Consumer Reports (CR) rebuts claims that it has turn against the Affordable Care Act because of problems on Healthcare.gov. It says, “Obamacare opponents have misrepresented Consumer Reports’ position.” The group responded after Conservative bloggers and media outlets picked up a quote from a caution offered by Consumer Reports’ health care writer Nancy Metcalf.
Metcalf writes a daily blog that offers tips about signing up for Obamacare and she’s listed the problems people have hadwith Healthcare.gov. She did suggest that consumers wait to sign up on the federal registry until the technical problems on the site are resolved. She wrote, “Stay away from Healthcare.gov for at least another month if you can. Hopefully that will be long enough for its software vendors to clean up the mess they’ve made. The coverage available through the marketplaces won’t begin until Jan. 1, 2014, at the earliest, and you have until Dec. 15 to enroll if you need insurance that starts promptly.”
But she did not urge people to stay away or boycott Obamacare. In fact, Consumer Reports thinks that Obamacare is a good and valuable way for most Americans to purchase affordable health insurance. Metcalf, posted this response to those who twisted her advice to consumers:
“Pundits opposed to the new health care law and some media outlets have tried to suggest that our coverage of the troubled HealthCare.gov site means that Consumer Reports has turned against the Affordable Care Act.
Not true. Consistent with our mission to inform and protect consumers, particularly in this complicated health care market, our advice remains the same: The best place to buy coverage on your own is through the Health Insurance Marketplace in your state. That guarantees you will get comprehensive coverage, and it’s the only way you can lower the cost of your premiums and possibly even your deductibles and copayments.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you live in one of the 16 states that have their own healthcare exchanges you are in luck. There are some problems, but most of the state websites allow you to sign up without difficulty. Consumers in states including Kentucky, Delaware, California, Maryland, Minnesota and New York are reporting that they are able to sign up successfully.
Again, you do have until December 15th to sign up for health insurance that begins January 1, 2014.
OUR ADVICE
It’s worth it. Don’t give up.
Latest Fixes on Obamacare
