As reflected by the more than 100 comments on Joe Gandelman’s post, “Pew Poll: Only 40% Approve of Obamacare,” and by the thousands of articles and commentaries in the media, there is a lot of confusion, misunderstanding and just plain obfuscation on the issue of “Obamacare.”
And, as evident from the many articles posted by Ron Chusid in a valiant effort to explain Obamacare — and the comments they generate — it is not an easy task.
That is why a piece in the Washington Post this morning caught my attention.
The article titled, “What type of Obamacare explainer are you?” by Jaime Fuller starts as follows:
Not since the era of the debt-ceiling explainer have we seen a subject so well explained yet so misunderstood. Yes, we are talking about the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration has done nothing but explain why people should sign up, and Republicans have done little but explain why people should not sign up. And yet this is how many insured people know what is going on:
Fuller then shows two pie charts depicting the awareness — or lack thereof — among the uninsured and concludes “So, basically nothing at all.”
He then explains:
Maybe the problem is that with so much explaining, people don’t know which explaining is right for them. Here is a guide, our second attempt to explain the explainers, to expedite your road to Obamacare enlightenment.
Let’s make this painless. What is the one thing I should read about the Affordable Care Act to understand what the heck is going on?
That’s a tough one. The reason everyone has such a hard time explaining Obamacare is that it is a very complex law, with many different pieces that affect many people in many different ways. You could conceivably read 10 explainers about Obamacare and have them all explain a different aspect of the health-care law, leaving you a bit befuddled. NPR’s Affordable Care Act explainer is, in truth, 12 different explainers.
However, there are several explainers that endeavor to illuminate all.
With references, flowcharts, links, “explainers,” etc., Fuller answers questions such as:
Why do Republicans not like the Affordable Care Act?
How are Democrats responding to the Republicans?
Why was the Healthcare.gov Web site so bad?
Wait, I could get fined? Do I need to buy insurance?
Do you want to know more about the individual mandate?
But wait! I haven’t signed up yet. Can I have an extension.
Want to know how the Medicaid expansion will affect state budgets?
Do you want to know more about people who know nothing about the law?
Do you want to know if your state expanded Medicaid — and if you are eligible?
I keep seeing these ads about how awful Obamacare is on TV. What’s up with that?
Do you have parents who live in a different state than you that you’re trying to enroll?
Do you want to know what the landscape of the new insurance markets and Medicaid expansion looks like — in one map?
Even, “Who is Obamacare girl?” and “Are your favorite keys on the computer keyboard Ctrl and F?”
And many more.
Pleas click here.
