COVID-19 & Healthcare

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Some informative reporting today from Michelle Singletary at the Washington Post. I would encourage Arizona's print media to pick up this series of columns by Singletary to, you know, actually inform your readers about "ObamaCare" and the health insurance exchanges coming online October 1. Getting
ready for Obamacare:

A marketplace like no other is opening soon.

Beginning Oct. 1, people without health insurance will be able to shop for what is promised to be affordable coverage.

It’s all part of the rollout of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in
2010. For the past three years, various parts of the law have been
implemented: Young adults can stay on their parents’ health insurance
until they turn 26; insurance companies are prohibited from imposing
lifetime dollar limits on essential services such as hospital stays;
people with Medicare get free preventive services.

Next up is a
part of the law that requires most Americans to maintain “minimum
essential” health insurance coverage. It’s one of the more controversial
provisions of the law commonly referred to as Obamacare.

* * *

This is the first in a series of columns explaining the provisions of
the law that are due to take effect next year. But ultimately, you’re
going to have to do some research yourself. Don’t be informed by rumors
or the political discourse surrounding this law. There’s enough
complication in the application of the provisions that you don’t need to
add to your fears or frustrations by getting advice that is politically
motivated.

by David Safier Soon-to-be-ex State Senator Rich Crandall is lucky he can double dip, or he and his family could be without healthcare for a few weeks. If I were an anti-Obamacare Republican, I might say, "Why should Arizona keep covering your health care when you're not doing your job? It's your problem, not ours. … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Estimates from 19 states operating health insurance exchanges to help
the uninsured find coverage show that at least 8.5 million will use the
exchanges to buy insurance, a USA TODAY survey shows. States Predict More Insurance Customers:

That number would far outstrip the federal government's estimate of 7 million
new customers for all 50 states under the 2010 health care law.

USA TODAY contacted the 50 states, and 19 had estimates for how many
of their uninsured residents they expect will buy through the exchanges.
About 48 million Americans were uninsured in 2011, according to the
Kaiser Family Foundation.

"For the most part, that's a very good
thing," said Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health
System Change. "First, these are people who need health insurance. And
second, the scenario that only sick people will enroll is less likely."

* * *

To stay financially viable, insurers need healthy people to help
round out the costs of those with chronic conditions. The non-partisan
Congressional Budget Office did its own research to determine 7 million
people would enroll for the 2014 exchanges.

California alone said it expected to sign up 5.3 million people.

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Arizona university students are moving back into their dorms on campus this week. Classes begin Thursday, August 22 at ASU, Monday, August 26 at the U of A, and Wednesday, August 28 at NAU. This would be a good time for the Young Democrats of America (YDA) university chapters to ramp up their involvement in the new initiatives to encourage youth enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (aka "ObamaCare") being announced today. White House Unveils Latest Attempt To Get People To Enroll In Obamacare:

The latest initiatves are set to be unveiled on Monday, when the
Department of Health and Human Services will debut a video contest —
complete with cash prizes — designed to persuade younger consumers to
get insurance.

The administration will partner with Young Invincibles, a non-profit youth issues organization, to run the contest, with the goal of reaching those younger Americans who are skeptical of the need for health
coverage.

Participants will be encouraged to submit three different types of
videos advertising the benefits of the exchanges: a song, an animated
short, or a video designed to convince viewers that they aren't
invincible. Using funds from the Affordable Care Act's education and
outreach budget, HHS will award $3,000 each to the creators of the three
most popular and persuasive videos, while second and third place
winners will get $2,500 each.