http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-...issioner-Admits-Affordable-Care-Costs-55-More As someone who saw his monthly health insurance premium double from $780 in 2013 to $1,460 this year, I was interested to see how long it would take for Californiaâs Democrat leaders to fess up that there is nothing affordable about their version of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Facing political shock and awe as ten million working Californians are soon to get notices of big insurance premium increases for next year, Democrat Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones admitted July 29th that rates for individuals that enrolled in Covered California jumped by an average of 55% last year. Patrick Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of the California Association of Health Plans, said last year just before the launch of Covered California, âThe arithmetic is inescapable.â Costs must be spread, so while some consumers will see their premiums drop, others will pay more â âno matter what people in Washington say.â After two years of swearing that Covered California would save money for working state residents, Insurance Commissioner Jones in a news conference said, âThe rate increase from 2013 to 2014, on average, was significantly higher than rate increases in the past.â He eventually got around to admitting that "significantly higher" meant average healthcare insurance premium increases of 22% to 88%. Jones also admitted for the first time that Covered California health insurance premium increases were the most punishing for young people in Los Angeles County age 25. The Commissioner stated rates jumped for the middle-of-road âsilver planâ coverage by 52% for the young versus 38% more for the same plan for someone age 55. The biggest contributor to this cost increase appears to be those paying for health insurance to subsidize the 1.5 million increase in the stateâs Medi-Cal enrollment to 8.6 million or 22% of the entire population of the State of California. The exploding costs of Covered California and other âaffordableâ regulations help explain why 81 to do business in the nation for the last three years running. This is reflected in the grim detail that Californiaâs unemployment rate for the last three years has been at least 50% higher than the unemployment rate in neighboring Mexico.
Obamacare Prices In California Only Going Up A Little Next Year Posted: 07/31/2014 4:27 pm EDT Jeffrey Young Nearly nine in 10 Californians with a plan purchased through the state's health insurance exchange will see price increases of less than 8 percent next year, the exchange, Covered California, announced Thursday. The weighted average rate across California will be 4.2 percent higher than this year. The new, estimated rate is calculated by factoring in increases and decreases, as well as the number of consumers in each health plan, according to a press release. The new premiums are preliminary, pending review by other state regulators. Ten health insurance companies will offer plans on the exchange, which is three fewer than this year. "It's good news for California. It's good news for the Affordable Care Act," said Peter Lee, the executive director of Covered California. The 2015 increases are lower than annual hikes in the years before Obamacare, he said. "We've been seeing consumers facing 10 percent or more in rate increases year over year. This year, 4.2 percent is the average increase," Lee said. Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, California has positioned itself as a national leader in health care reform. The state created its own health insurance exchange and participated in the law's expansion of Medicaid to more low-income residents. And California's uninsured rate was more than halved by the end of the first Obamacare enrollment period that ended this spring, as 3.4 million Californians gained coverage, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Prior to Obamacare, California had one of the highest uninsured rates in the nation. "We still are at the starting point, and we know we have a long way to go," Lee said. The low average price increases for 2015 could quell fears of double-digit rate hikes in the state, but individual consumers' experiences will vary. Thirteen percent of Covered California users are in health plans that will see price increases of more than 8 percent, and more than 35 percent of users will see rate hikes between 5 percent and 8 percent. Another 35 percent will pay less than 5 percent more, while 16 percent of policyholders have plans with prices that will stay roughly flat, or even decrease, according to Covered California. Average increases differ among the state's geographic areas and based on other factors, including age. "Averages are meaningless. What's meaningful is to talk about a person's circumstances," Lee said. Consumers facing rate increases who shop around on the exchange during the next open enrollment period, which runs nationwide from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15, 2015, may find a comparable plan at a lower price, he said. Californians can review next year's rates for specific health insurance plans on the exchange's website as of today, he said. These 2015 rate increases follow a significant one-time bump in prices for coverage on California's individual market last year. That increase was caused by Obamacare's benefit mandates and its prohibition against insurers rejecting consumers based on their health. According to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, prices rose anywhere from 22 percent to 88 percent from 2013 to 2014, although those rates don't factor in the effect of tax credits that reduce what customers pay. For 2014 benefits, 88 percent of Covered California users received such financial assistance. Jones supports a proposition pending on the ballot that would empower his office to reject insurance price increases, while Covered California's leadership has been skeptical. Lee on Thursday called Jones' findings "misleading and distracting." California's health insurance premium increases appear in line with preliminary information coming from other states, although some consumers will face significant increases if they remain on their current plans next year. State and federal regulators are reviewing companies' proposed rates. Article, with links>>
Ricter... you and the huff po went with the ridiculous headline and left out this... "These 2015 rate increases follow a significant one-time bump in prices for coverage on California's individual market last year. That increase was caused by Obamacare's benefit mandates and its prohibition against insurers rejecting consumers based on their health. According to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, prices rose anywhere from 22 percent to 88 percent from 2013 to 2014, although those rates don't factor in the effect of tax credits that reduce what customers pay. "
Yes, we know the individual market got hit hard. And don't start on the source, no one believes breitbart either.
No we didn't all know that people in CA got seriously jacked by this Obamacare theft of our money. I knew I got hit... I knew one of my wife's friends said they saw big increases. I know a few people who had to quit their business and go back to work, including someone who worked with me ... but as others have stated that was the plan --- make the people who vote republican pay through the nose to help obama's voters stay at home and play video games.... but I did not know we all got hammered this badly. This is way different than what was projected. This is news... and that headline was very misleading. I brought the Huff Po into it so it did not look like I was saying you were being misleading on purpose.
You're still talking about the effects on individual market buyers. Their pain is real, but their numbers comparatively few. As the article stated, for the large majority of persons in CA with health coverage, the premium increases will be smaller this year than they have typically been in years past. Re huffpo and breitbart, fine. But "55% will pay more!" is itself misleading if the increases are smaller. The breitbart writer mixes in statements made by Covered California last year--it's slanting if not lying.
Suddenly, Obamacare is more unpopular than ever http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ddenly-obamacare-is-more-unpopular-than-ever/