{"id":2163600,"date":"2024-01-31T03:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T08:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obamacare-enrollment-is-only-growing-because-democrats-expanded-the-welfare-state\/"},"modified":"2024-01-31T03:38:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T08:38:25","slug":"obamacare-enrollment-is-only-growing-because-democrats-expanded-the-welfare-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obamacare-enrollment-is-only-growing-because-democrats-expanded-the-welfare-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Obamacare enrollment grows due to Democratic welfare expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fobamacare-enrollment-is-only-growing-because-democrats-expanded-the-welfare-state%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2163600&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>If health coverage is \u201cfree,\u201d and will cover \u2062individuals\u2019 pre-existing conditions after they develop them, is\u2064 it really \u201cinsurance\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>Those dual questions should echo in Americans\u2019 minds as the Biden administration \u200battempts to trumpet enrollment increases on the Obamacare Exchanges. Some may view the development as less an expansion of health insurance and more like an illustration of Democrats\u2019 bloated \u2064welfare state.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-896777175\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-49902eabcb0cf87492782731082b4aa5 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-49902eabcb0cf87492782731082b4aa5\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Signing Up for \u200c\u2018Free\u2019 Coverage<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The \u201chistoric\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/about\/news\/2024\/01\/24\/historic-21-million-people-choose-aca-marketplace-coverage.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announcement<\/a> that 21.3 million individuals selected an Obamacare Exchange plan during \u2063this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-vicious-attacks-of-the-2024-gop-primary-wont-come-from-presidential-rivals-but-from-the-press\/\" title=\"The Most Vicious Attacks Of The 2024 GOP Primary Won\u2019t Come From Presidential Rivals, But From The Press\">open enrollment period<\/a> came with a significant catch. According to the \u2064administration, \u201cfour in five\u200b healthcare.gov customers\u201d \u2014 that is,\u2064 the 16.3 million enrollees who selected a plan using the \u200cfederally-run exchange \u2014 \u201cwere able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-times-editor-dean-baquet-responds-to-latest-project-veritas-videos\/\" title=\"NY Times Editor Dean Baquet Responds to Latest Project Veritas Videos\">find health care coverage<\/a> for\u200c $10 or less per month for plan year 2024 after subsidies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To take this statement at face value, at least 13\u2062 million Americans (80 percent of the 16.3 million using \u200bthe federal exchange) only signed \u200cup for coverage when said coverage \u2064cost them less than $10 per \u200dmonth. If the 5 million \u200cpeople using state-based exchanges \u2063behaved in roughly the \u2062same \u2063way, that would \u2064mean about 17\u2064 million\u2062 people \u200c\u2014 13 million using\u200c healthcare.gov, and 4 million using state exchanges \u2014 only signed up for coverage that was \u201cfree\u201d to them, or very nearly so.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Greater Subsidies, Greater Spending<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In \u2062some respects, the insurance buying dynamic remains unchanged, 10 years \u2064after the exchanges first opened. Only individuals who qualify for the highest subsidies\u200c sign up in any great numbers. For instance, in 2015 I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/BL-WB-54175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> that while just over three-quarters of individuals \u2063(76 percent) qualifying for the highest subsidies <a href=\"https:\/\/avalere.com\/insights\/exchanges-struggle-to-enroll-consumers-as-income-increases\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enrolled in the exchanges<\/a>, \u200bonly one in six (16 percent) individuals with incomes \u200dbetween three and four times\u200c the \u200cfederal\u2064 poverty level \u2014 who qualified for much smaller subsidies based on their higher \u200bincomes \u2064\u2014 bothered to sign up.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Biden administration and Democrats increased Obamacare subsidies, first in the 2021 \u201cstimulus\u201d\u2063 measure, then for \u200dan additional three \u2064years in the Inflation\u200c (Reduction) Act. Because of those subsidies, some individuals now pay \u2063nothing for \u2063a \u200bbenchmark insurance \u2064plan. Sure enough, the number of individuals below the \u200bthreshold to receive \u201cfree\u201d benchmark coverage \u200crose dramatically under\u2062 the \u200dnew subsidy regime, and now <a href=\"https:\/\/paragoninstitute.org\/figure-medicare-merkel-gonshorowski-poverty-exchange-enrollees-20240117\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">totals<\/a> nearly half\u2064 (46 percent) of all exchange enrollees.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c32ebe61699dae7a92dcf12edd5f906a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c32ebe61699dae7a92dcf12edd5f906a\"><\/div>\n<p>In other words, the \u201cAffordable\u201d Care Act didn\u2019t make care affordable, just like the Inflation Reduction Act \u2064didn\u2019t \u2063reduce the cost\u2063 of health care. They just threw\u200b increasingly larger amounts \u2063of money at\u2064 the problem, in the hopes of getting more people onto the rolls. That doesn\u2019t amount to an expansion of health insurance so much as further growth in the\u2064 welfare state.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How About Paying Obamacare Taxes?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>That said, Democrats will undoubtedly use the \u201csuccess\u201d of \u200dgetting \u200bmore \u200dpeople to sign\u2064 up for \u201cfree\u201d coverage\u2064 to extend the enhanced subsidy regime when \u200bit expires next year, at taxpayers\u2019 expense, of course. But as a recent\u2063 Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/behind-the-obamacare-boom-subsidies-exchange-estimate-ctc-2f9d517a?mod=opinion_lead_pos2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">editorial<\/a> notes, the much higher take-up of the \u201cfree\u201d insurance means that the expected costs of such an extension are likely to \u2064balloon far above prior Congressional Budget Office estimates.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a further irony that these pages have <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/24\/if-the-bidens-love-medicare-and-social-security-so-much-whyd-they-dodge-those-taxes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously<\/a> explored. For all his supposed support for Obamacare, Joe\u2064 Biden \u2064doesn\u2019t exactly love the law\u2064 when it comes to paying for it himself. In fact, since leaving office as vice president in \u20642017, Biden used a loophole <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/system\/files\/131\/General-Explanations-FY2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his own\u200d administration<\/a> has decried as allowing rich people to \u201cavoid paying their fair share of taxes\u201d to dodge <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/05\/19\/his-returns-show-joe-biden-has-dodged-half-a-million-in-taxes-while-urging-tax-increases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">over $120,000 in Obamacare levies<\/a> \u2014 along with roughly $400,000 in\u200b Medicare taxes.<\/p>\n<p>While Biden was dodging his Obamacare obligations, what was he doing instead? Spending\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capegazette.com\/article\/biden-purchases-home-rehoboth\/135228\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2.7 million<\/a> on a Delaware beach house, and \u2062renting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/homedetails\/626-Chain-Bridge-Rd-Mclean-VA-22101\/51759106_zpid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this\u2062 luxury pad outside Washington<\/a>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eb5dcac8b5c7be0a0ed4a68e1d60ddb4 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eb5dcac8b5c7be0a0ed4a68e1d60ddb4\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><\/figure>\n<p>As\u2063 Biden \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/POTUS\/status\/1508530790249947147?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">himself likes to say<\/a>, \u201cDon\u2019t tell me what you value. Show me\u2063 your\u2064 budget and I will tell you what you value.\u201d Joe Biden\u2019s family\u200b budget tells us what he values, and\u200c it isn\u2019t Obamacare. It\u2019s Joseph Robinette Biden.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8d68a7fc2cd1949ab455e340ebbaa665 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8d68a7fc2cd1949ab455e340ebbaa665\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200d What are the potential consequences of relying on government subsidies to provide &#8220;free&#8221; healthcare coverage, and what does this say about the role of the welfare state in healthcare<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The Biden administration&#8217;s efforts to promote enrollment increases on the Obamacare \u2064Exchanges have raised questions about the \u2064nature \u2064of health coverage and whether it can truly be called &#8220;insurance&#8221; when it\u200c covers individuals&#8217; pre-existing\u2064 conditions after they\u200c develop them. This article explores the implications of these questions and the impact of expanded coverage on the welfare\u200c state.<\/p>\n<p>The recent announcement that 21.3 million individuals chose an Obamacare Exchange plan during this year&#8217;s open enrollment period came with an important caveat. According to the administration, &#8220;four in five\u2062 healthcare.gov\u2064 customers&#8221; were able\u2062 to find coverage for\u200c $10 or less per\u200d month after \u200bsubsidies. This means \u200bthat a significant \u2063number of \u200bAmericans, around\u200c 13 million, signed up for coverage only when it cost\u2064 them less \u200cthan $10 per \u200dmonth.<\/p>\n<p>In some ways, the dynamic of insurance purchasing has\u2063 remained unchanged since the exchanges were first introduced. Only individuals who qualify for\u2063 the highest \u2064subsidies tend to\u200d sign up in large numbers. However, the Biden administration and Democrats \u200bhave\u2064 increased subsidies\u2062 for Obamacare, resulting in some individuals paying nothing for a benchmark insurance plan. As a result, nearly half of \u200ball exchange enrollees \u200bnow receive \u201cfree\u201d benchmark \u200dcoverage.<\/p>\n<p>While these measures may have increased enrollment, they have\u2062 not made care more\u2064 affordable.\u2064 Instead, they\u200d have simply\u200b thrown larger \u200damounts of money at the problem in the hopes of getting \u200cmore \u200cpeople onto \u200dthe \u200drolls. This approach does not \u2062represent an expansion of health insurance but rather further growth in the welfare state.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are likely to use the perceived\u2062 success of getting more people to sign up for &#8220;free&#8221; coverage to \u2063extend the enhanced subsidy regime when it expires\u200d next \u2063year, at the expense of taxpayers. However, the higher uptake of &#8220;free&#8221; insurance is expected to result in \u2064much higher \u200ccosts than previously estimated by the Congressional Budget Office.<\/p>\n<p>The irony is that while the \u200bBiden administration claims to \u2064be making healthcare more accessible and affordable, the reality is that they are \u200ddriving up costs \u2064and relying on\u2064 government subsidies to\u2063 cover the expenses. This approach raises fundamental questions about the nature of \u2062insurance and the role of the welfare state in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-churches-to-be-exempt-from-providing-abortion-coverage-to-employees\/\" title=\"California Churches to Be Exempt From Providing Abortion Coverage to Employees\">providing healthcare coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the increased enrollment on the Obamacare Exchanges may be touted as a success by the Biden\u200b administration,\u200c but it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nascar-criticized-over-apparent-discrimination-in-diversity-internship\/\" title=\"NASCAR faces backlash for alleged diversity internship discrimination.\">raises important\u2064 questions<\/a> \u2062about\u2063 the nature of health coverage and \u200cthe\u200d growing reliance on government subsidies. While more people may\u2064 have \u200baccess to &#8220;free&#8221; coverage, the cost of such an \u2064approach is \u200dlikely to balloon and further \u200dcontribute to the bloated \u200dwelfare state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A government-funded healthcare program. The concept of insurance implies risk-sharing and premiums, but if coverage is guaranteed and pre-existing conditions are covered, it blurs the line between insurance and entitlement. Americans should critically evaluate the true nature of these enrollment increases and the implications for the future of healthcare<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2163601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/P20230209AS-1183_52734012807.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2163600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/P20230209AS-1183_52734012807.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2163600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2163601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2163600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2163600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2163600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}