<p>Looks like on Fox this morning, Sen King, an independent from Minnesota, said there are 6,563,000 sign ups. ;).</p>
<p>Um, some of you detractors make us feel like smacking our heads, too. The diff is some of us are waiting before assuming. And testing to see how this works. A few are monitoring numbers. And yet, some INSIST this is all screwed up because it’s not perfect. Won’t ever be good, is devastating lives, millions of them, and is a travesty and torture and the earth will stop spinning. See the diff? </p>
<p>Some here seem to believe it’s really clueless cheerleaders versus those with some mystical, savvy insight–? The wise are assessing before they pronounce. And vetting what they assess.</p>
<p>Wait and see. In the meantime, my experience is good.</p>
<p>Flossy, you are worried that things are going to work?</p>
<p>What does “We wouldn’t worry about it, yet mean”?</p>
<p>Interesting post. </p>
<p>^^ I think that’s a HUGE worry in some quarters, dstark.</p>
<p>Dstark. you don’t understand me at all.</p>
<p>I am asking you flossy, what did you mean?</p>
<p>Dstark, in his own way, is a mastermind. I’d bet he was fun to work with.</p>
<p>Yeah, me too. :)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you are not understanding. I’m not at all surprised that free pizza with the bonus of free or low cost health insurance would draw a crowd. My concern has always been rising premiums, cost to taxpayers, and quality of care, not the numbers of people willing to sign up for an entitlement. That is an odd way to measure success imho.</p>
<p>Flossy, so you arent worried ACA may work? What do you like about ACA?
Did you see the latest budget projections for ACA?</p>
<p>Would you prefer the poor not receive health insurance if it costs money?</p>
<p>On Fox, the numbers seem important. 
i saw a lot of numbers on Fox today. Of course the numbers were wrong. Lol</p>
<p>My daughter is an actuary and she said the numbers are important in controlling costs and pricing premiums. I will text her and tell her she is wrong.</p>
<p>I would prefer there were less poor. The ACA could make more lower middle class people poor. That’s bad. I like eliminating pre-existing conditions. Adult children is questionable. The insurance people are already projecting rising premiums and I don’t think most of the law would be delayed if it was awesome. No, I am not worried that it may work, whatever exactly that means. It can’t work for everyone. </p>
<p>So if ACA doesnt work for everybody, it doesnt work? That is the measure of success?</p>
<p>Don’t you think free to low cost health insurance is going to help the millions who are going to get it?</p>
<p>The lower middle class gets subsidies. </p>
<p>Premiums will increase less if more healthy people sign up. I did not make this up. Those long lines we see today lead to smaller increases in premiums.</p>
<p>The delays are meaningless in the long run. This is a multi year deal. Do you watch the stock market at all? Do you remember the flash crash? The stock market sropped about 1,000 points during the day. All these talking heads were discussing how bad this was. </p>
<p>A few years later, the dow jones industrial average is about 6,000 points higher.</p>
<p>I was an intern at a financial news network on Black Monday. Luckily, it was only a three-story building.</p>
<p>All the firms I ever worked for provided health insurance for all the employees. And it was excellent insurance. Why? Because everyone from the people earning six figures to the newest file clerk had the same insurance policy. I picked whatever doctor and hospital I needed. They were all in network. The people choosing the plans, the owners, wanted the best for themselves and the rest of us got it too. </p>
<p>Now, I fear the incentives will be the other way. With the ACA there will be less incentive for employers ( those not mandated) to offer insurance at all. Just like those who dropped part timers insurance, the claim will be that the ACA is there so go to the exhanges. Maybe some additional pay will be offered to compensate. But the end result will be that the low income earners will be on the limited network plans while those earning the six figure incomes will be on the Gold plans. </p>
<p>The other end result will be a huge increase to the national debt as the low income workers get subsidies where before the employer picked up the insurance expenses. That’s likely what happened to many of the part time workers whose health care was dropped by companies like Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s transferred those expenses off its books and onto the federal government’s. </p>
<p>That is really cool. I was a floor trader on black monday. I was a market maker. Probably the second worst day of my career. But. I did ok after that day.
The stock market has risen from 1700 to 16,000 since that day.</p>
<p>We are going to have ups and downs. There are going to be problems. ACA is not going to be great for everybody. I am not great for everybody. I know you arent great for everybody. Because you arent perfect, should we lock you in a closet and throw away the key? :)</p>
<p>TatinG, you would find a stick in a gold mine. ;)</p>
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<p>GP, I never said I was paying less for the same or even similar plan. I simply described what I chose and what it costs. Obviously all the needed details have been given by me because you had no problem providing them. You also had no problem suggesting, wholly without any factual support, that the plan I chose was part of a restricted network and that my primary doctor would do her best to kill me by refusing to allow me to see a specialist. </p>
<p>TatinG…Trader Joe’s response.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/16/trader-joes-cut-health-benefits-last-week-heres-its-side-of-the-story/”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/16/trader-joes-cut-health-benefits-last-week-heres-its-side-of-the-story/</a></p>
<p>I like that expression “stick in a gold mine” but I think it’s a valid concern. </p>
<p>And of course Trader Joe’s would put a happy spin on the story…duh.</p>
<p>I would expect Trader Joe’s to put a happy spin on the story too.</p>
<p>Romneycare has worked out for those that work for large employers. Has worked out for those with individual insurance. Hasn’t been that great for small businesses or employees of small businesses. We will see how ACA works out.</p>