Affordable Care Act Market Places Newsflash!

[Donald Nguyen]

Friends, colleagues, and Ohio DFA family:

We all have been on a roller coaster ride over the last few weeks, the Obamacare Super Roller Coaster Ride that is. So, today, the White House released the following numbers that we have been waiting to see about Market Place enrollment! It has been about 6 weeks since the Affordable Health Market Places rolled out and it has not been pretty to say the least. BUT, I have been told by some IT folks that the website was one of the more complicated IT construction jobs, because of so many layers of security that had to be built in to protect SS into, private IRS info, etc. Contrary to a certain group of GOP congressmen and congresswomen, the website does not contain private medical info, hence HIPPA violations are kinda a fantasy that these folks drummed up about the website.

So, as of today 11/13/2013:

Over 1 million people have been shopping on the website, which is improving every day.

106,185 people have enrolled and picked a plan, and awaiting for coverage to kick in.

Of these, 79,319 people enrolled via state run market places, and 26,794 enrolled via federally run market places. Kentucky wins the big prize as having the best run market place!!!

975,407 people have completed the applications but have not picked a plan, and are still shopping.

396,261 people applied and are eligible for Medicaid/CHIPP

To compare these numbers to the Commonwealth Care (AKA Romneycare) that became law in 2007 in Massachusetts, in the first month, 123 people enrolled (a whopping 0.3 % of eligible folks). The next month, 2289 people enrolled, and in the last month before the deadline of enrollment, 36,167 people enrolled! The take home lesson is most people wait until the last minute to buy health insurance! 

I say, give the ACA some breathing room and IGNORE the screaming from distractors, media and elected officials alike, and focus on the important tasks of enrolling folks, especially the Medicaid eligible adults, because we only have a short window to enroll them to make the deadline of Jan. 2014!!

So, join us in the next events to spread the word, to educate, to inform, to enroll folks so that they can have health coverage!

1) Trotwood Event:

Dr. Matthew Noordsij-Jones, Co-State Director of Doctors for America

Trotwood Democratic Club (TDC) Thursday November 14, 2013 Monthly meeting 7:00 P.M. Trotwood United Church of Christ

18 N Broadway Trotwood, OH 45426 

(at the intersection of Broadway and Worley)

Contact person: Wanda Adams (President of the TDC) tel 937-681-9404 (cell)

2) Franklin Area Community Services & Deardoff Senior Center

Dr. Donald Nguyen, Co-State Director of Doctors for America

Stacia Dawson, Certified Application Counselor, Community Health Clinics of Greater Dayton

Autumn McKinley, SW Ohio Regional Director, Enroll America
The presentation will explain the Affordable Care Act and how it affects consumers in Ohio.

7:00PM – 9:00 PM Thursday November 14^th, 2013
Deardoff Senior Center
605 S River St.
Franklin, OH 45005

3) South Dayton Democratic Club

Dr. Donald Nguyen, Doctors for America

Wednesday Nov. 20th, 2013

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Wright Library 

1776 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood, OH

4) Blue Ash Northeast Democratic Club

Tuesday, Nov. 19th, 2013

Blue Ash Recreational Center

Cincinnati, OH

Happy Enrollment, SLOW BUT STEADY WINS THE RACE!!!

DONALD NGUYEN, MD, FAAP

Doctors for America