It’s fact, not fake: Americans crushed by ObamaCare premiums

In July 2012, President Barack Obama made this statement: "You should know that once we have fully implemented [the Affordable Care Act], you're going to be able to buy insurance through a pool so that you can get the same good rates as a group that if you're an employee at a big company you can get right now – which means your premiums will go down."

Since that time, however, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), premiums for ObamaCare have increased "significantly" for individual health insurance plans:

"There is substantial variation in the percent increase by state. All 39 states using Healthcare.gov experienced an increase in individual market premiums from 2013 to 2017. Across the Healthcare.gov states, the lowest premium increase was 12% (New Jersey), and the highest premium increase was 222% (Alabama). Sixteen states had premium increases below the national average of 105%, 20 states experienced premium increases between 105% and 200%, and 3 states saw premiums triple with increases of 200% or more." (HHS "ASPE Data Point" [May 23, 2017], p. 2)

OneNewsNow spoke with Hadley Heath Manning, director of health policy for the Independent Women's Forum.

"This report is not surprising. It tracks with what we've heard from so many Americans who are getting crushed by the cost of high premiums under ObamaCare," she says. "This report specifically focuses on states that don't have their own exchanges, just states that operate under the Healthcare.gov federal exchange – and more than half of those states saw average increases of more than 100 percent, meaning premiums more than doubled."

In three states (Alabama, Alaska, and Oklahoma), the increase was over 200 percent between 2013 and 2017, according to the HHS report.

"Meaning for those customers in those states, average premiums have more than tripled," Manning explains. "So it's pretty astounding – but it's not surprising because it tracks with what we already know about ObamaCare."

The chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ronna McDaniel, makes similar remarks in a press release about the HHS report:

"This report proves what Republicans have been saying for years – ObamaCare was sold on lies that failed to deliver for the American people. With premiums skyrocketing out of control and increasing by triple digits for many families, it is no surprise Obamacare is in a death spiral.

"It is no longer up for debate – the Democrats have saddled Americans with a healthcare system that has failed people all across our country. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to work to deliver more patient-centered, affordable, and flexible healthcare system that will care for generations to come."

It was reported yesterday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that the GOP's plan – the American Health Care Act – would see premiums fall compared to what Americans say under ObamaCare. The AHCA narrowly passed the House earlier this month and is now with the Senate.