It's BS gopher... You are going on about 'affordability', yet there are (to my knowledge) 3 different plans for coverage ranging from the Yugo to the Bentley, let alone private plans or access to foreign H/C available only to those with cash?... Isn't this just a variation of what existed before?
Fact is, if ACA was truly universal, there would be one solitary plan available to everyone... Full Stop.
PS - post all of the heartfelt pictures you like, it will never change the reality that our collective, simple existence has birth and death as the common denominator for each and everyone of us, it's not an 'if' - it's a 'when'
Well Captain - a lot of us Yanks will gladly take the Canadian model as our coverage.
Meanwhile since we don't have it, contrary to the pretensions of the far right, Obamacare is actually working:
Key Study On Obamacare 2015 Premium Rates Is Out And You Won't Believe What's Going To Happen - Forbes
Key Study On Obamacare 2015 Premium Rates Is Out And You Won't Believe What's Going To Happen
While political slanting continues to dominate the public’s opinion on Obamacare, there is nothing like throwing a few facts into the mix to cause people to begin scratching their heads in confusion.
One of the best sources of actual facts is the annual study done by the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform.
Any self-respecting conservative knows all too well that McKinsey is immune from attack as an organization committed to presenting a left leaning political slant as it remains a bastion of business advice and a company that simply cannot be painted with a blue brush.
So, how do we explain the McKinsey findings, which reveal some awfully
good news when it comes to premium rates, as Obamacare begins its second year sign up period beginning November 15?
We explain it by simply pointing out that when your sole approach to a program is based on your preferred political point of view, the truth may sometimes disappoint—even when the truth comes in the form of some pretty good news.
Here are the bullet points of the study:
Despite the cries of the Obamacare bashers that insurance companies would leave the exchanges in droves once they discovered how much money they are losing , it turns out that competition and choice are increasing as we head into 2015.
According to the McKinsey study, “In the 41 states releasing exchange participation carrier data, the number of health insurers increased by 26 percent between 2014 and 2015. In the 19 states with complete fillings, the number of products grew 66 percent, with most in the silver tier.”
While 65 percent of existing policies will see an increase in premium costs for 2015, the medium increase will be just 4 percent.
2015-individual-market-health-insurance-rate-filings
When was the last time we saw insurance premiums experience an annual increase of less than 5 percent? I cannot remember such a time and doubt that you can either.
The Forbes eBook On Obamacare
Inside Obamacare: The Fix For America’s Ailing Health Care System explores the ways the Affordable Care Act will affect your health care and is available for download now.
What’s more, based on the popularity of the lowest priced policies in a given tier that we saw during the 2014 season, McKinsey expects that a number of people purchasing higher price plans in their preferred tier will move to either the lowest or second lowest plan in the chosen category. For those people, the study suggests the mean increase will be less than 2 percent.
To back this up, the report notes, “According to a recent ASPE report, 64 percent of the 2014 enrollees in federally facilitated marketplaces chose either the lowest-price or second-lowest-price plan in their rating area.”
To be sure, the range of prices, based on policy and regional influences are all over the place.
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Charlie Martin @chasrmartin