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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObamacare premiums through the roof? Only for avery, very few and Trumpcare makes it worse
What's the one thing you hear all the time from Republicans about Obamacare, and why they want to get rid of it? It's some variation of this, from Trump himself, back in January: "You have deductibles that are so high that after people go broke paying their premiums, which are going through the roof, the health care cant even be used by them because their deductibles are so high."
Here's a nifty interactive gizmo from The New York Times that demonstrates that's really not the case. At all. Here's the message:
Of the more than 90 percent of Americans who have health insurance, most get it from their job or the government. Premium growth has been low for those groups in the last few years.
The remainder buy their own insurance either through the Obamacare marketplaces or directly from an insurance company. Republicans who want to repeal the Affordable Care Act say this group has seen a rise in premiums.
But 85 percent of the people buying insurance through the marketplaces receive federal subsidies, which generally shield them from premium increases. This leaves just the remaining marketplace customers, and those who buy insurance directly, affected by the increases.
These two groups account for 3 percent of all Americans.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/3/11/1641963/-Obamacare-premiums-through-the-roof-Only-for-a-very-very-few-and-Trumpcare-makes-it-worse
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)but no... Emails.
elleng
(130,908 posts)it's the nature of the insurance 'beast.'
Decrease competition >>> More and higher increases.
dgauss
(882 posts)Again and again we hear Republican mouthpieces use the word "disaster" to describe the ACA. They hammer that meme, their favorite, over and over again and pretty much all you hear in response from media is "What would you do to fix it?" or something similar that tacitly concedes the point.
Maybe I've missed it, but I have seen nothing at all resembling any rigorous analysis of that characterization on MSNBC or CNN and obviously not Fox. Wouldn't that be a first step if the media really wants to inform the public about what's at stake? It's not like it's impossible to find impartial, credible guests that could lay out the numbers and give some context.
Too boring for good ratings I guess?
So while it may be heartening to see MSNBC and CNN standing up to much of the Trump administration lies and lunacy, they are still too focused on the drama, the process, the fights, the "politics" and do too little to actually examine policy changes, put them in context, discuss consequences in way that is more than just the usual "this side says this, that side says that" format.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)but they irresponsibly let them spout endlessly.
Ryan spouts endlessly about Obamacare being in tatters when it's anything but. If you're not aware for all you know it's the truth.
dgauss
(882 posts)the Republican "working the refs" claims. But they are supposed to be a check on lying SOBs in government. If they did their job in that respect Paul Ryan would be driven out of Washington in shame.
wishstar
(5,269 posts)According to someone I know who first enrolled in 2015, he failed to submit proper paperwork for his 2016 enrollment where he had to provide updated income information for Blue Cross to determine his 2016 subsidy amount, so they raised his premium from $162 to over $600. Then he said it took awhile to get through to Blue Cross to straighten things out. This guy is a Repub who got tens of thousands of dollars of medical care in 2015 (cancer and other serious problems) and was pissed off that he had to resubmit paperwork regarding his income, and while that was being resolved, he got notice of premium going up.
Last I heard though, he got everything straightened out, has excellent medical care with fairly low deductibles and very affordable premium.