Sunday, April 26, 2015

Running on Empty

California is running out of water and money.

Gov. Moonbeam blames global warming and wasteful usage on things like lawns and toilets for the water problem. But what about the money issue?

Covered California, the Obamacare exchange for residents (legal or otherwise) of Kalifornia, was built with seed money from Obama's fat wallet. Problem is, those funds are running dry.
Indeed, there’s no more money coming from Washington after the state exhausts the $1.1 billion it received from the federal government to get the Obamacare exchange up and running. And state law prohibits Sacramento from spending any money to keep the exchange afloat.
That presents an existential crisis for Covered California, which is facing a nearly $80 (billion) budget deficit for its 2015-16 fiscal year. Although the exchange is setting aside $200 million to cover its near-term deficit, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee acknowledged in December that there are questions about the “long-term sustainability of the organization.” - OC Register

Unlike the federal govt, the Republik of Kalifornia cannot print their own money and must balance the budget.

What a novel idea.

But wait. There's more.
Covered California’s enrollment growth for 2015 was a mere 1 percent, according to a study this month by Avalere Health. That was worst than all but two other state exchanges. Meanwhile, California’s Obamacare exchange managed to retain only 65 percent of previous enrollees, the nation’s fourth-lowest re-enrollment rate.
Not only are they running through money like it was water, but they aren't doing a very good job of managing resources.

OK, maybe that water analogy was a cheap shot.

#Obamacare #CoveredCalifornia

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