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Uncover ObamaCare Initiative Launches Interactive Map Tracking Exchange Enrollment vs. Projections

 

NAPLES, FLORIDA – The ObamaCare exchanges are on track for monumental failure if current enrollment trends continue; a fact Americans can see for themselves using a new map and charting feature at www.UncoverObamaCare.com.

Hosted and maintained by the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), the map and site are part of the nation-wide Uncover ObamaCare initiative launched by the free-market think tank to study key provisions of ObamaCare, including the insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion.

The map feature tracks state-by-state outcomes for the various steps required to enroll in an ObamaCare exchange plan. Populated with data as it is released by state and the federal governments, the Uncover ObamaCare enrollment map shows users expected exchange enrollment, as well as the number of individuals who 1) created an online exchange account, 2) began or submitted an enrollment application, 3) actually selected an exchange plan and 4) paid their first month’s premium. And because far more accounts are created than individuals enrolled, the site shows the number of accounts that would need to be created to meet the administration’s expected enrollment.

“The American people have a right to transparency, especially about our health care,” said FGA CEO Tarren Bragdon. “The administration has blocked or delayed the release of most outcomes related to the president’s swan-song legislation. The information that has trickled out is jumbled and confusing. The UncoverObamaCare.com enrollment map deciphers that information and serves as a tool to track what success, if any, the administration has in enrolling people into the exchanges.”

The administration expects 7 million Americans to enroll in an ObamaCare exchange plan in the first year. So far, just 46,867 individuals have enrolled, based on what has been publicly reported, creating a daunting situation for the president. ObamaCare’s viability depends on meeting enrollment projections. Low exchange enrollment results in higher premiums, as the costs of coverage and care are spread out among the few—presumably older and sicker—premium-paying enrollees. If enrollment is significantly lower than government projections, coverage through the exchanges likely becomes unaffordable for many of the individuals the president promised to help.

Complete enrollment data to-date is unavailable as the government has yet to release the information. For the states where most initial outcomes are available, the news is troubling for ObamaCare supporters.

In Washington, D.C. for example, the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority run by Executive Director Mila Kaufman is unlikely to meet expected enrollment of 9,443. While 12,294 individuals created an online account, just 321 have actually selected an exchange plan; about 3 percent. Based on this trend, 361,658 accounts would have to be created to achieve expected enrollment—more than half the city’s population of about 611,000.

“Mila Kaufman’s DC exchange is the poster child for this enrollment disaster, but it’s a story that’s repeated over and over again across the country,” Bragdon explained.

In total, based on current government-reported outcomes, more than 95 million exchange accounts would have to be created to meet the administration’s enrollment expectation of 7 million. That represents more than a quarter of the total U.S. population and more than the entire combined populations of California, Texas, New York and Illinois.

“With enrollment expectations completely off the mark, Americans should wonder why they would risk enrolling in an ObamaCare exchange plan,” Bragdon said. “Who would want to enroll and trust their health care to a program that has already proven to be such a colossal failure? The best advice, especially for those considering dropping private coverage to enroll, is to wait and see if the administration can get its act together. Enrolling now is a risk to your health and bottom line that isn’t worth taking.”

Visit www.UncoverObamaCare.com to access the enrollment map and other research and materials related to FGA’s Uncover ObamaCare initiative.

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