Despite a major effort at deception that involved outright lying by opponents of the Affordable Care Act that actively sought to dissuade people from getting health insurance that would save them from some catastrophic expenses due to illness, and despite the disastrous rollout that seemed to confirm people’s worst fears, it looks like the enrollment figures will meet their original target of seven million. The final tallies will take some time to be sorted but initial signs are good.
Dylan Scott looks at all the predictions of the doomsayers that have proven to be false, such as:
More People Have Lost Coverage Than Gained It
The White House Is Cooking The Books On Obamacare Enrollment
Low Enrollment Numbers Prove Americans Don’t Want Obamacare — So We Should Repeal It
Back on November 5, 2013 just after all the troubles were reported with the healthcare.gov website, I wrote:
Incidentally, although the government seems to have bungled the roll out of the Affordable care Act sign up, I suspect that since it is a technical issue, it will get resolved at some point in the near future, despite all the yelling and screaming currently going on. So I have not been particularly exercised over it. What I am more interested in is how people who enroll in it will think about it a year from now.
That is what I still think. The next step is to make improvements in the system, which it will surely need to fix the inevitable glitches in such a massive program.
And the final step (I can dream, can’t I?) is to scrap this system altogether and replace it with a single-payer system, which can be done by expanding Medicare for all and making improvements to that.
I don’t know if I’ll see single payer HC in the US in my lifetime. Aren’t SS and Medicare still mostly administered through private businesses, or are they close to actually being single payer?
@Wylann,
Social Security and Medicare are government programs. Medicare is single-payer but you have to be 65 to qualify.
@Mano, #2: Lots of folks my age and more are on “Medicare Advantage” plans, administered by private insurance companies. Many more have Medicare Supplement plans administered by private insurance companies. Somehow those companies that hate Obamacare so much just LOVE Medicare. If you don’t believe me, have a look at my junk mail some time.
@Trebuchet,
But Medicare Advantage is an optional extra that gives you extra benefits, while basic Medicare is government run, right?
Mano,
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There are other SS categories than over-65 that qualify for Medicare: SSI (income supplement), SSA (disabled), and many spousal survivors, orphans, dependents of various sorts, as well as some ex-military personnel and dependents. Medicare already is serving millions of Americans not covered otherwise and would also serve well as a base for a single-payer system which is the only logical eventual health-care system for the future (near I Hope).
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It would be no great loss to scrap our present system and put everyone on Medicare. Of course, many high-level managers of health-care insurors would be on the bricks, but their scheming talents would probably find applications elsewhere. Mid- and low-level employees would likely find positions in Medicare administration where their skills would be useful and appreciated.
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Such a conversion would yield massive benefits and real cost reductions for the public and also be a genuine social good.
Which is why I don’t expect to see it in the US in my lifetime.
Mano, #4: Certainly. But I’d guess that most Medicare recipients, who as #5 points out are mostly but no entirely over 65, have at least a Medicare supplement. There’s also Medicare parts B and D, which are optional and you have to pay for. Basic Medicare doesn’t cover very well.