THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES--JOHN BOEHNER---Ohio insurance regulators Thursday released rates for health insurance to be sold on the new state marketplace and said premiums for individuals will rise an average of 41 percent compared with 2013 rates. Good news for Boehner and his fellow Republicans, right? That is until you read all the way down to the—third paragraph: But the average 2014 premium of $332.58 a month for individuals, unveiled by Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, masks the fact that for many individuals, premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses will go down. In fact, the article goes into some great detail on the many benefits of Obamacare. It claims about 80 to 90 percent of people who, according to the non-partisan CBO, use the state exchanges will qualify for federal subsidies to reduce or eliminate costs. The article also goes on to tell how the 41% figure was calculated, essentially saying that specific health care coverages and plans were picked to artificially create a much lower 2013 average premium expense. For example, the individuals they used for the 41% figure were taken from a much healthier pool of people than the average population. Of course, healthier people usually pay less for health care. Now the article does allude to one group of people which might see their premiums increase—young, healthy individuals who buy their own coverage. But, that’s of course before you factor in subsidies that will offset some of the cost. Older, pre-Medicare individuals will most likely see lower premiums. The article also states that because of the requirements the Affordable Care Act establishes, most citizens will have access to a wider range of health care services. Basically, what Boehner and his fellow Obamacare opponents often do is quote prices for premiums before any subsidies are taken off. But in this “41%” number, they not only used costs before federal subsidies, they skewed the pool of data for 2013 to reflect a much lower premium costs than you see with the general population. Something this article clearly points out. So, in Boehner’s rush to bash the Affordable Care Act on his Twitter account, apparently he either didn’t read the article—or didn’t make it past the first paragraph.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 01:38:50 +0000
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