"Obama Basically Admits He Never Really Understood His Own Health Care Law"--Jon Walker

[KoKo]

(Some may remember all the work Jon Walker did reporting on the ACA at FireDogLake)
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Obama Basically Admits He Never Really Understood His Own Health Care Law
By: Jon Walker Friday November 15, 2013 3:11 am

President Obama delivered a very apologetic presser today on the problems with the Affordable Care Act, but the most remarkable moment was when Obama basically admitted he never really understood how his signature law would actually work.

He claims to have only realized in the past few weeks that buying insurance on an exchange is an inherently complicated and often confusing process. [7:00]:

From Obama:

"But even if we get the hardware and software working exactly the way it’s supposed to, with relatively minor glitches, what we’re also discovering is that, you know, insurance is complicated to buy. And another mistake that we made, I think, was underestimating the difficulties of people purchasing insurance online and shopping for a lot of options, with a lot of costs and a lot of different benefits and plans, and somehow expecting that that would be very smooth, and then they’ve also got to try to apply for tax credits on the website.

Because the bottom line, ultimately, is I just want people to know what their options are in a clear way. And, you know, buying health insurance is never going to be like buying a song on iTunes. You know, it’s just a much more complicated transaction. But I think we can continue to make it better."

This is truly remarkable admission. One of Obama’s big promises in selling his law to the public was that it would make buying insurance insanely easy. It is a promise he repeated all the time and seemed to really believe.

For example, just six weeks ago Obama was still claiming the exchange would make buying insurance basically as easy as getting a song on iTunes. He said this about the launch of the site last month:

"Just visit healthcare.gov, and there you can compare insurance plans, side by side, the same way you’d shop for a plane ticket on Kayak or a TV on Amazon. You enter some basic information, you’ll be presented with a list of quality, affordable plans that are available in your area, with clear descriptions of what each plan covers, and what it will cost. You’ll find more choices, more competition, and in many cases, lower prices — most uninsured Americans will find that they can get covered for $100 or less."

This is not a small mistake or another too rosy promise. This basic concept is the foundation of the law.

The idea private insurance exchanges will magically drive down price and improve quality through competition was based on the assumption that buying insurance could be made so incredibly simple that almost everyone would be able figure out which plan was best for them.

For this kind of competition even theoretically to work the consumers needed to understand trade offs with the all the different options. If you can’t buy insurance extremely simple the whole concept won’t deliver.

Obama didn’t just admit he never fully understood his signature law, he seems to indirectly acknowledge that the whole thing is conceptually flawed.

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/11/15/obama-basically-admits-he-never-really-understood-his-own-health-care-law/

[Peacetrain]

1. Oh Horse hockey

The concept was and is the same as social security.. we are all in the mix.. and by all of us being in..then younger, healthier people would float older people or people with long term illnesses.. that is what insurance is basically.. the group floats the needs of the individual at the time needed.

But this continual act of stupid.. I do not know how this is going to work put on by the right and republicans.. has spooked some people.

The system is having a rocky roll out..

So what...

It is here to stay and it will get fixed as the problems arise.

[KoKo]

5. I think that the hard thing is those who have confusion with plans cancelled

and now they are told they can keep them (but, not all of them) and that POB keeps making statements and then retracting. I did catch that part of his statement and felt he seemed to be more blaming the insurance companies and government regulations trying to get the website out than being more attuned to how confusing this is to people out there.

Nancy Pelosi was interviewed on C-Span before POB's Statement and she said that she wanted to let the President speak but, that she felt that the Democrats would be working with him on the extension. So, hopefully our Dems in Congress can maybe clarify the extension so that folks aren't left wondering which plans they can keep and which they can't. The Insurance Companies are already out there stating that some of the policies can't be extended because they are already transitioned out because of the deadlines built in and other problems like insurance companies that already pulled out of states and blaming Obama.

It's messy...and one hopes it can all get worked out.

[Cleita]

8. The President should sign an executive order that allows all those cancellees to buy a

Medicare insurance policy for the same money as their junk plan, until all the kinks can be worked out of the exchange plans. This would be a temporary fix...maybe. There would be a lot of people who are very happy with their new coverage. Medicare would receive a money fusion into the fund from a younger and healthier group of insurees. He doesn't need to go to Congress for it and it certainly will let all the air out of the tires of the Fox media complainers.

[Peacetrain]

12. I had something up early this morning.. that

this is the next step to medicare for all.. It is knocking it right past them.. and they did not even see the ball..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024031024

[Cleita]

14. It would be super cool if this caused them to trip over their own shit

like the bombing in Syria that the MIC was lathering for. They were all set for a juicy war and all that new taxpayer's money coming in and Putin pulled the rug out from under them. All it took was for Obama to announce that he would let Congress decide if to go to war. This Congress? Seriously?

It was a masterful move by Obama and Putin took up the cue. He can do the same with this.

[Peacetrain]

16. From your lips to Gods ears

[KoKo]

21. I've seen posts with HOPE that this will lead to Medicare for All...

I'm with you on ..."Single Payer"....but, I'm not as hopeful as you that this will be achieved soon enough...that so many will be given false hopes and dashed and that it will be many years.

I wonder if the pain folks have to live through all of this...is worth it for the Long Run. I don't like to see folks ground down waiting when they are desperate.

But, I can see that maybe this is what "has to be" before folks wake up to MEDICARE for ALL...is the way to go.

So...thanks for your views...and the discussion. I just wish the whole ACA had been much better handled by our Democrats that we trusted to be "on top" of all this. That's the disappointment some of us Dems on the Left have.... that our Dem Infrastructure was SO WEAK that it allowed this and didn't steer Obama and cover him... I don't blame Obama but more our weak seeming "Dem Power Structure" for this. If you can understand where I'm coming from as I have understood where YOU are coming from.

Peace!

[Cleita]

7. It's nothing like Social Security. The right would like to put in their privatization plan

in Social Security so that Wall Street can raid the fund. Then it would be like Social Security, but not before.

[Peacetrain]

9. Think risk pool

That is the example I am using.. risk pool. It is a great argument to use with right wingers who faint at the thought of that "ponzi scheme" social security... just say risk pool.. and their eyes will roll back in their heads and they will run for the door..because you have them ..

[Cleita]

10. Risk pool is a common denominator in insurance. It has nothing to do with Social Security.

There is no risk pool in Social Security. Everyone who turns sixty-five, who has paid into it, is eligible for Social Security. There is no means testing, another thing the right wing wants to screw it up with. It makes it universal like an ocean, not limited like a pool. There is no risk involved. Everyone will eventually become part of the ocean Yes, there are other caveats too, but for the sake of simplicity, let's stick to the universality of the sixty five years of age eligibility. I admire that you like to trip right wingers on their failed premises, but this is not the one to use because it uses faulty logic.

[Peacetrain]

11. Social Security is insurance..

It is literally the the Social Security Insurance Act of 1935

[Cleita]

13. Okay, you win. It's insurance as it's named.

However, it's really a pension, not insurance in the way insurance is defined. It only insures that old people, widows, the disabled and orphans don't starve when they are no longer able to work or when the bread winner in the family dies. That's all. There is no risk pool involved in the traditional way insurance actuaries do their figures. That was your point, wasn't it? The risk pool?

[Peacetrain]

15. risk pool for social security?

The younger workers are supporting older workers with their contributions.. the older ones and those disabled etc are at one end of the risk pool.. and most of us have been at the other end of the risk pool contributing for any number of decades.. it is insurance. We all get to experience both ends of the risk pool.. that is how it works Cleita..

[Cleita]

17. You are dug in on this so I can't argue the point anymore.

It's very misleading though to compare the ACA to SS. It's just not the same and it will give those right wingers more fuel to shoot more holes into Social Security like they are doing.

[Peacetrain]

19. We will have to agree to disagree on this one

take care

[lamp_shade]

2. Oh... it's you.

[KoKo]

3. lamp_shade...just a caution

This is a "GROUP." If you want to discuss the post in a thoughtful way then please do.
But, if this is your only contribution then you might want to delete it.

Thanks.

[Cleita]

4. Really? That's astounding.

He gave too much power to those conservadems, like Baucus, Daschle and Dr. Emmanuel who favored allowing the insurance industry to stay in health care although the same industry is the one that caused all the problems with it instead of listening to the health care providers who administer it and patients who receive it. It's something that should never be considered political.

I remember him once saying that it was one-sixth of the economy and that would cause a market crash to push them out. Oh, for god's sake, even a dummy like me understands that the insurance industry will never go broke. They will find something else to insure. I think our lovely President is in over his head and he needs to look for some other, wiser advisors that are not his inner circle.

[KoKo]

6. Good point ...

He seems to be getting very bad or conflicting advice. With Syria... drawing "The Red Line" and then "thankfully" pulling back from attacking them at the last minute. It's his conflicting statements where he makes statements that are either too harsh or too optimistic and then has to backtrack that cause problems with us out here wondering what to think.

[mwrguy]

18. Obama was betrayed by right leaning democrats in the legislature n/t

[KoKo]

20. How So..? I think Mary Landrieu could be one because her district is

conservative and she's in trouble to retain her seat.

Is it the Neo-Libs or what we used to call the DLC? I guess I could see some of that but President Obama has not helped himself because he trashed the LEFT with Rahm Emmanuel when he was Inaugurated and he's been Wall Street/Internet Tech/Hedge Fund and Big Business Supporter since he was Elected.

He did NOT HAVE TO DO THAT. So...if he leans towards the RW Dems (DINO's) then that's been HIS CHOICE....not something that the rest of us Active Dems ever wanted him to do. AND we VOTED FOR HIM and SUPPORTED HIM....ALSO. We just didn't have "Hollywood/MIC/Pharma and the REST BIG BUCKS that he needed....so, we got marginalized.

Just my humble opinion.......from observation and involved.

[rhett o rick]

22. He wasnt at all betrayed. He is right leaning in my opinion. nm