red states rule
10-27-2013, 08:44 AM
Seems people are taking the government handout rather then have to pay for health ins
Anyone really surprised?
While virtually all the ObamaCare focus is trained on the program's dysfunctional website, another problem could be emerging -- in states where individuals are able to sign up, far more are enrolling in Medicaid than private plans.
For now, the statistics are spotty. The Obama administration still hasn't provided figures on how many people have successfully enrolled through the federally run exchanges. Some, but not all, states have provided their own relatively up-to-date figures.
But for those that have, the lopsided numbers show Medicaid is getting the lion's share of enrollees.
In Washington state, more than 35,000 people have signed up for coverage since Oct. 1. Of them, just 4,500 went into private plans. Roughly 31,000 signed up for Medicaid -- with coverage kicking in sometime between now and Jan. 1.
The director of the state's Health Care Authority said they were "pleased by the strong response of Medicaid-eligible residents."
But the imbalance -- if it does not even out in the months to come -- could create problems for private insurance companies which are relying on a major influx of new and healthy customers to make the system hum.
"There are a lot of elements of this law that have to work, that must work -- otherwise the whole thing collapses," the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon said. "They need -- need -- lots of healthy people to sign up for insurance through the exchanges."
The fact that people are flocking to Medicaid isn't necessarily a problem -- but a lack of healthy enrollees on private plans would be.
The main reason the Affordable Care Act mandated that individuals buy insurance was so that private insurers would get enough young, healthy people in the system who could offset the costs of covering older and sicker patients. Otherwise, at the very least, costs will skyrocket for those in the system.
"You need to have a good balance of people purchasing coverage or these reforms won't work," Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, told FoxNews.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/25/rush-on-medicaid-could-spell-trouble-for-obamacares-health/
Anyone really surprised?
While virtually all the ObamaCare focus is trained on the program's dysfunctional website, another problem could be emerging -- in states where individuals are able to sign up, far more are enrolling in Medicaid than private plans.
For now, the statistics are spotty. The Obama administration still hasn't provided figures on how many people have successfully enrolled through the federally run exchanges. Some, but not all, states have provided their own relatively up-to-date figures.
But for those that have, the lopsided numbers show Medicaid is getting the lion's share of enrollees.
In Washington state, more than 35,000 people have signed up for coverage since Oct. 1. Of them, just 4,500 went into private plans. Roughly 31,000 signed up for Medicaid -- with coverage kicking in sometime between now and Jan. 1.
The director of the state's Health Care Authority said they were "pleased by the strong response of Medicaid-eligible residents."
But the imbalance -- if it does not even out in the months to come -- could create problems for private insurance companies which are relying on a major influx of new and healthy customers to make the system hum.
"There are a lot of elements of this law that have to work, that must work -- otherwise the whole thing collapses," the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon said. "They need -- need -- lots of healthy people to sign up for insurance through the exchanges."
The fact that people are flocking to Medicaid isn't necessarily a problem -- but a lack of healthy enrollees on private plans would be.
The main reason the Affordable Care Act mandated that individuals buy insurance was so that private insurers would get enough young, healthy people in the system who could offset the costs of covering older and sicker patients. Otherwise, at the very least, costs will skyrocket for those in the system.
"You need to have a good balance of people purchasing coverage or these reforms won't work," Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, told FoxNews.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/25/rush-on-medicaid-could-spell-trouble-for-obamacares-health/