Gallup: "Cost Still A Barrier Between Americans And Medical Care" Despite Obamacare

Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco

Today in Washington, D.C. - Dec 1, 2014
The Senate will reconvene at 2 PM today and begin a period of morning business. At 5:30 PM, the Senate will vote on cloture on two controversial ambassador nominations: Noah Mamet to be ambassador to Argentina and Colleen Bell to be ambassador to Hungary. If cloture is invoked, votes on confirmation of the nominations will be held at 10:30 AM tomorrow.

The House will reconvene at 2 PM today. The House at 4 PM is expected to consider administrative and other bills.

Last week, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the “third-ranking U.S. Senate Democrat,” finally said about Obamacare what Republicans had said from the very beginning: “‘Unfortunately, Democrats blew the opportunity the American people gave them’ in electing Obama and a Democratic Congress in 2008 amid a recession, Schumer of New York said in a speech in Washington. ‘We took their mandate and put all our focus on the wrong problem -- health care reform.’”

Of course, that wasn’t what Schumer said at the time. As The New York Daily News noted, “Republicans were quick to cite Schumer’s March 2010 prediction that Obamacare would benefit Democratic candidates - a statement the GOP has been tossing back at Schumer almost since he made it. ‘By November those who voted for health care will find it an asset, those who voted against it will find it a liability,’ Schumer said on the NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’”

But Schumer’s admission only addresses the poor timing of Obamacare. Far more important is its poor design, poor drafting, and worse execution. Over the weekend, The Hill observed, “The Obama administration is facing a slew of healthcare challenges as the winter holidays approach. Take the conflict surrounding Jonathan Gruber, the ObamaCare consultant whose suggestion that a ‘lack of transparency’ and voters' ‘stupidity’ helped the law pass, went viral. Though Democrats have sought to distance themselves from Gruber, his remarks have become a new flashpoint in debate over healthcare reform, invigorating GOP critics as the party prepares to take control of the Senate. Gruber has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Dec. 9, in a final hearing for outgoing chairman and relentless administration antagonist Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).”

The Hill also noted the issues facing this year’s open enrollment period. “The three-month window — about half as long as last year — is proceeding while the back-end of HealthCare.gov remains partly unfinished. Health insurers have been exasperated by the delays, as health officials verify some account and application details by hand.”

And of course, there are more questionable accounting practices from the Obama administration. “A Republican investigation revealed Nov. 20 that ObamaCare enrollment figures at HHS were inflated by roughly 400,000 people after the department miscounted dental plans as medical coverage.”

On top of all of this, a new Gallup poll finds that in its second year of operation and four years after Democrats passed the unpopular law, Americans still don’t think medical costs are down. This was one of Democrats’ most prominent pledges when they were selling Obamacare, that it would lower the cost of health care.

Gallup writes, “One in three Americans say they have put off getting medical treatment that they or their family members need because of cost. Although this percentage is in line with the roughly 30% figures seen in recent years, it is among the highest readings in the 14-year history ofGallup asking the question. . . . Last year, many hoped that the opening of the government healthcare exchanges and the resulting increase in the number of Americans with health insurance would enable more people to seek medical treatment. But, despite a drop in the uninsured rate, a slightly higher percentage of Americans than in previous years report having put off medical treatment, suggesting that the Affordable Care Act has not immediately affected this measure. . . . [T]he percentage of Americans with private health insurance who report putting off medical treatment because of cost has increased from 25% in 2013 to 34% in 2014. . . . While many Americans have gained insurance, there has been no downturn in the percentage who say they have had to put off needed medical treatment because of cost. This may reflect high deductibles or copays that are part of the newly insured's plans . . . .”

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