"What a shock. Obamacare doesn't lower costs, doesn't increase coverage, and has turned into a wildly unpopular, labyrinthine government overreach." (Rep. Trey Gowdy. R-SC)
The Daily Caller has the story of Obamacare's chief architect admitting defeat, telling states that preiums will rise - even with the subsidy for individual insurance - by 31%.
In 2011, officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado ordered reports from Gruber which offer a drastically different portrait in 2012 from the one Obama painted just 17 months ago.
"As a consequence of the Affordable Care Act," the president said in September 2010, "premiums are going to be lower than they would be otherwise; health care costs overall are going to be lower than they would be otherwise."
Gruber's new reports are in direct contrast Obama's words - and with claims Gruber himself made in 2009. Then, the economics professor said that based on figures provided by the independent Congressional Budget Office, "[health care] reform will significantly reduce, not increase, non-group premiums."
During his presentation to Wisconsin officials in August 2011, Gruber revealed that while about 57 percent of those who get their insurance through the individual market will benefit in one way or another from the law's subsides, an even larger majority of the individual market will end up paying drastically more overall.
"After the application of tax subsidies, 59 percent of the individual market will experience an average premium increase of 31 percent," Gruber reported.
The reason for this is that an estimated 40 percent of Wisconsin residents who are covered by individual market insurance don't meet the Affordable Care Act's minimum coverage requirements. Under the Affordable Care Act, they will be required to purchase more expensive plans.
For me, a 31% increase represents about $103 a month extra for health insurance.
I already knew my coverage was deficient. My insurance company informed me last year. The sad fact is, 31% may be lowballing the increase for most. In some states, it may be over 50% increase.
If SCOTUS rules Obamacare is constitutional and it goes into effect in 2014, the backlash is not going to be pretty once people start to discover its true costs - unless congress were to massively increase the subsidies thus causing Obamacare's costs to skyrocket.
Just about every criticism made by Obamacare opponents - every warning, every prediction - is being borne out. It's not much comfort to find oneself being vindicated.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky
Print
Comments
Share
