Not So Fast: Obamacare Numbers Are Deceiving - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Not So Fast: Obamacare Numbers Are Deceiving
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Democrats are claiming victory after the administration recently announced new Obamacare numbers—some 3.3 million people were enrolled in Obamacare by the end of January:

“I hope Republicans will look at these numbers and realize that the health care law is making a difference for millions of Americans, and that it’s time to stop re-hashing old arguments over a law that is now settled,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in a statement.

But is the law really settled? Democrats say that Obamacare is on its way to getting 7 million estimated enrollees. However, as reported earlier this week, those numbers don’t mean anything.

The administration has once again failed to release how many enrollees have paid their premiums. Without those numbers, we have limited data about how many people are actually going to receive coverage. The current estimate of those who have paid for their first month of insurance lies between 51-85 percent of that 3.3 million.

But the misleading information doesn’t end there:

“Every individual who is enrolled in a health plan is a success story, and those Americans now have access to quality affordable coverage that they didn’t have before,” said Julie Bataille, a CMS spokeswoman.

To the contrary: These new numbers do not reveal how many people were previously uninsured. Of course some people have new or better health insurance, but there are also those whose plans were cancelled and had to go through the trouble of finding another option.

Additionally, there are still not enough young, healthy people signing up to offset the sicklier ones, meaning premiums could still rise:

Still, as of Feb. 1, just 25 percent of people who have enrolled in a private insurance plan through the new Obamacare marketplaces are between the ages of 18 and 34 — falling below what experts have called the ideal proportion of young adults in the new health insurance marketplace.

Besides this inconclusive data, other facets of Obamacare have ominous consequences as well. The Washington Free Beacon reported that 28 new ACA regulations will cost $1.4 billion annually:

“In total, these 28 paperwork burdens total more than 45.7 million burden hours,” the report said. “For perspective, it would take more than 22,800 employees working full-time to complete the new paperwork (assuming 2,000 employee hours annually).”

The healthcare exchange added 40 more health care forms, which will cost $558 million and 16.6 million paperwork hours.

The scope of this legislation is mind-boggling and few Americans understand just how enormous Obamacare is. But what’s becoming clear that it’s a bureaucratic monster that will devour taxpayer dollars while offering little in return. 

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