Posted on 11/03/2016 4:42:26 PM PDT by Kaslin
Barack Obama took a break from interfering in FBI investigations today to interfere with reality on ObamaCare. Speaking at a rally in Miami for Hillary Clinton, the president scoffed at Republican promises to repeal ObamaCare, and then insisted that most consumers won’t see premium increases in the exchanges at all. Mediate has the sound bite of that claim, but Obama’s string of nonsense should be read in context for full appreciation of his talents.
Scalp micturation level … peak Lebowski, man:
Obama - Only ‘ A Handful of People ’ Are Seeing Obamacare Premiums Go Up - 11/3/16
Can I just say, by the way — I’m going to take another aside. I know I’m running long, but — (applause) — we have given — 20 million people have health insurance that didn’t have it before. (Applause.) Twenty million people. The parade of horribles the Republicans have talked about haven’t happened. Death panels — you remember that? Saying this would bankrupt the country. None of what they’ve said has happened. So now, after 60 votes to repeal this thing that haven’t succeeded, now Trump said we got to call a special session to repeal it. And he had a big press conference, and he had a couple of doctors and a nurse, and Ben Carson and some people — (laughter) — no, no — who’s an excellent neurosurgeon. He really is. I don’t know what happened on the political thing, but — (laughter.)
So they come and they spend like an hour — “We’re going to repeal Obamacare.” Okay, and then what you going do? “Well, then we’re going to repeal it and we’re going to give you something great.” Okay, what? “Well, something.” (Laughter.) Because premiums are going up. Well, now, it is true, premiums are going up for a handful of people who don’t get tax credits — that’s important. We’re going to work as hard as we can to do something about it. We would have already done it if Republicans had helped. But keep in mind, their alternative would have been no health insurance; that’s what they had before.
Well, that’s what most of them effectively have now, too. Democrats refused to allow for what used to be known as catastrophic health insurance, which featured low premiums and moderately high deductibles, which were popular among healthy consumers who expected to have low utilization of health-care providers. Instead, Obama and his allies insisted on everyone buying comprehensive insurance costing thousands of dollars each year whether consumers needed it or not. Thanks to the severe market distortions this created, these consumers have the worst of both worlds — high premiums and even higher deductibles, practically guaranteeing that nothing short of a catastrophic event will allow for any benefits to apply.
Then there’s another level of nonsense on premiums. It’s true that the ACA exchanges have nearly 90% of their consumers receiving some form of tax credits, but Democrats projected that to be more like 60%. The reason it’s so high is because healthy adults who don’t qualify for tax credits don’t enroll in insurance plans, driving the utilization curve out of whack — a problem that gets increasingly worse each year. On top of that, the tax credits don’t mean that no one sees the premium increases; it means everyone sees them, as taxpayers are forced to make up the annually escalating difference. Also, thanks to mandates that prevent proper risk assignment and force the use of “community rating,” the entire system acts as a regressive wealth transfer from younger and poorer consumers to older, wealthier, and less healthy consumers. That’s why the former have stayed out of the exchanges.
Guy Benson runs down a few more lies, especially about a lack of alternatives from Republicans. John Breslin at Patient Daily points out that premium increases are real, and they’re spectacular:
Insurance premiums on the individual marketplace have increased by between 60 percent and close to 160 percent since 2014 in the six states that have seen the biggest hikes.
Arizona takes top spot for the percentage increase of an average benchmark silver plan — close to 160 percent.
These figures, compiled by Patient Daily, emerged following the announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that average premiums across the country will rise 25 percent next year.
The average cost for a silver plan on the exchanges has increased just over 157 percent in Arizona, 142 percent in Oklahoma, 117 percent in Alaska, 82 percent in both Alabama and North Carolina, and 60 percent in Illinois.
HHS wants to woo younger and healthier consumers into the exchanges, but why would they? Their incentives to enter have gotten much worse, not better, and even the threat of fines isn’t enough to force them to spend thousands while getting nothing.
As I write in my column at The Fiscal Times, Obama may scoff at GOP promises of repeal, but in fact ObamaCare is getting repealed by its stakeholders:
When it comes to the Affordable Care Act, nearly every stakeholder involved has voted with their feet. Consumers, providers, and even the insurers who helped create Obamacare to profit from a government mandate have all begun to flee from it.
Late last week, earnings reports from major health insurers Aetna and UnitedHealth showed a greater-than-expected decline in enrollments from an already disappointing 2016 result. Jed Graham reported at Investors Business Daily that over 113,000 enrollees had stopped paying their premiums in the third quarter, a 6.6 percent drop that left a combined enrollment of 1.6 million consumers. The two companies account for a sixth of all ACA exchange enrollees, and the trend indicates that national Obamacare enrollment has dropped below 10 million – again. …
Even those who do stay within the system have curtailed their utilization of health care. A GFK poll reported by The Free Beacon shows that half of all ACA exchange consumers have skipped doctor visits in order to save cash, and 36 percent did so even when sick. Only a third of those with employer-based insurance have cut back on utilization. So much for Obamacare bringing “health care” to the masses.
Obama can offer up happy words and laugh lines all day long, but ObamaCare is already collapsing. He can blame Republicans, but it was the GOP that warned of these highly predictable outcomes, and Democrats who pretended that they couldn’t happen. And Obama can afford to laugh … because he won’t be around to pick up the pieces.
Barry, go out and sit in the blue room for the rest of the year.
He was referring to fact all he was referring to get subsidies.
AZ premiums are supposed to go up 110%.
I get subsidized and mine went up 300%.
“My suspicion is that Hillary will solve the healthcare crisis through Soylent Green. Delicious and nutritious.”
Actually that was going to be included in a revamping of the WIC and Food Stamps programs.
When Obamacare was first forced on us, Obama said the program would cover 47 million uninsured. Then he said 43 million uninsured. Now he and Cankles area saying the program is a great success because 20 million will get insurance coverage. Even if you believe 20 million is not an exaggeration, that’s only 6.25% of the U S population. Our healthcare system is being virtually destroyed because of a crappy program for 6.25% of the population. Great job Obama, you ignorant, arrogant fool.
My son’s went from $400 to $530 a month.
My son’s went from $400 to $530 a month.
My son’s went from $400 to $530 a month.
Right, like “you can keep your doctor and your plan if you like it.”
And the nagger lies yet again...
Really? From what to what?
The biggest lying sack of sh** I’ve seen in my lifetime.
He’s pathological.
A “handful” in this case is several million.
But when it’s something they want, then “if only ONE child blah blah blah....”
Exactly what states do those "handful of people" live in?
Maybe instead of cracking jokes you could simply do what I did:
Simply enter "Obamacare Premium Increase" into Google after the name of any of the 57 states.
[Apologies for the long text following; it's all rather useful for context. Fortunately, I only got as far as the four states beginning with "A" before Explorer decided not to show me the Arkansas webpage.
--
[Alabama Obamacare Premium Increase]
Last Obamacare provider in Alabama announces 39% average rate hike for 2017
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is the last remaining company offering individual plans on the Obamacare exchange in the state. Today it announced proposed premium increases for 2017 that average 39 percent. AL.com reports:
The proposed rate hikes will affect more than 160,000 people in Alabama who purchase insurance through the federal exchange, or about 5 percent of Blue Cross membership.
Rate increases range from 26 to 41 percent, depending on the type of plan. Proposed increases are lowest for bronze plans, which offer the least amount of coverage, and greatest for the most popular silver plans.
Blue Cross is the only insurance company that will offer Alabamians individual insurance plans through the exchange next year after the departure of Humana and UnitedHealth. Last year BCBS of Alabama raised rates an average of 28 percent.
According to a recent story at AL.com, the state will review the rate request proposed by BCBS this year but does not have the ability to reject the proposed rate increases. [Alabama Department of Insurance’s chief of staff Mark] Fowler said the state will not have the power to reject proposed rate increases, but regulators can try to determine whether insurance costs are justified or not. The plan right now is to make that information public either through the Department of Insurance website or through public records requests. Department officials are still determining the best way to publicize its findings, Fowler said.
Given that BCBS no longer has any competition on the exchange it’s not clear what publicizing information about the rate increases would really accomplish. The bottom line is that individuals have no choice but to buy from BCBS. UnitedHealth announced it was pulling out of most Obamacare markets in April. An analysis concluded that UnitedHealth’s retreat would significantly reduce competition, especially in more rural areas. Humana announced it was leaving behind most of its exchange business last month. The company will go from offering plans in 1,351 counties down to just 156 counties.
In a press release announcing the proposed rate hikes, BCBS of Alabama pointed to its ongoing losses in the Obamacare market:
The dynamics of the ACA individual market have been very challenging as total claims paid and their related administrative expenses have continued to exceed premiums. Blue Cross reported an overall financial loss of $138 million for 2015 and projects underwriting losses on its ACA individual plans to exceed $250 million over the 2014-2016 period.
The exiting of other insurers from the exchange in Alabama is a clear indication of the difficulty in providing ACA health plans at the most affordable price without incurring significant financial losses. Because Blue Cross has been providing Alabamians access to healthcare coverage for 80 years, we are planning to stay in this market for another year.
I may be reading too much into it but that last line sounds a bit ominous. Is this a hint from BCBS that they are nearing the end of their patience with the ACA?
http://hotair.com/archives/2016/08/08/last-remaining-obamacare-provider-in-alabama-seeking-39-average-rate-hike/
___
[Alaska Obamacare Premium Increase]
Alaska health insurance exchange / marketplace 2017: Moda exiting market, Premera increasing rates 7.3%
By Louise Norris / healthinsurance.org contributor / October 11, 2016
The individual market in Alaska has just two carriers in 2016, and will have only one in 2017. Moda and Premera have both struggled with significant losses under the ACA, and Moda nearly exited the Alaska market altogether in January 2016 (more details below).
Although Moda was ultimately able to remain in Alaska’s individual market in 2016, the carrier has confirmed that they’re exiting the state’s individual medical market at the end of 2016. They will continue to offer individual dental coverage, along with medical coverage in the group market. But their 14,000 members who have health insurance in the individual market — both on and off-exchange — will need to switch to a plan from Premera for 2017.
With Moda’s exit, Alaska’s exchange will have just one carrier offering plans in 2017. That will also be the case in Wyoming, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. An analysis by Avalere in mid-August found that more than a third of U.S. counties will have just a single carrier offering coverage in the exchange in 2017, and several carriers around the country have announced their plans to exit the exchanges since that analysis was done.
State shores up individual market with reinsurance program Premera is the only carrier remaining in Alaska’s exchange for 2017, and the expectation was that they were going to have to raise rates by at least 40 percent in order to cover claims costs. Premera made it clear that they cannot continue to absorb losses in the individual market.
Alaska lawmakers and the state Division of Insurance spent months considering possible fixes to the impending “death spiral” in Alaska’s individual health insurance market.
Rates in Alaska are far higher than anywhere else in the country, and although subsidies offset the high premiums for those who are eligible for subsidies, they do nothing for the people whose income puts them just a little over the subsidy-eligible level (the average premium in Alaska’s exchange is $863 per month, versus a nationwide average of $396; the average subsidy in 2016 in Alaska is $750 per month, compared with an average of $291 per month nationwide; the dramatically higher subsidy amount is necessary in Alaska in order to bring premiums down to the same level as the rest of the country).
In July 2016, Governor Bill Walker signed H.B.374 into law. The legislation was passed in June by the Republican-dominated legislature in Alaska. And although it has the effect of shoring up Obamacare in the state, lawmakers were quick to point out that they’re still opposed to the ACA, but considered the legislation to be the best way to avoid having the state’s individual health insurance market collapse altogether.
H.B.374 uses an existing assessment that is currently sent to the general fund, and directs it instead into a reinsurance fund for the individual market (prior to 2014, the Alaska Comprehensive Health Insurance Association—a high-risk pool—was the only way people with serious pre-existing conditions could get coverage in the non-group market; instead of funding ACHIA, the money will now be used to fund the reinsurance program).
H.B.374 is a two-year program, and lawmakers hope to develop a permanent solution during that time. For now, the reinsurance program will use $55 million of the $64 million that was collected in 2015 to cover claims for high-cost insureds in the individual market. The money is generated via a 2.7 percent premium tax on all insurers (not just health insurers) in Alaska.
Premera rate increase: 7.3 percent
On July 18—the same day Governor Walker signed H.B.374 into law—Premera announced that they had filed rates with an average increase of 9.8 percent for 2017. The rate increase is significantly lower than the carrier’s rate increases were in 2015 and 2016, and Premera attributed that to the new reinsurance program.
A month later, on August 19, Premera filed a new rate proposal, requesting an average rate increase of just 7.3 percent for 2017. State regulators approved the 7.3 percent average rate increase a few days later, and the rates will take effect in January.
Average rate increases will be higher for current Moda members, as their rates are currently lower than Premera rates, and they will have no choice but to switch to Premera—with rates an average of 7.3 percent higher than Premera’s current rates — for 2017.
https://www.healthinsurance.org/alaska-state-health-insurance-exchange/
____
[Arizona Obamacare Premium Increase]
Arizona Obamacare Plan To Jump By 116 Percent When Premiums Go Up Next Year
October 25, 2016
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Arizona will be hit the hardest when Obamacare premiums go up next year.
The Department of Health and Human Services revealed Monday that premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, and that about 1 in 5 consumers will have plans only from a single insurer to pick from, after major national carriers such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna scaled back their roles.
However, in Arizona, unsubsidized premiums for a hypothetical 27-year-old buying a benchmark “second-lowest cost silver plan” will jump by 116 percent, from $196 to $422, according to the administration report.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/10/25/arizona-obamacare-premiums/
___
[Arkansas Obamacare Premium Increase]
Insurance Premiums Set To Increase For Low Income Arkansans ...
http://5newsonline.com/2016/08/24/insurance-premiums-set-to-increase-for-low-income-arkansans/
Aug 24, 2016 ... NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KFSM) -- Insurance premiums for low ... the nation are set to rise next year, and that doesn't exclude Arkansans. ... Frustration Runs Deep For Obamacare Customers Forced To Switch Policies.
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$45 to $149.
It affects people even if they are not in the exchanges and have employer health care. My premiums went up and the service has continually gotten crappier and crappier.
What a liar! Many people aren’t even signing up because they can’t afford the premiums along with the obscene deductibles. Government has ruined health insurance and health care in the US and convinced the morons that the free market did it. We haven’t had a free market in health care or insurance in 50 or 60 years at least.
He’s pathological.
Obama: Hey, only a handful of people are seeing premium increases>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
He sits ( or is it sh*ts?)on the right hand of the almighty with thunderbolts blowing out of his a$$.
Do not question.....OBEY!
We recognized Obama for what he really is 8 years ago, America’s psychopomp. And all the shuck and jive in the world will not save him from the hell he has created for himself and those who follow him.
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