Obamacare: This Deal's Getting Worse All The Time

‘Higher Premiums, Fewer Doctors And Skimpier Coverage’

Editorial Cartoon by William Warren

“Many people signing up for 2016 health policies under the Affordable Care Act face higher premiums, fewer doctors and skimpier coverage, which threatens the appeal of the program for the healthy customers it needs. Insurers have raised premiums steeply for the most popular plans at the same time they have boosted out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, copays and coinsurance in many of their offerings.” (“Rising Rates Pose Challenge to Health Law,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/15)

‘Sticker Shock’ – ‘Insurers Have Raised Premiums Steeply For The Most Popular Plans’
“Health insurance consumers logging into HealthCare.gov on Sunday for the first day of the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment season may be in for sticker shock…” (“Many Need To Shop Around On HealthCare.gov As Prices Jump, U.S. Says,” New York Times, 10/31/15)

• “‘Every year I feel like I’m starting all over again, and I just dread it,’ said Ms. Galen, 63, of Warrenton, Ore. ‘My stress level just shoots up.’” (“Shopping For Health Insurance Is New Seasonal Stress For Many,” The New York Times, 11/18/15)

“Premiums for individual plans offered by the dominant local insurers are rising almost everywhere for 2016, typically by double-digit percentage increases, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of plan data in 34 states where the HealthCare.gov site sells insurance. More than half of the midrange ‘silver’ plans are boosting the out-of-pocket costs enrollees must pay, while more than 80% of the less-expensive ‘bronze’ plans are doing so. The Obama administration has acknowledged that premiums are going up, releasing an official analysis that, by one metric, showed the price of second-lowest-cost silver plans was rising 7.5% on average for 2016.” (“Rising Rates Pose Challenge to Health Law,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/19/15)

• “In markets throughout the country, the plan in the most popular category that was least expensive this year will not be offered next year.” (“In Many Obamacare Markets, Renewal Is Not An Option,” The New York Times, 11/18/15)

‘Sky-High Deductibles’
“…for many consumers, the sticker shock is coming not on the front end, when they purchase the plans, but on the back end when they get sick: sky-high deductibles that are leaving some newly insured feeling nearly as vulnerable as they were before they had coverage.” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)

“In many states, more than half the plans offered for sale through HealthCare.gov, the federal online marketplace, have a deductible of $3,000 or more, a New York Times review has found.” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)

• “In Miami, the median deductible, according to HealthCare.gov, is $5,000. (Half of the plans are above the median, and half below it.) In Jackson, Miss., the comparable figure is $5,500. In Chicago, the median deductible is $3,400. In Phoenix, it is $4,000; in Houston and Des Moines, $3,000.” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
• “‘The deductible, $3,000 a year, makes it impossible to actually go to the doctor,’ said David R. Reines, 60, of Jefferson Township, N.J., a former hardware salesman with chronic knee pain. ‘We have insurance, but can’t afford to use it.’” (“Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
• “‘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)
• “‘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)
• “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)

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