Right-wing extremists “are guilty of murder,” Sen. Angus King tells Salon

[DonViejo]

In an interview with Salon, Independent senator unloads on conservatives who urge young people to remain uninsured

BY BRIAN BEUTLER

Tuesday begins a 6-month race to enroll as many uninsured people as possible in the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges. For the markets to be effective, they need millions of customers, and for elderly participants not to vastly outnumber younger ones.

It’s in this context that well-heeled conservative groups are appealing to uninsured young people to remain uninsured — part of a backdoor effort to undermine the structural integrity of the health care law.

Their efforts have attracted the attention of one senator who recounts how being insured saved his life when he was a young adult, and who has since then watched others die due to lack of coverage. And he doesn’t mince words with those who’d take risks with other people’s health security.

“That’s a scandal — those people are guilty of murder in my opinion,” Sen. Angus King, a Maine Independent who caucuses with Democrats, told me in a Friday interview. “Some of those people they persuade are going to end up dying because they don’t have health insurance. For people who do that to other people in the name of some obscure political ideology is one of the grossest violations of our humanity I can think of. This absolutely drives me crazy.”

“I tried to look up the phone number for one of these guys … to ask “are you aware of what you’re doing?” he added.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/30/senator_conservatives_encouraging_people_to_skip_obamacare_are_murderers/

[Scuba]

1. Thank you Angus!

[ReRe]

2. K&R

You tell 'em, Angus. It's the GD truth.

[Sunlei]

3. Some of those people Rs persuade will end up dead because they don’t have health insurance.

Sen. Angus King speaks the truth.

A vote for republicans cuts your own throat!

[roamer65]

4. They just want us to die.

Rep Grayson was right. If you are not the 1 pct, they want you to die. They are the ones guilty of "death panels".

[LiberalLoner]

13. Exactly right. It is time we recognize that fact and start

Fighting for our lives.

[magical thyme]

5. you tell'em Angus!

Proud that I voted independent for Angus

[Celebration]

6. I have a question about this

Suppose I was young, and wanted to take a chance, thought I couldn't afford it or whatever, and decided the penalty wasn't big enough to keep me from opting out of this.............

Then, suppose I came down with some really bad disease that needed expensive care.............could I then opt in at any time?? If so, there is a flaw in the law. Why not opt out until you actually need it?

But I really don't know the answer to this. Does anyone know?

[caraher]

9. You have to wait for the next year

It's just like with employer-sponsored plans - there's an open enrollment period, and you can only change coverage mid-year if you have something exceptional happen.

After open enrollment ends on March 31, 2014, they won't be able to get health coverage through the Marketplace until the next annual enrollment period, unless they have a qualifying life event.

It further defines "qualifying life event" as

A change in your life that can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in health coverage. Examples of qualifying life events are moving to a new state, certain changes in your income, and changes in your family size (for example, if you marry, divorce, or have a baby).

[Celebration]

15. Or you could move to another state!

Might be pretty easy in some circumstances.........just across the river! IMHO, the incentives should be stronger for young people to join.

Thanks so much for the information.

[caraher]

16. True

I'd hate to encourage that as a strategy; we need young people to get insurance rather than waiting for a catastrophe. But I guess there's nothing to stop state border dwellers from gaming the system. (Yet another reason why a single federal-level system like Medicaid for all would be so much better... !)

[factsarenotfair]

7. It seems like only political Independents and comedians can speak the unvarnished truth,

even when it involves death.

[dotymed]

8. How do we get info.

about signing up for ACA?
My Brother is unemployed, sick and poor.
SS has admitted his injuries/illnesses, but they turned him down because he was "still able to communicate"...really.

I wonder if he will be eligible for ACA while he waits for his SS appeal? TN is unbelievable...

[caraher]

10. You could start online

https://www.healthcare.gov/

The site includes sources of assistance in getting enrolled.

[dotymed]

11. Yes, thank you.

I thought I heard something about a phone line that answered your questions.

[caraher]

12. Yup 1-800-318-2596 <nt>

[dotymed]

14. Thanks again.