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8.8 Million Americans Enroll in 2018 ACA Marketplace Insurance, Defying Trump

Barack Obama’s tax cuts were bigger than Donald Trump’s. Obama’s landmark health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act, has also proven bigger and better than Trump’s spiteful and futile efforts to repeal it. Trump tried to hamstring the federal insurance exchange by cutting the enrollment period in half, but 8.8 million Americans still signed up for ACA exchange health insurance:

The robust numbers for sign-ups on the federal exchange — 96 percent of last year’s total — surprised both supporters and opponents of the health law, who almost universally thought the numbers would be lower. Not only was the sign-up period reduced by half, but the Trump administration dramatically cut funding for advertising and enrollment aid. Republicans in Congress spent much of the year trying to repeal and replace the law, while Trump repeatedly declared the health law dead, leading to widespread confusion.

…“Enrollment defied expectations and the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine it,” said Lori Lodes, a former Obama administration health official who joined with other Obama alumni to try to promote enrollment in the absence of federal outreach efforts. “The demand for affordable coverage speaks volumes — proving, yet again, the staying power of the marketplaces [Julie Rovner, “Obamacare Enrollment Going Strong Despite Funding Cuts and Confusion,” Governing/Kaiser Health News, 2017.12.22].

And that’s not the final tally:

The latest figures included only sign-ups through HealthCare.gov, the federal site used by 39 states, and not enrollments through state exchanges, some of which are still open. In the final week, 4.1 million people were signed up, including existing customers who were automatically enrolled in a plan. The numbers may go up slightly because some customers were delayed in enrolling by the deadline due to high volume and because some areas affected by hurricanes were granted an extended enrollment period [Benjy Sarlin, “Trump: Obamacare Repealed. Administration: Nearly 9M Just Enrolled,” NBC News, 2017.12.21].

Graphic from Kaiser Family Foundation, 2017.12.19.
Graphic from Kaiser Family Foundation, 2017.12.19.

Our neighbors in Minnesota can sign up for ACA health insurance on that state-run exchange until January 14. And in South Dakota and all other states using the federal exchange, individuals whose policies are being discontinued this year can sign up through the federal exchange for new policies through March 1.

77 Comments

  1. OldSarg 2017-12-22 10:39

    8.8 million Americans who still have only one choice of avenue to acquire government approved health insurance used the only allowed path available demonstrating to the weak of mind that if you give the people only one road to follow that road becomes amazingly the most popular road. Also of note: Cory was named best looking guy with a web site named Dakota Free Press for Friday the 22nd of Dec between 10:30 and 11:00. Amazing!!!

  2. o 2017-12-22 11:01

    First, congratulatiuons Cory. Second, on face, the point that 8.8 million had no free market choice to compete with the ACA is the evidence of the abject failure of the free market in health care. Saying those people should not have any health care options really defies both the American and Christmas spirit, OldSarg.

  3. grudznick 2017-12-22 11:36

    I, too, congratulate Mr. H on his achievement. He is one handsome devil, indeed. But the Obamacare is bad, it is bad.

  4. mike from iowa 2017-12-22 11:48

    How many other nations have dropped government run healthcare for free market healthcare? If it is that good shouldn’t someone do something?

  5. mike from iowa 2017-12-22 11:51

    The ACA is a choice between affordable healthcare and private insurance a Sultan couldn’t afford. Some choice- is better than none unless OldSage loves paying hospital emergency bills for everyone.

  6. Porter Lansing 2017-12-22 12:22

    Just watch. The loss of the individual mandate will have the same result. Those young males who were persuaded to “get the black guy” by paying the fine, can no longer find a plausible reason to be uninsured. Young males realize the need for health insurance when young females demand they not put the family finances at risk by being uninsured.
    ~ Face it, righties … Obamacare is highly popular.
    ~ Next Stop ……. ➸ “The Public Option” (i.e. A bare bones health insurance plan sold by our government with absolutely no requirement that anyone buy it. It’s just an option and you’re encouraged to buy a better plan from private insurance companies with incentives to do so.)

  7. Darin Larson 2017-12-22 12:43

    Grudz, I notice you don’t say Medicare is bad. Why is that?

  8. owen reitzel 2017-12-22 13:01

    I’m one of them. Without it I couldn’t get affordable insurance

  9. tara volesky 2017-12-22 13:09

    Obama Care in SD is a choice between Avera and Sanford.

  10. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-22 13:22

    I’m not sure that all 8.8 million of those individuals had only one choice for insurance. Many of them had multiple policies from which to choose, and many may have been able to buy individual policies from carriers not on the marketplace (though why they would want to forgo the premium tax credit available through the ACA marketplaces, I can’t imagine).

    But even if the ACA marketplace was the only viable option for millions of Americans, that only shows that the ACA has improved their options to 1 from 0, which is how many affordable options self-employed folks with pre-existing conditions would have had before President Obama signed this landmark legislation.

    Stick to the facts, OS, and quit throwing irrelevant insults.

  11. Porter Lansing 2017-12-22 13:34

    Tara … Obamacare in South Dakota is a choice between affordable now and unaffordable and unavailable before.

  12. tara volesky 2017-12-22 14:12

    Porter, for the working class, it’s a killer. Owen, don’t you get insurance from you government job?

  13. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-22 14:43

    Incorrect, Tara. “…blue-collar whites have been among the law’s principal beneficiaries“:

    …millions of blue-collar whites have gained coverage under the law, particularly in states critical to the Republican electoral map. Using census data, the Urban Institute recently calculated that from 2010 through 2015, more non-college-educated whites gained coverage than college-educated whites and minorities combined in all five of the key Rustbelt states that flipped from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016: Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Whites without a college degree also represented a majority of those gaining coverage under the law in core Trump states like Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

    These states often saw enormous reductions in the number of uninsured working-class whites: about 40 percent in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; roughly 50 percent in Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan; and 60 percent in West Virginia and Kentucky [Ronald Brownstein, “Will Blue-Collar Whites Change Their Minds About Obamacare?The Atlantic, 2017.01.05].

    If the ACA really were a “killer” for the working class, maybe it would have bumped off some Trump voters, and we’d be having a much different debate about much different topics right now.

  14. OldSarg 2017-12-22 15:02

    “nd quit throwing irrelevant insults” don’t you think you won? Get in the Spirit! It’s almost Christmas!!!!

  15. tara volesky 2017-12-22 20:19

    I am talking about Obama care in SD Cory. Very expensive for the middle class if you are self employed. Pretty much 2 choices.

  16. Porter Lansing 2017-12-22 21:47

    I’m not Cory but your Governor wouldn’t sign the Medicaid expansion so South Dakota doesn’t really have Obamacare, at all. You didn’t have choices like most states even before the ACA. Ask your Senator Rounds. He controlled most of healthcare insurance and his agencies still do. Obamacare is basically help for people who can’t afford all of their insurance premiums. Why did the Governor refuse the money to help lower income people when the cost was shared by all Americans and didn’t amount to much?
    Cory, your opinion? Tara, your answer?

  17. Dana P 2017-12-22 21:52

    Tara, for me in SD, when the ACA started (and I am self employed) it was VERY affordable. Lots of choices, and my premiums ranged over the years from $65 – $95/month, affordable deductibles, etc. That was until the GOP got rid of the risk corridors, Trump removed CSR’s, leaving Sanford and Avera dealing with the uncertainty of GOP policies. In other words, sabotage. Instead of working to tweak some of the problems, they sabotaged it, causing insurers to bail and causing premiums to rise.

    For 2018, my prem’s have now jumped to $212/month. Again, because of what I described above. Thanks to the ACA and the mandated preventative procedures, cancer was found (ACA picked up the tab for a colonoscopy) and I have spent the last year with radiation, chemotherapy, two surgeries, scans, etc. Right now, my medical bills have topped $300k. My out of pocket cost not including my monthly prem’s when they were at $80/month? I’m out around $3,000. If it wasn’t for the ACA, I would have had to dip into my nest egg and perhaps my pension to pay for that. I don’t just have $300k just lying around.

    Prior to the ACA? The “best” I could get and could afford was a $200/month policy that didn’t really cover squat. And if I remember correctly, the deductible was right around $30,000. I am fortunate that I had that in my nest egg – and I chose that policy because I knew if I had something horrific happen to me, I could cough up that $30k, and still have a roof over my head. But not everyone is even that fortunate.

    So Obama and the Dems tried to start to make health care affordable in this country and give people access. While not perfect and needed work, they tried to do something that almost every developed country in the world do for their people. But no, Republicans would have none of it. And sabotaged it, played the PR stunts game, played political football with people’s lives, and put party over country. shameful. Now with the removal of the mandate, just wait until next year’s premiums. You haven’t seen anything yet. Can’t keep pinning this on Obama and the Dems.

  18. Porter Lansing 2017-12-22 22:02

    Well said, Dana. Before Obamacare the insurance wasn’t really insurance at all. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and Blue Cross wouldn’t renew her policy. She was labeled “pre-existing”, couldn’t buy a policy anywhere and got to die being bankrupt. Obamacare made it illegal to cancel a policy if someone really needed the insurance. That’s why policies changed and why they now cost more. Because it’s real, rock solid insurance.

  19. tara volesky 2017-12-22 23:21

    Dana and Porter, the law should be …. no one should never be denied health care.

  20. Darin Larson 2017-12-22 23:33

    Tara and many others seem to have forgotten what we saw in the health insurance arena before the ACA. I recall almost yearly 20%+ increases to the typical health insurance policy. I recall medical bankruptcies as a common everyday occurrence.

    Before the Republicans set out to sabotage the ACA through lawsuits, legislative and executive branch obstruction, and running the law down at every opportunity, the ACA was quite successful in providing affordable healthcare coverage. Even now, the Republicans could not bring themselves to repeal and replace it because they have nothing better to offer, but still they refuse to work to improve the law. In fact, they actively undermine the law in the new tax bill.

    Dana and Porter have described the situation from a personal perspective very well and demonstrated that the ACA is an important part of the lives of millions of Americans.

  21. jerry 2017-12-23 00:06

    True that Mr. Larson. They do not remember it because they had never purchased it before, their employers did that for them. They whine about the fact that Avera and Sanford are the “only” choices for South Dakota when they should be damn glad of the fact that we even have them to stand up for us and provide the services needed. These two companies have to deal with the failed roypublican bureaucracy that has bought about the high prices, and then lay blame to the Democrats for having the audacity to try to make health care a right like so many other countries insist on.

    The facts are stubborn and show that there is a proven sign up of younger members on the ACA for several reasons, one of the main reasons is the fact that young members are not so foolish as to believe that they are not liable for getting sick or getting into an accident that could cost them for years and years. They know that they can get a plan for very little that will give them opportunity for office visits and for prescription drugs. They know that their parents would want that for them as well. Mr. Larson points out the very fact of why there is an ACA to begin with, runaway pricing, pre existing conditions, selective underwriting, no waiting periods and no getting left behind because you age out of your parents health coverage.

    The fact that those who are fortunate enough to make more than what subsidy eligibility allows, have to pay the true cost of the insurance. Kind of like when you leave a job and find out what COBRA costs or the actual amount your employer shells out each month to cover employees and their dependents. It sucks, but don’t blame that on Obama and the Democrats, put the blame squarely where it belongs, the failed governing of the Roypublican party. All you have to do is look at the history of it all, not to hard to follow and see the trail of fears they put into people to keep corporate profits up. When Wall Street runs the healthcare system, the only thing you need see is that dividends must be made for investors and for the CEO’s that run the con.

  22. tara volesky 2017-12-23 05:41

    Obama Care was written by Insurance and medical lobbyists. It should be against the law for hospitals to be Insurance companies.

  23. Porter Lansing 2017-12-23 07:26

    @Tara … No, it was written by legislators and I helped. Those sites you posted are two of the biggest scams in healthcare.
    Tara. I’ve read everything you’ve posted on the Catholic Blog for over a year and I conclude you’re easily misled, distracted by emotion and you’ve been drawn down the path of fundamental extremism. Your support for radical Christianity is akin to those who support radical Islamist extremism. Your tactics are the same. Find a weak mind. Confuse them with unsupported, highly emotional statements then ridicule and shame them into joining an “in-group” that attacks the rights and liberties of an “out-group”. It’s a tactic that’s been historically used against Indians, Blacks, LGBT and now Muslims.
    Stop it!! God wants better for you.

  24. tara volesky 2017-12-23 07:52

    https://www.avera.org/patients-visitors/charity-patient-assistance-programs/ Porter, I have friends that are member of health co-ops. They are fully covered at a fraction of the cost. One of my friends had a pre-existing condition, cancer. They covered him anyway. I am just posting so people can check out different options. But don’t take my word, talk to people that are insured with these non-profits. So Porter, I am not sure what you meant about my support for radical Christianity? I really don’t understand your above comment. But, you have a right to your opinion. I am not sure what you want me to stop. But thanks for your comment.

  25. Porter Lansing 2017-12-23 07:59

    Stop attacking peace loving Muslim followers and grouping them with Islamic fundamentalist jihadists.
    Conflating and assuming that all Muslims follow Sharia law is the same as saying all Catholics genuflect to Opus Dei and beat themselves with whips.
    Both groups are similar in their hatred of an “Out-Group” and similar in their tactics of recruiting. Fundamentalism is wrong and harmful to peaceful society, be it Christian fundamentalism or any other.
    Look within for your own faults and attack those. Leave others to their solace. No group poses a threat to you, no matter your jaded and warped and back-country suppositions.
    Live and Let Live …..

  26. Porter Lansing 2017-12-23 08:19

    I won’t watch it because Cory has set the rule (because of you) that links need a preface when posted, to tell us what the theme and context of the link is.
    L.W.I.Y. last word is yours

  27. jerry 2017-12-23 08:27

    So how the Christian dealy works is that everyone is supposed to kick in some bucks if someone gets sick. Who decides that? What if there are many people with cancer or what if they have a kid that takes a million bucks a month in drugs? How would that work then? I think I can safely say that the Christians would saddle the kid up on the rest of us to pay his way. Porter is right, this is a scam that as long as the ACA is in place, will be able to function because they can then “suggest” their fellow get the hell off the plan and go on the guaranteed plan for coverage. Tara says that one of her friends “had” cancer, does that mean he died or is he in remission? How much was his bill?

  28. Dana P 2017-12-23 08:31

    Tara – I agree that no one should be denied health insurance. However, what is/was being bantered around among the GOP that wants to change the ACA, is that insurance comps will be able to charge much more for people with pre-existing conditions. The ACA blocked that from happening. PRE ACA, when I was completing the almost 10 page application to obtain my “catastrophic” insurance (like I described above, all it was doing for me was saving me from going bankrupt if something horrible happened) the insurance agent told me flat out, “when you come to the question about if you ever get a headache, check the “no” box. Because if you ever have brain cancer or something needing medical treatment involving your head, the insurance company might use your answer to deny coverage because answering “yes” to that question, they will argue that you had a pre-existing condition.” THAT is where we were prior to ACA. In America!! The supposed best country in the world! come on now, those were ridiculous times and you want to go back to that?

    The people that the ACA impacted negatively (last time I looked into this, it was about 15% of people) needed our politicians to “fix” that gap. To fine tune the law for those people. To work on helping the people that WERE hurt by the ACA. Instead? GOP house voted 60+ times to repeal ACA, instead of rolling up their sleeves, and working on the issues that needed fixed. They got rid of the risk corridors (which increased premiums) etc. And they used the folks, they flat out USED them (it sounds like you might be one of those folks) for political purposes. Instead of helping people like you, they continued to hurt you. Why aren’t you mad at them about that? Rather than continuing to attack the ACA? Makes no sense.

    Porter – I’m sorry about your wife’s diagnosis. I hope she is doing better now. You are correct. That wasn’t “insurance”. That was a big ole scam and it cost people their lives. Physically AND financially. yeah boy howdy, let’s go back to those days…… (sarcasm intended)

  29. mike from iowa 2017-12-23 08:34

    So how the Christian dealy works is that everyone is supposed to kick in some bucks if someone gets sick. Who decides that? What if there are many people with cancer or what if they have a kid that takes a million bucks a month in drugs?

    OldSludge brought these so called kristian sites up awhile back in another post about health insurance.

  30. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-23 08:47

    Agreed, Porter—I ignore links without context.

    Tara, by no means does my advocacy for the Affordable Care Act mean I am opposed to more progressive solutions like those you seem to be asking for. I’m all for ensuring that everyone has access to care and that no one ever goes into debt, let alone bankruptcy, due to medical bills. I’m all for lowering costs. I have no desire to stand in the way of health co-ops and Christian charity, if they can provide reliable coverage, but I’m not going to give away the farm and gamble on charity solving for everyone. Just as private schools wont’ educate all kids, private charities and private insurance won’t reach all patients.

    Until we reach the promised land (say, France), the Affordable Care Act is a darned sight better than what we had before. 8.8 million Americans just stood up to Trump’s bushwah and said just that. Now if we can follow through and multiply that 8.8 million into Democratic votes in 2018, we can take over Congress and TV-trick Trump into signing BernieCare.

  31. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-23 10:20

    Fascinating, WROG! Apparently South Dakotans forgot they love Trump and led the charge in reupping for ACA insurance:

    “There’s politics, and then there’s taking care of yourself and your family,” said analyst Chris Sloan of the consulting firm Avalere Health. “You can have political views about a program like the Affordable Care Act, but when you get an opportunity to get subsidized health insurance for you and your family … politics is a distant consideration.”

    AP’s analysis found that 11 states beat 2017’s enrollment figures. Of them, eight —Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming— went for Trump, who posted double-digit victories in all but Iowa [Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and , “More Than 4 in 5 Enrolled in ‘Obamacare’ Are in Trump States,” AP via Rapid City Journal, 2017.12.22].

    Once again, practical self-interest and political id conflict in South Dakota.

  32. OldSarg 2017-12-23 18:04

    Doesn’t matter. The new tax law is in place. The forced march of the fascist over bearing government stealing the people’s money from their families is over. 2018 is just a couple of days away and for the first time in many years the people’s voice will once again be heard and the criminal cabal has fallen from favor. Let the people sing We are FREE!

  33. bearcreekbat 2017-12-23 18:34

    OS, bad news- the “forced march of the fascist over bearing government stealing the people’s money from their families” will continue, albeit at a slightly lower rate for a few years. You will remain subject to the demands of these fascists in the foreseeable future as they will continue to take your hard earned money – taxation is not going away anytime soon.

    And when your insurance rates go up, while your social security and medicare are cut, you can rest assured that the taxes collected by the fascists you describe will be used to subsidize truly needy recipients such as the Noem family farming outfit.

  34. jerry 2017-12-23 19:24

    Excellent news about the ACA in South Dakota! Avera and Sanford are leading the way for coverage for working people across the state thanks to a South Dakota Democrat and the drive of President Obama to try to improve the working folks lives both here and around the country. Tim Johnson was the 60th vote to pass the ACA Obamacare! Damn folks, the Rapid City Journal proves beyond a doubt, how important that was and is for the working people of South Dakota. All of us here will be screwed for Medicare and Social Security by the roypublicans, but for now, we shall live.

  35. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-23 19:52

    1929 should have been a lesson to learn from, apparently not.
    In “1929 Republicans held a majority in congress for a decade and eventually gained control of the White House”.
    “They cut regulations across the board and slashed taxes on the .01%.”
    “Republicans promised the wealth would ”leak through to those below, but it never did”.
    “Within months our nation entered The Great Depression as millions lost their jobs and families starved. Sound familiar?”.
    Unidentified Source

  36. grudznick 2017-12-23 19:57

    Actually, Mr. Lansing, much as grudznick has set the tone of civility here by getting you and many to be more polite and refer to others as “Mr.”, it was grudznick who started the policy of not clicking on blue links without accurate descriptions because of some nasty blue links that my old friend Lar posted that went to pornography and other offensive web pages. This holiday season, reflect on all grudznick has done for you and the ways in which I have expanded and opened your mind. You are welcome.

  37. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-23 20:02

    grudz has an ego to match Trump and takes credit for things that Cory has done.

  38. grudznick 2017-12-23 20:34

    Mr. C, there is no doubt about my cultivation of a more civil tone around here, sir, despite all the name-calling that seems to occur by many filled with hate on the left.

  39. jerry 2017-12-23 20:57

    “Hate on the left”? No, just honesty from the left. Like Colonel Jessep from the movie A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth” Mr. grudznick. That is not hate, that is the truth.

  40. grudznick 2017-12-23 21:10

    Mr. jerry, I am not referring to purported facts or statements of position, I am referring to the fact that numerous out-of-state leftists intentionally misspell people’s blog handles or call them names and such. It is humorous, of course, but it is also simply rude, sir, and at this time of peace and tranquility we should all strive to be more civil, even if we disagree with Mr. Trump or Mr. Obama or another blog poster. We can disagree without being monkey brained about it.

  41. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-23 21:15

    I appreciate and welcome anyone who is willing to tell the truth about the conservatives and their president regardless of what state they are from

  42. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-23 21:17

    Get used to “the hate” as Trump continues his raping of America.

  43. grudznick 2017-12-23 21:21

    I hate Mr. Trump’s behavior, too, Mr. C.

  44. Darin Larson 2017-12-23 23:19

    Mr. Grudz, you have made your distaste for Obamacare known, but I’m still curious about your view of Medicare. Is it bad?

  45. OldSarg 2017-12-24 06:29

    Roger, did you worker the empowerment zone? Is it still in place?

  46. John 2017-12-24 08:08

    A republican think-tank think tank invented the ACA. A republican governor adopted and implemented the ACA. The ACA worked for years in that state and is popular there. The ACA became ‘bad’ when adopted by a black president. Just the facts.

  47. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-24 08:54

    OS is desperate to distract us with his blind punching from the fact that millions of Americans are getting health insurance thanks to ObamaCare (or, as John aptly reminds us, RomneyCare) and that Trump and the GOP have yet to offer any viable replacement that would live up to their promise of better, cheaper care for everyone.

  48. mike from iowa 2017-12-24 09:04

    I’m a numerous of one, Grunge? :)

  49. OldSarg 2017-12-24 09:33

    Cory, the majority of those signing up for Obummercare are not getting “insurance”. They are being enrolled in the medicaid welfare program. They would have already have qualified for the program if Obummercare never existed. All the ACA did was add another level of bureaucracy the we are all paying for. Here’s the sad truth: Having even more people go through ACA will NOT lower the insurance cost for anyone but it will increase your tax burden. Health Insurance companies do not pay for Medicaid. Your taxes pay for medicaid. No one EVER got health insurance because of the ACA. Those who were responsible in the first place already had coverage and those that otherwise “enrolled” got Medicaid which is welfare. The families that LOST their coverage because of ACA, and there were MILLIONS, were all forced to buy more expensive insurance through the government debacle called ACA.

  50. jerry 2017-12-24 09:42

    Mitt Romney also seemed to coin the phrase “free riders” that had to do with the individual mandates. “”First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance. Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages “free riders” to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others. This doesn’t cost the government a single dollar”” This was said in 2009 by Mitt Romney, an actual republican, and still holds true in 2018. There are no real republicans left, only roypublicans that seem to think that this is a good idea.

  51. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-24 09:46

    ‘Obummercare’, isn’t that special!
    Geez, never heard that cutie before.

  52. owen reitzel 2017-12-24 10:15

    Once again OldSarge you have n idea what you’re talking about.
    Without the ACA those people on it couldn’t get health insurance. Believe me I know

  53. mike from iowa 2017-12-24 10:30

    OldStogie seems to ferget red states didn’t bother to expand Medicaid roles, even when the government offered to pay 100% of the cost for 3 years and 90% afterwards.

    Wingnuts whined you couldn’t trust Uncle Sam’s word when it came to paying for Medicaid and then wingnuts in DC did everything in their power to make that reality come true.

    Millions of newly insured citizens had never had insurance before.

  54. jerry 2017-12-24 10:35

    I am thinking that OS is a “free rider” that can only explain what he posts.

  55. OldSarg 2017-12-24 12:11

    Jerry: I could have a “free rider” but I choose not to use it. You should be asking “Gee, if he can get “free” health care from the government why would he be so stupid as to pay for coverage? My “free rider” came with four missing fingers, two destroyed shoulders and a failed socialized VA medical hell hole that one time handed me 1,000 oxycontin for the pain. I could use the VA for 100% of my medical care but I pay for health insurance outside of the VA so I can get adequate care to the tune of just over $900/mo.

    How much is your health insurance every month Jerry?

  56. jerry 2017-12-24 12:26

    Monetarily, I spend nothing. Physically, I pay every day. I love the VA system and have loved it since I was 18 years old. The docs in the military saved my leg from amputation and put me back together, for that, I am forever grateful. The VA picked up after that and have taken care of me since. I choose to tough it out with the pain pills unless absolutely necessary. My doctors allowed me a say in my treatment and would never think of giving me 1,000 oxy’s, so your story sounds kind of hokey pokey with the typical roypublican lying bluster. That prescription thingy is actually against the contract protocol of dispersion of that narcotic. Nice try though. Santa only brings gifts to good little boys and girls and for you, a nice piece of coal for the fib.

  57. Jenny 2017-12-24 12:52

    Expanding Medicare for all so people can choose to buy its coverage would be the popular thing to do.
    How to pay for it? Close the tax loopholes and quit subsidizing corporations and wealthy farmers.
    Stop corrupt programs like EB5. Is a trillion defense budget really necessary?

  58. Jenny 2017-12-24 12:58

    Okay it’s a 600 billion dollar defense budget FY2015.

  59. Darin Larson 2017-12-24 13:18

    OldSarg wrote: “No one EVER got health insurance because of the ACA.”

    When you make statements like this that are patently false, your credibility is zero. Do you care to provide some evidence? Nah, just blabber on! Trumpdon’tcare!

  60. Cory Allen Heidelberger Post author | 2017-12-24 15:08

    The 8.8 million Americans who just bought health insurance on the ACA exchanges (and many who continue to purchase health insurance on the state exchanges) understand the truth.

  61. OldSarg 2017-12-24 19:47

    Darin, the ACA is nothing but a forced march of the people to get what they used to be able to get on their own. Cory is no more than an anti-freedom socialist that would happily strip you of any freedom you thought you still had to worship at the foot of big government. “If” Cory’s dream of socialist America ever com s true he will be one of the first shot by the very government he helped put into place. It is the socialist modus operandi.

  62. Roger Cornelius 2017-12-24 20:00

    The Village Idiot speaks.

  63. jerry 2017-12-24 20:45

    That shooting stuff sounds so roypublican it amuses the hell out of me. Always remember chump that your boy lost by 3 million votes.

  64. OldSarg 2017-12-25 06:44

    “chump that your boy lost by 3 million votes” Who won and is now bringing respect around the world back to the United States for free. What a nice change.

  65. jerry 2017-12-25 09:43

    Yup, I could tell the respect he got at the UN vote the other day. Even with threats, all that boy could muster was 9 frigging votes. The world sees what we have become, a Russian satellite country that is lead by Putin. The Russians have won without that shooting stuff, in a friendly takeover that has you blubbering about like a teen in heat. I see Rosetta Stone has the language learning for you so that you will understand when not to say nyet when your dear leader calls upon you. Your dark side boy, Steve Bannon laid it out pretty clearly on the collusion from direct orders from Putin himself, to manipulate our vote. I also see that your lying girl friend, NOem, is still hocking that phony “death tax” sale, even after she got busted for the lie. All in on the con, just like you.

  66. mike from iowa 2017-12-25 10:22

    “If” Cory’s dream of socialist America ever com s true he will be one of the first shot by the very government he helped put into place. It is the socialist modus operandi.

    You’d never live to see this, tool. You’d be one of the first disposed of as an undesirable. Buh Bye.

  67. W R Old Guy 2017-12-25 10:33

    OS,

    You now have health insurance? In October you were singing the praises of a Health Sharing account and stating it was not insurance. I read through the link and found a lot of restrictions and exclusions. It also appears the maximum monthly sharing was less than $500.00.

    Did you pursue any action against the VA for malpractice? I seriously doubt you were handed 1000 oxys all at once. The DEA would have been investigating that along with the VA IG. The normal issue is for two weeks to one month and a doctor has to sign off on each refill.

    You probably would not have been able to buy a health insurance policy without the ACA eliminating the pre-existing condition denials.

  68. mike from iowa 2017-12-25 11:40

    Whatever OS posts gets the 3rd degree investigation from me. If it can be checked, I check it. Same with a few others on here. One doesn’t need an official BS detector to know things aren’t right.

  69. jerry 2017-12-25 12:18

    WROG, in order to be a candidate for even Hydrocodone you must sign a contract after your results come back from the lab saying you are drug free. That contract stipulates that you are subject to random drug screenings while you are just taking this medication. OS is reckless with the truth or stolen valor regarding his claims. 1000 Oxy’s, just more roypublican typical lies and damn lies.

    OS lies are meant to discredit the VA because he hates veterans.

  70. mike from iowa 2017-12-25 12:46

    Hydrocodone wasn’t much of a pain reliever. I had much better luck with lower back/pinched sciatic nerve pain with injections of liquid Motrin and then a few muscle relaxers as needed.

    I’m not a Vet, so all this pain medicine was paid for by Moi, by the month, with approval of the local Mercy Hospital/clinic.

  71. jerry 2017-12-25 13:13

    Exactly mfi, so if you have to have a contract for that, it is clear that the roupublican OS, is just lying…again. Sad, so sad, but predictable in order to show his disdain for anything that helps Americans and not Russians.

  72. jerry 2017-12-26 09:23

    mfi. admiration for President Obama, more than ever, as they already know that the lying Russian trump, is much like Stalin/Putin that has no use for the working folks. Buyer’s remorse had already set in with the first set of lies and foolishness. We are a nation of laws and when we see the leader calling our FBI lawmen fakes and frauds, we form our remorse quickly.

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