Afternoon Must-Read: Michael Hiltzik: Can We Finally Agree That ObamaCare Is Working?
Michael Hiltzik: Can we finally agree that Obamacare is working?: "At the end of a war, some people will remain holed up in the trees...
...thinking they can still turn the tide of a lost cause. Increasingly, that's the best description of the anti-Obamacare dead-enders.... Nearly 60% of enrollees in ACA-compliant exchange health plans this year were previously uninsured.... Obamacare cut costs for buyers eligible for subsidies by an average 76% .... More than 80% of buyers are eligible for government subsidies.... Most people can save money by choosing plans offering narrower provider networks, and there's "no meaningful" difference in health outcomes.... Projected rate increases for 2015 are coming in well below expectations.... Here's the Republican approach to these trends. On Thursday, Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, issued a report attacking the Administration for its botched rollout of Healthcare.gov.... Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up his state's Republican convention by calling the expansion of Medicaid, which he's refused to implement, 'federal blackmail'. Number of Texas residents left without health insurance by his stand: 1.1 million...