The Affordable Care Act – Failing New Hampshire

The Affordable Care Act – Failure New Hampshire

-Christopher Carroll

 

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, has had a rocky introduction. The systems are malfunctioning and the legislation has thus far been proved faulty. Though, as with any new legislation the size of the A.C.A, a bumpy start was anticipated, nobody predicted the scope or the damage that the early failures have thus far done. That certainly is true in the state of New Hampshire, where the Affordable Care Act is proving to be nearly as disappointing as the demise of the Old Man of the Mountain.

As has been widely discussed across the country and in recent posts, the Affordable Care Act is a mess. Citizens, already skeptical about the law in the first place, either cannot successfully enroll on the exchanges or are being kicked off the plans they already have. The woes don’t stop there. Added to these immense flaws is the emerging reality that the state of New Hampshire will have one insurance carrier in 2014.

In May, Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post reported that it was a distinct possibility that New Hampshire’s competitive exchanges would be less than suspenseful. Since then nothing has changed. Today, there is one insurance carrier offered on the exchanges, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield.

The A.C.A needs more providers in the exchanges to behave properly. While the law ensures that the quality of the plans is comparable across the country, the pricing of those plans is reliant on competition between providers. Additionally, with Anthem BlueCross BlueShield serving as the states only provider, the only hospitals and doctors that will be covered will be those who are in A.B.C.B.S’ network. This is a disaster for patients, doctors and hospitals.

The A.C.A was meant to not only ensure that more Americans receive health insurance but drive down prices due to a larger market and increased insurer competition. In New Hampshire, that not only doesn’t seem likely to happen, but the quality of care may be hurt as well.  Local hospitals outside the provider’s network may be forced to close their doors. Local doctors not affiliated with the right hospitals will lose work. Patients in need of ambulatory travel will be forced to wait longer periods for emergency units traveling from further away. And on top of all of this, insurance customers will be forced to pay more for health care because there is one insurance provider who can force hospitals to charge whatever they want.

Obamacare does many great things for most Americans. It has enabled young people to remain on their parents health plans. It will ensure that Americans already sick aren’t denied insurance due to pre-existing health conditions. In a majority of cases, it will help reduce the cost of health services across the country. New Hampshire, however, it is a different story. In New Hampshire, Obamacare is failing.