You can’t make this stuff up, but our government and politicians CAN and WILL! Headlines and talking heads are buzzing with “Enrollment” news, we’re even hearing TESTIMONY about such news.
Well, hopefully we’re smarter than we used to be. If our last election didn’t provide you with good reason to check, double-check and interpret for yourself what statistics mean, consider the “Enrollment” garbage we’re being given as PROOF that Obamacare is or is not working.
NO LEARNING REQUIRED, this is only for entertainment purposes.Why read on? One of the ways we've been manipulated is by failing to identify agendized euphemisms, turn of a phrase designed to persuade us one way or another.
As you’re reading the following, consider what would happen if a real business considered a customer, someone counted by the government for their ENROLLMENT NUMBERS below.
December 11, 2013, you can go to the source, HHS, to try to see how the exchange is doing in getting enrollments.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketPlaceEnrollment/Dec2013/ib_2013dec_enrollment.pdf
If the link doesn’t work you can search the document it’s entitled, “Health Insurance Marketplace, December Enrollment Report, for the Period: October 1-November 30.”
I'm quoting that little piece of MAGICAL THINKING and I’m CAPITALIZING words I think you should pay extra attention to BEFORE you start believing what you’re hearing and reading in our “media.”
“CUMULATIVE enrollment-related ACTIVITY during the period 10-1-13 to 11-30-13 are reported for several metrics including: the number of unique VISITORS to the Marketplace websites, the number of CALLS to the Marketplace call centers, the number of COMPLETED APPLICATIONS submitted to the Marketplaces, the number of ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS PROCESSED by the marketplaces for enrollment in a Marketplace plan (used throughout this report—also known as a Qualified Health Plan or QHP), the number of PERSONS who have been DETERMINED OR ASSESSED eligible for MEDICAID or the Children’s health insurance Program (CHIP) by the Marketplaces, and the number of PERSONS who have SELECTED A PLAN through the marketplace.
“This report features CUMULATIVE DATA for the two month period, because some people apply, shop and select a plan across monthly reporting periods. We believe that this cumulative data provides the best “snapshot” of Marketplace enrollment activity to date. WE ARE WORKING TO ELIMINATE “DUPLICATION” ASSOCIATED WITH COUNTING PEOPLE IN MORE THAN ONE MONTH.”
END QUOTE with my capitalization added. Now let’s go through WHO IS COUNTED AS ENROLLED IN OBAMACARE?
We’ve got VISITORS to the website, CALLERS to Marketplace call centers, THOSE WHO COMPLETED APPLICATIONS, THOSE WERE DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR MARKETPLACE, THOSE WHO WERE DETERMINED ELIGIBLE FOR MEDICAID AND CHIP, AND THOSE WHO SELECTED A MARKETPLACE PLAN.
WHO’S MISSING? Yeah, you can see it can’t you…THOSE WHO HAVE MARKETPLACE HEALTH INSURANCE and significantly THOSE WHO HAVE PAID TO COMPLETE THEIR ENROLLMENT FOR MARKETPLACE INSURANCE and have a marketplace policy.
What on earth kind of CUSTOMER is someone who calls in and asks about your product or someone who is redirected to another product (Medicaid and CHIP)? At BEST, the numbers you’re hearing are POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS of the Marketplace.
As if that’s not enough, even these FAKE numbers might include DUPLICATIONS, double or more counting according to HHS.
The ONLY conclusion that is valid is that there has been INTEREST in the marketplace by consumers.Newsworthy in terms of success or failure of Obamacare? NO, fake numbers being used to draw fake conclusions...It's more magical thinking.
Language is a major tool in manipulating people into buying in or opting out. This blog noted such use of euphemisms when it comes to changes in language we've used to blur the distinction between immigrants and illegal immigrants in my November 30, 2013 post, "Health Care to Immigration Magic: Obamastyle Reform," http://conoutofconsumer.blogspot.com/2013/11/health-care-to-immigration-magic.html, in my post, "Kiplingers: Elitist Advice for those who don't need it," of April 20, 2008, where I talked about the euphemism of "prevention," in the insurance context.
Language is used to define our enemies in politics as well, such as referring to Medicare as an entitlement but refusing to identify our other single-payer health insurance, Veterans Benefits as an entitlement, putting one on the chopping block and leaving the other as a sacred and patriotic right.
Enrollment means something in English, it means you're officially registered as a member, but that was until Obamacare, and now we've got the above.
