More bad news on Obamacare enrollments for the administration

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President Obama's celebration of 8 million Obamacare enrollees was premature, according to this article in Investors Business Daily. Major insurers are reporting large drop offs in Obamacare paying customers, that could mean the number of Americans insured by Obamacare dropping below 6 million by year's end.

ObamaCare exchange statistics should clear up any doubt as to why the Obama Administration has been tight-lipped about enrollment since celebrating 8 million sign-ups in mid-April. Despite the losses, you can bet the White House narrative on Obamacare won't change. They will continue to claim 8 million enrollees and no contrary evidence will be allowed. Whether it's 6 million or 8 million, it hardly matters. At least 4 times that many people didn't sign up and that's far more significant than those who obeyed the individual mandate law and bought insurance. And those who didn't sign up - as well as those who did - are in for a rude awakening come tax time next year: If consumers thought logging on to HealthCare.gov was a headache, sorting through complex forms ahead of tax deadline day 2015 is their next big Obamacare challenge. The health care law’s benefits are rolling out, but its major math problems start next year as the IRS tries to ensure that millions of Americans are correctly calculating their benefits and that those who don’t have coverage are penalized unless they qualify for an exemption. hat means much new paper-shuffling between now and April 15, which could be especially confusing for low- and middle-income Americans unaccustomed to lots of reporting to the IRS. The insurance exchanges and employers must send consumers details about their health plan and benefits or exemptions in time for them to file a tax return. If any of that information is delayed or wrong, tax refunds could be delayed. “We’re having some trepidation,” said Judy Solomon, vice president for health policy at the liberal Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. “This is going to be another new thing just like the roll out of HealthCare.gov.” Last month, the Obama administration released drafts of the forms employers and individuals will have to fill out. But those leave unanswered many questions about how it’ll all work. The details are expected to be included in “practical” instructions the agency plans to release later this month that will detail how to complete the new forms, the IRS said. At this point, the new forms look “very daunting” for taxpayers, said Mark Ciaramitaro, vice president of health care services at H&R Block. “Overall, we expect the complexity level is just going to go up for a significant group of moderate- to low-income people, whether they got insurance through the marketplace or they didn’t.” Be afraid of "practical instructions" from the IRS. Be very afraid. And remember: you are responsible if there are mistakes made on your return. No matter how convoluted or wacky the form is, the IRS will cut you zero slack. Tax preparation is a booming industry under this president. Hat Tip: Ed Lasky



