Saturday, November 21, 2015

Dead legislation walking


HuffPost: "Bad Obamacare News Is Real. That Doesn't Mean Obamacare Is Dying."

This article is pretty remarkable: the authors acknowledge that virtually nothing has gone right, that the predictions of Obamacare critics have been borne out, but - darn it - it's just the gyrations of a new insurance marketplace.  The comments of the typically-liberal readers of HuffPost are telling.  They hate Obamacare but think single-payer is the solution.  That pipe dream is never going to fly, right Vermont?

Extra - Kevin Williamson: "Obamacare is dead."

3 comments:

LA election said...

Tonight in Louisiana: Vitter loses, Edwards in, thus Medicaid expansion begins on Jan. 1, 2016. In six weeks, it'll be the first Southern state to join the Obamacare system.

United we stand said...

“the news about United does not presage a death spiral,” Kingsdale said -- because [the government's] financial assistance keeps coverage cheap for millions of lower- to middle-income people, even if insurers raise their premiums.

Hmmm... the "financial assistance" hasn't "kept" insurance rates cheap enough to entice enough healthy people to enroll, an effect that will only be exacerbated further as "insurers raise their premiums." What Mr. Kingsdale doesn't consider is that those poor and unhealthy people will have to pay more and more each month as "insurers raise their premiums" above and beyond the amount of "financial assistance" the government gives. Thus the most vulnerable begin to get priced out of the market.

But it's Ok. Even if United Health and the other private insurers leave the market, there will always be the co-ops to provide cheap, affordable health insurance.

Oh, wait...about half of those have "left the market" too, and continue to do so at an alarming rate. Obamacare is toast.

By the way, when I used the phrase "cheap, affordable health insurance" above (which was the sales pitch for Obamacare), did you notice the quaint, anachronistic sound of it?

Eric said...

That's great news for the Medicaid patients in Louisiana: they have coverage for the doctors that won't see them.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-insurance/articles/2015/05/26/youve-got-medicaid-why-cant-you-see-the-doctor