Last one from "Go Left" Facebook Page.
December 14, 2013
December 13, 2013
The latest stats on ACA enrollment
The latest stats on ACA enrollment. Seems not even the GOP's distraction efforts and lies can deter those 364,682 from abiding by the law and enrolling.
December 11, 2013
Fake Websites Courtesy of The GOP
The GOP has a new ACA scam to confuse individuals looking to sign up for health insurance coverage in their respective states. The GOP has set up these fake website that look like health insurance portals in certain states and is using this to undermine the ACA and Obama. MSNBC reported on this scam by posting an article showing the fake web addresses vs. the real health insurance web addresses. Attorney General Kamala Harris weeded out 10 phony versions of Covered California and said, "These websites fraudulently imitated Covered California in order to lure consumers away from plans that provide the benefits of the Affordable Care Act" and "my office will continue to investigate and shut down these kinds of sites." MSNBC also showed that one website in particular coveringhealthcareca.com is a decoy version of Covered California covered.com and it was created by the state's own Republican legislators to undermine Obamacare. The GOP assembly members launched the site in late August with a press release claiming it would help inform state residents about the Affordable Care Act. More can be read about this story here http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/the-gops-bogus-health-care-website
November 30, 2013
Polls: Who knows Who? The ACA and Polling Results
I read the news online, watch the news on television, and listen to the news on the radio. My favorite line from all of these outlets is "the results of a recent poll showed..." Who exactly is being polled and how can I get on the list? The ACA has not only provided a great source of "news" for these outlets but also the chance to report on these poll findings. After some extensive research, I found the answers to these questions. So here goes...
http://kff.org/interactive/health-tracking-poll-exploring-the-publics-views-on-the-affordable-care-act-aca/
Now, let's look at the survey group a little closer...
1,204 adults ages 18 and older, living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii (note: persons without a telephone could not be included in the random selection process). Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted by landline (602) and cell phone (602, including 342 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). Both the random digit dial landline and cell phone samples were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC. For the landline sample, respondents were selected by asking for the youngest adult male or female currently at home based on a random rotation. If no one of that gender was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult of the opposite gender. For the cell phone sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. KFF paid for all costs associated with the survey.
How many of these people were actually telling the truth about being the youngest adult? And for the cell phone sample how many of these people were not above the age of 18? Every teenager under the age of 18, I know, has a cell phone. So, if my 13 year old niece answers her cell phone and it is a computer generated message and she proceeds to answer the questions anyway...what then?
Furthermore, I do not know anyone that has actually taken one of these polls (I polled my Facebook "friends") unless they just do not care to say.
The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll
This Kaiser Health Tracking Poll was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) led by Mollyann Brodie, Ph.D., including Liz Hamel, Bianca DiJulio, and Jamie Firth. The survey was conducted November 13-18, 2013, among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,204 adults ages 18 and older, living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii (note: persons without a telephone could not be included in the random selection process). Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted by landline (602) and cell phone (602, including 342 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). Both the random digit dial landline and cell phone samples were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC. For the landline sample, respondents were selected by asking for the youngest adult male or female currently at home based on a random rotation. If no one of that gender was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult of the opposite gender. For the cell phone sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. KFF paid for all costs associated with the survey.
The combined landline and cell phone sample was weighted to balance the sample demographics to match estimates for the national population using data from the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) on sex, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, nativity (for Hispanics only), and region along with data from the 2010 Census on population density. The sample was also weighted to match current patterns of telephone use using data from the July-December 2012 National Health Interview Survey. The weight takes into account the fact that respondents with both a landline and cell phone have a higher probability of selection in the combined sample and also adjusts for the household size for the landline sample. All statistical tests of significance account for the effect of weighting.
The margin of sampling error including the design effect for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Numbers of respondents and margin of sampling error for key subgroups are shown in the table below. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher. Sample sizes and margin of sampling errors for other subgroups are available by request. Note that sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll.
Group
|
N (unweighted)
|
M.O.S.E.
|
Total
|
1204
|
±3 percentage points
|
Uninsured, under age 65
|
151
|
±8 percentage points
|
Age 65 or older
|
356
|
±6 percentage points
|
Democrats
|
346
|
±6 percentage points
|
Republicans
|
295
|
±7 percentage points
|
Independents
|
388
|
±6 percentage points
|
Men
|
578
|
±5 percentage points
|
Women
|
626
|
±5 percentage points
|
Now, let's look at the survey group a little closer...
1,204 adults ages 18 and older, living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii (note: persons without a telephone could not be included in the random selection process). Computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted by landline (602) and cell phone (602, including 342 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish by Princeton Data Source under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI). Both the random digit dial landline and cell phone samples were provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC. For the landline sample, respondents were selected by asking for the youngest adult male or female currently at home based on a random rotation. If no one of that gender was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult of the opposite gender. For the cell phone sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone. KFF paid for all costs associated with the survey.
How many of these people were actually telling the truth about being the youngest adult? And for the cell phone sample how many of these people were not above the age of 18? Every teenager under the age of 18, I know, has a cell phone. So, if my 13 year old niece answers her cell phone and it is a computer generated message and she proceeds to answer the questions anyway...what then?
Furthermore, I do not know anyone that has actually taken one of these polls (I polled my Facebook "friends") unless they just do not care to say.
The Media and the New and Improved ACA Website
Politicus USA is reporting that the "media is forced to report on the improved ACA website." This is good news despite the fact that the media should not have to be "forced" into accurate reporting about the ACA website. http://www.politicususa.com/2013/11/30/media-finally-catches-aca-website-fixed.html We all know of the problems that have plagued the ACA website because of the media's tireless efforts to make this a household issue. Now that they are "forced" to admit that some of the website issues have been taken care of, what will they focus on next?
The New York Times
"As the Obama administration’s weekend deadline for a smoothly functioning online marketplace for health insurance arrives, more than a month of frantic repair work is paying off with fewer crashes and error messages and speedier loading of pages, according to government officials, groups that help people enroll and experts involved in the project."
The Washington Post
“Administration officials have established a capacity goal of 80,000 consumers per hour being able to register and 320,000 people per hour who already have accounts being able to log in, according to federal officials familiar with this aspect of the project who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal details. The team has not yet attained its target of cutting the average load time across the site to no more than half a second, officials said, though it is running faster than before.”
Also of note, Media Matters is reporting that print media is hiding the success of the ACA at reducing the rising cost of healthcare insurance.
More on this issue can be retrieved from http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/11/27/how-print-and-broadcast-media-are-hiding-obamac/197079
Emory Healthcare : Just Another Example of Media Distortion
Emory is a private university and healthcare system in Atlanta, Georgia. On November 15, 2013 Emory Hospital cut 100 jobs from their Psychiatry Department. This is not shocking news in the Atlanta area considering several hospitals have done the same in recent years. The shocking news is that the media blamed the ACA for this reduction in staff by Emory Hospital. WSB an Atlanta news outlet that reports on the radio, television, and online published a story claiming this reduction in staff by Emory was a direct result of the implication of the ACA. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/emory-healthcare-cut-100-jobs-partly-because-obama/nZw5N/
While The Atlantic, an online news information source, discovered the real reason for the reduction in staff at Emory Healthcare was because of low patient census and need within the Psychiatry department. Emory Healthcare expanded their Psychiatry department some years ago in anticipation of an increased number of patients. It turns out that an employee called WSBTV to report the story, claiming the reason behind the reduction was the AHA. This was untrue. However, the reporter did not verify these claims before publishing the story because of the need to make the AHA look detrimental to the job market. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/no-obamacare-isnt-the-reason-emory-is-laying-off-101-staffers/279689/
While The Atlantic, an online news information source, discovered the real reason for the reduction in staff at Emory Healthcare was because of low patient census and need within the Psychiatry department. Emory Healthcare expanded their Psychiatry department some years ago in anticipation of an increased number of patients. It turns out that an employee called WSBTV to report the story, claiming the reason behind the reduction was the AHA. This was untrue. However, the reporter did not verify these claims before publishing the story because of the need to make the AHA look detrimental to the job market. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/no-obamacare-isnt-the-reason-emory-is-laying-off-101-staffers/279689/
Another example of the media distorting the facts is from crooksandliars.com reporting that Fox News is claiming that the Cleveland Clinic would be shedding employees because of the implementation of the ACA. Fox News reported that the Cleveland Clinic was instituting "massive layoffs" due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but when asked about the reports, a Clinic spokesperson told Media Matters, "We're not." Crooks and Liars goes on to explain that media matters received a letter from Eileen Sheil Cleveland Clinic's Executive Director of Corporate Communications, stating that the clinic was asking 3,000 employees for voluntary early retirements. This request is due to the restructuring of some aspects of the clinic. Cleveland Clinic has also asked Fox News in the future to accurately report on the clinic's plans. http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/fox-blames-obamacare-imaginary
This is why we should not just trust one media source for information regarding the ACA.
November 27, 2013
Republicans: ACA Website Problems and Other Distraction Efforts
The Republican obstructionist in the House and Senate are using the media as a pawn in their game of distraction. The media is overly focused on the ACA website and the problems that it has incurred. The Republican approval rating is already in the toilet so it only makes since that they should just go ahead and FLUSH. They are sealing their fates with the daily questioning of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about the problems the website has or is facing. This questioning can be seen on any number of news media television channels and talk radio channels. This is simply a distraction effort by the party to dilute the importance of the ACA.
The party is also using the testimony of so-called "state specific residents" to show the rest of America that they will lose their insurance coverage and end up paying more for a new policy because of the ACA. What they fail to mention is that most insurance plans are term plans. Generally insurance plans are contracted for one year and then you can either choose to sign up again or you can switch to another policy manager. The ACA mandates the insurance companies must be compliant or cancel their policies. Ah ha but there is more... The insurance companies are also mandated by the ACA to provide you with an alternative policy that is compliant with the ACA. This scare tactic is just another example of the "right" trying to distract Americans from the value of mandated healthcare. Media Matters did a story about Fox News trying to cover up the fact that health insurance plans routinely change. In this article they point out exactly how the "right" media leaves out these critical details while framing the story as evidence that the ACA is "hurting" Americans. For more information please visit http://www.mediamatters.com
According to The New York Times an attack ad launched by Americans for Prosperity shows a woman standing in her kitchen speaking directly to the camera seemingly speaking to Senator Mark Begich, Democrat of Alaska. The woman asks "how can we ever trust you again?" in reference to the Senators backing of the ACA. Later, as The New York Times discovers, the woman is not even from the state of Alaska but from Maryland. The commercial is even shot from her kitchen in Maryland. For more about this story please visit http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/in-an-attack-ad-an-alaskan-voter-is-really-an-actress-from-maryland/?_r=0
Americans for Prosperity ad attacking the Senator
http://youtu.be/F-HyVYtxBlg
Recently factcheck.org disputed the claims made by Senator Ted Cruz about seniors being notified by Medicare of their current plans being dropped. Senator Cruz states "seniors “right now” are being notified that they are “losing their health insurance” during the enrollment period that began Oct. 15." While in fact the number of seniors enrolled in this particular Medicare plan has increased by 30% since the ACA became law and factcheck.org also asserts that the number is expected to rise even more this year. To read more about this please visit http://www.factcheck.org/2013/10/cruz-distorts-aca-impact-on-seniors-children/
Republicans are spinning their wheels while the rest of us are happy we can finally afford a private insurance policy.
The party is also using the testimony of so-called "state specific residents" to show the rest of America that they will lose their insurance coverage and end up paying more for a new policy because of the ACA. What they fail to mention is that most insurance plans are term plans. Generally insurance plans are contracted for one year and then you can either choose to sign up again or you can switch to another policy manager. The ACA mandates the insurance companies must be compliant or cancel their policies. Ah ha but there is more... The insurance companies are also mandated by the ACA to provide you with an alternative policy that is compliant with the ACA. This scare tactic is just another example of the "right" trying to distract Americans from the value of mandated healthcare. Media Matters did a story about Fox News trying to cover up the fact that health insurance plans routinely change. In this article they point out exactly how the "right" media leaves out these critical details while framing the story as evidence that the ACA is "hurting" Americans. For more information please visit http://www.mediamatters.com
According to The New York Times an attack ad launched by Americans for Prosperity shows a woman standing in her kitchen speaking directly to the camera seemingly speaking to Senator Mark Begich, Democrat of Alaska. The woman asks "how can we ever trust you again?" in reference to the Senators backing of the ACA. Later, as The New York Times discovers, the woman is not even from the state of Alaska but from Maryland. The commercial is even shot from her kitchen in Maryland. For more about this story please visit http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/in-an-attack-ad-an-alaskan-voter-is-really-an-actress-from-maryland/?_r=0
Americans for Prosperity ad attacking the Senator
http://youtu.be/F-HyVYtxBlg
Recently factcheck.org disputed the claims made by Senator Ted Cruz about seniors being notified by Medicare of their current plans being dropped. Senator Cruz states "seniors “right now” are being notified that they are “losing their health insurance” during the enrollment period that began Oct. 15." While in fact the number of seniors enrolled in this particular Medicare plan has increased by 30% since the ACA became law and factcheck.org also asserts that the number is expected to rise even more this year. To read more about this please visit http://www.factcheck.org/2013/10/cruz-distorts-aca-impact-on-seniors-children/
Republicans are spinning their wheels while the rest of us are happy we can finally afford a private insurance policy.
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