healthsource ri – RI Future

September 16, 2016

Latest poverty figures show too many Rhode Islanders still struggle to make ends meet

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Over one hundred forty thousand (141,035) Rhode Islanders lived in poverty in 2015, according to new data released today from the Census Bureau. The drop in the rate to 13.9% in 2015 from 14.1% in 2014 is not statistically significant. The poverty level for a family of four is approximately $24,000.

The one in seven Rhode Islanders with income below the poverty level do not have enough to meet basic needs. Child Care Assistance, SNAP and health insurance coverage help working families make ends meet when earnings are not enough. Rhode Islanders unable to work on a temporary or permanent basis turn to cash assistance and other programs to protect themselves and their children. The new on-line integrated eligibility system can facilitate enrollment in these vital programs. But the new technology cannot replace the need for staff. “In the two years that the HealthSource RI on-line system has been operative, most new applicants have required help either over the phone or in-person to complete their application. Access to computers and knowing how to navigate an on-line application have also been issues.” said Rachel Flum, Executive Director of the Institute. “With more programs accessible through the system, the need for one-on-one assistance is even greater. The state must ensure that there are sufficient staff to help people access these critical benefits.”

The Ocean State had the highest rate of its residents living in poverty among the New England state and ranked 26th among all states.

Today’s data also show that Rhode Island’s communities of color were much more likely to struggle to meet basic needs with nearly one in three Latinos, close to one in four African Americans and more than one in six Asians living in poverty. While the one-year census data does not permit sub-group analysis, multi-year analysis shows that South East Asians are not as economically secure as the Asian population as a whole (See analysis of five-year median wage data in “State of Working Rhode Island, 2015: Workers of Color”).

“It is unacceptable that so many Rhode Islanders are living in poverty and shocking that Black, Latino, and Asian households face such deeper economic distress compared to the white majority. To truly achieve economic equity now and into the future, our state must be intentional about targeted policies to address racial disparities in wages, income, and total wealth,” said Jenn Steinfeld, facilitator for the Racial Justice Coalition, a new collaborative effort to address shared barriers faced by all non-white Rhode Islanders.

The Census Bureau released extensive information on the economic and health insurance status of Americans. The Economic Progress Institute website provides additional analysis of the new data for Rhode Island, including the more positive news that median income increased in 2015 to $58,073 from $54,959 in 2014.

November 11, 2015November 13, 2015

Raimondo causes thousands of families to lose abortion coverage

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Thousands of HealthSource RI subscribers lost medical coverage for abortion this year, and most had no idea this was happening.

Under new policies mandated by Governor Gina Raimondo, insurers must now offer one plan that does not cover abortion at every level in which they offer a plan that does. As a result of the Governor’s actions and a minor change in the law that allows insurers to re-enroll subscribers into new health plans if their previous plan no longer exists, 9,000 out of 32,000 families have lost this crucial coverage.

Raimondo made two decisions earlier this year that lead to this crisis. First, she settled the Doe v. Burwell lawsuit when she didn’t have to. Doe, who chose to remain anonymous because of his HIV+ status, claimed that he was unable, due to his religious beliefs, to contribute money to any health plan that covered abortion, and that his needs as an HIV+ man meant that waiting until 2017 for the one plan that does not cover abortion mandated under federal law was not practical.

Doe was represented in his lawsuit by the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and supported by both RI Right to Life and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. It was far from certain that Doe and the ADF would win the suit since HealthSource RI was operating fully in accordance with Federal law and accommodations had been offered to Doe.

But Raimondo caved, and caved hard. After settling a case she did not have to, she went further than existing federal law and submitted legislation mandating that insurers offer multiple plans that omit abortion coverage. Every insurer was forced to offer a plan at every tier of coverage. Federal law mandates that at least one plan on a state exchange offer no coverage for abortion. Raimondo insisted on what amounts to nine plans.

All insurers on the HealthSource RI exchange had to roll out new plans. Two insurers decided to modify existing plans as well, which meant that many health plan subscribers had to be moved to whichever new plans were deemed most similar to their old plan. Whether or not the new plan covered abortion was not a consideration.

According to the Providence Journal, “Out of HealthSource’s three insurers, two mapped subscribers into plans with limited abortion coverage — Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island. United Healthcare did not.”

Now, 9,000 families are without abortion coverage, unless they change their enrollment by December 23. Many more people, when looking at the new plans on offer, may switch into plans that do not cover abortion – not because they are anti-choice, but because some of the anti-choice plans might appear to be cheaper.

Figuring out which plans are cheaper is a difficult, if not impossible task. There is the monthly fee to consider, but there are also differences among plans in terms of deductibles, medication costs and co-pays. Ultimate cost may depend more on usage than monthly contributions. Figuring out how much a family saves by choosing an abortion free plan may be an exercise in futility, even though the law requires such plans to be cheaper, if only by a few cents.

Nobody plans on having an abortion, so abortion coverage is often not a big consideration when choosing a healthcare plan. Those who may find themselves most at risk of discovering they are suddenly out of pocket for abortion expenses are young adults covered under their parent’s healthcare plan until age 26. Others at risk include couples who might want to have a baby, but encounter a crisis at a late stage. Costs associated with additional testing and termination of a nonviable late term pregnancy can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and require a hospital stay.

As a result, some families will face the kind of financial ruin that Obamacare was instituted to prevent.

This is the kind of information that may have been revealed had Raimondo introduced her legislation openly, as a bill submitted to the General Assembly to be debated and commented on by the public. Instead, the governor slipped these changes into the budget as an eleventh hour amendment and with as little fanfare as possible. It worked: the measure passed with little outcry.

Just before Governor Raimondo signed the budget into law, mandating the changes that have resulted in thousands losing abortion coverage, Barth Bracy, executive director of RI Right to Life, said, “Due to the complexity of Obamacare, and its implementation in Rhode Island, neither the media nor our opponents at Planned Parenthood and in the pro-abortion caucus of the General Assembly, yet appear to understand the extent of our victory.”

I guess now we do.

If Governor Raimondo is truly a pro-choice candidate, she has a strange way of showing it. No recent RI governor has been nearly as successful in stripping families of their reproductive rights.

September 18, 2015

RI still has highest poverty rate in New England

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The Economic Progress Institute (EPI), based on data released by the US Census Bureau, found that Rhode Island’s poverty rate remained unchanged in 2014, the highest rate in New England.

Among EPI’s key findings, according to Juan Espinoza, Communications and Outreach Associate, are:

One in seven Rhode Islanders live in poverty.

Rhode Island has the highest poverty rate of all the New England states, and ranks 24th in the country.

One in ten white Rhode Islanders live in poverty.

More than one in five African Americans in Rhode Island are poor—twice the rate of white Rhode Islanders

Nearly one in three Latinos in Rhode Island are poor—three times the rate of white Rhode Islanders.

“It is disturbing that so many Rhode Islanders continue to live in poverty.” said Kate Brewster, executive director of the Economic Progress Institute, in a statement. “While there is certainly no silver bullet to address this crisis, one action lawmakers should take to help struggling working families is to continue to increase the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. This would put more money in the hands of people working at low-wage jobs by letting them keep more of what they earn and would help lift their families above the poverty line.”

According to EPI, “Rhode Island lawmakers increased the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit last year to 12.5 percent of the federal credit from 10 percent. This is expected to put an additional $6 million back in the pockets of over 80,000 working families who live in every city and town in the state. Neighboring states already do more to help low-wage workers through the EITC. Connecticut offers a 27.5 percent state credit and Massachusetts recently increased its state credit to 23 percent. A recent study, documented in the book It’s Not Like I’m Poor, demonstrates that families receiving the tax credit spend it wisely: they pay current bills, including rent, utilities and groceries; they pay off debt; and they invest in their future, for example, by moving to a better neighborhood. Along with helping families get ahead, these purchases and payments boost the local economy.”

The one bright spot is that “the share of Rhode Islanders without health insurance coverage fell sharply from 11.6 percent in 2013 to 7.4 percent in 2014, ranking RI 9th best in the country for having insured residents.” EPI reports that, “recent data released by Healthsource RI shows that the uninsured rate in Rhode Island is even lower in 2015.”

August 27, 2015

How the smallest state got the smallest uninsured rate

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A recent Gallup poll revealed that Rhode Island has the lowest uninsured rate in the country, at 2.7 percent, as well as one of five states that saw its uninsured rate decline by 10 points or more. But, how did that happen? Anya Wallack, director of HealthSourceRI, was able to provide some answers.

“You come to HealthSource, and right there, you can very easily sign up for coverage regardless of your income,” she said. “We’ve developed an infrastructure that’s really designed for this unified approach.”

Wallack explained Rhode Island decided to create its own exchange because it presented “significant advantages, in terms of local control and customer service.” With a state based exchange, rather than a federal one, they could better tailor their services to the needs of Rhode Islanders.

HealthSourceRI uses what she called a “one door policy,” meaning that customers could come in and not only apply for health insurance, but check to see if they were eligible for Medicaid and other benefits. This is where much of the exchange’s success comes from, since this is a policy only a few states have adopted.

Wallack said that making customers jump through hoops only serves to make things more confusing, and they miss out on important information because of it. Right now, Wallack and her team are expanding their open door policy, and making it possible for customers to begin to apply for other assistance programs like TANF or SNAP.

“When we’re done building our system, you’ll be able to sign up for those with one stop shopping,” she said.

Wallack added that there are a number of ways that customers can use this one stop shopping, that all services are provided online, over the phone, or in person. Face-to-face assistance is also provided right in the community health centers, so customers can sign up for insurance right in their hometown. HealthSourceRI also has enrollment events during the open enrollment period, which is from Nov. 1 to the end of January each year. During open enrollment, a customer can renew, reenroll, or sign up for coverage, or just change their plan. There are two other types of enrollments as well- special enrollment and Medicaid coverage. Special enrollment occurs when a customer’s circumstances change throughout the year and they need to change their plan, and Medicaid coverage happens throughout the year to see if a customer is eligible for Medicaid.

“We try to find any avenue where we can come into contact with people who may be looking for coverage,” Wallack said concerning their community accessibility.

This level of accessibility has worked for the exchange, proved not only by the Gallup poll but the hard numbers that HealthSource has collected so far for this year. In 2015, they have enrolled 32,554 individuals as of July 31. Most people who enrolled were age 55 and over, sitting at 29 percent. 53 percent of enrollees were female, while 47 percent were male. More than half of the enrollees – 59 percent – were eligible for financial assistance in the form of an advanced premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions. These numbers show an upward trend from last year, with over 7,000 more enrollees. Small businesses are signing up through HealthSource as well, with 542 employers enrolled in 2015, compared to the 381 from 2014.

The Gallup poll found that states that set up their own exchange and expanded Medicaid saw the biggest drop in their uninsured rate, something that the Ocean State has been doing since day one. According to Wallack, as long as they continue with this, Rhode Island can serve as a model for other states and their healthcare exchanges, especially as HealthSourceRI moves forward. Within the next month, HealthSource will be releasing its own survey, which will give more accurate results than the Gallup one, because it will only look at Rhode Island. But, the national survey still shows a trend, and that Rhode Island is headed in the right direction.

“What I take from this, is that those policy decisions, as well as our decisions to take a coordinated approach, was successful for us,” Wallack said.

HealthSource’s next step is to find those last remaining uninsured individuals, and understand why they’re uninsured, as well as work with employers to make sure that they are able to retain coverage. Now, their job is to help control healthcare cost growth, provide support for small business, and provide affordable choices for everyone, especially that last 2.7 percent.

June 17, 2015

No winners in state budget abortion compromise

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Language added to the Rhode Island 2016 budget by Representative Raymond Gallison before passage somewhat balanced the last minute addition of extreme anti-abortion language submitted by Governor Gina Raimondo.

The new language added to article 18 reads:

(e) Health plans that offer a plan variation that excludes coverage for abortion services as 31 defined in 45 CFR 156.280(d)(i) for a religious exemption variation in the small group market 32 shall treat such a plan as a separate plan offering with a corresponding rate.

Except for religious Employers (as defined in Section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code), employers selecting a plan under this religious exemption subsection may not designate it as the single plan for employees, but shall offer their employees full-choice of small employer plans on the exchange, using the employer-selected plan as the base plan for coverage. The employer is not responsible for payment that exceeds that designated for the employer-selected plan.

An employer who elects a religious exemption variation shall provide written notice to prospective enrollees prior to enrollment that the plan excludes coverage for abortion services as defined in 45 CFR 156.280(d)(1). The carrier must include notice that the plan excludes coverage for abortion services as part of the Summary of benefits and Coverage required by 42 U.S.C. 300g-15.

Signs of a behind the scenes compromise were apparent based on the odd assortment of representatives who rose to second the amendment, including Rep Edie Ajello, well known for her advocacy of reproductive rights, and Rep Arthur Corvese, well known for publicly and repeatedly referring to legalized abortion as a “culture of death.”

What does the new language mean? At bottom, any non-religious employer, as defined by the IRS, that elects to not include abortion coverage in their employee health plan, must allow employees to opt out of the company plan, and select any other plan, paying any additional costs out of pocket.

Rhode Island is now the first state to build language into the law that protects those who want a health care plan that provides abortion coverage.

Under Federal law, employees must be notified when their plan covers abortion. It does not require, as Rhode Island will under this new language, that employees be notified when they do not have abortion coverage. The language passed last night mandates that employees be told that the chosen plan does not cover abortion before they enroll, and that the lack of abortion coverage is confirmed after enrollment.

Ultimately, the notification requirement is similar to language concerning religious employers who choose not to cover contraception coverage as part of their health plans otherwise mandated by state or federal law.

There is a problem for employees inherent in this language. If my employer doesn’t want to cover abortion due to religious objections, and I decide to opt out of the plan chosen by my company, my employer will know of my objection, and may act in a discriminatory way against me because of my beliefs. I shouldn’t have to worry about job security or job advancement because of my decisions regarding reproductive health care for my family and me. Medical coverage, including reproductive services, are a private matter. How can that privacy be maintained under this provision?

Before the passage of the budget, Barth Bracy, executive director of RI Right to Life told me that he and Bernard Healey, State House lobbyist for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, were present to track the progress of the anti-abortion language the Governor inserted. Bracy told me that the language was the result of an agreement made in the wake of Doe v. Burwell, in which an anonymous man sued the state because there were no plans on the exchange that did not cover abortion.

ProJo reporter Richard Salit confirmed this when he wrote that “The lawsuit brought against Rhode Island was withdrawn in May when a Christian legal group said it had been assured that Rhode Island would begin offering multiple plans for abortion foes in 2016. According to HealthSource RI, the state Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner has required that in 2016 insurers offer a choice for abortion foes in every “metal” level (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) that they offer traditional health plans.”

This does not answer the question as to why Rhode Island did not simply require the addition of one plan to not cover abortion, as is required by federal law by 2017. It also does not answer why the amendment came from Governor Raimondo’s office, instead of being introduced as a bill that could be debated and publicly commented on. Had this democratic and open process been followed, the end result may have been more satisfying to all parties.

Despite this large concession to abortion foes, they were still unhappy with the newly added language. A source confided to me that Bracy, Healey and Representative John DeSimone were railing against the compromise language during last minute negotiations.

This makes me wonder if the RI Right to Life and the Providence Roman Catholic Diocese will begin looking for a non-religious employer to bring a Hobby Lobby like lawsuit against HealthSource RI under the state level RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act.) There is little difference between Rhode Island’s RFRA and the federal version the Supreme Court based their Hobby Lobby decision on.

As I pointed out before, this new language may allow a thousand Hobby Lobbies to bloom in Rhode Island.

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015

Budget bill passes House floor with almost no debate

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In what everyone thought would be a firestorm of debate, the RI House of Representatives unanimously passed the $8.7 billion FY 2016 budget with little to no discussion about many of the articles, including the much contested Medicaid cuts and pension settlement, as well as Governor Raimondo’s so called “job tools.” According to a House spokesperson, this is the fastest that the budget has gone through in nearly three decades.

The only budget articles that were seriously debated on the floor were numbers 11, which concerned taxes and revenues; and 18, which provided the funding to HealthSource RI, Rhode Island’s Affordable Care Act state exchange. There were two article introductions during the debate, one concerning the funding for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), and one simply to renumber the articles in the bill after its introduction. Representative Patricia Morgan (R-District 26), was going to introduce an article to fund bridge repairs, but recognized that she did not have the support to pass it.

Although discussion was sparse on the floor, Rep. Morgan was one of the few members who continually sparked debate, particularly over article 11, which had the longest discussion out of all of the sections voted upon. Amendments had already been proposed to the article, but had been struck down. Morgan proposed two amendments herself, the first of which would promote lean government standards for the state, and according to her, dramatically decrease costs for running state government.

“Many states at this point, have already started lean government initiatives, and it has given them a lot of fruit,” she said. “There are incredible efficiencies that have resulted from lean government.

Morgan planned to pay for the new service by taking $500,000 from the Newport Grand Casino and putting it towards creating a lean government initiative, which Governor Raimondo has already stated she supports. Her reasoning? That the casino was not in dire need of the funds.

“Last year, the new owner proposed $40 million for remodeling,” Morgan said. “If he has $40 million for that, I guess he can give up $500,000.”

The amendment saw staunch opposition, especially because, according to several representatives, 60 percent of the casino’s money goes directly back into the state.

“Just because Newport Grand may be part of corporate America, we are here to help businesses thrive in our economy,” Representative Dennis Canario (D-District 71) said.

“To take $500,000 out of Newport Grand would jeopardize the integrity of that business,” House Majority Leader John DeSimone (D-District 5), argued.

Although Morgan’s first amendment failed 71-4, she brought up another amendment immediately after that tried to use the same funds from Newport Grand to pay for a 38 Studios investigation.

“The people of this state deserve to know how it happened, why it happened, who did it, and try to keep it from ever happening again,” Morgan said.

Her second amendment did not even get the chance to go up for debate, as it was ruled not germane to the discussion. The ruling was met with cheers from other representatives.

Article 18 funded HealthSource RI, which has been hotly contested over the past few days due to restrictive abortion coverage language. However, Finance Committee Chairman Representative Raymond Gallison (D- District 69) introduced an amendment that would curb such restrictions, and allow access for those who require abortions even if their insurance plan has cited religious exemptions from covering them.

Surprisingly, the amendment passed with no discussion, but the article itself saw debate due to King V. Burwell, the current Supreme Court case determining whether or not states should receive tax subsidies from having their own healthcare exchanges. While some representatives thought that keeping the exchange would make Rhode Island less business friendly, it was upheld in the vote.

What is more striking than what was debated, though, is what was not. Cornerstone legislation in the bill went by without so much as a peep from representatives. Medicaid cuts, the pension settlement, Raimondo’s jobs initiative, professional licensing, all day kindergarten, school construction, and even appropriations of funds from FY 15 are just some of the examples of what saw next to no discussion. Even Gallison’s surprise article that raised RIPTA fares for the elderly and low income to $1, up from no cost at all, saw little debate.

After only three short hours, the budget was unanimously passed, with daylight still shining down on the State House.

“The House of Representatives is very committed to working together on behalf of the citizens of the state of Rhode Island,” Speaker Mattiello said of the speedy voting process. “That the House has worked very collaboratively with the Governor and the Senate President, and that there’s a focus on jobs and the economy. When we put out a pro-jobs budget, pro-economy budget, the members rallied around it and responded appropriately.”

Mattiello also did not rule out the option of a special fall session to handle Governor Raimondo’s proposed toll tax. It is actually very likely, he said.

As for Rep. Morgan, she believes that she was one of the only members of the House who actively stood up for what they believe in on the floor tonight.

“I’ll fight for the people of Rhode Island all day long. I’ll fight for better government in our state,” she said after the meeting. “But, I can’t do it alone. The people need to send me more support.”

“I don’t know why they didn’t speak up,” Morgan added. “There were things that should have been said. There was debate that should have gone on. There are things that are objectionable. I have no idea why people didn’t stand up and fight for the things that they believe in.”

But, even without the support for her amendments, Morgan still voted in favor of the budget because it was, for the most part, in line with her beliefs.

“I voted for the budget because there were a lot of really good Republican proposals in it, that I think will help Rhode Island, and I didn’t want to see them not get support.”

The bill will go to the Senate floor for hearing on Wednesday, where if approved, will become the official FY 16 budget for Rhode Island.

June 10, 2015

House Finance approves budget bill, full chamber to vote Tuesday

The House Finance Committee considers the FY 2016 budget.

After much deliberation, the House Finance Committee gave a unanimous 19-0 vote on the FY 2016 budget late on Tuesday night, which included $37.7 million more than the proposed budget given by Governor Gina Raimondo back in March. The legislative budget proposal is for $8.67 billion dollars, with $3.55 billion from general revenue contributing to that.

“We concur with many of the governor’s initiatives for economic development,” House Finance Chairman Raymond Gallison (D-District 69) said in a press briefing tonight.

According to Gallison, the committee, in large part, accepted Raimondo’s budget, but there were some key provisions that saw change, including Social Security, Medicaid, and sales taxes to businesses.

Those who made between $80,000 and $100,000 will be exempt from paying social security income tax. These tax cuts will give retired Rhode Islanders $9.3 million in tax relief. Businesses are also now exempt from paying the sales tax on corporate utilities. Governor Raimondo had originally proposed phasing it out over five years, but will instead be taken out all at once this year. The earned income tax credit for middle to low income households has also increased from 10 percent to 12.5 percent.

The budget outlines a 2.5 percent Medicaid cut for hospitals, and a 2 percent cut for nursing homes. Gallison said this provides more protection for nursing homes. The House budget cuts Medicaid roughly $67 million, a far cry from the $90 million that the governor had proposed, but the hospital license fee has been increased to 5.862 percent, which would bring in $13 million in additional revenue.

“Funding to maintain HealthSource RI is included in the budget,” Gallison said, outlining the distribution changes to its funding. Now, individuals will pay a surcharge of 2.86 percent on their monthly premiums, and businesses will pay a .59 percent surcharge. The budget allocates $2.6 million for HealthSource RI going into FY 2016. There is also no more additional surcharge for outpatient and imaging services.

Full-day kindergarten is another key provision, with the governor allocating $1.4 million from general revenue to fund programs in the seven communities that don’t offer full-day kindergarten yet. Educational aid was increased by $35.8 million in order to pour money into the educational funding formula. There was also $20 million added for school construction purposes.

Higher education saw an increase of $7 million. The Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority is being downsized, with its responsibilities now being transferred to the Council of Post Secondary Education and the Office of the General Treasurer.

Other major provisions within the bill include cuts to all eight local tourism bureaus, a $2 million increase for RIPTA, and a $0.25 increase in the state sales tax on cigarettes, bringing it up to $3.75 per pack. The tax increase is estimated to bring in $1.7 million in revenue.

What is absent from the budget is just as significant as what is present.

“This budget does not contain anything whatsoever to do with a proposal for a stadium, or any tolls on trucks as proposed by the governor,” Gallison said during the hearing. Also notably absent is the “Taylor Swift tax” on million dollar homes in the state.

Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello has gone on the record saying that the proposed budget is business friendly, and will allow for economic development in the state.

“The budget that’s going to be voted on tonight is very pro-business, pro-economy. It’s going to serve as a catalyst for existing businesses as well as working to attract new businesses to the state of Rhode Island,” he told members of the media on Tuesday.

Gallison agreed with that sentiment, giving his own statement at the beginning of the hearing.

“We continue to move Rhode Island onto an economic path to enable businesses to continue to grow,” he said.

The bill is scheduled to go to the House of Representatives floor next Tuesday.

March 15, 2014March 15, 2014

Wingmen on Obamacare: Katz says we need gov’t, but don’t tell the people

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Every time Justin Katz and I tape a Wingmen segment, we find new ways to disagree. But we also find these not-inconsequential areas of agreement too.

This week we debated whether Obamacare is working (guess who suggested this topic!) and Katz articulates well where we agree on health care policy:

“What government is there to do is to say if you need help this is what these programs are set up to do,” he said. “If you need help this is a place you can go to find help.”

But he thinks the government-funded advertisements are going too far. I don’t. Especially given that conservatives like Katz are actively trying to subterfuge the program with their own ads and commercials. But leaving that aside, austerity by way of information asymmetry is a truly perverse political assertion.

Me: “I honestly think it’s unconscionable to try to keep that information from people. That’s not a cool way to save money.

Justin: “Taking people’s money to give it away to people who didn’t know they needed it is not conscionable.”

Watch the video to hear how loud Katz bangs on the table as he talks!

News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

February 13, 2014

Obamacare is working in RI, says state stats and Senator Whitehouse

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If you’re wondering why you are no longer hearing that dull roar from conservatives about the failed state of American health care, it’s probably because Obamacare is working.

That’s what the latest statistics from HealthSourceRI indicate.

Here’s what ProJo health care reporter Felice Fryer wrote yesterday:

Medicaid enrollments in Rhode Island are soaring, with 35,821 people newly signed up as of Feb. 8 — way ahead of projections.

Additionally, enrollment in private insurance through HealthSource RI continues to accelerate; 16,512 signed up as of Feb. 8, up from the previous month’s cumulative total of 11,770. Rhode Island has already exceeded the Obama administration’s target of 12,000 by March 31.

Nationwide, more than 3 million Americans have enrolled in health care exchanges across the country, according to a press release from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

“The numbers in Rhode Island and across the country send a clear message: Obamacare is working,” he said yesterday in a prepared statement. “I hope Republicans will look at these numbers and realize that the health care law is making a difference for millions of Americans, and that it’s time to stop re-hashing old arguments over a law that is now settled.”