Connect With PPD
Follow Us:
Sections: Politics

DC ObamaCare Enrollment Data Shows Only 5 Sign Ups

WASHINGTON –  President Obama is crisscrossing the country giving his ShamWow pitch to salvage his landmark health care law, including a visit to deeply red Texas. But abysmal new data showing only 5 people in the D.C. area have signed up for ObamaCare, suggests the president should have perhaps started right where he was.

The enrollment data, which was requested by Republican lawmakers, was provided by the four health insurance companies participating in the D.C. exchange and released Friday by Republicans Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah.

“A lot of Americans are getting cancellation notices from their current health care plan but they haven’t been able to enroll in a new plan,” Sen. Grassley said in a written statement. “The limbo and uncertainty are stressful for them, as they’ve been describing in emails to my office. The chaos imposed on so many people is reason to at least delay the individual mandate, if not outright appeal it.”

Grassley and Hatch had contacted CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare and Aetna in response to the Obama administration’s clear effort to keep the numbers secret. CareFirst reported two enrollees from Oct. 1 through Oct. 30. Kaiser Permanente reported three enrollees from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31. Neither UnitedHealthcare or Aetna had any enrollment data as of Nov. 4 and Oct. 24 respectively.

“With numbers like these, it’s no wonder the Obama administration hasn’t wanted to release how many people have signed up for ObamaCare,” Sen. Hatch said. “With data from D.C.’s four participating health plans in, there’s been a whopping five people enrolled in the city’s exchange. That’s right – five. Whether it’s significant problems with the website, people being forced off the coverage they had or skyrocketing costs, these numbers are even more proof of what a disaster ObamaCare is and why it should be delayed.”

Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told both Senators this week that they now should expect to see enrollment figures that were “very low.” But numbers this low have even managed to astonish the most ardent supporters of limited government, because it shows a level of inefficiency and incompetence that even exceeds the expectations of those who most loudly argue “no, government can’t.”

READ FULL STORY

SubscribeSign In
Richard D. Baris

Rich, the People's Pundit, is the Data Journalism Editor at PPD and Director of the PPD Election Projection Model. He is also the Director of Big Data Poll, and author of "Our Virtuous Republic: The Forgotten Clause in the American Social Contract."

Share
Published by
Richard D. Baris

Recent Posts

Media’s Worst Russian Collusion Sins May Soon Be Repeated

The most damning journalistic sin committed by the media during the era of Russia collusion…

1 year ago

Study: Mask-Mandates and Use Not Associated With Lower Covid-19 Case Growth

The first ecological study finds mask mandates were not effective at slowing the spread of…

4 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Big Tech’s Arbitrary Social Media Bans

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris note how big tech…

4 years ago

Barnes and Baris on Why America First Stands With Israel

On "What Are the Odds?" Monday, Robert Barnes and Rich Baris discuss why America First…

4 years ago

Personal Income Fell Significantly in February, Consumer Spending Weaker than Expected

Personal income fell $1,516.6 billion (7.1%) in February, roughly the consensus forecast, while consumer spending…

4 years ago

Study: Infection, Vaccination Protects Against Covid-19 Variants

Research finds those previously infected by or vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 are not at risk of…

4 years ago

This website uses cookies.