Health Care Blog

New Medicare Data Offers Unprecedented Transparency for Consumers

Posted by Todd Park on April 9, 2014 at 4:05 PM EDT

Today, the Administration took another historic step in making data open and accessible to the public, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released information for the first time about the types and frequency of medical services that doctors and health care providers deliver to people with Medicare and about how much providers are paid—all while maintaining the privacy of beneficiaries.

This is great news for the American people. These valuable data had been inaccessible for decades, and today’s release provides unprecedented visibility into how American seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare are treated.

These data create transparency for consumers to help inform their health care decisions such as which doctor to choose, or which course of treatment to pursue.

As we have seen with other releases of government data—from car safety ratings, to consumer credit card complaints, to weather and climate measurements and the recent launch of the Administration’s Climate Data Initiative to help spur the development of resiliency tools—this kind of openness and transparency can fuel innovation and research for years to come.

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While Marketplace Enrollment Ended, Medicaid Enrollment Continues

Posted by Tara McGuinness on April 4, 2014 at 12:15 PM EDT

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has already provided coverage to millions of Americans. More than 7.1 million Americans signed up for coverage through the Marketplaces, 3 million additional young adults were covered under their parents’ insurance and millions more will have access through Medicaid. A new report shows that more people are gaining coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as a result of the health law. The analysis, produced by the Health and Human Services Department shows enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP in February was at least 3 million people higher than it was, on average, between July and September. That does not include March, which saw an enormous spike in Marketplace enrollment and traffic to HealthCare.gov.

While this is great progress, states where governors or legislatures refuse to implement the Medicaid expansion provisions of the law will leave 5.7 million Americans uninsured. States that have expanded Medicaid, such as Kentucky and New York, have seen particularly dramatic declines in their uninsured populations. Just take Kentucky, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky has seen a 40 percent drop in its rate of uninsured since October 1.

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President Obama: "7.1 Million Americans"

Posted by Lindsay Holst on April 1, 2014 at 7:42 PM EDT

President Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, delivers a statement on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the Rose Garden of the White House, April 1, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The President sent the message below to the White House email list this afternoon following his remarks in the Rose Garden, announcing that 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance through the new Health Insurance Marketplaces.

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Hello everybody,

Last night, the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act came to an end.

And this afternoon, we announced that 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through the new Health Insurance Marketplaces.

7.1 million.

That doesn't count the more than 3 million young adults who have gained insurance under this law by staying on their families' plans. It doesn't count the millions more who have gotten covered through the expansion of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It doesn't include the more than 100 million folks who now have better care -- who are receiving additional benefits, like mammograms and contraceptive care, at no extra cost.

Now, millions of our fellow Americans have the comfort and peace of mind that comes with knowing they're no longer leaving their health and well-being to chance. For many of them, quality health insurance wasn't an option until this year -- maybe because they couldn't afford it, or because a pre-existing condition kept them locked out of a discriminatory system.

Today, that's changed. And while our long-broken health care system may not be completely fixed, it's without question a lot better. That's something to be proud of -- and there's no good reason to go back.

Regardless of your politics, or your feelings about the Affordable Care Act, millions more Americans with health coverage is something that's good for our economy and our country.

At the end of the day, that is what this law -- and the other reforms we're fighting for, from a 21st-century immigration system to a fairer wage for every American who's willing to work for it -- are all about:

Making sure our country lives up to our highest ideals.

I am thankful to be your President today, and every day. And I am proud that this law will continue to make life better for millions of Americans in the years to come.

Thank you.

President Barack Obama

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7.1 Million Americans Have Enrolled in Private Health Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act

Posted by Lindsay Holst on April 1, 2014 at 2:48 PM EDT

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Today, the White House announced that more than 7 million Americans signed up for affordable health care through the Health Insurance Marketplace during the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment period, which ended on March 31.

The number, initially announced during Press Secretary Jay Carney's briefing, means that millions of Americans across the country now have access to quality, affordable care.

President Obama updated that number to 7.1 million during remarks delivered in the Rose Garden:

The truth is, even more folks want to sign up. So anybody who was stuck in line because of the huge surge in demand over the past few days can still go back and finish your enrollment -- 7.1 million, that’s on top of the more than 3 million young adults who have gained insurance under this law by staying on their family’s plan. That’s on top of the millions more who have gained access through Medicaid expansion and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Making affordable coverage available to all Americans, including those with preexisting conditions, is now an important goal of this law.

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#GeeksGetCovered: Real Estate Entrepreneur Encourages Geeks to Enroll

Posted by Bess Evans and Ashlyn Sanders on March 31, 2014 at 5:20 PM EDT

As consumers surge to Healthcare.gov on the last day of open enrollment, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s #GeeksGetCovered initiative continues to focus on raising awareness, sharing stories, and encouraging healthcare enrollment among geeks, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

As part of the effort, I recently caught up with Seattle-based entrepreneur Galen Ward, who founded the real estate website Estately in 2006. While he was able to purchase individual health insurance at that time, he reflects: “If I'd had a preexisting condition that made health insurance unaffordable, I wouldn’t have Estately in the first place. There’s a myth that entrepreneurs are risk takers. We’re actually risk managers.” Galen has seen firsthand other entrepreneurs struggle with lack of coverage, and the negative impact it had on their ability to focus on their dream. Today, Galen is passionate about encouraging other entrepreneurs to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act and to get covered.

Galen Ward, Founder, Estately

Why do you consider yourself a “geek”?

I’m a numbers guy and I make numbers-backed decisions. Every day at Estately we geek out on real estate statistics and user experience data. I created the company to help people become real estate geeks.

What does having affordable healthcare mean to you?

Affordable healthcare for all means anyone who wants to can take the same risk I did and start their own company without risking their health and without risking bankruptcy because of a health issue. It means people can take time to work to build a skill - like learning to program - in order to get a better job and without worrying about access to health insurance. That’s phenomenal. That flexibility is what allows people to build a better life for themselves, and, once in a while, to build a groundbreaking new company or product.

How can the Affordable Care Act—or access to affordable, quality health insurance—enable entrepreneurs to pursue new opportunities?

When we made our first, second and third hires at Estately, health insurance was a huge wild card that we just couldn’t afford to offer.

I hated doing it, but we had to ask people to either find their own health insurance or take a risk - otherwise we couldn’t afford to hire them. It limited the people who were interested in working for us. Employers shouldn't be in that position, and workers should not have to be dependent on the availability of healthcare when deciding whether to take a job.

Now that we have the ACA this isn’t an issue for many startups, because they have options in the marketplaces. I genuinely believe the Affordable Care Act is one of the best things to happen to startups and small businesses in America in my lifetime.

What advice do you have for other geeks?

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#GeeksGetCovered: Education Entrepreneur Shares His Story

Posted by Bess Evans on March 31, 2014 at 2:55 PM EDT

Earlier this month, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched #GeeksGetCovered, an effort focused on raising awareness, sharing stories, and encouraging healthcare enrollment among geeks, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

As the final day for open enrollment falls, we’ll continue to share stories about what access to affordable, quality healthcare means to geeks across America.

We recently caught up with entrepreneur Michael Staton, who enrolled in health insurance via the online Marketplaces. Michael has worked with a variety of innovative education companies in roles ranging from founder and CEO to venture partner to advisor. Here’s what he had to say about the importance of innovators in the startup world having access to affordable healthcare in order to pursue their dreams—and the next big idea.

Michael Staton

What does affordable healthcare mean to you?

Affordable healthcare means that I can continue working with and for small and agile companies without instability in my healthcare coverage. I can own the relationship with my insurance provider, instead of my employers owning it. My employers are often bootstrapped or lean, or I may not have a direct employer as I transition from one project to the next.

I once spent six months completely unemployed while I started a company. Eventually, as I transferred control of that company, I consulted for three different startups simultaneously. Now I work for a small venture capital fund where the partners are expected to finance their own healthcare.

Do you consider yourself a “geek”?

Of course. But I think geek, like love, is more of a verb. I geek out on so much, usually entrepreneurial initiatives in the education space. I also geek out on tech, media, and creativity.

How has the Affordable Care Act enabled you to pursue new opportunities?

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