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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRead This Before You Believe The Obamacare Premium Spike Hysteria
Read This Before You Believe The Obamacare Premium Spike Hysteria
By Igor Volsky
While some states are reporting lower than expected health care premiums in the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act, a growing number of Republican-controlled states like South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Florida and Georgia are garnering screaming headlines about huge premium spikes under the law.
Calculating premium rates is a complicated and tedious task that will vary greatly among states and is open to interpretation and manipulation by both supporters and opponents of President Obamas health care law. Generalities are particularly hard to draw, as the law will impact Americans differently: the new regulations will lead some younger people to may pay more than theyre contributing now, but will save older and sicker people hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a month.
Still, since Republicans are politically motivated to portray the proposed premium increases in a negative light and the media is far more interested in sensational claims about Obamacare failing, coverage of the new rates often leads readers with the mistaken perception that the law is coming off the tracks. Below is a short guide that will help you identify if someone is misrepresenting how much premiums will increase under Obamacare:
1. Do the premiums account for subsidies?
Most articles about premiums for health insurance in the exchanges relegate information about the Affordable Care Acts tax credit subsidies to the lower two thirds of the piece, thus presenting the top rates as the actual amount families and individuals will be required to pay.
In reality, the number of applicants who are eligible for sliding-scale tax credits will vary the credits are available to people making less than four times the poverty line but the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that out of the 7 million Americans expected to enroll in coverage in 2014, 6 million will be eligible for subsidies. Those with incomes up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) will also see reduced the out-of-pocket limits.
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/05/2413121/read-this-before-you-believe-the-obamacare-premium-hikes-stories/
By Igor Volsky
While some states are reporting lower than expected health care premiums in the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act, a growing number of Republican-controlled states like South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Florida and Georgia are garnering screaming headlines about huge premium spikes under the law.
Calculating premium rates is a complicated and tedious task that will vary greatly among states and is open to interpretation and manipulation by both supporters and opponents of President Obamas health care law. Generalities are particularly hard to draw, as the law will impact Americans differently: the new regulations will lead some younger people to may pay more than theyre contributing now, but will save older and sicker people hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a month.
Still, since Republicans are politically motivated to portray the proposed premium increases in a negative light and the media is far more interested in sensational claims about Obamacare failing, coverage of the new rates often leads readers with the mistaken perception that the law is coming off the tracks. Below is a short guide that will help you identify if someone is misrepresenting how much premiums will increase under Obamacare:
1. Do the premiums account for subsidies?
Most articles about premiums for health insurance in the exchanges relegate information about the Affordable Care Acts tax credit subsidies to the lower two thirds of the piece, thus presenting the top rates as the actual amount families and individuals will be required to pay.
In reality, the number of applicants who are eligible for sliding-scale tax credits will vary the credits are available to people making less than four times the poverty line but the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that out of the 7 million Americans expected to enroll in coverage in 2014, 6 million will be eligible for subsidies. Those with incomes up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) will also see reduced the out-of-pocket limits.
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/05/2413121/read-this-before-you-believe-the-obamacare-premium-hikes-stories/
Krugman: Republicans Against Reality
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023406920
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Read This Before You Believe The Obamacare Premium Spike Hysteria (Original Post)
ProSense
Aug 2013
OP
The ACA future psychics. Not one bill has gone out, not one invoice, it does not kick in till 2014.
Safetykitten
Aug 2013
#5
ProSense
(116,464 posts)1. Kick! n/t
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)2. apparently not "ranty" enough to get noticed
nevertheless, important to note......HCA is coming and the RW scramble to try an put it down before anyone (a majority) realizes the potentials is comical. I am so very very sure that like SS, this is merely a stepping stone to universal or single payer coverage.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)4. Yup. n/t
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)3. Thanks.
Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)5. The ACA future psychics. Not one bill has gone out, not one invoice, it does not kick in till 2014.
But ITS GREAT!
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)6. Utah...hardly considered Progressive
has on it's state web site, calculators for ACA premiums. Ya, family of 5 starting at $230/month. Site offering 60+ options with varying levels of co pay and out of pocket max. Yes, it's very GREAT!!!
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)7. Obamacare kicked in well over a year ago.
Not all of it, of course, but quite a bit.
Try to keep up on your reading.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)8. Here's a timeline: