Paul Krugman: despite the opposition, Obamacare is "still a huge success story."

[pnwmom]

This is not to say we shouldn't do more. We can and should do more, and I support single-payer. But the ACA is working.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/23/opinion/health-reform-lives.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

To the right’s dismay, scare tactics — remember death panels? — and spurious legal challenges failed to protect the nation from the scourge of guaranteed health coverage. Still, Obamacare’s opponents insisted that it would implode in a “death spiral” of low enrollment and rising costs.


But the law’s first two years of full implementation went remarkably well. The number of uninsured Americans dropped sharply, roughly in line with projections, while costs came in well below expectations. Opponents of reform could have reconsidered their position — but that hardly ever happens in modern politics. Instead, they doubled down on their forecasts of doom, and hyped every hint of bad news.


I mention all of this to give you some perspective on recent developments that mark a break in the string of positive surprises. Yes, Obamacare has hit a few rough patches lately. But they’re much less significant than a lot of the reporting, let alone the right-wing reaction, would have you believe. Health reform is still a huge success story.

Obamacare seeks to cover the uninsured through two channels. Lower-income Americans are covered via a federally-funded expansion of Medicaid, which was supposed to be nationwide but has been rejected in many Republican-controlled states. Everyone else has access to policies sold by private insurers who cannot discriminate based on medical history; these policies are supposed to be made affordable by subsidies that depend on your income.

SNIP

[Dustlawyer]

1. The ACA is getting more expensive as premiums rise.

It is time to push for Single Payer again!

[SunSeeker]

3. The ACA has dramatically slowed healthcare costs.

Dems should be proud of this great Obama achievement that is saving thousands of lives, including my brother's.

[Dustlawyer]

6. I totally agree. I no longer have a pre-existing condition.

But, being insurance based is the flaw. These companies will always work to increase profit at our expense, thus rising premiums which are going up faster than medical costs. Many more cannot afford ACA policies than at the beginning of the ACA.

I am glad it was passed, but it should be a stepping stone to something better. I am glad it saved your brother!

[HenryWallace]

5. Finally, bipartisan support!

"Repeal & Replace"

becomes:

"Replace & Repeal" (Replace with Universal Heathcare and repeal Obamacare's market based approach)

The only relevant issue: better outcomes at half the cost!

[lark]

7. But, but, but socialism!

Seriously, I totally approve of your plan to replace with single payer (Medicare for all) and repeal the market places. They don't work well in the red states anyway.

[HughBeaumont]

9. +100.

Utterly idiotic that the world's foremost industrialized nation hasn't at least adopted multi-payer for ALL of it's citizens.

This is the greatest health care system in the world . . . if money is no object.

That's a crime and an embarrassment.

[pnwmom]

12. Actually, premiums went up less slowly than predicted, in the country as a whole.

Sometimes it does mean switching companies, unfortunately, to get the best silver policy.

[Habibi]

24. Premiums are up, and so are deductibles.

I expect to be getting a policy for 2016 I won't be able to actually use.

[nationalize the fed]

28. and yet if you miss a payment

it's just like before- you're out of a house if you have a problem

What a scam this was- Obama and the gang knew what they wanted and they knew how to get it done

"The truth of the matter is that my policies are so mainstream that if I had set the same policies that I had back in the 1980s, I would be considered a moderate Republican."- President Barack Obama

The Mandate was a Heritage Foundation CONcept, and the President, who loves Republican policies had his point man in the Senate *ARREST* single payer doctor and nurse advocates. But this is conveniently forgotten in the attempt to remake history

Most Democrats pretend that didn't exist

Keith Olbermann told the truth and soon he was fired

Obama told the truth and then forgot about it

Mandated payments to corporate insurance is not liberal, but neither is Obama

[cprise]

35. That's an interesting rundown

Thanks!

[monicaangela]

50. Excellent Post nationalize the fed!!

I agree 100%. We need Single Payer NOW! We need to get insurance companies completely out of health care IMHO.

[pnwmom]

29. The curve of the increase has been bent downwards.

Premiums have ALWAYS been going up. But now, thanks to the ACA, the rate of increase is significantly lower than before.

[Habibi]

36. Glad things are going so well for you.

[pnwmom]

37. They are for the three people I know who have used the exchange. And for all the other people

who no longer have to worry that they'll be uninsurable if they get cancer or another expensive illness and lose their employer based health insurance.

[Habibi]

43. I'm glad for them, too.

[treestar]

45. my premium went up 23%

but the deductible went down and so did the co pays. Which weren't much to start with. I have a deductible of only $200.

[Habibi]

47. Glad for you. Happy Thanksgiving!

[HuckleB]

42. It's always time to push for single payer, but going backwards is not a valid option.

We may have to look at the next steps regarding how we implement health care in the US, as well. And that will mean pros and cons for everyone.

[Rod Beauvex]

49. Notice that once costs started increasing again...

...The Republicans mysteriously stop whining about Obamacare so much...

[pampango]

2. "Obamacare’s opponents insisted that it would implode in a “death spiral” of low enrollment and

rising costs."

But the law’s first two years of full implementation went remarkably well. The number of uninsured Americans dropped sharply, roughly in line with projections, while costs came in well below expectations. Opponents of reform could have reconsidered their position — but that hardly ever happens in modern politics. Instead, they doubled down on their forecasts of doom, and hyped every hint of bad news."

Typical conservative reaction to being wrong. Don't 'reconsider your position' (in light of actual facts) that would be considered weak and not appreciated by the right wing idiot base. Instead, 'double down' and predict even more doom.

[Demeter]

11. Don't look now, but it IS imploding

One insurance company has already thrown in the towel, because it can't make enough money on the deal. Two others are considering following suit in 2017 if things don't improve next year.

The co-ops are failing.

People would rather pay the fine than throw good money away month after month.

We track Obamacare over in the Economy group. Drop in and see what we've got. The daily SMW (stock market watch) and Weekend Economists thread are a good place to start. So is the blog Naked Capitalism by Yves Smith.

[pnwmom]

14. Krugman, the progressive Nobel-prize-winner, says that isn't true.

The co-ops are failing because Congress failed to allocate the funds designated by the ACA -- so they're only "failing" in the sense that expanded Medicaid is "failing." If the law had been followed as written the co-ops would have had time to get on their feet and the Medicaid expansion would have covered all 50 states.

[callous taoboy]

33. Same maneuver used on NCLB.

NCLB, as much as I ended up hating it as a teacher, might have actually done some good if its budget had not been slashed by more than half before it was even implemented.

[pnwmom]

38. I didn't know that. Interesting. n/t

[HuckleB]

41. "Throw good money away month after month."

Yeah, until your knee goes out, which just happened to an acquaintance who decided not to pay for insurance. He's now putting a lot more than he ever would have for insurance. That's how insurance works.

[Romulox]

15. Um, you know how I know you don't follow the news?

UnitedHealth, the nation's largest insurer, is scaling back its marketing of Obamacare exchange plans and may exit the program completely.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/19/news/economy/unitedhealth-obamacare/

[pnwmom]

16. You know how I know you didn't bother to read Krugman's article?

UnitedHealth is a huge provider of employment-based insurance but a small part of the ACA.

Finally, UnitedHealth Group made a splash by announcing that it is losing money on the policies it sells on the Obamacare exchanges, and is considering withdrawing from the market after next year. There were some puzzling things about the announcement, leading to speculation about ulterior motives, but the main thing to realize is that UnitedHealth, while a huge provider of employment-based insurance, is actually a fairly small player in this market, and that other players are sounding much more positive.

[Romulox]

17. Ummm....

Insurers’ Obamacare Losses May Reach $5.5 Billion in 2015

Health insurers such as WellPoint Inc. and Humana Inc. stand to gain $5.5 billion next year to cover losses from Obamacare in a program the law’s opponents label a bailout.

The money, outlined in President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins in October, is designated to help insurers who find the cost of the law higher than expected, based on the percentage of older, sicker people who sign up compared with younger enrollees.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-03-04/insurers-obamacare-losses-may-cost-u-s-5-5-billion

[pnwmom]

18. That was a planned part of the law. There is nothing alarming about the fact

that these funds are needed. The law was written to provide this flexibility.

[SunSeeker]

4. K & R

[Hekate]

8. KnR

[Demeter]

10. Success? For Whom?

The people who can't afford the deductibles? The people who can't get a network to meet their needs?

It's no success, and unlike a well-run lottery, it isn't even fair. Krugman is dreaming in his ivory tower.

[pnwmom]

21. I have three relatives/friends who are greatly benefiting from the ACA.

One is on Medicaid, one is on a subsidy, and one has a policy without a subsidy. All are pleased with their care options now.

Are you personally familiar with it, too, or are you just reacting to biased news reports?

[HuckleB]

40. That's why I see people in the clinic every day who had no insurance before the ACA?

It's not perfect, but if you don't think it's a huge step forward, you're missing some important information.

[Romulox]

13. Except for the unsustainable, runaway costs, and that fact that millions still aren't getting care.

[littlewolf]

19. how many state exchanges have gone belly up?

[pnwmom]

20. None. But any state that doesn't want the hassle of running its own exchange

Last edited Tue Nov 24, 2015, 08:23 PM - Edit history (1)

can join the federal exchange and still get subsidies for its residents.

[IronLionZion]

22. Imagine how amazing single payer would be

with a Tea party congress controlling its budget and appointing its leadership.

I'd like single payer too, but we have way too many conservatives in our country. Even Truman tried to promote national health insurance and it didn't get much traction.

[Tortmaster]

23. Louisiana is looking to be the ...

... 31st state to adopt Medicaid Expansion, Utah is talking about it, and Alabama has just now gone into a Medicaid Expansion frenzy. Governor Bentley recently brought the topic up, and a state commission came out unanimously for Expansion. Those things usually don't happen by coincidence.

When Alabama falls, the South falls.

Expansion in Louisiana and Alabama would add more than 500,000 people to the rolls of the insured. That, in turn, will cause everybody else's insurance in those states to go down, as hospitals will not need to make up for the cost of emergency room care by billing insured customers a higher rate.

Thanks, Obama!

__________________________________________

Post Script: What's with "The Liberal Conditional"?

A lot of Progressives, even Paul Krugman, will go out of their way to say things like, "ObamaCare is working, but we can do better...." or "President Obama has done a good job, but...." I think it is implicit that we all want perfect perfection, so are these phrases worn like some kind of badge of progressive honor? Many people condemn candidates for running away from the President, but, then, they run away from him with many of their comments. It's puzzling.

[pnwmom]

26. That is a great question, Tortmaster. "What's with "the Liberal Conditional"?

We never see the Rethugs doing that, do we?

Welcome to DU!

[Tortmaster]

30. Hi. I didn't realize I had signed up a long time ago.

I just tried my username and password, and there I was! Thanks.

[B Calm]

25. It's helped my wife and I. Something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

[pnwmom]

27. Three of the people close to me are benefiting from it. It's doing a lot of good everywhere. n/t

[Freddie]

31. Helped my family too

My brother, a self- employed cancer survivor, can now sleep at night knowing he won't lose his house and life savings if he ever got sick again.
There's a lot of tweaking to be done to improve the law. But PBO accomplished something that some presidents since Truman have been trying to do. We should be grateful that this country has finally started on a path to a better health system.

[treestar]

46. Me too.

Timing was perfect and I have been getting a lot of preventive attention. Starting to get to that age, I started to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol / blood sugar. Got sent to a nutritionist and straightened out diet and exercise and the numbers went back down. This is exactly why it will save money in the long run.

[riversedge]

32. yes, now to work on some

cost controls.

[daybranch]

34. President Obama graciously started us on the road to Medicare for All

The President did what he believed best to eliminate many of the blatant abuses of the private health care system, but let us not forget the snake in the grass is still there and let us hack it from civilized societies. It may appear non-moving and only co-existing but we know it is a viper that has bit before and will do so again when it has bought enough politicians.
Go Bernie-the candidate for democracy and dignity. It is not time for half measures. Moderation is only defeat continued when the people know where they want to go.

[HuckleB]

39. I can't believe I missed this piece. Yeah, Krugman!

[Botany]

44. Thanks Obama