Thursday, December 12, 2013

What's $300 million divided by 44?

That's the math question of the day, for those into cost/benefit analysis on Obamacare.  And for the rest of us as well.

The Oregon health insurance exchange signed up only 44 people through the end of November, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services. Oregon was unable to reach triple figures despite receiving nine figures in federal money to build and promote its exchange. The amount of federal aid exceeded $300 million.

As Philip Klein notes, Obamacare fans can’t blame Republican resistance for the program’s failure in Oregon. The state is run by Democrats and it embraced Obamacare from the start. Indeed, its outreach program has been praised by Obamacare supporters, according to Klein.
For those who don't have a pencil handy, that works out to over $6,800,000 per signup.  And we don't even know how many of those actually went through the whole process to get functioning insurance with payment.

And for anyone thinking, we'll that's Oregon's problem - remember that "federal aid" is just code for "USA taxpayer money".  As in you and me.

Personally, I think most of the 44 would have just rather gotten the money and worried about paying medical bills from it.  You know....that might even be the rational economic thing to do.  Anyone have a phone number in Salem, Oregon to call the governor with an idea?

H/T to Powerline.

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