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Left Turns

“Obamacare Is Unraveling”

We’re now six years into the government takeover of health care, and the president’s unworkable health care law continues to unravel and create more hardship for working families. Stories across the country serve as a painful daily reminder of the broken promises surrounding this failed law.

Promise: “This legislation will also lower costs for families and for businesses …” – President Obama

Reality: Health care costs are skyrocketing.

  • “Get ready for big increases in premiums under the Affordable Care Act.” – New York Times

  • “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is seeking an average premium increase of nearly 60 percent for 2017, and Smith says his monthly bill of about $350 is already about as much as a car payment. Moreover, he's had to drive to a neighboring county for medical care because he couldn't get an appointment close to home.” – Associated Press

  • “Premiums for health plans sold through the federal insurance exchange could jump substantially next year, perhaps more than at any point since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces began in 2013.” – Washington Post

  • “Oregonians who buy their own health insurance will see a big jump in rates next year … For a 40-year-old Portland resident, for example, it means monthly premiums will rise as much as $107 or so.” – Associated Press

  • “As the fall looms, some enrollees might be facing as much as 50 percent increases on premiums. Whether or not the Affordable Care Act can live up to its name is a bit of an open question.” – The Atlantic

  • “... [The] law could find itself in a mounting crisis—what observers call a “death spiral”—in which competition vanishes, costs skyrocket, and a dwindling pool of insurers offer policies so expensive that health insurance is as out of reach as it ever was.” – Politico

  • “As they did before the law took effect, Ohioans continue to face increasing costs for care. Plans on the exchange come with hefty deductibles that average about $5,600 for bronze plans, in addition to co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs.” – Cleveland Plain Dealer

  • “Obamacare prices might grow faster next year than ever before … The rates aren't final, but they indicate the Affordable Care Act isn't helping to stem the rapid growth in premiums over the last two decades.” – Washington Examiner

  • “Your favorite Obamacare plans might not be so attractive in 2017. Some of the most popular types of Obamacare health insurance plans want to raise their prices by an average of 10 percent or more in 14 major metropolitan areas next year.” – CNBC

  • “Health insurers in Michigan are seeking another round of double-digit rate increases next year for plans they sell to individuals.” – Detroit Free Press

  • “Damian Nowak, a business owner and father of three living in Floresville, pays $673.92 each month for a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas health insurance policy that covers him, his wife and their children. Now the insurer is proposing to raise rates for health plans like Nowak's by nearly 60 percent effective Jan. 1, a change that could increase his monthly health insurance costs to $1,069 and affect more than 602,000 customers statewide.” – Houston Chronicle


Promise:
“So this law means more choice, more competition, lower costs for millions of Americans.” – President Obama 

Reality: Many insurers are heading for the exits, which will cause more Americans to lose their coverage and face even fewer choices.

  • “Obamacare is unraveling, with insurers fleeing the markets because — no news bulletin here — the medical bills are running far higher than the companies or official Washington expected.” – Chicago Tribune Editorial Board

  • “UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest insurance company, is pulling out of the Obamacare business in North Carolina next year … What has happened instead in North Carolina and many other states is that insurers are finding the Obamacare business to be a swamp.” – Politico

  • “Illinois moved Tuesday to take control of Land of Lincoln Health to begin an orderly shutdown of the insurance company, meaning about 49,000 people will lose their health coverage in the coming months.” – Chicago Tribune

  • “The number of insurers carrying out one of the Affordable Care Act’s most idealistic goals continues to plummet, with just seven nonprofit member-run health plans set to take part in the law’s fourth enrollment season this fall.” – Washington Post

  • “Minnesota-based UnitedHealth, the nation’s largest health insurer, announced in April that that it would stop selling health plans through the health law next year in most of the 34 of states where it operates, citing losses in the marketplaces.”– Los Angeles Times

  • “The health care law President Obama signed six years ago was supposed to fix the individual insurance market with enlightened rules and regulations. Instead, ObamaCare is destroying this market.” – Investor’s Business Daily Editorial Board

  • “Many insurers are shedding their Obamacare plans lately, and that now includes the largest health plan in New Mexico … Presbyterian, which insures about 18 percent of the Obamacare market in New Mexico, has sent letters to members notifying them of the changes.” – Albuquerque Journal

  • “Minnesota’s largest health insurer will pull the bulk of its plans off the individual market at the end of the year, forcing an estimated 103,000 residents to find new health care plans and providing the latest reminder of volatility in the market that’s been reshaped by President Barack Obama’s health care law.” – Pioneer Press


President Obama, seemingly admitting that his signature law is faltering, is now calling for—big surprise here—even more government meddling in health care. What could possibly go wrong?

The last thing the American people need is more government bureaucracy. Republicans have a better way that will deliver meaningful, patient-centered health care reform, not broken promises.


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