The media is mistaking silence for success on Obamacare.
In the past few months the American public has been engrossed by White House scandals, House hearings, presidential politics, book releases, Senate primaries, terrorist takeovers in the Middle East and unaccompanied minors. What has remained absent from most media coverage recently is Obamacare, which is rather astonishing considering its preeminence the last four years.
Mistakenly, proponents of the law are erroneously interpreting its lack of attention as evidence of its success, but Americans should not be misguided by these efforts. Media outlets, primarily conservative ones, have temporarily stopped talking about Obamacare for one simple reason: the mistakes of this administration continue to pile up.
It seems like every week a new scandal, slipup or crisis plagues the White House and places a difficult challenge on Press Secretary Josh Earnest to defend its actions. While Russia sends weapons to separatists in Ukraine, dictator Bashar al-Assad slaughters hundreds of thousands of Syrians, Israel and Hamas operate ground assaults and exchange rocket fire, and radical Islamists establish a terrorist state in Iraq, the White House claims, “We have substantially improved the tranquility of the global community.” Washington Post editorialist Dana Milbank wrote, “Tranquility? Where, in Iceland?”
Along with the fragile state of foreign affairs, there is a plethora of domestic issues facing the nation (i.e. illegal immigration, IRS and Benghazi investigations, VA). Considering the abundance of significant and easily-coverable stories, it is not difficult to see why Obamacare is falling to the backburner. Of course, the debate over Obamacare will undoubtedly resurface closer to the midterms, as Democratic candidates try to avoid the law’s negative reputation and Republicans campaign for its repeal.
To be fair, I will first highlight some of the law’s achievements.
More individuals now possess healthcare. According to studies by Gallup, the Commonwealth Fund and the Urban Institute, the number of uninsured Americans has decreased by approximately 5%. Their results differ slightly, but they all report that between 8 and 9.5 million Americans now have insurance.
Enrollees eligible for subsidies are experiencing lower premiums than they would without the law. The Department of Health and Human Services report that the average monthly payment is $82, roughly one-fourth of what it could have been without the law.
These are significant accomplishments—especially considering the embarrassing rollout—and demonstrate that not all elements of Obamacare are unfavorable (as some ardent opponents suggest). However, beyond these benefits, the law continues to damage the healthcare system and impair the private insurance market.
Obamacare’s proponents point to the aforementioned statistics claiming that the law is fulfilling its purpose. In 2010 the CBO reported that the Affordable Care Act will reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 19 million, but the studies performed by Gallup, the Commonwealth Fund and the Urban Institute show that the law has insured 9.5 million. The most current figures display that Obamacare has fallen short of its target by half. How can this be considered an accomplishment? When did reaching 50% of a goal become a success?
Insuring millions of low-income individuals through federal subsidies does not come without a cost. And guess who is paying this cost? That’s right, everyone else.
Financing the cost of these subsidies will be a colossal challenge, but it is nothing the good ole’ taxpayer can’t handle. The most recent reports by the Department of Health and Human Services tell that 87% of those enrolled in the federal exchanges qualify for some financial assistance and that the average monthly tax credit is $264. It makes sense that those eligible for help would rush to sign up, but insurance companies must raise premiums to finance this enrollment expansion.
According to the Manhattan Institute, Obamacare will increase the average underlying premium by 41%. North Carolina experiences some of the worst premium increases in the country; its rates will increase by 136%. These numbers represent the entire state population, and it clear that overall the Affordable Care Act is making healthcare more unaffordable.
So, Americans should not be deceived by the silence on Obamacare. When the foreign affairs and other domestic issues fade from the spotlight, President Obama’s signature law will resurge in the national media. Obamacare continues to set back the healthcare market, and the potentially disastrous employer mandate has yet to be implemented. The young finance the old, the healthy pay for the unhealthy, and the middle and upper classes provide subsidies to the low-income. High premiums will beleaguer insurance providers and constrict ordinary families.
Nothing has changed. Obamacare is still not working.