Is Donald Trump saving the Affordable Care Act? Governing notes that premiums on ACA marketplaces may actually go down in several states:
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that six states — Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, Iowa and Wyoming — will likely see a decline in premiums. And the Kaiser Family Foundation found that insurers in eight other states — Connecticut, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia — are also planning on decreasing premiums in at least one of their plans this fall. Premiums are expected to be finalized in the next couple of months [Mattie Quinn, “As States Battle Trump’s Health Plan Changes, Signs of Obamacare Stability Show,” Governing, 2018.08.14].
Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Patrick Conway says lower medical costs and the Trump tax cuts are helping reduce premiums in North Carolina by 4.1%. But…
…despite the overall cuts to Blue Cross NC’s 2019 rates, other federal actions are actually keeping premiums higher than they would be otherwise. The individual mandate, which requires people to buy health insurance or face a penalty, will be eliminated next year; Blue Cross estimates that if the mandate were still in place, rates would be 4 percent lower.
And if the October 2017 elimination of cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers were reversed, premiums would be another 14 percent lower, company officials said.
“If we had more certainty from Washington rates would be 15 percent, or more, lower,” Conway said [Mark Tosczak, “BCBSNC Says Most of Its ACA Plans Will Be Cheaper in 2019,” North Carolina Health News, 2018.08.01].
Trump’s policies appear to be running at cross-purposes: the benefits of one policy, in this case the corporate tax cuts, only provide cover for the harms done by another policy, in this case his rabid and reckless anti-Obamaism.
The plain fact here is that if Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, Marty Jackley, and the whole Republican Party weren’t attacking the Affordable Care Act, you’d be paying less for health insurance.
Cory wrote:
The plain fact here is that if Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, Marty Jackley, and the whole Republican Party weren’t attacking the Affordable Care Act, you’d be paying less for health insurance.
That is not a fact. They can afford to lower the ACA plans after jacking them sky high. They are still higher than grandfathered plans in SD.
Why don’t you compare the ACA plan prices to the grandfathered plan prices in SD?
I’ll give you a hint. The grandfathered plans are much cheaper.
I’ll give you a hint. The grandfathered plans are much cheaper.
Prove it, troll!
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming, the lone ACA insurer in that state, is seeking a 0.27% average decrease for 2019, after a 48% jump in its premiums this year.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/insurers-seek-smaller-rate-increases-on-aca-plans-1533165058
48% increase
Cory, why do you never mention that the risk corridor payments were never permanent?
Mike,
I compared the premium I am paying now to a Sanford and Avera plan you idiot. Did you forget your lie that SD doesn’t have grandfathered plans anymore?
Why would BCBS raise premiums 48% for 2018 ACA policies? Because in October 2017 Trump eliminated the cost sharing reduction payments to insurers forcing them to raise premiums drastically or to leave the ACA market. After jacking premiums to replace the missing federal money, it makes sense that the higher premiums will largely remain in future years.
GOPs won’t be happy until millions of Americans are priced out of their health insurance.
Rorschach,
The risk corridor payments were illegally extended. Trump is following the law.
Are you in favor of the Government breaking US law?
Jason, according to all reports I read about grandfathered plans is they don’t cover pre-existing conditions, which is where the higher premiums come from.
If you actually have a plan, and you are not noted for being That honest, your premiums can be raised for any number of reasons, solely at the Ins company’s whims.
Frankly I doubt you bothered to do an actually non-biased search for lower plan prices.
ps you put too much emphasis on one little possible mispeak on my part. I’d be extremely careful about calling others liars, liar.
From LA Times-
3. Risk corridors, another three-year transitional program that also was to redistribute money from insurers with low risks to those with high-risk, costly patients. This program was seriously undermined by congressional Republicans, who prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from dipping into the U.S. Treasury to cover any shortfall in available funds. As a result, the department could only pay out 12.6 cents on the dollar for risk-corridor claims for 2014, a development that forced some small insurers out of business.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) claimed credit for this pointless rule, even though it meant higher premiums for his constituents and insurance customers as a whole. As Adelberg and Bagley observed, the Rubio stunt actually won’t save any money — it’s still owed to the insurers, but merely forces them to sue for the payments. Six lawsuits already have been filed in the Court of Federal Claims.
Comrade Jason is on the Russian state health plan with a pre existing condition known as Putinism.
That’s an inner anal rash, isn’t it Jer?
Yes, more or less. Comrades develop this from having their collective heads up their arse’s. Not only does this cause breathing problems, but it also leads to the said rash developed as they are not able to pull their head out of their nether region. Only a shock of reality will dislodge those melons creating a loud sharp pop. We will find out more about that sound during the first days of November, 2018.
Jason simply denies the fact stated by the head of Blue Cross Blue Shield. There’s no point in arguing with such rank, baseless denialism.
The Affordable Care Act, in particular its individual mandate, its cost-sharing reduction payments, and the stability it provided to the insurance marketplace, kept insurance premiums lower than the Trumpus quo.
One thing Governor Matt Meade in Wyoming and da Governor Daugaard do when they see those increases in premiums with the ACA is smile. They are hearing the cha ching of the coffers at the state house collecting yet more hidden tax dollars from the taxpayers. Daugaard got a pretty good surprise, he knew it was coming, this year with what the insurance companies ponied up for the high premiums and hopes for the same next year. As long as the base doesn’t catch on, it is easy street for some more millions.
But..but, but. Grandfathered, whimper. Yep, those two have a hidden tax that goes to the state.
Wait until you all see the new skinny short term plans that everyone thinks is gonna be so cool. Ya, we are gonna stick it to that ACA/Obamacare and in particular, the Black dude. When the policy holders have a claim, all hell is gonna break loose. That is when the severe underwriting begins. Claims will be denied over those pre existing conditions that you thought no one would ever know about including your behavior in the courts. Oh, this is gonna be a fun ride that is for sure. Send lawyers, guns and money, the s#i+ has hit the fan. Warren says it best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgGginnySMs
Fun fact, the Medical Information Bureau is about to get a whole lot more busy right quick like when you file your first claim. Bah Zing! All those folks who thought the ACA/Obamacare was trash, your about to get educated once again. The past has risen.
“By alerting its member companies to errors, omissions, misrepresentations or potential fraud in the application process, MIB helps its members place insurance applicants in the appropriate risk groups, which may keep insurance premiums low for insurance-buying consumers. For instance, when individuals withhold or omit information that would have caused the insurer to decline the policy or to charge an extra premium to account for the additional risk, all insureds of that company are indirectly affected. In order to compensate for poorer than expected mortality experience, the insurer may need to raise rates, reduce dividends or interest credited to policies, or make other adjustments. ” https://www.mib.com/facts_about_mib.html
President Obama and the Democrats tried like hell to save you from the past, but you all want to see it again. There is one way to keep the genie of the past in the bottle, vote Democratic! Send Tim to Washington and send Billie to Pierre as governor and send the little Russian, Comrade Dusty and his soulmate Comrade NOem, home.
Many insurance companies have publicly stated that uncertainty and new policies enacted since Jan 2017 have resulted in them raising their rates. It isn’t just BCBS. It isn’t Cory pulling stuff out of thin air.
You are right Cory. No need to waste time on trying to arguing with the typical baseless claims by that person.