Who would have possibly thought that a 2,000+ page bill with over 20,000 pages (so far) of regulations would be so difficult?
(NY Times) Navigators are seen as crucial to the success of the law. As the Jan. 1 deadline approaches when most Americans will be required to have health coverage or pay a fine, Â navigators are supposed to explain away confusion and fear among the legions of uninsured, helping them understand how new health insurance markets will work and whether they will qualify for subsidies to help with the cost of coverage.
Wasn’t Obamacare supposed to make things easy? I wonder if the Navigators will be able to explain why people can’t keep their insurance and doctors?
But as the navigator effort gets under way across the country, it is clear that their impact will vary from state to state, with wide discrepancies in how much will be spent to hire and train navigators and how many people they will be able to reach. Many will be operating on shoestring budgets, with extremely tight time frames and hostile political climates.
That’s because of this
The federal government did not anticipate having to cover the cost of running the insurance markets in 34 states, which is why it has only $54 million — transferred from a fund for public health prevention programs — for navigators in those states. The health care law set aside much more money for states that built their own markets, assuming that most would do so.
Who would have thought that such an unpopular piece of legislation would cause States to say “nope, we aren’t creating our own exchanges”?
Anyhow, the Navigators will get super detailed training of about 20 hours in order to explain just how super awesome Obamacare is.
I figure it is just easier to pay the fine and probably cheaper.
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For now Gail, it will be. Over the next few years, the fines will increase, as well as the punishments. People who don’t pay, will be thrown in jail for not having insurance.
At that point, assuming they are in a minimum security prison, their quality of life will improve. They will get free 3 meals a day, cable tv, internet, a free place to stay, and for some, federal welfare. Don’t forget the free work-training program where they can even earn some money and a skill.