Obamacare in Vermont: $168 Million spent for uninsured (source updated)

[green73]

Vermont had around 43,000 uninsured residents before the Affordable Care Act—the lowest number of any state in the nation—but has spent more federal money per uninsured resident than any other state, some $167.9 million each.

http://www.newsweek.com/vermonts-fla...1031?piano_d=1

via
http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/is-this-a-misprint/


Mod note- article was updated... $167.9 million is the total.

[oyarde]

How do you get to 168 million ea ?

[green73]

How do you get to 168 million ea ?

Are you asking me personally? I didn't write the story, but maybe they've divided ~$7.2b by 43,000.

[oyarde]

Are you asking me personally? I didn't write the story, but maybe they've divided ~$7.2b by 43,000.

Yeah , I got that part , it is just that the number seems very high .

[green73]

Yeah , I got that part , it is just that the number seems very high .

Dude, it's NEWSWEEK. Surely they're never wrong.

I'm sure Zippy will come to Obamacare's rescue if the numbers are wrong.

[oyarde]

Dude, it's NEWSWEEK. Surely they're never wrong.

I'm sure Zippy will come to Obamacare's rescue if the numbers are wrong.

It may not be wrong , if it is right , I am wondering what the hell people are billing for in Vermont. I honestly never knew a terminally ill person that would have had a bill reach 1 million .

[Zippyjuan]

According to this article: http://vtdigger.org/2014/05/15/legis...s-4-1-percent/ the total budget for the State of Vermont is $5.5 billion. How can they spend $7.2 billion on uninsured healthcare expenses?

The fiscal year 2015 state budget reflects a sluggish economic recovery and several pressing budgetary concerns, lawmakers say.
The $5.5 billion price tag is about 4.1 percent more than the current year, which ends June 30.

Health and Human Services total budget is $3.6 billion. That includes state medicaid expenses in addition to uninsured patients. Perhaps somebody got a decimal place in the wrong spot. Maybe it should be $168,000 per uninsured (thousands instead of millions). While still a lot, that seems more reasonable.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Human services comprises by far the largest portion of the state budget: $3.6 billion all-told. Most of that is covered by nearly $1.3 billion in federal funds and another $1.27 billion in Medicaid Global Commitment Funds. The rest is paid for by a combination of general funds, state health care resources and other smaller sources.

[Zippyjuan]

I see there was an update (thanks Mod!). If it is a total of $168 million to cover 43,000 uninsured residents, that comes out to $3,900 each.

Vermont had around 43,000 uninsured residents before the Affordable Care Act—the lowest number of any state in the nation—but has spent more federal money per uninsured resident than any other state, some $167.9 million total.

[Jackie Moon]

Oregon spent $250 million just to build their exchange - and then abandoned it because they couldn't get it to work:

Cover Oregon closed one of the sorrier chapters in the history of Oregon state government Friday when it opted to dump its troubled $248 million health insurance exchange in favor of the federal exchange.

[oyarde]

Oregon spent $250 million just to build their exchange - and then abandoned it because they couldn't get it to work:

Well , that makes sense

[acptulsa]

Maybe it should be $168,000 per uninsured (thousands instead of millions). While still a lot, that seems more reasonable.

It does? I can't imagine what reason there would be for it.

Yeah. Newsweak. Gets more entertaining every year.