White House

Why Obama Should Be Freaked Out Over Obamacare

It's worse than we know, this is the easy part, and millions of Americans could be hurt.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Ron Fournier
October 21, 2013

President Obama said Monday he's "frustrated" by the disastrous launch of an online computer marketplace for Obamacare. Here are five reasons why frustration isn't enough. He should be frightened.



1. It's worse than his team has let on. The White House has tried to position the failed first days of Obamacare as mere hiccups caused by the site's popularity. Obama called them "kinks." An administration spokesman told the Washington Post on Sunday that the "main driver of the problem is volume." This is intentionally misleading. 

The White House has heard complaints from insurance companies, consumers, and health policy experts about issues embedded deeply in the online system. For example: inaccurate information provided to people about federal tax credits; low-income people erroneously told they don't qualify for Medicaid; and insurance companies getting confusing information about who has signed up.

The administration refuses to say how many people have enrolled through the federal exchange, the key metric for determining how well the online service is working in states that didn't set up their own exchanges. There are two possible explanations for the Obama administration's unconscionable lack of transparency. Their process is so screwed up that they don't have the data, which would be embarrassing. Or they have the data – and it's embarrassing.

2. This is the easy part. Finding and motivating people to take action online is the founding strength of Team Obama. This is what they do best. Managing a complex law is a different matter, and it's fair to question whether the president and his team are up to it.

How do you convince healthy young Americans to pay for insurance they may not need in order to fund the program? Do companies shed workers and working hours to avoid coming under the law? Are people with cheap catastrophic plans forced to pay more in the exchanges? Tricky questions likes these will soon make the hard art of website design look like fingerpainting. "The online federal health care exchange, the heart of the Obamacare project, is such a rolling catastrophe that it may end up creating a major policy fiasco immediately rather than eventually," wrote Ross Douthat in a New York Times column titled, "Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule."

3. It reflects poorly on the president. Nobody expects the chief executive to be reviewing computer code or hosting East Room "hackathons." But this falls on him. The CEO of a corporation or country is uniquely responsible for making sure the team is on task, and he or she is ultimately responsible if it's not. In Obama's case, did he demand thorough updates on the progress of the site? If so, did he ask the right questions? Did he put the right people on the job in the first place? Given the horrid first days of Obamacare, the answer to at least one of those questions must be "no."

4. It reflects poorly on government. The public's faith in government is at a record low, just as Obama is fighting Republicans on several fronts over the size and power of the federal bureaucracy. His administration needs to rapidly improve the online exchanges to stand any chance of convincing, say, young Americans to pay for insurance they don't think they need. Beyond Obamacare, the Democratic Party's reputation for competency is as stake.  The cost of the site is already $394 million, a massive amount compared to private-sector CMS work, and sure to grow.

5. It could hurt Americans. For decades, politicians in both parties pledged to ease one of the leading causes of anxiety in the post-industrial age, the lack of affordable health care. Nearly 50 million Americans are uninsured, or about 15.4 percent of the population. Millions more are underinsured. Obamacare, enacted three years ago over the objections of Republicans, may or may not be the answer. But, as the White House likes to remind Republicans, it's the law and it deserves a shot.

How sadly ironic it would be if Obamacare is denied a fair shake because of its namesake's mismanagement.

"The Affordability Care Act is not just a website," Obama said Monday, "it's much more." True to a point, but the website is critical to the law's purpose: helping millions of Americans bargain for better health care. Dismissing the extent of the problem and reminding voters that Republicans fought the law -- which is essentially all Obama did in his Rose Garden remarks -- is a deflection, which shouldn't be confused with implementation or governing.NOTE: This story was updated after Obama's remarks.

VeryBarryCare Source

Views: 57

Replies to This Discussion

this VeryBarryCare has cost us easily over a Billion dollars and counting...Oh wait, no ones counting...hmmm I might be lowballing the cost

"How sadly ironic it would be if Obamacare is denied a fair shake because of its namesake's mismanagement."

No, how gloriously appropriate it would be if this rotten law--designed to enrich the insurance company giants--were to die a quick death because the rollout was nothing but an unmitigated disaster. They couldn't even get the damn website to work, and now the the whole program has been thrown into chaos. Good! 

The ship of fools known as the Obama Administration has just torpedoed itself. I find that rather amusing.

 

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

While the Wounds Are Still Fresh

 In this age of lies Love has become a sad compromise The source of my emotional demiseAll the…See More
9 hours ago
Doc Vega's 4 blog posts were featured
9 hours ago
Larry Harmen's blog post was featured

China has weaponized Ebola to take over North America after WW3

The Defense Minister with his own Mouth has said it.…See More
9 hours ago
tjdavis's blog post was featured
9 hours ago
FREEDOMROX's blog post was featured
9 hours ago
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post Countdown to WWIII ? You be the Judge as the Media Hides the Developments of the Democrats
9 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a photo
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

My Twisted Destiny

My Twisted Destiny Darling why don't you come and play with meOn a planetary seaOn a frozen moon we…See More
yesterday
tjdavis posted a photo
yesterday
tjdavis posted a video

David⚡️Bowie - Ricochet documentary (1984)

In December 1983, David Bowie's massive 'Serious Moonlight ' tour arrived in Asia for three shows in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore, virtually uncharted te...
yesterday
rlionhearted_3 posted a status
"12 units gone, 6 units heavily damaged, 6 units saved, including mine, been a stressful 10 days!"
Thursday
rlionhearted_3 posted a status
"The apartment building I live in caught fire. 12 of 24 units are a total loss, 6 units have fire smoke and water damage. 6 units were spared"
Thursday
rlionhearted_3 posted photos
Thursday
Less Prone posted a video

THE FALL OF AMERICA

Gerald Celente discusses the retail sales report and what it means for the economy. He also talks about how politicians ruined the American Dream...To access...
Thursday
Larry Harmen commented on Larry Harmen's video
Thumbnail

"Antichrist and the Crowned 666 King Charles ( Dr. Bruce Ruisi)

"King Charles Family are Related to my Family the Harmen's and they are all Masons ...Military…"
Thursday
Larry Harmen posted a video

"Antichrist and the Crowned 666 King" | RAPTURE ALERT!!! (w/ Dr. Bruce Ruisi)

Has the antichrist been identified??? The overwhelming biblical proof will shock you! "Antichrist and the Crowned 666 King: RAPTURE ALERT!!!", Dr. Bruce Rui...
Thursday
Doc Vega commented on Larry Harmen's blog post China has weaponized Ebola to take over North America after WW3
"The Chinese have had an ambition for a long time to occupy the US and they're pretty…"
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Wednesday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post A New Angle on Explanation of UAP’s
"Good question Doc V. It's the Air Force that carried out this (underhanded) action according…"
Tuesday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post A New Angle on Explanation of UAP’s
"cheeki kea Barium is a radioactive isotope that was once used for X-ray purposes in the patient.…"
Monday

© 2024   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted