Free Republic

People buying coverage through the new health care exchanges in East Tennessee are paying nearly a third less than the national average and less than half what's being charged in the nation's most expensive markets, including South Georgia. A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation ranked Chattanooga and Knoxville among the 10 cheapest markets to purchase individual plans offered through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. A 40-year-old buying the most popular "silver" plan offered through BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee can get it for $181 a month, $78 a month less than the U.S. median price for...

New Castle resident and business owner David Fitzsimmons used to pay $672 a month for health insurance for him and his family. This year, with the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act that has resulted in the country’s highest rates being charged in Garfield County, he faced a minimum premium of $942 a month. “The insurance rates, frankly, it just comes down to a decision for me and my family, whether we have a roof over our heads or whether we have health insurance. The obvious answer is that we have a roof over heads,” he said Friday during...