Age of ObamaCare Begins: Launch to test claims of law’s supporters, foes
By: Fox News October 2013
The sales pitches for and against ObamaCare have all been made. It’s now up to Americans to judge whether the law works as advertised, as the so-called insurance “exchanges” launch Tuesday.
Against the backdrop of the aggressive congressional showdown over ObamaCare — and partial shutdown of the federal government — Tuesday is the day that Americans can finally log on to the insurance-purchasing websites to take a test drive and decide for themselves.
Exactly what will happen when millions attempt to buy insurance on the federal and state-based websites remains uncertain — considering the well-documented software glitches in the prelude to enrollment day.
Yet broader questions also will be have to answered before federally subsidized coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2014.
Among the issues is whether premium costs will be higher or lower compared with customers’ existing policies, and will Americans’ confusion about mandatory changes to the U.S. health care system become clear. Perhaps the ultimate question: Will the country benefit when an estimated 48 million uninsured Americans get access to coverage or will ObamaCare be the job-killing “train wreck” critics say it will be?
Meanwhile, the Capitol Hill battle over who’s right continued into the final hours, with the Republican-led House trying late into the night to delay the implementation of ObamaCare via a crucial spending bill.
“We continue to hear about the [negative] impact this law will have on families,” said Washington GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, whose chamber has attempted to repeal or defund at least part of ObamaCare at least 40 times since it became law in 2010.
