It was an attempt at a huge transformation of the health care industry. And while most people were scared to death of it, Democrats in control rammed it through. But it's the law of the land, its supporters constantly tell us.
So how is Obamacare working? That's the question answered by Michael D. Tanner. There are over 10 million people signed up which is only slightly below revised predictions. However, that needs to double to reach what they've predicted for enrollment in 2016. That's a big hurdle, and with all the bad news coming out, it's hard to visualize some groundswell of approval appearing miraculously.
The Obamacare enrollees are probably still suffering from the initial sticker shock. And that's going to get worse. Insurance companies are seeking permission from state agencies to hike their rates with increases ranging from 19.9 percent in Washington to 64.8 percent in Texas. For that, with cheapest Obamacare plans, customers get a deductible of about $5,180 for individuals and $10,500 for families. Ouch.
But pity the people who were dumped into Medicaid. It was hard enough for Medicaid users to find doctors before Obamacare due to poor doctor reimbursement. Now it must be a game of musical chairs for the 7 million new patients as they all scramble to get to see the few doctors who will take them.
Meanwhile, we all anxiously await a ruling in King v. Burwell. If it goes against the federal government individual rates could go up even more. Death spiral, anyone?
P.S. Given all we've learned recently about known information loss through cybercrime by the OMB, it's probably a given that eventually all of our medical records will end up in hackers' hard drives if they aren't already there.
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