ObamaCare Still Has An Enrollment Problem, Especially In OK
Obamacare’s Payment Problem: No Insurance Until You Pay
By Patrick B. McGuigan, Watchdog.org
Of the Oklahoma residents who enrolled in Obamacare, just 48 percent have paid the first month’s premium, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee says.
“This actually fits with the data in Oklahoma on insurance participation,” Jonathan Small, policy vice president for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, told Oklahoma Watchdog. “Many Oklahomans refuse to purchase auto insurance, even though it is affordable considering the risk and its guarantee issue.”
As federal officials applaud increased enrollment in the federal exchange, scrutiny of premium payments is intensifying. While Oklahoma is among the lowest-ranking states in premium payments through the exchange, nationwide only two-thirds — 67 percent — of exchange enrollees have paid.
Participants are not “fully enrolled” until they pay the first month’s premium, departing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told News 9, the Oklahoma City affiliate of CBS News.
“The bottom line is, Obamacare continues to fail. It doesn’t matter what numbers the White House conjures up about enrollment, people don’t want the government to force you to sign up and force you to pay for healthcare,” said John Tidwell, state director of Americans for Prosperity.