WHAT OBAMA WON'T TALK ABOUT TODAY

St. Paul - As President Obama spoke during his visit to Minnesota today, AFP-MN State Director John Cooney issued the following statement, highlighting major issues with ObamaCare that the President is unlikely to mention.

"During President Obama's visit St. Paul, Minn. today, you can bet he won’t be addressing problems with his healthcare law. Obamacare is not only hurting Minnesota, its not doing what it was intended to do: help more people get health insurance. The state exchange platform, MNsure, may not be successfully extending health benefits to uninsured state residents. The healthcare law is also costing people their jobs. The Advanced Medical Technology Association revealed the recent tax on medical device makers forced the industry to cut 30,000+ jobs last year."

BACKGROUND RESEARCH:

Minnesota Woman Still Doesn’t Know If She Can Afford Insurance On MNsure.“Jamie Ward has run the numbers over and over — even consulting a financial counselor — and still doesn’t know if she can afford the health insurance she found on MNsure. With two months left to enroll for benefits this year, the 29-year-old from East Bethel must decide whether to buy coverage for herself and her husband — or risk staying uninsured and paying a penalty imposed by the new federal health law. ‘It might be cheaper to pay a hospital bill if something happens than to pay a premium every month,’ she said in a recent interview.” (Jeremy Olson, “Cost of MNsure Insurance May Leave Target Group No Better Off,” Star Tribune, 2/11/14)

Are Uninsured Minnesotans Successfully Covered? “Nobody Knows The Answer.” “Setting aside the problems that have hounded the state’s troubled health insurance website, the key measure of MNsure — and the federal health law it embodies — is whether it successfully extends health benefits to Minnesota’s estimated 490,000 uninsured — people such as the Wards. Trouble is, nobody knows the answer.” (Jeremy Olson, “Cost of MNsure Insurance May Leave Target Group No Better Off,” Star Tribune, 2/11/14)

WDAY News: “New York Mills Resident Without Medication For Months After Mnsure Complications.” “A Minnesota man says he hasn't had access to medication since October after losing his insurance and hitting frustrating roadblocks through MNSure. He says it has been a four-month process and he still is not covered. Chris Whitehouse lives in New York Mills, where he is also a caregiver to his partner Vicki, who suffered a stroke. After losing his Minnesota Care plan, he says trying to get back on it has been a long and confusing process. Chris Whitehouse has gone months without medication for his ADD and pain.” (Becky Parker, “New York Mills Resident Without Medication For Months After Mnsure Complications,” WDAY News, 2/20/14)

The Star Tribune: “Group Says Tax On Medical Device Makers Has Cost Jobs.” “The medical device industry’s major trade group says that a new tax on revenue cost the industry 33,000 med-tech jobs in 2013. The Advanced Medical Technology Association — AdvaMed — based its conclusion on a survey of members conducted late last year. Thirty-eight companies — about 15 percent of AdvaMed’s membership — responded to the survey, and AdvaMed ‘generalized’ those results across the entire industry to determine that approximately 14,000 industry jobs were cut and companies deferred hiring of another 19,000 workers.” (Jim Spencer, “Group Says Tax On Medical Device Makers Has Cost Jobs,” The Star Tribune, 2/19/14)