‘Employer-based health insurance premiums climbed 4.2% this year for family plans, according to an annual Kaiser Family Foundation report. That's up from 3% the year before.
Since 2008, average family premiums have climbed a total of $4,865.
The White House cheered the news, saying it was a sign of continued slow growth in premium costs.
That much is true. Since 2006, the average annual increase for family plans at work has been 4.9%, down from around 10% a year from 1999-2005.
Slightly less higher premiums aren't what President Obama promised Americans when he ran for office touting his medical overhaul. He specifically said his plan would cut premiums.
"We will start," Obama said back in 2008, "by reducing premiums by as much as $2,500 per family."
That $2,500 figure was Obama's mantra on health care. You can watch the video if you don't believe it.
And Obama wasn't talking about government subsidized insurance or expanding Medicaid or anything like that. He specifically focused on employer provided health care.
For "people who already have insurance, and the employers who are providing it," he said at one campaign event, "we will work to lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family."‘ - Health Premiums Have Climbed $4,865 Since Obama Promised to Cut Them $2,500, IBD, 09/23/2015
Link to the entire article appears below:
http://news.investors.com/blogs-capital-hill/092315-772384-premiums-have-steadily-climbed-despite-obama-promise-to-cut-them.htm
“If you want to chat with a firefighter or see a fire truck up close, you can go down to the local firehouse at any time of day. The crew will probably be there, lifting weights or washing down the already gleaming red engines. Career firefighters usually live at the firehouse for a day or two, then take as many as three days off. Between eating and sleeping at the station, they mop floors, clean toilets and landscape the yard - with a few hours set aside daily for training and drills. Mid-morning, you'll find several of them at the local supermarket doing the day's grocery shopping.
In other words, being a firefighter these days doesn't involve a lot of fighting fire.
Rapid improvements in fire safety have caused a dramatic drop in the number of blazes, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Buildings are constructed with fire-resistant materials; clothing and curtains are made of flame-retardant fabrics; and municipal laws mandate sprinkler systems and smoke detectors. The striking results: On highways, vehicle fires declined 64 percent from 1980 to 2013. Building fires fell 54 percent during that time.
But oddly, as the number of fires has dropped, the ranks of firefighters have continued to grow - significantly. There are half as many fires as there were 30 years ago, but about 50 percent more people are paid to fight them.” - Fewer fires, so why are there far more firefighters? Washington Post, 09/04/2015
Link to the entire article appears below:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2015/09/04/05316abe-517c-11e5-933e-7d06c647a395_story.html
“Insurers have asked for double-digit rate increases for nearly 1 out of every 3 Obamacare plans that will be sold on HealthCare.gov for 2016 coverage, according to a new analysis.
And in three states—Delaware, South Dakota and West Virginia—every plan sold on HealthCare.gov is asking for 10 percent or more hikes in the prices of their premiums for next year, AgileHealthInsurance.com said in its report.”
“Existing Obamacare customers in six other states on that federally run marketplace, which serves two-thirds of the United States, could also be in for a rude awakening come November when open enrollment resumes.
In those other six states, a majority of plans are requesting double-digit hikes, ranging from Montana, where 86 percent of the plans have asked for such increases, down to North Dakota, where 67 percent of the plans are doing so.
"The natural reaction [for those customers] is: They're going to be surprised," said Sam Gibbs, executive director of AgileHealthInsurance.com.
"In some of these states, there's going to be a strong reaction to it," said Gibbs.
AgileHealthInsurance's analysis found that 7 percent of the Obamacare plans sold on HealthCare.gov are asking for rate hikes of at least 30 percent, while 14 percent of such plans are asking for increases of at least 20 percent. “ - Obamacare's many double-digit price hikes for next year, CNBC, 09/05/2015
Link to the entire article appears below:
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/04/obamacares-many-double-digit-price-hikes-for-next-year.html
‘A Nevada health insurance provider that received more than $65 million in taxpayer-funded loans from the federal government announced last week that it is discontinuing operations at the end of the year.
The Nevada Health Co-Op will close its doors beginning Jan. 1 because of “challenging market conditions.” The co-op will be the third of the 23 consumer-oriented and operated plans created under Obamacare to shutter.’
‘The 23 co-ops received $2.5 billion in loans from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help get off the ground and remain solvent. The federal government awarded the Nevada Health Co-Op $65.9 million in startup loans. It’s unclear whether the co-op will be able to repay the loans.
According to the Nevada Health Co-Op, it enrolled 14,000 consumers in 2014. However, the nonprofit insurer projected it would enroll 33,748, according to a July audit of co-ops from the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general.’
‘The analysis from the Department of Health and Human Services also found that the Nevada Health Co-Op projected that it would make $371,000 in 2014. However, it lost more than $15 million.’ - This Obamacare Co-Op Was Supposed to Make Money. Instead, It Lost Over $15 Million, 08/31/2015, dailysignal.com
Link to the entire article appears below:
http://dailysignal.com/2015/08/31/this-obamacare-co-op-was-supposed-to-make-money-instead-it-lost-over-15-million/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRohvq3OZKXonjHpfsX56OgvWa%2BylMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ATMpnMK%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7jHKM1t0sEQWBHm
