A National Firestorm
A national firestorm is about to erupt beginning in October.
Americans may find applying for benefits under the president’s health care law (Obamacare) may be somewhat cumbersome. That is an understatement.
What had been described by the president as a simple health plan that would be affordable to all includes a draft application that runs over 15 pages in length. That’s the paperwork for a family of three which includes an online version of 21 steps and a compliment of additional questions.
The deeper Americans receive information about this new health care plan, the madder they will get. At this point, that’s the only thing assured about Obamacare.
Enrollment begins October 1 for millions of uninsured Americans. The White House has attempted to portray the enrollment as easy as shopping online with Amazon.com.
Sure.
Americans can now expect three federal agencies to take a hard look at their applications. That includes the IRS which has geared up for the beginning of this process with thousands of new agents (auditors).
Getting a bit anxious yet?
There’s more.
Applying for Obamacare is only the first step of many. First it must be determined if you indeed qualify for financial assistance. They (the government) also want to see exactly what you earn per year with the poorest of the poor getting the most help with premiums. That will be the least likely group to get the information necessary or the ability to follow through with the complicated process.
Even if the individual has passed the first few steps of applying for the Affordable Health Care Act, selecting the health plan that is right for you comes next. That means the applying candidate must have some sort of basic understanding of insurance language, much like that of a lawyer.
How many will become frustrated before they reach this point, if they actually do?
These steps are not something being suggested by the government – they are mandated. The new law demands that all Americans, with few exceptions, must have health insurance starting January 1, 2014. Many can dodge this bureaucratic nightmare through their jobs, assuming their employer will actually continue to offer health care insurance at all. That will also include those on Medicare or Medicaid.
Remember that the president promised this law would bring simplicity to carrying health insurance. Really? A paper application and a 60-page description of the online version quietly were placed on the internet by the Health and Human Services Department.
If you love the post office or the DMV, you’re going to love this law. A spokesperson from HHS estimates the whole process will take 45 minutes to complete.
Rampant Opposition to Obamacare
There is rampant opposition to Obamacare in many states meaning the federal government, not your state, will run the insurance exchanges. Remember the post office and the DMV? If that’s not enough, states that reject the law’s Medicaid expansion will be left with large numbers of poor people uninsured.
Estimations of those applying are around 4.3 million. That means people applying for financial assistance. Since families can apply together, make that 16 million.
Does anyone see the train wreck coming down the tracks? But assuring the public, HHS spokeswoman Erin Shields Britt said in a statement the application is a work in progress, “being refined thanks to public input.”
Huh?
Count on many changes in this law before its enactment in January or count on the Democrats being slaughtered 11 months later in the midterm elections.
More Change to Come
Hope and Change is beginning to look like spare change left in American’s pockets.
