Bad news for foes of Obamacare

Avik Roy

Forbes.com

“For quite some time now,” my fellow conservatives have confidently predicted the collapse of Obamacare, said Avik Roy. But with the latest sign-up numbers from the Department of Health and Human Services now out, it’s time for opponents of the law to face facts: “There won’t be an Obamacare death spiral.” The 1.2 million people who signed up through the Affordable Care Act exchanges last month exceeded the government’s expectations, and they were younger than in previous months. The percentage under the age of 35 increased to nearly 31 percent, still below the government’s target of 38 percent. But as the March 31 deadline for 2014 sign-ups nears, it’s clear that an “all-out catastrophe” will not occur. About 82 percent of people signing up on the exchanges qualify for a subsidy, and for them, premiums are so affordable, many are picking the more generous coverage of “silver” plans, instead of the cheaper “bronze” plans. This isn’t to say that Obamacare is good for the country. But Obamacare isn’t going to collapse. “And that makes the development of a credible, market-oriented health-reform agenda more urgent than ever.”