Wednesday, December 11, 2013

“I just instantly burst into tears.” Woman describes her emotions when she discovered that through the ACA she would only have to pay $3.19 a month.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

It took two months, weekly visits to the jammed-up federal website and a half-dozen phone calls, but JoAnn Smith finally got health insurance Monday. It’ll only cost her $3.19 a month to cover herself and her husband. 

“I just instantly burst into tears,” she says. 

Smith started working on getting insurance even before the federal website, HealthCare.gov, opened Oct. 1, pre-registering to get a headstart on the process. But, like millions of other Americans who tried, she was stymied by the website’s glitches. 

She told NBC News her story last week, and as of Friday, a week after the federal website was supposed to have been much improved, Smith still could not get all the way through the process. 

Smith, a 60-year-old medical transcriptionist in Clearwater, Fla., must use the federal website to buy health insurance because Florida opted not to run its own. She’s been without health insurance for years and had been looking forward to getting subsidized coverage for herself and her husband Eric, 56, who’s unemployed. 

The 2010 Affordable Care Act aims to get health insurance to the 16 percent of Americans who don’t have any by helping some buy health insurance on new websites, and by widening Medicaid benefits to others. People have until Dec. 23 to sign up for health insurance that starts on the first possible day, Jan. 1. They have until March 31 to sign up and avoid paying a tax. 

Smith’s employer doesn’t provide health insurance. “They took a vote at the company and people wanted more money in their pockets,” she says. And business has been thin. “I have had four paycuts in one year,” says Smith, who estimates she will earn $23,000 this year for her 40-hour a week job. 

This makes her eligible for a hefty federal subsidy.

The current Right Wing strategy is to use horror stories about higher premiums and cancelled policies to attack Obamacare. That is why it is very important for those of us who are supporters, to promote positive anecdotes, and stories of real success for those signing up though the website and exchange.

I have to say that a few more stories like this and the Right Wing is going to have NOTHING at their disposal to convince the American people that Obamacare is a bad thing.

And as a matter of fact the President and the ACA's approval ratings are already returning to the pre-rollout levels.

Let's face it the Right Wing is fighting a losing battle here, the only question is how many bodies will they pile up before finally admitting defeat? 

31 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:33 AM

    Here's Where People Are Signing Up For Obamacare

    About 365,000 people signed up for private health insurance through federal and state exchanges under Obamacare in October and November. But the signup rate has varied widely from state to state.

    If you live in Vermont, you're seven times more likely than the national average to have signed up for Obamacare by now. If you live in Hawaii, you're only one-fourth as likely as the national average.

    This chart shows which states are doing well, and which ones are doing badly, at signing up for Obamacare:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/obamacare-sign-ups-by-state-2013-12

    ReplyDelete
  2. hedgewytch9:45 AM

    The Yammering from the Teathuglians has been very quiet this week. Could it be because people ARE enrolling? Could it be because the public has been very vocal about the fact that this Congress has done NOTHING, hasn't taken up immigration, hasn't put forth a budget, AND the unemployment rate is down, our debt is down, our stock market and economy up. What was that Rethugs? Bengazi? I heard some squeakings about Syria and Iran, but mostly y'all are just pathetic. Seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:54 AM

    Just signed up my girlfriend for heath care $60.00 a month. Ironically ...that evening my Rush listening friend texted me about Obama ..stating "you proud of your boy now?" ...... I replied ... (she has melanoma) You bet .... He really saved her life. The Fox talking points started flowing .... Re-distribution of wealth ...... ect ..ect..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:00 AM

    OT - report of (alleged) disgusting behavior by Sen. Lamar Alexander's CoS.
    "U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander says his chief of staff has been placed on leave after learning the staffer’s home was being searched as part of a child pornography investigation." NY Post

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:06 AM

    The problem with the national site was never an issue. It did exactly what it was supposed to.
    The real prob;em was the individual states that refused to do tehir part, thus putting that work back onto the federal site. The federal site was just supposed to direct you to your states site and give you info, this problem was caused solely by republican governors. And I appreciate the work the federal workers put into revamping the federal site.
    I have assisted, so far, 10 friends and relatives, and I can tell you they are ALL happy.
    Personally, I would have liked single payer, but I am practical enough to know that this is the first step in achieving that.
    As more and more people have access to affordable healthcare( isn't that idea pro-life?) the more votes the GOP will lose. The GOP is again on the wrong side of history.

    As for the people I have helped,
    None have qualified for a subsidy
    They were all self employed
    All had a pre-existing condition making it impossible until this year to be covered.
    All fell into the middle class of wages and all were scared that one serious illness would wipe out all they had worked for, their homes, their retirement, and their businesses.
    One group that no one seems to have polled on the ability to get private insurance through ACA are the farmer/ranchers, yup, that's whom I have helped.

    Oh yeah...Fuck the GOP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:27 PM

      The longer this goes on, the more people will experience the benefits of the ACA, and the more approval rates will rise for the President and for the ACA itself.

      I have a good friend whose daughter has pre-existing conditions, is 20 years old and has finished college. Thanks to the new rules, she is able to stay on her father's insurance until age 26. They are both extremely grateful that they don't need to worry about losing everything or paying exorbitant amounts for minimal coverage.

      Very soon (if it isn't happening already), the positive stories will far outnumber the problems.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:10 AM

    Obamacare Enrollments Surpass 1 Million

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/obamacare-enrollment_n_4421797.html

    The Next 5 Battleground States For Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion

    Going into 2014, the United States is split down the middle: 25 states (plus Washington, D.C.) have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and 25 states have not.

    Those 25 non-expanding states have left five million people below the poverty line uncovered under the health care reform law, but the White House isn't giving up the fight. Administration officials is actively stumping for expansion, holding conference calls with local officials and reporters and attending advocacy events in 11 of the non-expanding states since the beginning of November.

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obamacare-medicaid-expansion-most-likely-states

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:13 AM

    Marco Rubio Signs Up For Obamacare

    As news breaks that enrollment has surpassed one million, it turns out one of Obamacare's fiercest critics is among Republicans showing some "secret love" for the law.

    Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) signed his family up on the federal healthcare exchange and has opted to take a federal subsidy offered to lawmakers and staff, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

    "Senator Rubio spent time looking at all the options and decided to enroll through the D.C. exchange for coverage for him and his family," Rubio's spokeswoman Brooke Sammon told the Times, adding that "Senator Rubio is following the law, even though he opposes it."

    The Washington Post notes that Rubio's fellow 2016 GOP presidential prospects Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have also joined the D.C. exchange.

    Rubio has previously tried to kill Obamacare, even declining last March to support a stopgap bill to fund the government unless it also defunded "this Obamacare bill that is going to be an absolute disaster for the American economy."

    Read Rubio's top five fibs about Obamacare at Politifact.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/marco-rubio-obamacare_n_4425732.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous10:16 AM

    Healthiest State Rankings: Hawaii Tops 2013 List

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/healthiest-state-rankings_n_4412574.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:30 AM

    I signed up yesterday and I am really happy about it. I have a preexisting condition and have never had my own insurance. I have been tied to jobs and cobra. Now I feel free. I'm paying about the same but my new platinum policy will pay a lot more toward my appointments, testing, and medications.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:34 AM

    Obamacare Success Story: Man With HIV Thought He'd Be 'Dead Within 6 Months,' Now Has Awesome, Cheaper Insurance

    ..."I'm the AIDS patient in Michigan who lost his insurance," he reminded me. "I was panicked I was going to lose all my meds. I take back every word I threw at you. I found insurance. It's better. It's cheap. And I'm keeping my doctor and my plan. I can't believe it."

    Dan said he just kept looking until he found his perfect policy on the Michigan exchange.

    "The problem is that there's so many policies to go through and compare that it takes you a while to find the one that suits your personal situation," he explained. "But I did find it. It is there. And what the right wing is saying, about, 'You lose your doctor, it's more expensive, you're being canceled,' I have to take it all back. If you get the help, and you talk to people -- because then I called live, a live person to confirm it -- and it is out there."

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/obamacare-success-story-m_b_4413329.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. AJ Billings10:41 AM

    In many states, Planned Parenthood will give you an appointment for FREE to sit down with a trained ACA Nagivator, and they will sit there with you and get you signed up, or help you with advice.

    That's great news for the person getting health care!

    Speaking of good things and tidings of joy, check out this video from Westjet. In the spirit of giving, they decided to treat passengers like friends

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk

    If only more companies were run like this one!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:43 AM

    That's great! Nice to hear these positive stories. It's people like this that are being rescued from losing their homes and finances if they get sick. It's people who've lost jobs in their 40's and 50's, and lost pensions, and can't find work elsewhere, or can't sell their homes because the market isn't moving. It's people who've worked their whole lives, paid their taxes and still can't recover from some crisis in their lives, like for example, a death, illness, divorce, job loss, accident, that sets them back and utilizes all their savings, that will benefit from the ACA.

    It's for people, who through no fault of their own, who can be given a second chance, by this Administration. It relieves working parents, their children, their elderly parents, and it relieves stress. When stress is relieved, it trickles down to them being able to use their money for other necessities, savings for their kids' education, a fraction of all the things that the Palins and Cruz' and McConnell's, Cantors and Boehner's and Bachmann's take for granted.

    This doesn't fix all the nation's ills, but it is a start. It gives the recipient a sense of security that they didn't have before, so what Scrooge would take that away from them?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:11 AM

    Plus, you don't have to deal with any of this at all. And you never had to.

    Just have an insurance broker do it all for you. It's free. The brokers get paid by the insurance companies so it doesn't cost you anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:40 PM

      YOu are correct, if you aren't going to qualify for a subsidy then you can go either to a broker( like you do for car insurance and home insurance) or go directly to the individual insurance company, such as Kaiser or Blue Cross.

      BTW those that have gone directly to brokers or insurance co,s aren't counted in the sign up.

      Delete
  14. Randall11:14 AM

    It's rapidly getting to the point where, if you complain because your insurance premiums actually go UP through "Obamacare" - an appropriate response from the rest of us will be:
    "oh boo fucking HOO you rich bastard.
    You make so god-damned much money you have to pay HIGHER prices for your insurance?
    Here - let me cry you a river over your platinum health-care, you greedy piece of crap."

    ...or something like that.





    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boscoe12:48 PM

      More like: sounds like you got saved from a half-assed plan that would've screwed you. Good thing "Obamacare" enforces minimum standards.

      You're welcome.

      Delete
  15. This will probably be the first Christmas in many years that JoAnn and Eric have lived without fear, a better gift than any ever found under a tree. Congratulations and warm regards to them, and shame and woe to every heartless right-winger (certainly including you, Mrs. Palin) who'd blithely go about with disregard as the Smiths fell into an abyss.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous12:26 PM

    Nobody's Invincible

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpflJNU5BG0

    ReplyDelete
  17. Is there anything the Republican's have agreed with that gives credit to Obama. As far as I'm concerned people like McConnell are all racists. I know that card has been pulled probably a little too often then it deserved to be pulled, but what other logical conclusion can you make of it when McConnell swore during Obama's inauguration that he was going to make his a one term President. I know it's also not a surprise to anyone, but Limbaugh was also criticizing Obama before he took office. But we all know he's a racist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anita Winecooler6:47 PM

      I wholeheartedly agree. The best is how President Obama conducts himself with dignity and resolve, and does what he can while making it look effortless.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous3:46 PM

    remember, there are still the millions in red state who would be thrilled (myself included) to pay $3.19 per month for health insurance. Because my ^&%@#&^@*) Tea THUGlican governor, Mike Pence refused the Medicaid expansion which would have cost my state $0 for the next three years, he left millions on the table and denied my spouse and I insurance. If it needs to be said, we've both worked and have college degrees, but because the state also cut higher ed funding AND pressured our regional to cut spending we lost our academic jobs (with little to no hope of getting replacements until next August.) Oh yeah, they'll throw us a class or two @ 40% of our regular but extremely low pay.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous4:59 PM

    I just signed up on the Federal Exchange since Alaska didn't set up our own exchange. The subsidy covers my entire premium plus I get a refund on my taxes!

    ReplyDelete
  20. DetroitSam6:41 PM

    "She told NBC News her story last week, and as of Friday, a week after the federal website was supposed to have been much improved, Smith still could not get all the way through the process".

    If she still could not get all the way through the process how is she ecstatic to have gotten insurance for $3.19 a month?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:05 PM

      Check the first paragraph - I think she got through on monday.

      Delete
  21. Anita Winecooler6:58 PM

    I've been going to the same doctor and have had the same insurance plan for years. I was expecting havoc because every doctor's office I passed was packed to the gills with people. I made it to my appointment and asked the doctor why everyone's so busy and he just had maybe six people in the waiting room?
    The doctors are catching up, trying to update their records and stay compliant with the rules Obamacare has in place. Each doctor gets rated on their performance, not on the number of scripts they write, but on the quality of care.
    My Doc is ahead of the curve, all he asked was that I get my eyes checked "because it affects his rating and what he's allowed to collect from the insurance company. The idea is to keep folks healthy and costs down.
    I hope to see more stories like this, the GOP will always have BENGHAZI, but I doubt they'll be beating the Obamacare drums.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous7:17 PM

    Get real, people. The whole health care/insurance thing is old news. Nobody cares about any of that any more. It's just gotten to be a whole lot of blah blah blah about a whole lot of stuff nobody is interested in any more.

    Obama shook hands with a Castro!!! That's what we should be focusing on. Handshakegate. Why won't the lamestream media report the truth about that. Huh? Huh?

    And Selfie-gate!!!! Mygawdalmight, it's Obama's "Bush looking out the window at Air Force One at Katrina flooding on his way home from taking a birthday cake to McCain" moment.....only much worse, of course because.....because.... Selfie!!

    Oh, and Hitler....



    and Benghazi....that's what people want to know about. Not this old, boring health insurance something or other.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous9:22 PM

    The fact is, you can't put millions of new people into the system, some with pre existing conditions, at a cut rate without charging the people already in the system more. Math doesn't work like magic. There is no way people already in the system are going to be paying less, which was President Obama's promise. He lied to the American public so many times to get this health bill passed his word is now worthless.

    Somebody has to make up the difference between what is paid for ad what is collected, and it's not going to be the new people in the system for the most part. Use your heads.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:13 PM

      And YOU need to take YOUR head out of your ASS!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:28 PM

      Well here's an interesting example. I have had insurance for 20 years through a professional association. Over the years I have gradually down-graded my coverage to major medical only, because I am fortunate to be healthy and it was saving me a bit on my premiums. Nearly a year ago the company that provided the coverage announced that they would be pulling out of the market at the end of 2013 due to ACA changes. Early on I struggled with the healthcare.gov website, and never managed to get to the point where I could completely compare plans, though I was able to access prices. Since then, my employers have offered to add me to the insurance they have found through the small business exchange.

      Here's the fun part. I have no pre-existing conditions. None, at 50+. I am fortunate to make enough money that I do not qualify for a subsidy. The punch line: I will be paying about 15% less for far more extensive coverage than I had before. Not sure where that fits in the math equation above. Perhaps my previous insurance company was fleecing me, and the new ACA regulations disallowed their business model?

      Delete
  24. *everything is just next to perfect-hair,outfit,accessories,make up just
    amazing.Looking out of the world.
    really outfit is just perfect.

    ReplyDelete

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