Obamacare Spiraling Out Of Control

PRESIDENT OBAMA: ‘Real Problems,’ ‘There Are Going To Be People Who Are Hurt’

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “…there are going to be people who are hurt by premium increases or a lack of competition and choice.” (President Obama, Remarks, Miami, FL, 10/20/16)

• “President Barack Obama said his signature health-care law has ‘real problems’…” (Bloomberg, 10/3/16)

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON on the consequences of Obamacare: “It’s the craziest thing in the world.” (“Bill Clinton Bashes Obamacare As ‘Crazy System’ While Campaigning For Hillary,” The Washington Times, 10/4/16)

• “‘You’ve got this crazy … the people are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half,’ Mr. Clinton told voters.” (“Bill Clinton Bashes Obamacare As ‘Crazy System’ While Campaigning For Hillary,” The Washington Times, 10/4/16)

GALLUP: “Americans' assessments of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) … more continuing to disapprove (53%) than approve (42%) of the law. Going forward, the vast majority of Americans want to see the law changed.” (“Most Americans Want Changes to Affordable Care Act,” Gallup, 11/28/2016)

• “[I]t is clear that about eight in 10 Americans favor changing the ACA significantly (43%) or replacing it altogether (37%).” (“Most Americans Want Changes to Affordable Care Act,” Gallup, 11/28/2016)

‘A Disaster,’ ‘There Are No Choices Really For Anybody’

For An Ever-Increasing Number Of Americans, Only ‘Single Insurer From Which They Can Select Plans’

AZ MAN: “‘There are no choices really for anybody in Maricopa County,’ Hoag said. ‘The lack of choice is like having empty shelves (and) no food in a third-world country. Do I live in Cuba?’” (“Rate Hikes, New Doctors: Obamacare Exchanges Open To Angst,” USA Today, 11/01/2016)

NY BUSINESSWOMAN: “…Obamacare for me has turned out to be a disaster. As a small businessperson, I feel resentment that I have been forced to participate in a system that costs me more money, yet provides me with significantly less: less choice, less care, less coverage, less convenience. … I'm mad. No, seriously. Before Obamacare I had health insurance that — while costly — I liked, and met my needs. … Fast-forward to today. My medical insurance is 40% higher than it was, my choice of doctors is significantly more limited, and oh, by the way, most of the physicians I want to see are not in network.” (“4 Reasons Why Obamacare Is A Brand Failure,” New York Daily News, 11/20/16)

On Federal Exchanges ‘1 In 5 Consumers Will Only Have Plans From A Single Insurer To Pick From’

“Moreover, about 1 in 5 consumers will only have plans from a single insurer to pick from…” (“Obama Administration Confirms Double-Digit Premium Hikes,” AP, 10/24/16)

• “…21 percent of the customers shopping in the federal exchange will find only one insurance company, compared with just 2 percent for 2016.” (“Average Premiums For Popular ACA Plans Rising 25 Percent,” The Washington Post, 10/24/16)

KAISER: “Marketplace insurer participation in states using Healthcare.gov in 2017 … 1 company in Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming…” (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/1/16)

• ARIZONA: “Today, with ACA enrollment starting Nov. 1, Arizonans will find in most counties only one insurer selling exchange plans for 2017. Premiums for some plans will be more than double this year, some of the biggest increases in the nation.” (“Inside the Affordable Care Act’s Arizona Meltdown,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/31/2016)

• ILLINOIS: “The eastern St. Louis metro area has been particularly hard hit by health insurance companies exiting the Affordable Care Act exchange... Insurance brokers in Belleville say three Metro East counties — St. Clair, Madison and Monroe — will have just one insurer to choose from this year: Blue Cross Blue Shield.” (“3 Metro East Counties Down To 1 Insurer On Affordable Care Act Exchanges,” St. Louis Public Radio, 10/26/2016)

• FLORIDA: “Much of Southwest Florida, a region with uninsured rates above the national average, will have a single insurer from which they can select plans: Florida Blue. Nearly 93,000 residents of the Gulf Coast counties enrolled in exchange plans during the last enrollment period, according to government figures. About 80,000 of them live in counties with a single provider this time around.” (“Rate Hikes, New Doctors: Obamacare Exchanges Open To Angst,” USA Today, 11/01/2016)

• SOUTH CAROLINA: “Only one insurance provider in South Carolina will be offering health insurance coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act when open enrollment begins... Media outlets report that only BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina will offer these plans on HealthCare.gov. United Healthcare, Aetna and BlueChoice, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, are leaving the marketplace.” (“Only 1 Provider In State To Offer Affordable Care Coverage,” The Associated Press, 10/26/2016)

KAISER: Number of exchange enrollees with only two insurer options doubled from 12% in 2016 to 22% in 2017. (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/1/16)

• The nine states that will have only two exchanges are: Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia. (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

KAISER: “Changes in Insurer Participation… In states that use Healthcare.gov, the average number of insurers participating in the marketplace will be 3.9 in 2017 (down from 5.4 companies per state in 2016, 5.9 in 2015…” (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/1/16)

• Compared with 2015, in 2017 Arizona will have 9 fewer insurers participating in its Obamacare marketplace and Florida will have 5 fewer. (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

• In 2017, at least 6 states will have 4 fewer insurers participating in the Obamacare marketplace: Texas, Oregon, Ohio, Georgia, Indiana, and Michigan compared with 2015. (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

• At least 6 states will have 3 fewer insurers participating in the Obamacare marketplaces compared with 2015. (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

Premiums ‘Expected To Increase Faster In 2017 Than In Previous Years’

FLORIDA SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: “If the premiums continue to rise like they have in years past, [Robert] Lust fears his family will be ‘open to complete financial ruin.’” (“Tampa Bay Case Studies Of Obamacare's Costs And Benefits,” Tampa Bay Times, 11/11/2016)

KANSAS RETIREE: “‘I’m a sickness away or my wife is a sickness away from going to the poor house I guess because the cost of the insurance is so great,’ said Goodman.” (“Obamacare Costs Up, Choices Down In Missouri And Kansas,” KSHB-TV Kansas City, 11/01/2016)

FLORIDA WOMAN: ‘My husband and I are solidly middle class … we’re literally siphoning through our savings’  

 “[Jules] Stewart and her husband, Kip Koelsch ... chose a silver plan from Humana. They were stunned by the $774 monthly premium, she said — especially because they had to meet a $12,000 deductible before most of the benefits kicked in. ‘We’re literally siphoning through our savings to be protected,’ she said. She also had to change primary care physicians. ... ‘My husband and I are solidly middle class and wonder how folks living just below our level manage to afford Obamacare,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t seem to benefit anyone I know.’” (“Tampa Bay Case Studies Of Obamacare's Costs And Benefits,” Tampa Bay Times, 11/11/2016)

KAISER: “Health insurance premiums on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces (also called exchanges) are expected to increase faster in 2017 than in previous years…” (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

• “Of these major cities, the places with the largest increases in the unsubsidized second-lowest silver plan were Phoenix, AZ (up 145% from $207 to $507 per month for a 40-year-old non-smoker), Birmingham, AL (up 71% from $288 to $492) and Oklahoma City, OK (up 67% from $295 to $493).” (“2017 Premium Changes And Insurer Participation In The Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces,” Kaiser Family Foundation, 11/01/2016)

Consumers Face Premium Hikes Up To 53% In Some States

PENNSYLVANIA: “In Pennsylvania, one of 37 states that use the federal government's online exchange, the average price for the benchmark silver plan is going up 53 percent, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” (“With Obamacare Options Slim In The Lehigh Valley, Many Feel Priced Out Of Health Coverage,” The [Allentown, PA] Morning Call, 11/05/2016)

SOUTH DAKOTA: “Outside of the marketplace, plans are up 5 percent and inside, plans are up about 25 to 45 percent over the last year. That’s due to the companies dropping out of the marketplace and the remaining carriers raising their prices to balance out the rising medical costs. Insurance agents say that the high costs are affecting the majority of people in South Dakota.” (“Enrollment For Obamacare Is Open But Policies Are Expensive,” KOTA-TV Rapid City, 11/23/2016)

MISSOURI & KANSAS: “[R]ecords the 41 Action News Investigators have obtained from those states show the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare is getting less affordable as options dwindle... There are two carriers for the Kansas City area, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Humana. According to healthinsurance.org, Blue Cross is proposing a 29 percent rate increase while Humana is proposing a just under 35 percent increase... Blue Cross for the Kansas side of the metro is proposing a more than 28 percent rate increase and a more than 47 percent increase for the rest of the state.” (“Obamacare Costs Up, Choices Down In Missouri And Kansas,” KSHB-TV Kansas City, 11/01/2016)

FLORIDA: “The average rate hike in Florida was 19 percent.” (“Tampa Bay Case Studies Of Obamacare’s Costs And Benefits,” Tampa Bay Times, 11/11/2016)

NEW YORK: “Health insurance premiums rose at a faster rate here after 2010, when the federal Affordable Care Act passed, than they did in the five years before, according to [a newly released report from the Commonwealth Fund], released last month. . . Researchers sought to determine how the law affected employer-sponsored plans. Supporters had predicted the law would result in lowering insurance costs overall, while critics have charged it has done the opposite for businesses and workers.” (“Against Trend, N.Y. Health Insurance Costs Grow Faster After Obamacare,” Albany Times Union, 11/03/2016)

• “In New York . . . the rate of premium growth rose — from 3.2 percent to 5.4 percent for single coverage, and 5.1 percent to 5.9 percent for family coverage. The average premium for single coverage last year was $6,801, compared to $5,963 nationwide; for family, $19,630, compared to $17,322 nationwide.” (“Against Trend, N.Y. Health Insurance Costs Grow Faster After Obamacare,” Albany Times Union, 11/03/2016)