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Barber Discusses Administration's Changing Obamacare Enrollment Goals With Avik Roy

February 26, 2014

Writer for the Washington Free Beacon Ellison Barber discussed the administration's changing Obamacare enrollment expectations with the Manhattan Institute's Avik Roy Wednesday on The Blaze TV.

Barber asked Roy about Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius's retreat from the administration's previous goal of enrolling 7 million people in Obamacare by Mar. 31.

Roy said the 7 million number was a "cautious estimate" based on enrollment patterns from "Romneycare" in Massachusetts and Medicare Part D, mainly because the government expected it to be harder to execute with Obamacare.

The Free Beacon writer then asked about the administration's shifting stance on the percent of young enrollees necessary for the Obamacare exchanges to be successful.

"Well the goalposts have been moving in terms of what they’ve been striving to do. But I think it’s important to understand Obamacare won’t live up to the promises, it will be more expensive than they were hoping because sicker people and older people sign up. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to collapse under its own weight, which is something I think a lot of conservatives have been perhaps hoping for. The law will continue to exist, the exchanges and subsidies will continue to function, it’s just going to cost more," Roy said.