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| October 11, 2013 Oregonian front page article |
But no front page coverage of Oregonians seeing their healthcare rates skyrocket. This even though reporter Nick Budnick admitted "this is a confusing and chaotic time" in response to one commenter who was told she would have $550 more per quarter added to her "tuition" costs unless she could prove she had health insurance that met the university's criteria. In his defense, Budnick did ask the commenter to contact him. But apparently no one at the Oregonian thought to contact students or anyone else about what the new mandates might mean before commenter Peggy2012 posted about her experience.
I personally know six people who have had plans cancelled and will have to pay significantly more for healthcare coverage or who are young, needy, do not currently have healthcare coverage and will have to find some and find a way to pay for it. But, the folks at the Oregonian apparently struggle to find any Oregonian negatively impacted.
8 comments:
It seems that soon, we won't have the Oregonian to kick around, anymore.
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With no reporting on major Oregon issues like this it's no wonder.
Good catch on the disparity there, TD. They're happy to run sob, doom-and-gloom stories about the "impact" of short-term and minor "cuts", but unwilling to give equal coverage to those who are even more adversely affected by the Obamacare mess.
People who don't need assistance don't have to wait for Cover Oregon. They can see an agent for advice or buy directly from an insurance company right now.
On that, Budnick's correct - but fails to mention that the costs have doubled and in some cases tripled due to the fact that bureaucrats have "determined" that your coverage is "substandard" because it didn't include "well baby", pediatric dental and vision, and a host of other add-ons neither needed nor wanted. He also fails to mention that if one is eligible for credits or subsidies, one must purchase insurance through the "Exchange".
They have begun to get some parts of the site working, however: having had my plan cancelled and rates for the "similar plan" more than double what I've been paying, I have been able to peruse and print details for a few "Exchange" plans. In most cases, where I was paying $35 for a doctor visit, it's going to be $50, while prescriptions have doubled. Deductibles and OoP have decreased somewhat, however.
Yet (all monthly premiums are given "with tax credit") premiums are still more than I was paying - though not more than double, which would be the case if I accepted my HMO's offer to "roll over into a similar plan".
And all in all, Obamacare still sucks.
Max, I get angry about your situation and the situation of the young people I know most of whom are working makeshift jobs and not making a real, independent living. Yet, you and they are supposed to support all the new entries.
You're right. Budnick never mentions the hardship this is causing. In an article he wrote for yesterday's paper he calls it good news that 210,000 Oregonians expected to get a subsidy, won't get it.
"Nearly 190,000 Oregonians could qualify next year for federal tax credits to bring down health insurance costs by using the state's health exchange.
"That's less than half the state's previous estimate. But in an odd twist, that's actually good news because it reflects lower premiums in Oregon than in most other states."
But, of course, he doesn't mention that the 210,000 will be paying higher premiums, many of them like you significantly higher premiums, but with no "help". So, 210,000 people, many of them with borderline incomes, will just have to bite the bullet. Which is apparently okay with Budnick.
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/11/cover_oregon_studys_estimates.html
Well, it only affects "a small percentage", TD - I heard Obama say that last night. So there's that.
Hmm. According to Gallup the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force says only 3% to 8% of the population is homosexual. So, I guess President Obama would not be upset by them being hurt by legislation because they are only a small percentage.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/6961/What-Percentage-Population-Gay.aspx
And the 2010 census shows only 1% of households are same sex.
https://www.census.gov/hhes/samesex/files/SScplfactsheet_final.pdf
Funny how small numbers of people count so much on policies Obama wants to implement (say gun control or same sex marriage), but not on policies he has implemented.
And, of course, 5% of the population is a lot of people to be hurting as the President is finding out. Because they have friends and relatives who care about what happens to them. Let's hope Sen. Merkley and other Democrats who voted for this legislation find this out too.
Excellent points, TD. And yes, Barry doesn't seem to understand "ripple effect".
The Oregonian doesn't understand the "ripple effect" either. They still can't find a single Oregon resident who has been negatively impacted by this. Incompetence underlined.
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