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Weekly Address: President Obama – Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment Starts Today

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The President’s Weekly Address post is also an Open News Thread. Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.

 

From the White House – Weekly Address

In this week’s address, the President reminded Americans that Affordable Care Act open enrollment begins this weekend. In the past year, more than 10 million people have gained health insurance, including more than 7 million who enrolled in Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. They are proof that the Affordable Care Act is working, making health care more affordable, accessible, and of higher quality for millions of people.

The President encouraged all Americans to take advantage of open enrollment, and remind their friends and families to do so as well.

Transcript: Weekly Address: Open Enrollment Starts Today

Hi, everybody.  Over the past year, more than 10 million Americans have gained the financial security and peace of mind that comes with health insurance.

More than seven million people enrolled in affordable coverage by visiting HealthCare.gov, or going to the marketplace in their state.  On average, they’re paying just $82 a month for coverage.  For a lot of people, that’s less than a cell phone bill or a cable bill.  Insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage just because you have a preexisting condition, and they now have to cover free preventive care like checkups and mammograms.

If you missed your chance to get covered last year, here’s the good news.  Starting November 15th, today, you can go online or call 1-800-318-2596 and get covered for 2015.  And we’ve spent the last year improving and upgrading HealthCare.gov, to make it faster and easier to use.

If you already buy insurance through the online marketplace, now is the time to take a look at some new options for next year.  You might be able to save more money, or find a plan that fits your family’s needs even better than the one you’ve got now.  If you haven’t signed up for insurance yet, this is your chance.  Odds are, you’ll qualify for tax credits to help you afford it.

But this window won’t stay open forever. You only have three months to shop for plans, so it’s worth starting right away.  And it might make a big difference for your family’s bottom line.

Last year, I got an email from a woman named Amy Williams, in Augusta, Georgia.  She and her husband are self-employed in the trucking business.  For years, they paid about $1,200 a month for their health insurance.  Then they checked out HealthCare.gov.  They found a plan with coverage they liked, and it was way less expensive.  She says that they’ve saved around $13,000 on their premiums this year alone.

Stories like Amy’s are why we fought so hard to pass the Affordable Care Act.  To help more families breathe a little easier.  In part because this law is working, health care prices have grown at their slowest rate in nearly 50 years.  And this year, insurance premiums for families who are covered through an employer grew at a rate tied for the lowest on record.

So spread the word. Tell your friends and family members to get covered.  Talk to folks in your church or your classroom. Tell them to take a few minutes to check out Healthcare.gov, CuidadoDeSalud.gov, or call 1-800-318-2596 – it can make a big difference in their lives.  Let them know that it’s easy, it’s affordable, and that they have just three months, starting today, November 15th, to sign up.  Together, we can make sure that even more of America gets covered in the year ahead.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Bolding added.

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Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 9 Comments

9 comments

  2. JanF

    Passes House, on its way to the Senate

    If this is intended to bolster Mary Landrieu’s chances of holding onto her Senate seat, I am not sure how that jibes with this:

    The Senate on Tuesday will take up identical Keystone legislation, which is being promoted heavily by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in advance of her Dec. 6 runoff election. But under a deal with Republicans, the bill that clears the Senate would be the House version sponsored by her runoff opponent, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

    Louisianans could vote for the guy who sponsored the bill in the House or the woman who sponsored the same bill in the Senate. One is a Republican in a red state, one is a Democrat in a red state.

    The Democrats who are voting for this to show “solidarity” for Landrieu may want to consider the blemish this leaves on their voting record for very little gain.

    The pro-Keystone side is still waiting for word on whether Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) or Angus King (I-Maine) will come down on their side. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), an avowed “no” on the bill as recently as Thursday, is also facing pressure to switch sides.

    One senator previously seen as on the fence, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, said Friday that she’s voting no.

    President Obama sees it for what it is, political kabuki:

    Obama scoffed at Keystone supporters’ arguments that the Alberta-to-Texas oil pipeline would be a major economic boon.

    “I have to constantly push back against the idea that Keystone is either a massive jobs bill for the U.S. or is somehow lowering gas prices,” Obama said during his joint appearance with dissident leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

    The president also seemed to endorse the argument – pushed by Keystone opponents like billionaire Tom Steyer – that the oil moving through the pipeline would end up being exported abroad. “Understand what the project is, it will provide the ability for Canada to pump their oil and send it through their land down to the Gulf where it will be sold everywhere else,” he said.

  4. princesspat

    UW professor seeks money to study pollution from coal trains in Whatcom County

    Dan Jaffe, professor of atmospheric and environmental chemistry at the University of Washington-Bothell, said his research is too politically charged to attract funding through the normal government channels. He’s also been the target of criticism from a union that supports the construction of a coal export terminal at Cherry Point.

    ~snip~

    Jaffe’s other work over the past decade has been funded by federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA. In a video posted by UW-Bothell to YouTube in 2010, Jaffe said he had received $4 million to $5 million in grants in the prior 10 years.

    Up to 18 trains a day will rumble through Bellingham if the proposed coal terminal is built, yet the agencies drafting the enviromental reviews don’t have the basic information this study will offer.

  5. tuhaybey

    When considering the value of the ACA, IMO, it is worth considering how liberal and conservative healthcare policies have worked out historically.  Generally speaking, blue states have liberal healthcare policies and red states have conservative healthcare policies.  One notable exception is Utah, which implemented an ACA-like healthcare exchange in 2008.

    Look at lifespans by state.  The results are pretty stark.  Some blue states have lifespans 6.5 years longer than some red states.  That isn’t solely policy, but a lot of it is.

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