Tag Archives: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

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Surging


Obamacare Enrollment Gaining Steam

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the enrollment figures for Obamacare through the end of November. Unsurprisingly, about four times more people enrolled during the month of November as did during October, when HealthCare.gov was largely non-functional. Reports indicate that enrollment has continued to surge over the past two weeks ahead of the December 23 deadline to purchase coverage taking effect January 1, 2014.

Here are the topline numbers to know:

  • 110,410 Americans signed up for private coverage through HealthCare.gov just last month.
  • 1,900,000 people have made it through the process but have yet to select a plan.
  • 364,682 Americans selected plans through the state-run or federal insurance marketplaces (137,204 through HealthCare.gov and 227,478 in state-run exchanges).

The surge resembles Massachusetts’ successful launch of Commonwealth Care, where most people signed up later in the open enrollment period:

OctNovEnrollment

Enrollment for Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Care in 2007:

MA2007

In other good Obamacare news, a report out today found that the number of women who are receiving birth control at no additional cost — a key Obamacare benefit — has jumped 25 percent since the requirement went into effect last year.

“This data confirms that the Affordable Care Act is already working for millions of women and their families — and we expect that number to keep growing,” said the president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Cecile Richards.

For their part, Republicans continued to attack the law during another predictably one-sided hearing.

Things did not go so well for Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), who botched an attempt to compare HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to North Korea’s totalitarian dictator and then totally freaked out. A Democratic Member admonished Shimkus, who was shouting at Sebelius, to allow her to actually answer his questions. “I do not have to allow her to answer the question!” Shimkus screamed in reply.

ShimkusFreakout

(Shimkus was attacking the aforementioned no-cost preventive care benefits under Obamacare, which include birth control and cancer screenings.)

BOTTOM LINE: Obamacare is working and more than a million Americans have gained access to health coverage because of the law, many for the very first time.

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#GetCovered


President Obama: “What Drives Me”

Yesterday in Southeast Washington, DC, President Obama spoke about what he called the defining challenge of our time: reversing a decades-long slope toward growing inequality and a lack of upward mobility. It’s a trend that has jeopardized middle-class America’s basic bargain — the idea that if you work hard, you have a chance to get ahead.

Find out why we have to make our economy work for every working American.

Click here to see more from yesterday's event.

It Shouldn’t Have Happened to Me, But It Did

Deputy Cabinet Secretary Michael Robertson discusses when doctors told him that he had stage IV colorectal cancer, and why the passing of the Affordable Care Act is personal to him.

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White House Youth Summit: Making Sure People Have the Information They Need to #GetCovered

Yesterday, youth leaders from across the country gathered here for our White House Youth Summit. The Summit was made of up 160 of this country’s finest national and local leaders aged 18-35. Joined by White House and Administration staff, these millennial participants discussed issues important to their generation — especially spreading the word about the Affordable Care Act and organizing to get people enrolled in their respective communities.

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People Don’t Hear These Stories Often Enough. Let’s Change That.

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about health reform and HealthCare.gov these past few months, check out some of our favorite enrollment stories.

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Back on Offense


After a trying two months, the new and improved HealthCare.gov had more than a million visitors yesterday and is functioning well for most people, enrollment is surging, nearly 1.5 MILLION Americans have been newly found eligible for Medicaid, and the GOP plan still consists of repeal and “we’ll see.”

Here’s today’s top health care stories:

  • 18,000 Enroll Through HealthCare.gov on Monday: Just under 27,000 people signed up for plans through HealthCare.gov during the entire month of October, but some 18,000 people enrolled through the revamped website in just 24 hours on Monday.
  • California Republicans Use Taxpayer Funds on Fake Obamacare Website: In attempt to sabotage the law and convince individuals not to enroll in coverage, California Republicans have rolled out an anti-Obamacare website designed to mimic the state’s exchange website. California Assembly Republicans built the site with taxpayer funds and bill it as a “public service.”
  • GOP Health Care Plan Is Repeal and ‘We’ll See’: When asked today whether Republicans would finally,  after 4.5 years of attacking Obamacare, offer their own alternative, Speaker Boehner’s response was merely, “we’ll see.” Republicans continue to call for repealing the law, which would now take away health coverage from the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have enrolled in the past two months and eliminate benefits that millions of other Americans have enjoyed for years.
  • Nearly 1.5 MILLION Americans Found Eligible for Medicaid: A new report out today from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that nearly 2.5 MILLION applications for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were submitted in October and nearly 1.5 MILLION low-income Americans were found to be eligible for coverage.

BOTTOM LINE: Obamacare is working and it’s here to stay.

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Questions about the Affordable Care Act or Cover Oregon?


Join us Friday, December 6, to get answers!
The Affordable Care Act - Health Care information for Small BusinessesThe Portland District Office, Cover Oregon and the Small Business Majority will explain what the Affordable Care Act means to small businesses and provide an overview of how small businesses will access health care plans through Cover Oregon.This is your opportunity to have questions answered and learn more about the Affordable Care Act, Cover Oregon and benefits for small employers, individuals and families.What: ACA for Small Businesses and Cover Oregon Overview When: Friday, December 6, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Where: ODS Tower, Suite 1930 – 601 SW Second Avenue, Portland, OR 97204

RSVP to pdxhelp@sba.gov.
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your doctor – and your boss?


 

Democrats

 

STAND With WOMEN

One of the biggest benefits of Obamacare is that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. In fact, insurance companies are now required to cover preventive services, including birth control, at no additional cost.
But that might be about to change.

More than 40 for-profit companies, most of which are owned by men, are suing to deny their employees’ access to birth control without a copay. Republicans opposed to the Affordable Care Act are arguing that women’s bosses should have a say in their personal health decisions. This is an extreme move that could undermine a core tenet of Obamacare and compromise women’s health.

In 2012, millions of Americans had the opportunity to vote for a Republican presidential candidate who supported those companies’ position. (You might remember how that one turned out.) But today’s news shows that this fight is far from over — and that we can’t let up.
Add your name to make sure a woman’s health care decision stays between her and her doctor — not her boss.

The Supreme Court just announced that they’re going to hear this case. And if the Court rules in favor of the companies, then it could be up to employers to decide whether or not the women who work for them will have free access to birth control.

We’ve made great progress in fixing our broken health care system by guaranteeing women access to preventive care, and we can’t go back.
Speak out in favor of a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions:
http://my.democrats.org/Stand-with-Women

Thanks,

Lily
Lily Adams
Deputy Communications Director
Democratic National Committee