The US Department of Health and human services released its new marketplace enrollment numbers, and they look good, despite the republicans best efforts to kill the law now insuring millions of Americans. This figure is below the Administration's goal of 7,000,000 before the March 31st deadline, its starting to look like 6,000,000 could be attainable before the deadline hits. From the blogpost:
As this historic open enrollment period enters its final weeks, millions of Americans are finding quality, affordable coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Fernando Valdez and Denise Schroeder were part of a weekend wave of consumers signing up for new coverage and bringing enrollment nationwide to more than 5 million through the Federal and State-based Marketplaces since October 1st.
Whatever the numbers, this should finally put to rest the old bullshit republican talking points about the rollout being a disaster. Of course, they will continue to spew their old nasty "Obamacare is a job killer that gives wealthfare queens another freebie and forces you to pull the plug on granny" type talking points, because they aren't about to bail on a strategy that has been 6 years in the making, but at least now we can point and laugh in their face about it (as if we haven't already been doing that already). Stories like this (from the blogpost) will always light the way through the republican and conservative swamp on this issue:
And Denise Schroeder says she now feels like “I have a whole new life” after enrolling in coverage in recent days. Denise, a small business owner in West Chester, Pennsylvania who runs “Happy Heart Clown N'Stuff” which does balloon decorating and entertainment for parties is also a cancer survivor. Because she had cancer, Denise knew she couldn’t let her health coverage lapse, but the $880 premium she was paying each month wiped out her savings account, and she said it was killing her. But after working with an enrollment navigator, she enrolled on Thursday in a Silver Plan for $22 a month. When she saw the new premium, she cried.
Despite the good news, there are still many millions of people who still lack health insurance. As long as those people remain uninsured there is still work to be done. But as someone who recently gained health insurance for the first time in about 6 years, I have no doubt that this system will continue to provide necessary insurance to the people who desperately need it, despite republican attempts to kill this law any way they can.
In other news, I am back after about a year hiatus. Hello Dkos :)