So after crowing for months that ACA sign-ups would not reach the levels needed, and then having to eat said crow after sign-ups surged, Fox could have done the right thing and said "Congrats, you did it, people have health insurance." They could have graciously admitted defeat. Hell, they could just be happy that millions of people have health insurance that didn't have it before.
But who are we kidding. Instead, they looked far and wide to find another problem and, in a shocking twist, discovered a new "fallout from the healthcare law"^
In a recent article on Foxnews.com,^^ it has been revealed that "Until now, customers could walk into an insurance office or go online to buy standard health care coverage any time of year. Not anymore."
Yes, another attack on our freedoms. Or, as insurance broker Steve Bobiak of Frackville, Pa., said, "We're a free country. You should be able to buy anything anytime you want."
Exactly! You should be able to buy anything you want in Pennsylvania. Except for, you know, marijuana (medicinal or recreational). Or Alcohol in a non-state owned store. Or "The Morning After Pill," as a 2003 survey noted "65% of pharmacists surveyed who could not fill a same-day prescription, 7% cited personal beliefs as the reason, while 6% said it was against store policy"
But yeah, besides those examples, you should be able to buy anything at anytime.
Mr. Bobiak went on to say he learned only a couple of weeks ago that insurers were cutting off new policies, and that "It's lousy communication out there," he said. "If we don't know, my God, how do they expect other people to know? It's terrible."
Lemme get this straight. Your company, NICA Benefits, helps people by insurance in NJ, PA and OH, and you only learned a couple weeks ago that the new policy window was closing? I'm starting to get worried for your clients.
And the reason for the open enrollment period? According to Chris Stenrud, spokesman for insurer Kaiser Permanente, "If you didn't have an open enrollment period, you would have people who would potentially enroll when they get sick and dis-enroll when they get better. The only insured people would be sick people, which would make insurance unaffordable for everyone."
The Kaiser Family Foundation (no relation to the above since 1985) in mid-March found that 6 out of 10 people without insurance weren't aware of the marketplace deadline on March 31.
Granted there is yet another extension until 15 April, and in some states until 30 April. But after that, Stenrud said, without a qualifying life event, the door closes until Nov. 15.
So there you have it, folks. Just when we thought that Fox couldn't scaremonger anything else out of the ACA, they gave 110% and found something. Careful, Fox, if you keep trying too hard, you just might pull something and need that insurance.
^Who knew that the ACA is equivalent to a nuclear bomb?
^^ For the record, I didn't search out Fox News, Google decided it needed to be on my news feed. Feel like that disclaimer was needed, for some reason.
