Sign-Up Period Extended Again for Health Plan

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Tuesday that it would provide more time for people to complete their applications for health insurance if they could show that they missed the deadline because of problems with the federal health care website.

The move was the latest in a series of deadline changes, exemptions and clarifications that have confused insurers and many Americans and opened the administration to increasing criticism from Republicans who have opposed the Affordable Care Act from the start and have repeatedly tried to overturn it.

It was not clear on Tuesday how many people would be affected, or how consumers would prove that website errors had prevented them from signing up by the deadline on Tuesday night.

The announcement itself was vague, saying only that if website problems had prevented any consumers from enrolling, they might qualify for what the government has called “a special enrollment period.” The administration did not say how long that would last. Nor did it define what website errors might be involved.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/us/politics/white-house-again-stretches-health-care-sign-up-deadline.html?partner=EXCITE&ei=5043&_r=0

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Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

President Obama, on his way to play golf on Tuesday in Hawaii, is desperate to increase insurance enrollment, Republicans say.

[onehandle]

1. Desperate? Last I heard from experts, they are on target or ahead of target.

Republicans are desperate to stop or slow their coming downfall.

[Blanket Statements]

3. Only if you pretend medicaid enrollees count

Last edited Wed Dec 25, 2013, 09:18 AM - Edit history (1)

[grantcart]

6. I know that this is going to be a big disappointment in your single minded campaign

against the ACA but enrollments are exploding.

We are very rapidly approaching the 2 million mark, probably already passed it.

No one is counting Medicaid enrollments although the 4 million people who have been added onto Medicaid is not something to "pretend" or be ashamed of, if your a Democrat or a progressive, but then we not only know support government programs that help the poor and the middle class we know how to spell them.


http://obamacaresignups.net/

Six million people that didn't have access to health care now have it.

You can go back and report to your friends in the cave or wherever you are coming from that the bugs have been worked out of the system, the numbers are great and their is a landslide of people signing up on the ACA. Its not going away and in a year the country is going to see tens of millions getting affordable health care.

[Blanket Statements]

8. First, everyone had access to healthcare. The ACA

Last edited Wed Dec 25, 2013, 09:20 AM - Edit history (2)

Didn't grant people the ability to see a doctor.
Second, Medicaid enrollments shouldn't be included in the numbers because they don't count towards the FUNDING of the ACA. The enrollment numbers and mix of enrollees is what will keep the costs down. Having a 3:1 enrollment of people who don't fund the program isn't good news


And if you're going to call me out on the spelling of Medicaid, make sure you know the difference between their, they're and there as well as your and you're

[grantcart]

9. yet another Republican meme

Only those that had money could see a doctor outside of an emergency room.

Moreover the medical loss ratio for those that did have insurance ran in excess of 30%:

Your subterfuge is well exposed and your rabid opposition to not the details of the ACA but the principle that everyone should have access to healthcare without regard to ability to pay.

Your reactionary mindset has no harbor outside of the US and as the ACA takes root and achieves critical mass it will lose acceptance here and you will be alone with those still habitating caves bemoaning 'socialized medicine'.

[Omaha Steve]

14. Very well said

[grantcart]

15. Merry Christmas OS

[Blanket Statements]

16. Pointing out that the ACA didn't give people access to healthcare

isn't opposition to the ACA. neither is pointing out the fact that the cost control mechanism is based on the number of people who sign up for actual health insurance, not Medicaid

[JoePhilly]

17. The Medicaid folks won't have to use

the ER for all situations.

And, try to get regular chemo treatments or physical therapy sessions at the ER without insurance and see if that works out.

[Blanket Statements]

18. I'm not knocking the ACA or the Medicaid expansion

I'm talking about how the ACA is supposed to be funded and pointing out it didn't grant access to healthcare, it only provided a means to pay for it

[billhicks76]

4. Late Fines Are Ridiculous

Forcing people to buy health insurance when they can't afford it was a mistake. Single payer was the way.

[grantcart]

5. No one is going to get a "late fine" at this time.

There are still 3 more months of open season.

The subsidies for the plans are very generous. Millions of poor are getting coverage for free or less than $ 50 per month.

Single payer would not have passed the Senate but even if it had it would never have gotten the crucial 5th vote from Chief Justice Roberts.

Finally only in England where the health care system collapsed after the war has a system shifted to single payer at one time.

Canada took more than 20 years to transition from a limited hospital only coverage in a single province to the universal single payer it has today.

[billhicks76]

11. Good

Great reply.

[grantcart]

12. Well I couldn't get to the store in time so that's the only Christmas present I could get you

[SoapBox]

2. "...Republicans say..."

Blah...Blah...Blah.

Whatever they say is garbage.

Yay to the ACA!

[truthisfreedom]

7. I'm kinda amazed at how much executive power

Obama has over ACA! Nice planning, everyone!

[JoePhilly]

10. It will be fun watching the RW heads explode about this.

[grantcart]

13. Go up to reply #3

This RW head has given us the pleasure of coming here and letting us see it explode in slow motion.

Every new announcement of good news causes another cantankerous reaction.

Kind of like this: