U.S. government scales back Obamacare impact for 2014

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. government scales back Obamacare impact for 2014

By David Morgan
WASHINGTON | Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:02pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday scaled back its projections for Obamacare's impact in 2014, saying the law would generate slower healthcare spending growth and provide coverage to only half as many of America's uninsured as anticipated last year.

The biggest factor in the change stems from the U.S. Supreme Court verdict last year allowing each state to decide whether to expand the public Medicaid program for the poor under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law. Republican leaders in nearly half of the nation's 50 states have rejected the expansion.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now expects 11 million uninsured Americans to obtain coverage next year, down from about 22 million projected a year ago, according to the report, which appeared in the journal Health Affairs. It said healthcare spending would rise 6.1 percent in 2014, partly due to the implementation of Obamacare, compared with a previous projection of an increase of 7.4 percent.

The new report estimates that Medicaid enrollment will increase by 8.7 million people in 2014, nearly all as a result of the Obamacare expansion. Last year, analysts projected that about 20 million people would gain coverage through the expansion alone.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-usa-healthcare-spending-idUSBRE98H11T20130918

[BlueToTheBone]

1. People in non covered states are going to be

so jealous of their neighbors. I hope the call their congress critters and give them an ear full.

[HereSince1628]

3. I suspect that WI gop would like those poor folks to move elsewhere

They've long wanted to 'clean house' lamenting all those "FIBs" who are here and who only came to gain welfare benefits.

That sentiment has motivated the right in WI for decades. Promoting jealousy of life in other states would be just fine with them. The wigop doesn't expect to pay any political cost for this.

[BlueToTheBone]

4. My thought was that the people in the non insured states

set up a long wail until it happens for them too. No leaving the state, but becoming more engaged in the process.

[HereSince1628]

5. Theoretically representative government does depend on the notion of voter satisfaction

Last edited Thu Sep 19, 2013, 11:54 AM - Edit history (1)

But across the nation, states are to varying degree imperfect in that respect.

Because we have government with multiple tiers voters look to different tiers for solutions. In WI the democratic base tends to look to DC for solutions and so has a tendency to low turnout in in state elections in off-years.

Maybe the failure of WI to implement ACA so that options here compare well with neighboring states will change this.

[msongs]

2. corporations are happy cuz now they can dump all their employees into the pool and save $$ nt

[eppur_se_muova]

6. YAY !! Now more uninsured Americans will die from easily treatable illnesses !!

WAY TO GO REPUGS !!