FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
WASHINGTON — Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print.
Premiums are likely to keep going up even if the health care bill passes, experts say. If cost controls work as advertised, annual increases would level off with time. But don't look for a rollback. Instead, the main reason premiums would be more affordable is that new government tax credits would help cover the cost for millions of people.
Listening to Obama pitch his plan, you might not realize that's how it works.
Visiting a Cleveland suburb this week, the president described how individuals and small businesses will be able to buy coverage in a new kind of health insurance marketplace, gaining the same strength in numbers that federal employees have.
"You'll be able to buy in, or a small business will be able to buy into this pool," Obama said. "And that will lower rates, it's estimated, by up to 14 to 20 percent over what you're currently getting. That's money out of pocket."
And that's not all.
Obama asked his audience for a show of hands from people with employer-provided coverage, what most Americans have.
"Your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent," said the president, "which means they could give you a raise."
A White House press spokesman later said the president misspoke; he had meant to say annual premiums would drop by $3,000.
It could be a long wait.
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Re: FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
Not a surprise. No matter how they spin it premiums and taxes will go up while wait times and level of care will be diluted.
Re: FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
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Originally Posted by NIKV69
Not a surprise. No matter how they spin it premiums and taxes will go up while wait times and level of care will be diluted.
Do you mean they will go up more than they would without overhauling the health coverage programs? Because even if the government does nothing at all, you can expect the insurance companies will continue to increase rates and reduce coverage all on their own, just like they have been doing for years...
Re: FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
Quote:
Originally Posted by moose135
Do you mean they will go up more than they would without overhauling the health coverage programs? Because even if the government does nothing at all, you can expect the insurance companies will continue to increase rates and reduce coverage all on their own, just like they have been doing for years...
So why not create an insurance watchdog group? Why not pass legislation that puts a lot of these ambulance chaser lawyers out-of-business or regulates their business practices more closely? One of the main reasons insurance premiums have increased so much in the past decade is because it's become the "American Way" to sue doctors, HMOs, insurance companies etc... for extraordinary amounts of money anytime someone gets their feelings hurt. Sure some cases have their merits, and the outcomes and amount of money paid to the victim was justified but a lot of them are outrageous and are the reason that health care is becoming unaffordable to a lot of Americans.
Re: FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
Quote:
Originally Posted by USAF Pilot 07
Quote:
Originally Posted by moose135
Do you mean they will go up more than they would without overhauling the health coverage programs? Because even if the government does nothing at all, you can expect the insurance companies will continue to increase rates and reduce coverage all on their own, just like they have been doing for years...
So why not create an insurance watchdog group? Why not pass legislation that puts a lot of these ambulance chaser lawyers out-of-business or regulates their business practices more closely? One of the main reasons insurance premiums have increased so much in the past decade is because it's become the "American Way" to sue doctors, HMOs, insurance companies etc... for extraordinary amounts of money anytime someone gets their feelings hurt. Sure some cases have their merits, and the outcomes and amount of money paid to the victim was justified but a lot of them are outrageous and are the reason that health care is becoming unaffordable to a lot of Americans.
Its not as easy to sue as one thinks. If a law suit is served there's generally solid reasons behind it.
Re: FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan
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Originally Posted by T-Bird76
Its not as easy to sue as one thinks. If a law suit is served there's generally solid reasons behind it.
I'd like to think so, but with all these ambulance chaser commercials on TV during the day, it leads me to believe otherwise.
