Portland Local News reports 18,000 applications, 0 enrolled.
With all the problems facing the rollout of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, nowhere is the situation worse or more surprising than in Oregon, a progressive state that has enthusiastically embraced the federal law but has so far failed to enroll a single person in coverage through the state's insurance exchange.Success Builds Upon Success
Despite grand ambitions, an early start, millions of dollars from the federal government and a tech-savvy population, Oregon's online enrollment system still isn't ready more than a month after it was supposed to go live. The state has resorted to hiring or reassigning 400 people to process insurance applications by hand.
The state has received about 18,000 paper applications, at 19 pages each, and is scrambling to manually file and clear them. State officials have not been able to say when they expect the online system to launch, nor have they established a deadline to submit paper applications in order for coverage to begin Jan. 1.
Oregon does have one big success to brag about. The state has enrolled 70,000 people in Medicaid, reducing the ranks of the uninsured by more than 10 percent. The large number of Medicaid enrollments came in large part thanks to a "fast-track" enrollment process approved by the Obama administration. Using income data already on file, the state mailed a simple seven-question Medicaid enrollment form to people in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program who qualify for health coverage under the federal health law's expansion of Medicaid.
Pressure is growing on exchange officials to fix their problems. U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, a moderate Democrat who took heat after voting for the health care law, released a sharply worded statement on Friday demanding that the exchange and its main contractor, Oracle, make it work.
"The implementation of Oregon's health insurance marketplace has been abysmal," Schrader said. "The current situation is completely unacceptable, and I expect much more from a state with a reputation for being an innovator in the field of health care."
Notice how the article claims that Oregon has enrolled 70,000 more people in free Medicaid services. Supposedly that constitutes "success".
Recall that the state of Washington was bragging about a 5% conversion rate. For details, please see 57,730 Washington State Obamacare Sign-Ups, 51,368 of Them for Medicaid; Obamashock Theory and Practice
Well, Portand can brag about a 0% conversion rate. Take that Washington!
And like Washington, success is where you find it (100% imaginary). As noted previously ...
Obamashock! Theory and Practice
Recall that Obamacare is supposed to work by getting young adults to overpay. That was the general idea, in theory. But what if youth refuse to pay, or only sign up for free services?
More Obamashock! success is on the way (including tax hikes and insurance rate hikes to pay for the alleged success).
Just My Imagination
I offer this musical tribute to those who claim Obamacare is a success.
Link if video does not play: Just My Imagination
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
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