HELENA — Insurance companies in Montana are requesting double-digit rate increases next year for the health plans of more than 77,000 people covered through the online exchange created by President
Source: Montana health insurers ask for double-digit rate hikes
“Double-digit rate increases were the norm in the years leading up to the Affordable Care Act.”
Yes, they were. It would appear they still are, in fact. The ACA can be considered a failure for no other reason than this point alone. It’s a shame that the Gazette did not bother to pursue this point further, rather than reducing it to a quick line buried in a sea of justification.
“After the law passed, the companies had to set rates for a new marketplace without any history to base them on, she said.”
Interesting that she should say that. Prior to the passage of the ACA I had insurance through BCBS. I had an extremely high deductible, middling coverage for anything other than catastrophic circumstances and a premium of several hundred dollars a month. After the passage I had the same thing, except they wanted to increase my deductible another $500-$1000 a year… The insurance industry lives and dies by statistical analysis. Few industries are more qualified to extrapolate data into projected outcomes than they are. No history indeed.
“Dworak said 72 percent of his cooperative’s customers receive subsidies.”
I think we have found the root cause for the increase. If an insurance company gets free money from Uncle Sam, then surely they shall want to see just how much more they can get…
My problem with government healthcare is not the inefficiency. Is government anything efficient? It’s the totalitarian nature. Every thing comes from the government.
When the government controls your job, and healthcare, and food, and retirement, and transportation, and daycare. To oppose the government is to die.
We don’t need government run health care, but I am not opposed to a solution that provides national health care. I agree with you regarding the totalitarian approach the people have gravitated towards. People will not strike the hand that feeds them, even if that hand is a mailed fist raised in our faces.