Why shouldn't health insurers demand a higher premium

[Ms. Toad]

7. Because the ACA prohibits it.

Does no one remember one of the main premises of the ACA? Insurance companies which were free to set premiums as they deemed fit made anyone with a chronic health condition uninsurable. My daughter, with a condition that has a minimum of $200,000/year in billed expenses, was uninsurable, unable to stay in school full time after she reached the age 18 (a condition to remain on our insurance) and unable to work at a job that provided health insurance, was uninsurable. The ACA is the only way she has access to a means to pay for her health care.

Under the ACA, to avoid making people uninsurable, there are only 5 reasons to vary premiums: smoking, age, geography, single v family, and plan type.

Specific health conditions, or behavior (other than smoking) are not valid bases for charging one person higher premiums than another.

To change that, you would need to amend the ACA - which has been in litigation since it was enacted more than a decade ago. Anyone attempting to amend it to punish people based on health condition will earn my undying wrath.