There are a lot of opinions and observations about the current controversy over the Obamacare website and getting people to sign up. I cannot attest to this process but can offer my own successful experience. In August, the federal government approved a "fast-track process" for Oregon that sent out thousands of letters to those receiving food stamp benefits notifying them they already qualify for Obamacare's benefits, as was noted
in The Washington Post. I received this notice and have now been notified that the paperwork they sent me to fill out was approved. This was a damn easy process for me.
Among the viscous and childish commentary that has been slung at Obamacare's problems, Oregon has found a solution for some. 56,000 new health insurance plans have been added to Oregon's database. The online system is flawed and has been poorly orchestrated, but there are people in this country getting insurance for the first time in their lives.
Oregon is not the only place that has seen some success with the expansion of their existing Medicaid services. Several states around the U.S. have found ways to streamline the process of getting those who qualify for Medicaid into the system. It seems there is some common sense left in the lackluster display government officials have been presenting.
In Maryland, more than 80,000 people have been able to sign up for the expanded Medicaid coverage recently. The state made the application process easier and distributed information to a wide variety of places where those who qualified could access it.
West Virginia, yes West Virginia, is also finding success in this. It is interesting to note, this state receives much more federal funding than most states. West Virginia has signed up more than 50,000 new members to Medicaid since the program was extended.
Daily Kos writer Joan McCarter recently ragged on Politico for only recently realizing that Republicans have been hindering this kind of progress all along.
From the moment the bill was introduced, Republican leaders in both houses of Congress announced their intention to kill it. Republican troops pressed this cause all the way to the Supreme Court—which upheld the law, but weakened a key part of it by giving states the option to reject an expansion of Medicaid. (Politico)
There is a certain irony in the fact that many red states are opting out of expanding their Medicaid, considering much of them receive huge amounts of federal aid compared to many blue states.
The red states that are taking the expansion are: Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, North Dakota and West Virginia. Many of the poorest red states will not see such developments. Many blue states are also opting out of this expansion.
Obamacare was deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court and it is a law. The lack of progress in many of the states that need it most is a sad and deranged product of obstructionism by the radicals within those states. This is yet another example of those elected to represent their people choosing political cronyism over innovations that might benefit their constituency. We have become a country that piles the bodies of the poor on top of each other so we may stand on the mass of destitute have-nots.