With the end of the open enrollment period for Obamacare, the media is filled with stories and debates about the significance of the seven million people that the government claims signed up for insurance on the exchanges. Anyone who has followed this dispute knows that there are issues about who has paid for the insurance and also issues about who previously had insurance. The number of newly insured could be only 1.5 million out of the supposed seven million. All this debate, however, ignores a much more basic question: Why didn't the other uninsured people sign up for insurance?
Let's examine that question together.
1. First of all, there were 47 million uninsured Americans when the Obamacare law was signed by the president. That law created a requirement that every one of those uninsured people sign up for insurance. That is the so-called individual mandate. If the law were obeyed by the public, there should be something well over 38 million previously uninsured Americans with new insurance today. The number is less than the 47 million because some 9 million folks were supposed to get coverage through Medicaid.
2. Even if every single one of the 7 million people claimed by the White House has paid for the new policy (which they have not) and even if every single one of these people were previously uninsured (which they were not), that still leaves 31 million people who were previously uninsured and who remain uninsured. Why didn't these people sign up for insurance? That is the big question.
3. It cannot be that these people were unable to afford insurance. After all, anyone with an income less than four times the poverty level gets a subsidy from the federal government. This group is roughly two thirds of the American people. To be clear, the wealthiest one third of America does not get a subsidy, but they ought to be able to afford to pay for insurance themselves. The poorest two thirds of the country either gets a subsidy or they get outright free medical coverage through Medicaid. It is safe to say that the problem is not an inability to pay for the insurance.
4. It also cannot be that the government did not properly publicize the insurance requirements. We are at the end of a four year period when the single most discussed topic across America has been Obamacare. Sure, there have been weeks when folks were more interested in the Kardashians or the missing Malaysian airliner, but week in and week out, Obamacare has been the topic of coverage and discussion. And it was not just news stories that dealt with Obamacare. We have seen the spectacle of the president of the United States appearing with a comedian on Between Two Ferns to promote signing up for coverage. Just about every possible method for promoting sign ups has been done, but still there are at least 31 million people who chose not to sign up. Indeed, the number is more likely 37 million people who made that choice. Why was that?
5. The simplest and most likely answer to this question is that people do not like the law. They don't like being ordered to buy insurance. They don't like being forced to purchase insurance that has all sorts of bells and whistles that some bureaucrat in Washington decides is "necessary". They don't want to be told by the government how to care for their own medical needs.
The sooner America recognizes that this is the real question which must be answered regarding Obamacare, we will be able to begin to remedy all the damage which this law has wrought. And remember, we have suffered through all this damage for essentially nothing. There were 47 million uninsured when the law was passed. We have finished the initial sign up period and there are still roughly the same number of folks who are uninsured. Nothing was accomplished!
Let's examine that question together.
1. First of all, there were 47 million uninsured Americans when the Obamacare law was signed by the president. That law created a requirement that every one of those uninsured people sign up for insurance. That is the so-called individual mandate. If the law were obeyed by the public, there should be something well over 38 million previously uninsured Americans with new insurance today. The number is less than the 47 million because some 9 million folks were supposed to get coverage through Medicaid.
2. Even if every single one of the 7 million people claimed by the White House has paid for the new policy (which they have not) and even if every single one of these people were previously uninsured (which they were not), that still leaves 31 million people who were previously uninsured and who remain uninsured. Why didn't these people sign up for insurance? That is the big question.
3. It cannot be that these people were unable to afford insurance. After all, anyone with an income less than four times the poverty level gets a subsidy from the federal government. This group is roughly two thirds of the American people. To be clear, the wealthiest one third of America does not get a subsidy, but they ought to be able to afford to pay for insurance themselves. The poorest two thirds of the country either gets a subsidy or they get outright free medical coverage through Medicaid. It is safe to say that the problem is not an inability to pay for the insurance.
4. It also cannot be that the government did not properly publicize the insurance requirements. We are at the end of a four year period when the single most discussed topic across America has been Obamacare. Sure, there have been weeks when folks were more interested in the Kardashians or the missing Malaysian airliner, but week in and week out, Obamacare has been the topic of coverage and discussion. And it was not just news stories that dealt with Obamacare. We have seen the spectacle of the president of the United States appearing with a comedian on Between Two Ferns to promote signing up for coverage. Just about every possible method for promoting sign ups has been done, but still there are at least 31 million people who chose not to sign up. Indeed, the number is more likely 37 million people who made that choice. Why was that?
5. The simplest and most likely answer to this question is that people do not like the law. They don't like being ordered to buy insurance. They don't like being forced to purchase insurance that has all sorts of bells and whistles that some bureaucrat in Washington decides is "necessary". They don't want to be told by the government how to care for their own medical needs.
The sooner America recognizes that this is the real question which must be answered regarding Obamacare, we will be able to begin to remedy all the damage which this law has wrought. And remember, we have suffered through all this damage for essentially nothing. There were 47 million uninsured when the law was passed. We have finished the initial sign up period and there are still roughly the same number of folks who are uninsured. Nothing was accomplished!
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