If this isnt grounds for impeachment, nothing is: ObamaCare price hikes hit red states hardestBy Maxim LottPublished November 05, 2013FoxNewsFacebook520 Twitter308 LinkedIn0 ADVERTISEMENT Experiencing sticker-shock at the price of insurance on ObamaCare exchanges? Thats more likely if you live in a red state that didnt vote for Obama, according to price data compiled by the Heritage Foundation. In red states, premiums for 27-year-olds rose an average of 78% on ObamaCare exchanges, whereas in blue states that voted for Obama, premiums rose a smaller 50%. Senate critics of ObamaCare say the difference is one way in which the bill is unfair. It’s unfair, outrageous and unacceptable, Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who is also an orthopedic surgeon, said in a statement to FoxNews. “After discovering that the President broke his promise that Americans can definitely keep their coverage, many red state Americans are now finding out that their rates will soar under ObamaCare. This... proves once again that the President’s health care law picks winners and losers across the country, he added. Health policy experts say the reason red states got hit hardest is that they had fewer regulations to begin with. Think about it this way, what does ObamaCare do? ObamaCare imposes a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme upon the insurance market. So if youre in a lightly regulated state today, all of a sudden its going from a lightly regulated system to a heavily regulated system, and that drives up a lot of the costs, Avik Roy, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who specializes in health policy, told FoxNews. The increased regulations in question include requirements that insurers provide things like preventative care and contraceptives, which ObamaCare will now require in all states. Asked about the numbers, the head of the pro-ObamaCare group Doctors for America pointed out that they dont take into account government subsidies that low-income people get under ObamaCare for purchasing insurance. The figures don’t take into account the subsidies... So it might be in a chart, but it’s not what people are actually seeing out there when they’re getting coverage, Alice Chen, Doctors for America Executive Director and a practicing internal medicine physician, told FoxNews. Roy says thats a bad argument. The idea that somehow insurance cost increases dont matter because there are subsidies for people -- no, because subsidies are paid for by taxpayers. Subsidies arent free. They dont fall from the sky. So if youre going to take subsidies into account, you also have to take the taxes into account that paid for these subsidies, he said. Slightly more red state Americans qualify for subsidies than blue-staters: 8.3% of people, compared to 7.9% of blue staters, according to data provided by Roy which is also on the Manhattan Institutes Know Your Rates calculator. Chen added that, thanks to ObamaCares subsidies, the rate increases would not be a problem for most young people. A Department of Health and Human Services analysis came out last week which showed that 50% of young Americans would actually be able to buy a plan for $50 or less a month. Makes me wish I was in that age bracket! she said.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 21:04:31 +0000
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