Barack Obama

The Affordable Care Act is Already Having a Very Real Impact in Texas


Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, over 2 million people nationwide are already newly enrolled in health insurance. By the end of March, the number is expected to climb to at least 8 million. While the enrollment numbers for Texas haven't been updated to reflect the end-of-December surge, hundreds of thousands of Texans were already enrolled by mid-month.

The enrollment numbers are forcing many Republicans to recognize that if they want to use canceled plans as a talking point against the ACA, they can't exactly start canceling millions of plans now. Even Tea Party Senate Republican Ron Johnson admitted, "It's no longer just a piece of paper that you can repeal and it goes away... We have to recognize that reality. We have to deal with the people that are currently covered under Obamacare."

Texas, however, still has a state government and representatives actively promoting repeal of this unprecedented opportunity to insure millions of Texans. And it means that Texans face inordinate hurdles and misinformation. According to Theresa Coughlin of the Urban Institute, "Information about Obamacare seems to be less widespread and less clear in states, such as Texas, where the local government doesn't support the law.


Oregon, for example, set up its own exchange and has blasted airwaves and social media sites with ads touting Obamacare. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has decried the law as a 'criminal act.'" But despite the obstacles, stories from Texans show that the Affordable Care Act is already having a very real impact.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14608/the-affordable-care-act-is-already-having-a-very-real-impact-in-texas

I like your last paragraph...