Ask any any Republican in Congress whether or not Obamacare can work and they'll give you the same answer: It can't work, and it will collapse of it's own weight because not enough people will sign up for it, creating a death spiral.
Well, we're more than month away from the end of open enrollment, and take a look at California:
Well before the March 31 deadline to buy insurance, California announced Tuesday it has already exceeded its 2014 enrollment goals for its health care exchange.
By the end of January, 728,410 people had enrolled in private health plans through Covered California, and 100,000 more signed up in the first two weeks of February. About 26% are 34 and younger.
So with nearly six weeks left to go, California has already hit its target. New York also reporting strong growth, with nearly a half-million signups. Nationwide,
more than one million people signed up in January alone. And in related news, the
number of uninsured has hit a five-year low.
But we're not just seeing Obamacare working in blue states or in reddish states with blue governors. We're also seeing that even in the deepest red of states, Obamacare can work:
Humana, one of two insurers to offer coverage in [Mississippi] through a health insurance marketplace, recently obtained Obama administration approval to waive fees for enrollees who see a doctor by the end of June for a nonpreventive visit.
The result has been a surge in Obamacare signups. Even the state's Republican insurance commissioner acknowledges that it's working:
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he wasn’t sure initially that the financial carrot would work, but he now describes it as an “effective” tool that’s fueling a surge in enrollment. CMS offered conditional approval of the policy early this month.
Overall, Mississippi's is growing at a faster rate than any other state in the country, though that's partly because enrollment got off to a weak start in the state. Still, that's good news, and when you've got Republican officials in states like Mississippi talking about "effective" Obamacare programs, it should clearer than ever that Obamacare is not a death spiral. It can work and it is working.