Pa. insurance department says Obamacare rates to rise 30.6 percent

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pa. insurance department says Obamacare rates to rise 30.6 percent

KRIS B. MAMULA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[e-mail]

2:07 PM OCT 16, 2017

Obamacare health insurance premiums in Pennsylvania will jump an average 30.6 percent in 2018, nearly four times the increase that had been anticipated before cost-sharing reductions for the coverage were scrapped last week.

The original projection had been for an average 7.6 percent rate increase for individual health insurance plans purchased through the Affordable Care Acts government exchange.

Acting Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman said she regretted Mondays news. ... It is with great regret that I must announce approved rates that are substantially higher than what companies initially requested, Ms. Altman said in a prepared statement.

This is not the situation that I hoped we would be in, but due to President Trumps refusal to make cost-sharing reduction payments for 2018 and Congress inaction to appropriate funds, it is the reality that state regulators must face and the reason rate increases will be higher than they should be across the country.
....

Kris B. Mamula: [e-mail] or 412-263-1699

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/business/healthcare-business/2017/10/16/pennsylvania-obamacare-rate-hike-average-30-percent-economy-health-insurance-trump-upmc-highmark-aca/stories/201710160169

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Retweeted by Dave Weigel: https://twitter.com/daveweigel

After Trump nixed CSR payments, rates in PA individual health insurance market to go up 30%, per state insurance commissioner.

Link to tweet

[cilla4progress]

1. You mean

trump care.

[SeattleVet]

2. tRump just said that Obamacare doesn't exist anymore...

so all of this crap is totally on HIM now, with his tRumpDon'tCare sabotage of the Affordable Care Act.

[left-of-center2012]

3. That should make them happy

PA voted for Trump

[PA Democrat]

22. I am from PA. No one in my family voted for Trump- we all voted for Hillary.

I buy my insurance on the individual market and get zero subsidies as our family income is too high. My insurance (UPMC) is going up 41.1% next year. I will manage to pay the THOUSANDS in additional premiums but that means I will be not be able to spend money on some much-needed home improvements. Other people in the state do not have that "luxury".

I can't celebrate the pain and harm this will cause people

[Cryptoad]

4. thats TrumpCAre!!!!!

get the name right!

[Not Ruth]

5. 23% of Trumpcare cost was covered by federal subsidies?

Is my math correct? Can the wealthier states subsidize it? Don't the states send money to the Feds regularly? Send less and pay the subsidies.

[Podkayne K]

6. This is why I had my doubts about...

defeating "Trumpcare." Now I'm damn sure that most of the cause for rising rates will be blamed on--and believed by most folks--to be the fault of Democrats.

[Autumn]

7. Ir's not Obamacare. It's Trumpcare, he 'fixed" it

and it's his baby.

[Achilleaze]

8. republican TrumpCare is already screwing Americans

deplorable

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. But that's what I don't understand

The ACA, when all is said and done, was a boon to health insurance companies. Millions more people insured meant hundreds of millions more in premiums. It may have been a hit in the beginning, but I think most insurance companies were going to see their profits rise this year. Now millions will just drop their insurance because it's unaffordable.

[BigmanPigman]

10. I wish that this would only effect those who voted for the fucking moron

and not the rest of us who will now end up paying the price and suffer due to their deplorable votes.

[BlueIdaho]

11. Yup, Donny made it very clear...

There is no more Obamacare - it’s TrumpCare from now on...

[beachbum bob]

12. another anchor around republicans running for office in Pennsylvania

,,,can't wait

[matt819]

14. No longer Obamacare.

Never was, but that's another story.

It's Trumpcare. Don't even call it the ACA. His destruction was done via EO. It's all his, and the party for letting it happen. It's trumpcare. It's actually trumpdon'tcare. We need to come up with a replacement for care, because care is no longer a viable or credible feature.

[elmac]

15. yes, from now on its tRumpCare

Its no longer is Obama care or ACA, its been FUBAR by the fascists.

[PA Democrat]

16. Pat Toomey's office is trying to distance themselves from this.

Staffer told me that this is all the White House's doing. I said ALL Republicans are to blame because they have all been complicit in their efforts to sabotage and destroy the ACA for partisan political reasons.

Toomey's staffer also claims that these increases will not occur until 2019 because the rates for 2018 were already approved and locked in. But that is NOT what is being reported. I should get something from my insurance company within the next few weeks about rates for 2018. This article says my insurer will be increasing rates by more than 41%.

I am beyond angry.

[SansACause]

17. I believe they are referring to health insurance.

Health insurance purchased by individuals. "Obamacare" is a law. It can't go up or down.

[Journeyman]

18. It's about what I expected for TrumpDon'tCare. That was the avg. annual hit before the ACA . . .

(On Edit, let me clarify this is what I expected the insurance companies to do under the guidance and purview of the new health care insurance guidelines as promulgated by President Trump via executive order. Under the guidance and purview of the Affordable Health Care law, my insurance rates were substantially lower than they had been previous to its passage, and frighteningly lower than I expect they will become due to President Trump's meddling.)

[sinkingfeeling]

19. Trumpcare premium increase for 2018 400% of that of Obamacare. That should be headline.

[James48]

20. Its not Obamacare anymore.

Now it is Trumpcare.

He broke it. He bought it.

[leon8822]

21. Wow

DAMN DAMN DAMN!!!!