Health Law Fails to Keep Prices Low in Rural Areas

New York Times ^ | October 23, 2013 | By REED ABELSON, KATIE THOMAS and JO CRAVEN McGINTY

[Oldeconomybuyer]

As technical failures bedevil the rollout of President Obama’s health care law, evidence is emerging that one of the program’s loftiest goals — to encourage competition among insurers in an effort to keep costs low — is falling short for many rural Americans.

While competition is intense in many populous regions, rural areas and small towns have far fewer carriers offering plans in the law’s online exchanges. Those places, many of them poor, are being asked to choose from some of the highest-priced plans in the 34 states where the federal government is running the health insurance marketplaces, a review by The New York Times has found.

Of the roughly 2,500 counties served by the federal exchanges, more than half, or 58 percent, have plans offered by just one or two insurance carriers, according to an analysis by The Times of county-level data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. In about 530 counties, only a single insurer is participating.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

You lie!!

[svcw]

I don’t understand the headline, prices are higher everywhere nit just rural areas..

[lightman]

And the doctors are abandoning small towns in droves....

[jimbo123]

MONTHLY ObamaCare premium info:

StateVA
CountyCAROLINE
Metal LevelGold
Issuer NameOptima Health
Plan Marketing NameVantage FourSight 1000 MO
Plan TypeHMO
Rating AreaRating Area 7
Premium Adult Individual Age 27$1,922.68
Premium Adult Individual Age 50*$3,276.63
Premium Family$6,494.54
Premium Single Parent Family$4,412.25
Premium Couple*$4,689.28
Premium Child$1,164.98
DisplayYes

StateVA
CountyHOPEWELL CITY
Metal LevelBronze
Issuer NameOptima Health
Plan Marketing NameVantage 3500_60%_MO
Plan TypeHMO
Rating AreaRating Area 7
Premium Adult Individual Age 27$1,835.81
Premium Adult Individual Age 50*$3,128.58
Premium Family$6,201.12
Premium Single Parent Family$4,212.91
Premium Couple*$4,477.40
Premium Child$1,112.35
DisplayYes

[lightman]

I’d be fine with the fine at those prices.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

lightman:" And the doctors are abandoning small towns in droves...."

Right , the rural doctor had a commitment to the community, rather than work in an urban area where he would attract more patients, and therefore derive more money.
Welcome to AGENDA 21 where rural folks are driven into more urban areas, and off agriculture, and off their land
due to the expense of services , transportation ,taxes , etc., etc...

[Red Dog #1]

Law “fails” to keep prices lower? Really? More like the law caused prices to increase.

[freeandfreezing]

The price is higher ($1300 per month for a family of four), the deductibles are huge ($12,000) and there is no out of network coverage in New Hampshire. And around one third of the hospitals in the state are not in the network and therefore not covered.

If you live near one of the hospitals that is not in the plan and have a heart attack the only thing the insurance will pay for is the emergency room. You can't be admitted to the hospital, instead you have to get transported to another hospital in-network if you want to have any insurance coverage at all.

If you or one of your kids gets really sick you are basically out of luck, because you have no insurance coverage for any of the research hospitals nearby in Boston Massachusetts. Your new Obamacare compatible policy won't pay any benefits if, for example, your kid has to be admitted to Childrens Hospital.

We heard a lot of talk from the President about how bankruptcy is one illness away, but that wasn't true if you had health insurance before Obamacare. Now, even if you buy health insurance in New Hampshire on the exchange you don't have any insurance if you or your kids get really sick. And if the specialist hospitals and doctors will even take you as a patient without insurance bankruptcy is guaranteed.

[Spartan79]

Another devastating impact on rural areas has so far not drawn much media attention. According to people I’ve talked to in the health care industry, the ACA is expected to drive hundreds of small community hospitals out of business. If you are from a small town which used to have a small 20-25 bed hospital, you may find yourself being transported 75 or more miles after your auto accident, and your family will have to drive 150 miles round-trip to visit you during your recuperation.

Assuming you survive the 90 minute ambulance ride to the hospital, of course.

[Cementjungle]

I don’t understand the headline, prices are higher everywhere nit just rural areas..

This is the New York Slimes... trying to help Obama by misleading readers into thinking that it's working great everywhere except for a few remote counties.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Anyone can see that health care insuranceunder ObummerCare has EXCEEDED the inflation and cost of living at a rate of 8-10 % per year.
ObummerCrap is raising monthly cost at 200 - 500%, not at the 9 % average.
They lied !
We were told that you could keep and afford your health plan .
They lied !!
We were told that we could keep our doctor .
They lied !
The website , alone , is not a glitch ; the problem is the Socialist/Democrat program has been designed to not work , and not be viable .
They lied ,.. and continue to lie to the public , and are covered by the Complicit media !!

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Anyone can see that health care insuranceunder ObummerCare has EXCEEDED the inflation and cost of living at a rate of 8-10 % per year.
ObummerCrap is raising monthly cost at 200 - 500%, not at the 9 % average.
They lied !
We were told that you could keep and afford your health plan .
They lied !!
We were told that we could keep our doctor .
They lied !
The website , alone , is not a glitch ; the problem is the Socialist/Democrat program has been designed to not work , and not be viable .
They lied ,.. and continue to lie to the public , and are covered by the Complicit media !!

[Psycho_Bunny]

“We heard a lot of talk from the President about how bankruptcy is one illness away”

That’s a question no one seems to be addressing - of course:

At what percentage of its investment in the healthcare system is the federal government going to have to make medical debt non-dischargeable in a 7 and protected from cram-downs in a 13?

[Hoodat]

While competition is intense in many populous regions, rural areas and small towns have far fewer carriers offering plans in the law’s online exchanges. Those places, many of them poor, are being asked to choose from some of the highest-priced plans in the 34 states where the federal government is running the health insurance marketplaces

Wait a minute, haven't these liberals been telling us for years that replacing a competitive market with a government monopoly will give us better choices at lower cost? What gives?

[MrB]

And don’t forget the increased deductibles.
At $6k per person, you might as well not have insurance at all.

[Hoodat]

Here is a map showing these rural areas (marked in red) where premiums will rise:

[patriotspride]

The price is higher ($1300 per month for a family of four), the deductibles are huge ($12,000) and there is no out of network coverage in New Hampshire

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Calling Kelly Id-e-ot ...... Where are you......

[patriotspride]

Great Map.

Would be interesting to overlay that onto an election results map to really drive home the point for voters....

[Hoodat]

Actually, it is the 2012 election map. It shows the ‘fly-over’ counties that leftists have so much contempt for.

[patriotspride]

Actually, it is the 2012 election map. It shows the ‘fly-over’ counties that leftists have so much contempt for.

---

Thanks . I wonder when Bill “ I’m for the little guy” will show something like this and drive home the real issue .... lost coverage/increased costs