7 Million people sign up for insurance plans via state/federal exchanges (!)

[MalaspinaGold]

Pop the champagne.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/deadline-dash-health-care-sign-ups-amid-glitches-23130500

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Above what almost anyone was expecting.  Keep in mind also, that anyone who has started an application will have until April 15th to ultimately enroll.

[Lief 🗽]

Wow. 7 million was the target set before essentially two months were lost to the website being crap, right? Great news!

[King]

Uh oh, time to move the goalposts.

[Adam Griffin]

Glorious news!

I was feeling inspired from one of Fox's latest charts, so I thought I'd make one to celebrate the occasion:

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

The State of California was having a traffic overload at their site today, so a lot of last-minute folks couldn't register. It was announced that the state will take applications through April 15 on the honor system (you need to have attempted to sign up), but it needs to be done by calling the phone line or visiting an agent in person -- no more web signups.

[7,052,770]

Awesome. Obamacare is even more successful in the first year than I predicted, and I had high expectations.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Uh oh, time to move the goalposts.

or just outright claim the numbers are fake. that's what i've been seeing.

[Miles]

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

About 6 million of them with subsidized premiums, I would think. 

[7,052,770]

About 6 million of them with subsidized premiums, I would think. 

More than that, I would say. If you can't get subsidies,  you can probably buy a cheaper off-Exchange plan directly from an insurer, and potentially with a better network. At the very least you would be able to avoid Exchange fees and taxes, unless the company intentionally sets the prices up to be exactly the same.

[Yank2133]

Some on the right believe Barry and co. are cooking the books.

[Frodo]

Excellent news! 

What was the percentage for young people who enrolled?  Was the final number close to the 40% ideal? 

[MalaspinaGold]

We probably won't know that number until May, Frodo. The number around February was around 25%. According to this MinnPost article, "new enrollments" could be as high as 51% young invincibles. The wording is really vague, but it appears to refer to the off-exchange enrollments

http://www.minnpost.com/minnesota-blog-cabin/2014/04/aca-has-really-turned-corner

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If I had to guess, I'd say the final number will probably be between 35% and 42%.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

But Benghazi!

[publicunofficial]

Some on the right believe Barry and co. are cooking the books.

They say the same thing whenever unemployment drops.

[King]

The far right reaction to this serves as a good reminder as to why I can't take any attack leveled against Obama seriously.  Sometimes I wonder if they have a point.  Sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm being a little too hackish or too defensive.  Sometimes I wonder if I have moved a little to far to the left on an issue.

But then, today happens.

Today, I see a conservative pundit after pundit talk spout ridiculous nonsense like 7 million out of 330 million shouldn't be considered an accomplishment, or that signing up for insurance with an insurer does not actually count as purchasing insurance--arguments which just flat out make no sense.

Today, it all becomes so clear: these people are all simpletons who have no idea what they are talking about, have no idea how insurance works, and have no idea how this program works.  And, if they can be so arrogant and so certain while making statements not only wrong but implausible on this issue, how could I trust them on any other issue?

There is no reason for me to consider anything they say about anything. Ever.

[Adam Griffin]

Some on the right believe Barry and co. are cooking the books.

They say the same thing whenever unemployment drops.

They same the same thing always.

[Iosif]

But Benghazi!

No, no, no, Ben Ghazi was the Kenyan real estate developer who co-founded the Whether Underground with Rev. Saul Alinsky (the pastor at Obama's church).  And more importantly, Barry Soetoro still won't release his real birth certificate which shows he was born in the country of Africa and attended a madrasa in Indochina.

I blame Acorn and Solyndra.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

But Benghazi!

No, no, no, Ben Ghazi was the Kenyan real estate developer who co-founded the Whether Underground with Rev. Saul Alinsky (the pastor at Obama's church).  And more importantly, Barry Soetoro still won't release his real birth certificate which shows he was born in the country of Africa and attended a madrasa in Indochina.

I blame Acorn and Solyndra.

So the problem with healthcare.gov was that it used twenty-year old British computers?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Obamacare is working just fine, and the conservative prophets of doom are going to have to deal with it.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Obamacare is working just fine, and the conservative prophets of doom are going to have to deal with it.

It might work just fine, but it's a tad early to make a claim either way, really.

[King]

Considering things like recessions and wars and hurricanes are just natural parts of the life cycle, it's always too early to write off "impending doom."

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

But Benghazi!

Rep. Gohmert has already said that the 7 million figure is a lie, and that -- like Benghazi -- we'll see the truth one or two years down the line.

[Holmes]

The far right reaction to this serves as a good reminder as to why I can't take any attack leveled against Obama seriously.  Sometimes I wonder if they have a point.  Sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm being a little too hackish or too defensive.  Sometimes I wonder if I have moved a little to far to the left on an issue.

But then, today happens.

Today, I see a conservative pundit after pundit talk spout ridiculous nonsense like 7 million out of 330 million shouldn't be considered an accomplishment, or that signing up for insurance with an insurer does not actually count as purchasing insurance--arguments which just flat out make no sense.

Today, it all becomes so clear: these people are all simpletons who have no idea what they are talking about, have no idea how insurance works, and have no idea how this program works.  And, if they can be so arrogant and so certain while making statements not only wrong but implausible on this issue, how could I trust them on any other issue?

There is no reason for me to consider anything they say about anything. Ever.

They know what they're talking about, they're just banking on you not knowing anything about what they're talking about. Malleable minds and such.

[Gass3268]