Rand's Obamacare stats: 9.3 million new insureds, and counting

[kpete]

Source: LA TIMES

The long-awaited Rand Corp. study of Obamacare's effect on health insurance coverage was released Tuesday and confirmed the numbers that had been telegraphed for more than a week: At least 9.3 million more Americans have health insurance now than in September 2013, virtually all of them as a result of the law.

That's a net figure, accommodating all those who lost their individual health insurance because of cancellations. The Rand study confirms other surveys that placed the number of people who lost their old insurance and did not or could not replace it -- the focus of an enormous volume of anti-Obamacare rhetoric -- at less than 1 million. The Rand experts call this a "very small" number, less than 1% of the U.S. population age 18 to 64.

The Rand study was eagerly anticipated in part because of the dearth of hard information from other sources, including the federal and state governments, which are still compiling their statistics and may not have a full slate for months.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-rand-20140408,0,6208659.column#axzz2yKgE9woE

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. 1%? That's what the hysteria was about?

[tabasco]

6. I see what you did!

You changed 9.3 million living breathing human beings into a tiny number!



LOL @ the utopians who demand instant nirvana!!

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. I don't think you did "see". My question was about the 1% who were griping about cancellations of..

half assed policies, that didn't provide the coverage they thought when they made the purchase. Upgrading to ACA approved policies was a benefit for them, but Republicans kept trotting out these sob stories about people who were being cancelled. And now to find out that they were less than 1% of the US population, it sorta puts things in perspective.

I've never been called a "utopian" before. Far from it.

[Ishoutandscream2]

15. Ignore him

Rudeness is his calling card.

[Tarheel_Dem]

32. Got it! n/t

[DetlefK]

30. The US has 903 million people between the ages of 18 and 64??????

[valerief]

38. Ah, c'mon. Stop reading like a teabagger. The 1% of the US pop between 18 and 64

(less than 100,000,000) are less than 1 million, like it says. This 1% didn't or couldn't replace their old insurance.

The Rand study confirms other surveys that placed the number of people who lost their old insurance and did not or could not replace it -- the focus of an enormous volume of anti-Obamacare rhetoric -- at less than 1 million. The Rand experts call this a "very small" number, less than 1% of the U.S. population age 18 to 64.

[DetlefK]

39. That wasn't my calculation!

tabasco complained that Tarheel Dem used the tiny figure "1%" to talk about "9.3 million living breathing human beings".

1% = 9.3 million
100% = 930 million (oops, I got that wrong)

[calimary]

20. Aw c'mon, Tarheel -

You know how these assholes feel about that precious 1%!

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. !!!

[aaaaaa5a]

2. Just think of what the numbers would be without opposition from GOP Governors.

Its really sad how bad these Governors have been for their own country. Every state should look like Kentucky on this issue and it would were it not for local Republicans in red and purple states.



Republicans would literally rather see their own fellow statesmen die, than work with Obama.

[rhett o rick]

4. Is there an estimate of how many people are being denied access to the ACA

by the Republican governors?

[strikeforce]

18. yes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/medicaid-expansion_n_4520263.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

truly evil people. they are.

[calimary]

22. Welcome to DU, strikeforce!

Glad you're here! Cannot help but agree. That's the only explanation that seems to stand the test of time. I remember reading something about some Clinton critic who overheard him on the phone hollering to whoever it was on the other end, getting very agitated about his political opposition - saying "what these people want to do is EVIL!!!" And the critic was somewhat put off by it - thinking that was a little overblown to characterize an opponent's policies or agenda as "evil."

Well, Hells' bells, that's EXACTLY what it is! How could it be considered otherwise?

This is what I am constantly arguing to people I know who remain republi-CON.
- How on EARTH could you support a party that schemes every which-a-way to DENY PEOPLE THE RIGHT TO VOTE?????
- How on EARTH could you support a party that wants to doom our planet by clinging to willful ignorance about science and climate change?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that blathers on about getting the government off yer back but insists on forcibly inserting government up inside a woman's vagina against her will?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that bankrupted our country with two needless wars, including one built on flat-out LIES, pushed by a bunch of chickenhawks who never served and never put their own asses in harm's way - but don't hesitate to send YOUR children out there to get their legs blown off?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that thinks corporations should have more rights than you do? Or that the super rich should have more of a voice than you have?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that wraps itself around the Cross of Christ while sneering at the needy, shitting on the poor, kicking the hungry in the teeth, laughing at the homeless, and then aims to balance the nation's budget on their backs?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that worships the money-changers - the folks Jesus Himself threw OUT of the Temple?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that's okay with allowing the rich to get away without paying their fair share, while the poor suffer and struggle with next-to-nothing?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that sees no reason to intervene when so many Americans are working long hours in jobs that don't pay a living wage, anywhere near enough to support their families - and then on top of that outrage, turn around and call them "lazy moochers"?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that cares so little about what kind of planet we (yes, and they, too) will leave to all of our children?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that claims to be all "family values," but won't allow everyone to marry whom they love?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that claims to be all about "freedom" and "privacy" but only if you're conforming to THEIR definition of "freedom" and "privacy"?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that sneers at the idea of "empathy" and scoffs at simple human compassion?
- How on EARTH could you support a party that wants to deny affordable health care to millions of Americans who can't otherwise afford to see a doctor or even get preventive care (that winds up saving us ALL a lot of money)? How could you possibly be against that? HOW???

How on EARTH? HOW? Help me understand that! I put it to them directly - in just that way. "HOW? PLEASE! Explain it to me? HOW does this make ANY sense? HOW can you support or defend any of this? Please tell me HOW?! How can you do that? I just can't make sense of it! It makes NO sense to me whatsoever!" And evidently they can't either, really. Because they never have an answer for me. Not ever.

[Rozlee]

31. It might wind up costing them in the end.

I have in-laws in West Virginia that want to move to Texas but can't because we don't have Medicaid expansion. The economy is in the shitter up there and they can get better jobs with better pay down here and they want to be with family, but having health insurance is critical. One has heart problems and another one is severely diabetic. They are staunch Republicans, but are really frustrated by conservative policies that are keeping them from family and opportunity.

[calimary]

3. Holy crap! At least 9.3 million?!?!

[Stuart G]

5. Great News...Thanks For Posting...k and r...nt

[Treant]

7. Those one million

So...how do we get them back on health insurance?

Congrats to the 9.3 million, of course, that's wonderful.

[cosmicone]

11. Those one million are a part of the 9.3 million n/t

[IronLionZion]

25. Those one million have a choice

They can purchase insurance or see if they qualify for any subsidies or Medicaid. No one is stopping them from having the same opportunities as the 9.3 million. Some of them made a choice to protest against it for political reasons or just didn't bother looking. A lot of those plans were junk that didn't cover the big stuff and annual caps, which is a waste.

Some of them genuinely did have low cost plans that covered what they wanted/needed and now they can't afford the new plans. I sympathize because I had a very low cost catastrophic plan years ago and know that it costs more now for the better catastrophic plans.

6 months til the next open enrollment period. So they can try again.

[tarheelsunc]

8. Am I the only one who read the title and wondered if Rand Paul actually started being honest? eom

[cosmicone]

14. This is from Rand Corp. a thinktank

nothing to do with Rand Paul.

[tarheelsunc]

16. Thanks, I realized that once I read the posting itself. eom

[Gormy Cuss]

35. I knew this would be from Rand Corp, the research company but expect that many DUers thought

this was some bizarro world comment by Rand Paul before they clicked on the link, Paul being more frequently a topic here than the Rand Corp.

[geretogo]

10. For those watching FOX News that's 9.3 million thrown off health care insurance .

[wyldwolf]

12. forced at gunpoint to buy into a socialist ponzi scheme

[geretogo]

23. Forgot that part .

[cosmicone]

13. Faux News Breaking...

"350.7 million Americans refuse Obamacare."

[onehandle]

17. Tyranny! nt

[former9thward]

19. As usual the devil is in the details.

Rand estimates 3.9 million are covered by the state and federal marketplaces. This is in contrast to the federal government estimates of 7.1 million. Of the 9.3 million covered by insurance 5.9 million came from Medicaid enrollments.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR600/RR656/RAND_RR656.pdf

[phleshdef]

26. "and they don't include much of the surge in enrollments in late March and early April."

"Those 3.2-million sign-ups not counted by Rand could "dramatically affect" the figures on total insureds, the organization said."

[former9thward]

27. The "surge" are purely estimates.

Based on no hard data. The insurance companies are not releasing information on who has actually paid for their policies.

[phleshdef]

28. Rand is just estimating in general... so thats kind of irrelevant.

[former9thward]

29. Agreed.

Last edited Wed Apr 9, 2014, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)

But estimates and guesses are all we have in any of this. Probably won't have hard data for 6 months or more.

[Gormy Cuss]

36. It's important to remember though that Rand's using statistically estimation techniques

which are generally much better than just guessing.

Also, Rand's estimations are similar to other statistical estimates out there and when separate, reputable research points to the same levels the hard data are probably very close to those estimates.

In a way the fact that the Rand survey cuts off before the surge is very bad news for ACA opponents because they can't say that the administration is using the surge to sugar coat the "failure" of Obamacare.

[Historic NY]

21. Well thats a BFD!!!!!!

[flamingdem]

24. I just want to celebrate another great day of OBAMACARE!

For once in my life getting great care that is affordable and I don't have to fear the dreaded pre-existing condition exclusion.

[Sunlei]

34. reminds me I have to pay my April premium (I know I'm late but I have untill the 15th)

YAY!!! I have insurance now because insurance CORPs, can no longer refuse anyone!!

THANKS OBAMA

[spinbaby]

37. Not to mention people with better health insurance

I have a friend who switched from private health insurance to a policy he found on the exchange and, even though he doesn't qualify for a subsidy, saved $150 a month on premiums and has much lower deductibles.