This April 10, 2013 file photo shows Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner speaking during a news conference at the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss the Health Department's fiscal 2014 budget. <\/p>\n
Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press <\/p>\n
Enlarge photo <\/p>\n
WASHINGTON The first draft was as mind-numbing as a tax form. Tuesday the Obama administration unveiled simplified application forms for health insurance benefits coming next year under the federal health care overhaul. <\/p>\n
The biggest change: a five-page short form that single people can fill out. That total includes a cover page with instructions, and an extra page to fill out if you want to designate someone to help you through the process. <\/p>\n
But the application form for families still runs to 12 pages, although most households will not have to fill out each and every page. <\/p>\n
The paperwork takes on added importance because Americans remain confused about what President Barack Obama's health care overhaul will mean for them. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday found that 4 in 10 are unaware it's the law of the land. Some think it's been repealed by Congress, but in fact, it's still on track. <\/p>\n
At his news conference Tuesday, Obama hailed the simplified forms as an example of how his team listened to criticism from consumer groups and made a fix. The law's benefits will be available to all Americans, he emphasized, even if Republicans in Congress still insist on repeal, and many GOP governors won't help put it into place. <\/p>\n
When the first draft of the application turned out to be a clunker, \"immediately, everybody sat around the table and said, 'Well, this is too long, especially...in this age of the Internet,'\" Obama recounted. \"'People aren't going to have the patience to sit there for hours on end. Let's streamline this thing.'\" <\/p>\n
His administration is open to making improvements, Obama added: \"Those kinds of refinements, we're going to be working on.\" <\/p>\n
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Obama administration simplifies health care form<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This April 10, 2013 file photo shows Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner speaking during a news conference at the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, to discuss the Health Department's fiscal 2014 budget. Continue reading