ObamaCare Brings Insurance Rate Hikesby Michael TennantThe New American Sep. 12, 2010 |
Back in 2008, candidate Barack Obama said that his healthcare reform plan “would bring down premiums by $2500 for the typical family.” In February of this year he urged Congress to pass healthcare reform or else Americans would “see exploding premiums and out-of-pocket costs burn through more and more family budgets.” In March Congress passed, and Obama signed, the legislation. Today, says the Wall Street Journal, health-insurance premiums are not falling but rising, probably as a direct result of the passage of ObamaCare. Writes the Journal: “Aetna Inc., some BlueCross BlueShield plans and other smaller carriers have asked for premium increases of between 1% and 9% to pay for extra benefits required under the law, according to filings with state regulators.” “These and other insurers,” adds the newspaper, “say Congress’s landmark refashioning of U.S. health coverage … is causing them to pass on more costs to consumers than Democrats predicted.” Read More |