Posted on 11/12/2013 12:36:00 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The Obama administration will count individuals who have selected a healthcare plan but not yet sent in their first payment when releasing a count of enrollees in the new healthcare exchanges, an administration official told The Washington Post on Monday.
That decision should boost what are still expected to be a paltry number of early enrollees in the embattled ObamaCare plans.
“In the data that will be released this week, ‘enrollment’ will measure people who have filled out an application and selected a qualified health plan in the marketplace,” the official told the paper.
The distinction is an important one, following reports like the one last week in which the Senate Finance Committee showed that only five individuals had enrolled in the District of Columbia's insurance marketplace.
In fact, only five individuals had selected a plan and sent their first month's payment insurers. Most individuals appear to be waiting to mail in that check until it is due in December, as coverage won't begin until Jan. 1.
Despite the more generous definition of enrollment, a Wall Street Journal report released Monday suggests that the administration has fallen far short of its goal for enrollments. According to the report, fewer than 50,000 have purchased private health plans on the federal marketplace — less than a tenth of the administration's goal, according to internal memos cited by congressional Republicans.
A separate 50,000 individuals are believed to have enrolled in insurance on exchanges administered by 12 states, and more consumers were told that they now qualified for Medicaid coverage.
White House press secretary Jay Carney admitted last week that “enrollment figures will be even lower than the low numbers that were anticipated” because of sustained technical problems with the ObamaCare website. The administration has pledged to have the site working for the vast majority of users by the end of the month.
The administration is still blaming the website for low enrollment, attempting to conceal the nationwide boycott of ACA.
I see not just amputations on the wrong limb....but on the wrong patient
off with his head- oh wait that was supposed to be his toe- too late— next
This reminds me of the number of “green jobs created” numbers a few years ago. It was found that they counted all the garbage men because picking up our trash was good for the environment.
So much is covered for services when people aren’t sick that when someone actually does get sick it’ll be challenging to get in and see a doctor. I can’t imagine how it can work, when the “takers” in society are given so much free stuff.
If a publicly-held company in the private sector utilized this type of accounting the CEO and CFO would go to jail.
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