Cruz doesn't have health insurance. Blames it on Obamacare

[cali]

Ted Cruz revealed on Thursday that he is not currently covered by any health insurance, chalking up the lack of coverage to Obamacare.

"I’ll tell you, you know who one of those millions of Americans is who’s lost their health care because of Obamacare? That would be me," Cruz told a Manchester, New Hampshire, audience. "I don’t have health care right now."


Essentially, Cruz’s coverage lapsed because his 2015 carrier, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, ended its individual PPO plans for 2016, including the family plan that covered the Cruz family. The carrier decided to move entirely to HMO plans for the individual market. And Cruz didn’t manage to sign up for a new 2016 plan by Dec. 31. That happened even though the insurer announced its decision to close PPO plans way back on July 23. Five months is normally enough for an educated adult to arrange health insurance.
still has until Jan. 31 to sign up for coverage beginning March 1, and he said he’d be doing that. "We’re in the process of finding another policy," he said. "I hope by the end of the month we’ll have a policy for our family."


Cruz still has until Jan. 31 to sign up for coverage beginning March 1, and he said he’d be doing that. "We’re in the process of finding another policy," he said. "I hope by the end of the month we’ll have a policy for our family."In other words, Cruz’s problem has nothing to do with Obamacare and everything to do with his own sloth — unless the explanation is more sinister, as insurance expert Richard Mayhew of balloon-juice.com speculates: "The Cruz family is currently uninsured to guarantee their father a cheap laugh line."

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http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-ted-cruz-blames-naturally-obamacare-20160121-column.html

[hobbit709]

1. Did he give up his Congressional plan?

What a POS.

[librechik]

14. no! you don't suppose he might be fibbing???

cuz I think it would be tough to opt out of the Congressional plan

[hobbit709]

15. If his lips were moving.

[proverbialwisdom]

2. The coerced shift from PPO to HMO format plans is bad news, IMO, after a lifetime of fee-for-service

The article conveniently misses that valid point, Cruz aside. Oh, I forgot, disruption.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-05/did-clay-christensen-get-disruption-wrong-

[Xithras]

6. True. I'd rather do without insurance than lose my PPO/FFS plan. HMO's are awful.

They're an insurance company scam designed for the single purpose of denying you access to healthcare. My current employer offers us two options: We can take an HMO plan for free (free as in, my employer pays 100%), or take the more expensive PPO/FFS plan and pay the cost difference between the plans. According to a recent comment by our HR Benefits office, more than 80% of our employees pay the money for the PPO. Given the choice between "free" and "not free", the overwhelming majority chose "not free".

The recent attempts by insurance companies to transition their members to HMO's is simply an attempt to increase profits by denying services.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

11. My HMO has been great (HMO Illinois-BCBS). Most employees here choose it over the PPO.

[Ilsa]

3. So they lost their group coverage cadillac plan when

His wife took unpaid leave from Goldman Sachs. I don't remember the reason for her leaving and if they had a choice to stay on the group plan (doesn't seem likely that they could).

I agree with Mayhew that it's probably intentional to give Cruz something to whine about. He better hope they don't have a minor health incident (gall bladder pain, kidney stones, etc) and are required to show proof of insurance or be sent to another hospital.

[Xithras]

8. That doesn't always happen.

My brother didn't have health insurance for years. When he went to the hospital with severe stomach pains a few years ago, they asked him to show an "ability to pay", which is a proof of insurance card for most people. He didn't have one, but was able to pull up his bank balance on his phone and show that he had over $30,000 in savings. After that, they just had him sign a few forms and treated him like any other patient.

I'm sure Cruz would do the same thing.

[Ilsa]

12. That's good news for some people.

It would be interesting if Cruz were to consider, if they ask for proof of financial capacity, that most people don't have much cash in liquid accounts.

[yellowcanine]

4. I call bullshit on that and so should the media.

As a member of congress, health insurance is part of the benefits. If in fact he does not have health insurance it has nothing to do with the ACA and everything to do with Ted Cruz being a dipshit.

[CommonSenseDemocrat]

5. Congresspeople are required to use ACA

[dembotoz]

7. so if he does not give a shit about his own coverage how do you expect him to care about your

coverage


seniors on medicare beware

[Johonny]

13. Yeah my thought as well.

He comes off as stupid and rich enough not to care... but most people are not so lucky. Another out of touch idiot with a pointless cause which would hurt millions if he came to power.

[Katashi_itto]

9. Oh dear God, let him catch something fatal.

[maxsolomon]

10. He's a sitting US Senator

What a load of horseshit. He did it on purpose.

Fuck him sideways.

[Paladin]

16. No coverage for him under his wife's Goldman Sachs plan?

I call bullshit on that.

[B Calm]

17. BINGO!