So many words have been spoken and written about the Affordable Care Act there is hardly an angle that hasn’t been touched. Obamacare101 podcast produced by Staci Joy is a well balanced presentation that features several different Californians that are touched by the ACA and Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace. Just like the ACA itself is controversial, some of the sincere comments by those recorded for the Obamacare101 podcast may leave one thinking, “Did he just say that?”
Staci Joy interviews
Staci Joy interviewed two Sacramento CPA’s, a representative of Covered California and an independent health insurance agent. (Disclosure: the old agent dude was me, Kevin Knauss. Disclosure: you should listen to the podcast just to hear my velvet voice. Episode 14 – Obamacare101). Each of the folks interviewed brought their perspective of Obamacare from real world experience.
It’s all about the money
The first CPA interviewed offered the very salient point and fear that the premium assistance or tax credits could pose to a family’s federal tax return. The tax credits used to reduce health insurance premiums are based on household income. If the household income in not correctly forecasted, or adjusted during the year, a family could be looking at a huge tax bill in 2015. Of course, that is a pretty good reason to stay in close contact with your tax preparer or bookkeeper throughout the year.
We’re all doomed
The next CPA Staci talked to seem to have stepped out of the Fox News echo chamber. He was certain the President had lied to the American public and the ACA was going to bankrupt insurance companies. I hate to break the news to him, but the insurance companies are smarter than anyone interviewed for the podcast, smarter than anyone who wrote the ACA and smarter than anyone in government administering the law.
Staying focused
Insurance companies don’t go bankrupt. Americans go bankrupt because the health care system in American is designed to maximize profits, not take care of people. While I empathize with the CPA’s opinion that the launch of the ACA has been a gut wrenching debacle, the greater goal of extending affordable health insurance to all Americans is the real focus that should be not diminished by bureaucratic mistakes.
Don’t look behind the curtain
After persistent attempts to actually talk to someone at Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange finally trotted out a PR person to speak with Staci “on the record”. The Covered California spokes person was focused on the mission of the exchange to a point of living in another world. She was effusive that Peter Lee, Executive Director of Covered California, was travelling some place almost every day to spread the good news about the new health insurance market place.
Hype, spin, politics…truth?
Perhaps that is one of the problems; the Executive Director should not be spokesperson but should be back in the office working on the problems that plague the exchange. Some where between the hype, the spin, and the politics lays the truth of the situation. Just like Medicare, through all of its challenges, has managed to become the foundation of security for retired Americans, the ACA will certainly overcome its initial wobbly start to create a stable market place for everyone who doesn’t have employer sponsored or retirement health insurance.