Below is the full story of Mr. James Chambers, who Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin referenced in his questions of CMS Administrator Tavenner at this morning’s Committee Hearing. Mr. Chambers is a Republican from Michigan who spoke with Rep. Levin’s office yesterday after signing up for coverage in the federal marketplace and saving him and his wife $720 a month. If Chairman Camp’s office is having difficulty finding people who have signed up for coverage, as he said during his own questions of Ms. Tavenner, we would welcome the opportunity to help the Chairman and to work together to inform residents of their rights under the law.
LEVIN STATEMENT:
Just yesterday, a member of my staff spoke with Mr. James Chambers, a resident of Onondaga, Michigan, about his experience with healthcare.gov. Mr. Chambers is a retired Information Technology worker. He’s bought insurance on the individual market since 2000. He has a perspective I think we should all keep in mind.
Mr. Chambers and his wife have a Blue Cross plan that costs almost $800 a month. It has a reasonable deductible -- $1,000 per year - but the plan only covers hospitalization. No doctor visits, no prescription drugs. Just hospital services.
In September, Mr. Chambers received a notice from Blue Cross saying his insurance plan would no longer be offered in 2014. It encouraged him to talk with them about other plans that Blue Cross is offering on the marketplace.
Like millions of Americans, Mr. Chambers experienced challenges when he went to healthcare.gov on Oct. 1. As he said, he’s “retired and tenacious." He sought assistance from the local navigator, spoke with Blue Cross, and continued to access the website until it worked.
What he found on the marketplace was - in his words - “not Obamacare, not government insurance, but instead it was government putting private plans in one place with subsidies for people who qualify."
He told us: “Labeling it government insurance is really wrong." He said the plans he reviewed had “a lot of good coverage for preventative care and a lot of advantages for people to stay healthy."
He ended up finding a Blue Cross Silver HMO plan that - with tax credits - will cost $77 a month, a $720 savings.
And while he has some frustration with the website, he said: “Problems with a website are not the end of the world - it has to be corrected and fixed. It’s not about what you can’t do - it’s what CAN we do?"
I’ll end with this final quote from Mr. Chambers - something I think we should all take to heart. He said the Affordable Care Act “may not be perfect, but it’s something that’s been desperately needed by the public for many, many years. I’m a Republican, and the reality is that this is bigger than politics. I’m enthusiastic the plan is going to benefit people who have had no hope."
