Ten million now have coverage because of Obamacare? The last we’d heard from the Department of Health and Human Services, only 2.1 million had signed up for plans through HealthCare.gov and state insurance exchanges — and the administration still isn’t saying how many of those have actually paid for coverage and how many have simply selected a plan.
Another 3.9 million people were determined eligible for Medicaid in October and November, although again, as the Atlantic points out, it’s not clear how many have actually enrolled.
So where does the extra 4 million come from? Well, if you count those 26 and under who are now able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans, you add another 3 million, according to HHS. Certainly, though, some of those twenty-somethings must have had their own insurance plans.
https://twitter.com/zhanover/status/418901501516738560
@zhanover genius, I have almost 90k followers. Thinks it's possible I missed one of yr tweets? Went back & looked. Simple …
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 3, 2014
@zhanover ver 2 mill priv via exchanges, over 4 mill thru Medicaid, over 3 million sub-26 thru rents. Remainder=ACA policies direct from cos
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 3, 2014
https://twitter.com/zhanover/status/418905357881462784
https://twitter.com/zhanover/status/418905750938075136
@zhanover correct because what do u call a 24 yr old covered under sub 26 policy? "Covered" … Afraid u don't get to pick what counts
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 3, 2014
It’s true: only the administration gets to pick what “counts,” even if it means the government creates an “expanded definition” of “enrolled.” Ten million, though? That’s a stretch not even Kathleen Sebelius and HHS were willing to make on their conference call with reporters Tuesday, when they claimed 9 million newly covered.
Now who wants to count the millions whose insurance plans were canceled because of Obamacare?
* * *
Update:
Seeing anti-Obamacare diehards make first contact w/ actual number of covered Americans is like seeing a dog dropped in hot grease.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 3, 2014
@joshtpm Where ON EARTH did that metaphor crawl out from under?
— Tim Bray (@timbray) January 3, 2014
Related:
Kathleen Sebelius gushes that ‘today, there are millions of newly insured Americans!’
Editor’s note: This post has been amended to change the word Medicare to Medicaid. Twitchy regrets the error.
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