Reuters: Politics: Democratic senator says government has failed on healthcare outreach

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Democratic senator says government has failed on healthcare outreach Apr 17th 2013, 18:14 Sen. Max Baucus, (D-MT) is questioned by media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington December 31, 2012. U.S. Credit: Reuters/Mary F. Calvert By David Morgan WASHINGTON | Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:14pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic senator who helped craft President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law gave the administration "a failing grade" on Wednesday for its efforts to educate the public and small employers about sweeping changes due to take effect in eight months. "I just see a huge train wreck," Senator Max Baucus of Montana told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, an oversight panel that he chairs. "I'm very concerned that not enough is being done so far. Very concerned," said Baucus, citing examples of perplexed small business owners and polling data showing that most Americans either do not know much about the coming changes or have false information about what to expect. "The administration's public information campaign on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, I think, deserve a failing grade. You need to fix it," he said. Sebelius told the committee that the administration takes outreach and education "very, very seriously." She said efforts are under way to address the concerns of small business owners and to organize a public outreach campaign for the summer. Baucus's comments were made a week after the release of Obama's budget for fiscal year 2014 underscored the administration's need for extra funding to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, one of the biggest pieces of U.S. social legislation since the 1960s. A main concern for lawmakers and policymakers is the creation of new state online marketplaces where consumers can purchase private health insurance at subsidized rates intended to make the coverage affordable for those with family incomes of up to $90,000 a year. The marketplaces, known as exchanges, are due to start enrolling beneficiaries on October 1 and are open to individuals and businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Full operations are scheduled for January 1. The federal government is required by law to operate exchanges in 33 of 50 states - those that have not set up their own marketplaces. In the face of Republican opposition, Congress this year denied a nearly $1 billion funding request to help pay for an outreach campaign that had been due to start over the summer. "We were incredibly disappointed that our request for additional outreach and education resources were not made available," Sebelius said. The Department of Health and Human Services has responded by shifting funds from other areas. A fresh $1.5 billion request contained in Obama's latest budget is also not expected to succeed. Analysts warn that a poorly funded public education campaign could compromise the success of the exchanges in some Republican-led states, leading to higher healthcare costs for consumers and threatening the 2014 congressional re-election prospects of Democrats who voted for the law. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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