President Barack Obama's strategy to prolong private health coverage to the uninsured entered its 2 nd phase on Saturday as U.S. government-backed online insurance marketplaces commenced their 2015 plans to millions of potential enrollees.
The HealthCare.gov website recommenced with little display and seemed to progress undisturbed with no sign of the technical anomalies that paralyzed the operation in 2013 and drove Democrat Obama's signature domestic policy to the brink of disaster, exposing him to criticism from Republicans who have campaigned for its rescind.
Obama used his weekly address to pitch Obamacare's selling points: subsidized premiums, guaranteed access for the sick and free preventive services. A new government outreach campaign also kicked off with online promotions and over 200 weekend enrollment events.
More than 23,000 people had applied for 2015 coverage by 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT), officials said. There was no word on total traffic but daily volume was expected to rise into next week. Lower-income adults who are young, black or Hispanic remain a key audience, because large numbers lack health insurance.
Specialists trained to assist individuals apply for coverage at the University of South Florida saw walk-ins as well as applicants who had made appointments ahead of time. They said the website was responding quickly and easily. Officials, who have focused on creating a smooth experience for consumers, phased in the operation by allowing people to window shop for plans over the past week and then launching on a weekend.
Officials reported that, the site attracted 1.2 million unique visitors for shopping ahead of Saturday's start. But the administration is also hedging its bets by acknowledging potential problems, such as outages, as traffic to the site swells. Officials greatly reduced their overall 2015 target to 9.1 million enrollees from 13 million.
Obamacare is intended to spread health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and to expand the Medicaid program for the poor. A new Republican majority in Congress in January is committed to revoking or undoing the healthcare law. The U.S. Supreme Court will also hear a new legal challenge that could end federal subsidies for low-income families through a federal marketplace that spans three-dozen states.
Qualified Americans can obtain private coverage for 2015, often with federally subsidized premiums during the Nov. 15-Feb. 15 open enrollment period.
Posted by Unknown on Saturday, November 15, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
0 comments "Little trumpet blast as Obamacare enters 2nd phase"
Post a Comment