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Keeping you up to date on the latest Obamacare facts – Today (Tuesday) marks the beginning of the much-anticipated Obamacare open enrollment for the new marketplaces – which hasn't gone smoothly.
The federal government operates these marketplaces, or exchanges, across 36 states, and the Obama administration anticipates seven million people will apply for coverage across the six-month open-enrollment period.
The exchange rollout comes as a wash of just-released polls on Obamacare shows the public hasn't embraced our country's new healthcare law.
That's why U.S. President Barack Obama has ramped up speeches and interviews this week addressing Obamacare facts and issues, along with party leaders across the country.
And he has plenty to address…
Check out these five new Obamacare facts that just entered the arena:
Obamacare Fact #1: Not All Online Marketplaces Are Working
Shocker: the online marketplaces in which people are expected to enroll have been experiencing technical glitches.
One glitch prevents the exchange from determining whether consumers are eligible for Medicaid or government subsidies. This causes substantial inaccuracies for consumers trying to figure out premium prices – which are the top concern for most consumers.
Last Thursday in a speech in Maryland, President Obama tried to quell mounting concerns over technological issues, stating that similar to other new computer programs, "There are going to be some glitches as this thing unfolds."
But the president said he's confident people will be happy with the prices and plans available to them – with some having insurance for the first time.
At the same time, some analysts worry that early problems like the technical glitches may discourage consumers from obtaining coverage.
Stay tuned to see if the glitches have a cooling effect on enrollment.
Obamacare Fact #2: The "Family Glitch" Could Leave Hundreds of Thousands of Children Without Coverage
Congress committed a drafting error in the healthcare law, now coming to fruition and dubbed the "family glitch." According to healthcare analysts, the family glitch could cost families thousands in health coverage costs and leave up to 500,000 children without any coverage.
I just got the letter from BCBS saying my premiums would be increasing by 318% thanks to the AFFORDABLE Care Act
Understand…I've never submitted a claim in the 30+ years I've been paying for my own insurance. I have no pre-existing conditions. I'm the ideal insured person.
I would invite those who are "enthusiastic" about the program to explain to me how legislation that FORCES me to buy insurance, then makes me pay 318% more for it can be called the AFFORDABLE Care Act and referred to as "progressive." Progress toward what? Serfdom?
Of course, you won't be able to explain it to me in person. It'd be too hard for you to get the words out with your head being held under water and all.
Even if what you are saying is actually true (meaning you aren't one the of hundreds of people that have been paid by the Republican Right or the insurance company executives who pull their strings to lie about how much your premiums are going up), you would be one in a million. ALL the data clearly shows that in a hugely overwhelming landslide, health insurance premiums are plummeting, now that insurance companies actually have to compete with each other instead of hiding the details of policy coverage behind jargon and plain ol' BS. You aren't required by anyone to keep the current plan you have. In fact, the whole idea behind the exchanges is to provide you with a choice. If you are in fact "the ideal insured person", there are many, many other insurance companies who would love to undercut the high rate BCBS is supposedly trying to stick you with. And BCBS knows this. Which is why they have paid so many people to lie about this. They don't want competition, as it will allow another company to swoop you up by offering the same coverage at a lower rate. I don't understand how anyone who purports to be an American and share American capitalist ideals could be raising their nose at something the health insurance industry has long enjoyed a vacation from, actual competition.
You're calling me a liar? A shill?
Give me your name and fax number and I'll send you a copy of the notice. Want me to scan it and post it? Would that shut you up?
As for the one in a million, how is it that my friend and his wife have just been hit with a 328% increase? An additional $7,600 a year. We're in North Carolina. In you've paid any attention at all, you'd know that NC is experiencing the worst of the rate increases. I knew it'd be bad. I didn't know it'd be 318%.
"All the data clearly show." Funny how your data conflicts with my %^#$&@! bill. What a crock. As if it hasn't been simple to compare policies in the past. As if there hasn't been competition. These are still PRIVATE insurance companies offering the coverage, but you'd like us to think somehow their morbidity calculations have somehow magically changed because they opt into an exchange. You think comparisons somehow magically become easier? This is claptrap.
Enjoy drinking all the koolaid you want pal, but to insult me by implying I'm somehow aligned with the "Republican Right" and am being paid to say what I say is as low as it gets. First off, I loathe the Republican party. If you've paid any attention to my many comments on this site, you'd know I'm no shill for ANYBODY. Second, you don't know me, but you're willing to accuse me. That shows how lame your response is to a STONE COLD FACT I related.
You can't change the facts, so you spin some yarn about how insurance (pre-piad medical) is going to all of a sudden be cheaper, because it's offered through an exchange.
Yeah, right. Go place your fantasies where the moon don't shine.
You either have a completely redundant plan that is now being increased because its obsolete, or you don't understand as much as you are implying.
So I'm going to skip ahead and say that you are in fact legit and have a decent plan that has been unreasonably increased with the ACA. If that is in fact true, then with the mechanisms of the ACA you can shop around for a better plan at a better cost, because that's what this bill does. This is how you save money. This is how everyone so far is saving money if they didn't already have a plan that was reduced anyway.
This bill forces insurance companies to drop overhead costs to 20% where it used to be 80%, considering there hasn't been a 60% spike in medical costs, this automatically means every plan is cheaper.
It also forces all insurance companies into competing against each other for customers. Remember: This is a conservative drafted bill. It uses the free market more than you're probably comfortable with acknowledging.
Finally 300million+ people are now all part of the risk pool which completely negates the need for plans to increase based on risk aversion.
So to conclude, you are either not understanding your own plan, have an incredibly stupid plan that is taking advantage of you, or you are lying.
Whatever the case, you will be in denial about ever being against this in 10 years or you will lie and say you were for it all along.
Guess what? Spending money on the general public allows them to have cashflow to buy things. Imagine that. Poor people buying more things stimulates the economy.
Where are your facts concerning the ACA? It appears you are crying wolf and have no real understanding of the people who need the ACA for medical insurance. Just the facts with a little proof would be nice!
Obamacare is "off and running"? How about stumbling like a retarded drunk? This will sink Obama like millstone around his scrawny neck. Pharaoh Obama should back down and give up. No working person can afford this and care standards are already being down graded.
I'll always choose scrawny neck before scrawny brain. And "downgraded" is one word, Scrawny.
Wow, the racism in this comment is pretty disgusting. I don't even need to address anything you have to say it is so outside of reality it's amusing. So how did you decide on Pharaoh huh? Surely nothing to do with him being half black right?
LMAO Watcher. U HAVEN'T A CLUE.
There is abundant confusion and uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Scammers are having a whale of a time duping citizens. The scam could hit you via phone call, e-mail or fake websites. The publishing community need to help in spreading as much info as possible deep and wide to help alert people susceptible to fraud. Here is a link from SCF which furthers this effort (with tool to estimate insurance cost and the subsidy). http://www.scamcallfighters.com/Top-20-Facts-That-Everyone-Should-Know-to-Ward-Off-Obamacare-Scams-blog-64.html
this mess is why i want to take my family and oyr investments and leave this country…ive lived long enough to see theUSA is going down the drain ..
OUTSMARTED !
ObamaCare just proves how easily a majority of American Voters outsmarted themselves.
I cite no racial or political factors in my opinion of Obamacare as it unfolds (or doesn't?). I only know that my premium with Wellwise is increasing by $109 per month, apparently mild compared to others who have posted comments.
I'm a MBA student.