American Families ‘Getting Blasted’ By Obamacare
‘It’s Obscene’ & ‘Frustrating’
‘My Family Is Being Pushed Out Of The Middle Class By The Obamacare Law’
KENTUCKY: Breckinridge County Mom: “My family is being pushed out of the middle class by the Obamacare law…how can we pay almost $1,200 a month on health insurance?” (Sen. McConnell, Constituent Mail)
Owensboro Dad: “Before the Affordable Care Act, we paid around $100 bi-weekly for the family plan. That has now increased to $235 during the same timeframe. … It is frustrating to work a combined 90+ hours per week and live paycheck to paycheck.” (Sen. McConnell, Constituent Mail)
NORTH CAROLINA: “[T]his year, the third for open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, more customers than ever are begging for help to find affordable health insurance.” (“Rise In ACA Premiums Pushes Some Consumers To Seek Cheaper Health Insurance Options,” The Charlotte Observer, 11/25/2015)
“Because of higher premiums and deductibles, insurance agents across North Carolina say they’re seeing renewed interest in old-style catastrophic coverage, called short-term medical plans. . . . People who buy short-term plans – which some critics call ‘junk’ plans – still would be subject to the federal penalties, as if they are uninsured. But many conclude it’s worth it to pay the fines if they can save thousands of dollars.” (“Rise In ACA Premiums Pushes Some Consumers To Seek Cheaper Health Insurance Options,” The Charlotte Observer, 11/25/2015)
- “Short-term plans can be purchased for about $300 a month, or $3,600 a year for an individual, [insurance benefits advisor Norma Jean] Rector said. ‘That’s a far cry from the $12,000 that I would have to pay for an ACA-compliant plan,’ Rector said. ‘I could just take and pay the penalty and still be coming out ahead.’ (“Rise In ACA Premiums Pushes Some Consumers To Seek Cheaper Health Insurance Options,” The Charlotte Observer, 11/25/2015)
- “‘Obamacare has created a vacuum,’ said Sam Gibbs, the Asheville-based executive director of AgileHealthInsurance. ‘They’ve priced a lot of people out of the market, and these products are filling in the gap.’” (“Rise In ACA Premiums Pushes Some Consumers To Seek Cheaper Health Insurance Options,” The Charlotte Observer, 11/25/2015)
TEXAS: “Kimann England, a 48-year-old rancher’s wife who runs a religious nonprofit in South Texas, said her family has been willing to absorb rising premiums and deductibles so far. Their health plan’s decision to withdraw its ‘preferred provider organization’ product this year tipped her over the edge. She said she now has only a narrow provider-network option that doesn’t include her local doctors, and doesn’t see it being worth the $1,640 a month it will cost in 2016 to cover herself, her husband and four children at home.” (“Rising Rates Pose Challenge To Health Law,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/2015)
- “‘We could not afford the deductible,’ said Kevin Fanning, 59, who lives in North Texas, near Wichita Falls. ‘Basically I was paying for insurance I could not afford to use.’ He dropped his policy.” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
- “Alexis C. Phillips, 29, of Houston, is the kind of consumer federal officials would like to enroll this fall. But after reviewing the available plans, she said, she concluded: ‘The deductibles are ridiculously high. I will never be able to go over the deductible unless something catastrophic happened to me. I’m better off not purchasing that insurance and saving the money in case something bad happens.’” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
TENNESSEE: “Eric Elmquist, 37, of Franklin, Tenn., felt he was paying too much in 2014 for his Blue Cross Blue Shield plan at $878 a month for two adults and three children, with an annual deductible of $5,000. A year later, he had a plan with a premium of $1,089 and deductible of $7,000. Now, he is eyeing a premium of more than $1,416 to keep that plan.” (“Rising Rates Pose Challenge To Health Law,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/2015)
- “‘We’re getting blasted,’ said Mr. Elmquist, a biotechnology entrepreneur, who makes too much to qualify for a subsidy. ‘We try to treat things at home now, at least for the first week. We don’t take the kids to the health clinic as often. I’m getting frustrated because the cost takes a personal toll.’” (“Rising Rates Pose Challenge To Health Law,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/2015)
ILLINOIS: “‘Our deductible is so high, we practically pay for all of our medical expenses out of pocket,’ said Wendy Kaplan, 50, of Evanston, Ill. ‘So our policy is really there for emergencies only, and basic wellness appointments.’ Her family of four pays premiums of $1,200 a month for coverage with an annual deductible of $12,700.” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
UTAH: ‘It’s obscene’ “Ana and Oswaldo Demoura got their letter last month: a notice from their health care provider that thousands will soon receive in the mail. ‘I thought that was a mistake. I think it’s obscene,’ said Oswaldo Demoura. Addressed to Mrs. Demoura, it outlines a new coverage plan from Arches Mutual Insurance, putting their monthly premium, with tax credits, at $416.59. The problem with that is they are currently paying $126.22. That means their insurance is going up about 300 percent. … ‘Nobody can afford that, absolutely,’ Oswaldo Demoura said.” (“Health Insurance Premiums Increase In Utah,” KTSU TV, 10/22/15)
IDAHO: “Larry Olmsted: I got my annual notice of changes to my health insurance plan for 2016. I opened it with great anticipation, since I had been guaranteed by President Obama that our family would save $2,500 per year. There must have been some misprints in the package of materials I received, because they said my monthly premium would increase by 8.4 percent, my maximum out-of pocket will increase by 100 percent, my hospital copay will increase by 77.1 percent, and prescription drugs will increase marginally. By my calculations, next year I will spend $2,704 more for insurance in 2016 than I did in 2015, if I don’t go to the hospital.” (Letter To The Editor, “Wasn’t Obamacare Supposed To Cut Costs?” Idaho Press-Tribune, 10/2/15)
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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Related Issues: Health Care, Middle Class, Obamacare
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