parental coverage; another 200,000 cited divorce as the source of insurance loss; while 60,000 lose insurance because they move. All of these are qualifying events that would trigger a special enrollment period for people who are currently insured but who lose access to coverage over the course of a year. These figures suggest that roughly 4 million Americans who previously faced the harsh reality of life without insurance can now access fairly priced and often subsidized insurance through state and federal exchanges, or, in many states, expanded Medicaid coverage.
- more -
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/obamacare-enrollment-is-far-from-over
John Graves and Jonathan Gruber
With the recent closure of the initial enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is enormous jockeying around interpreting the number of enrollees in state and federal exchanges. Proponents and opponents of the law are interpreting the preliminary numbers in the way that best makes their case. But what neither side is emphasizing enough is that enrollment in the ACA is far from over now that March 31st has passed. This is because millions of individuals will lose their insurance during 2014 – and Obamacare will be there to catch them.
An underappreciated fact about insurance status is that it is very dynamic. Every year, millions of Americans move into and out of insurance coverage. Since most people obtain coverage through an employer, the most common reason for losing coverage is a loss or change in jobs. But as anyone who has applied for COBRA coverage surely knows, the premium requirements to maintain generous employer coverage can be prohibitively expensive, particularly in the months when a job loss triggers a sharp income decline. Moreover, for Americans with any medical history who sought plans on the individual insurance market prior to the ACA, there were few affordable places to turn for protection against medical bankruptcy. In most states, insurers could deny coverage, or could charge sick individuals many multiples of their healthy counterparts to buy insurance.
The ACA’s state Marketplaces, in contrast, provide a non-discriminatory home for those losing their insurance coverage. In many cases, the loss of insurance coverage is what is known as a “qualifying event” that allows individuals to purchase insurance on their state Marketplace even after the open enrollment deadline. And for those seeing a sharp drop in income due to job loss, the tax credits available through the ACA exchanges can provide a much more affordable option than COBRA; in about half of the states, Medicaid will also be available for those suffering the largest income losses.
The number of Americans that will eligible for these qualifying events is large. In 2012, for example, 7.6 million people lost coverage and became uninsured. Almost half of this group, or 3.4 million, cited loss of job as the reason for losing insurance; another 600,000 cited loss of student insurance upon graduation or due to aging out of parental coverage; another 200,000 cited divorce as the source of insurance loss; while 60,000 lose insurance because they move. All of these are qualifying events that would trigger a special enrollment period for people who are currently insured but who lose access to coverage over the course of a year. These figures suggest that roughly 4 million Americans who previously faced the harsh reality of life without insurance can now access fairly priced and often subsidized insurance through state and federal exchanges, or, in many states, expanded Medicaid coverage.
- more -
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/obamacare-enrollment-is-far-from-over
Millions. Cue the GOP whining.
No, the revolution won't be televised.
Senator Bernie Sanders: We're Making Progress
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024763628
8 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
And will continue to do so.
And no GOP shills will stop us from doing so!!
Go Dems!! Go POTUS!!
Excellent news and getting better all the time. And this despite all of the Republican lies and misinformation!
