Notable and Quotable: “California Could Delay Opening of Obamacare Exchange,” Washington Free Beacon, August 22, 2013

If they can’t do it in California, it can’t be done anywhere.

Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), Anglo-American novelist

California is a trend setter.   It has  the nation’s largest population.    It  has the biggest number of  uninsured, particularly among Hispanics  It is a solid Obama and Obamacare ally. It is home of Silicon Valley, the world’s capital for digital innovation. Silocon Valley is a staunch Obama backer.  

For these reasons, Calironia's  rumored delay of its health exchanges is bad news for Obamacare implementation.  If California  carries out its health exchange delay, it will coincide, surely not its intent,  with the  growing Republican strategy of delaying  rather than defunding Obamacare..

Defunding would be a political disaster.  Polls indicate the public does not favor shutting down government because of Obamacare.   Delay, on the other hand,  would work to the GOP's political advantage since Obamacare remains deeply unpopular with Americans.
 

Here is the verbatim report by  Washington Free Beacon staff, who are commenting on an article in today’s Wall Street Journal.
 

“The health insurance exchange in California could be delayed as the system’s administrators continue to finalize the system’s components, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.”
 

“California’s new health-insurance exchange, the biggest of the state marketplaces emerging under the federal health overhaul law, has started telling insurers that there’s a possibility it won’t be ready to sign up consumers for coverage online when it launches on Oct. 1.”
 

“A spokesman for Covered California, the state agency creating the exchange, said the technology for its enrollment process is still being tested, and ‘we are fully planning on being fully functional on Oct. 1.” But, he said, “we’ve communicated to the health plans that there’s a possibility, depending on the success of the tests, that we would have an aided enrollment and work toward a self-enrollment shortly thereafter., “
 

“Self-enrollment would allow consumers to sign up for health plans themselves through an online process, while “aided enrollment” would involve consumers getting help from counselors, on the phone or in person, who could sign them up for plans.”
 

“The exchange is still being tested, the Journal reported.”
 

“A spokesman for California’s exchange also said that it is “completely premature to assume the level of functionality” of the exchange right now, the Journal reported.”
 

Tweet:  California health exchange administrators say exchanges may be delayed because system is still being tested..

Source    “California Health Exchange Might Face Online-Enrollment Delay: Insurance Marketplace Set to Launch Oct. 1, But Website Signup May Not Be Ready”.. Wall Street Journal. August 23, 2013.