"Tripling" The Forecast: Well-Done, Mr. President! America's Health Care Delivery -- Reforming

As there is scant news of moment, this sunny Blues-Fest infused Friday morning, directly involving Whitehouse Station, we turn to related stories.

Chief among those, is the word that Mr. Obama's signature measure -- the ACA of 2010 -- is witnessing adoption-rates ahead of initial predictions, and in this case -- wildly ahead. And that sea-change -- just as the advent of Social Security, a generation ago -- will provide a safety net to our most vulnerable citizens. He deserves our gratitude (despite the "agit-prop" you might see dribbling from Murdoch's Fox sewer-pipes). So here's to BHO 44 -- he knows, as the old Irish toast has it: "there are few like us -- and few. . . like. . . us." From the Gray Lady's pages, this morning:

. . . .Three million people signed up for workplace health coverage for this year through private exchanges, Accenture said. That’s roughly three times the number of people the firm had estimated last fall would enroll for coverage through the private exchanges — online systems that are separate from the state and federal health insurance marketplaces.

The growth was driven largely by smaller and midsize companies — those with no more than 1,000 employees, said Rich Birhanzel, who leads Accenture’s health administration services. Beginning last fall, significant numbers of employers offered coverage through private exchanges for the first time, and the firm had predicted that about one million would enroll. “What we’re seeing is that adoption is happening faster than we anticipated,” he said. . . .

Private exchanges are similar to the public marketplaces, but are offered by employers to their employees. Consulting companies, including Aon Hewitt, Mercer, Towers Watson and Buck Consultants, operate private exchanges, and some insurers also offer their own versions. Walgreen and Sears, for instance, participate in Aon Hewitt’s offering, known as the Corporate Health Exchange.

Some employers are shifting employees to the exchanges to control costs and reduce administrative burdens, and to give workers more plans to choose from. (The idea is that offering plans from multiple insurers will help lower costs through competition.) While details of the exchanges vary, companies typically allocate a specific amount for employees to spend on health insurance, and then workers choose from a menu of options. . . .

Well-played, Mr. Obama! "To our noble[r] selves, then" -- do be excellent to those you love -- and resolve to smile widely, and offer your very best -- even to those you do not yet count as friends. It knits us all together. Truly -- do so -- we will all be the better for it.