FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan

[Zguy28]

FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_fact_check

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print.

Premiums are likely to keep going up even if the health care bill passes, experts say. If cost controls work as advertised, annual increases would level off with time. But don't look for a rollback. Instead, the main reason premiums would be more affordable is that new government tax credits would help cover the cost for millions of people.

Listening to Obama pitch his plan, you might not realize that's how it works.

Visiting a Cleveland suburb this week, the president described how individuals and small businesses will be able to buy coverage in a new kind of health insurance marketplace, gaining the same strength in numbers that federal employees have.

"You'll be able to buy in, or a small business will be able to buy into this pool," Obama said. "And that will lower rates, it's estimated, by up to 14 to 20 percent over what you're currently getting. That's money out of pocket."

And that's not all.

Obama asked his audience for a show of hands from people with employer-provided coverage, what most Americans have.

"Your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent," said the president, "which means they could give you a raise."

A White House press spokesman later said the president misspoke; he had meant to say annual premiums would drop by $3,000.

It could be a long wait.

Full article at link.

[SnyderShrugged]

Of course they will rise. Anyone with half a brain can see that adding in high risk customers to the risk pool would do that.

[alexey]

Of course they will rise. Anyone with half a brain can see that adding in high risk customers to the risk pool would do that.

Anyone with both halves of the brain can see that healthy customers will be added to the risk pool as well.

[alexey]

I always thought these numbers were CBO numbers, a difference between rates with and without the bill... they should certainly make sure to say that, not just that rates are going down.

[Zguy28]

I always thought these numbers were CBO numbers, a difference between rates with and without the bill... they should certainly make sure to say that, not just that rates are going down.

It sounds better if you don't say it. Politics 101.

[TimmySmith]

Even people with no brain know that insurance companies will seize any opportunity to raise premiums. Especially since the government has promised to essentially subsidize health care to some extent. Basically national health care allows the insurance companies to extort money from the federal government. Anyone surprised?

[SnyderShrugged]

Anyone with both halves of the brain can see that healthy customers will be added to the risk pool as well.

Not without mandates that will never fly by the scotus. What we will see is people waiting until they are sick before they ask for coverage. Any other view is in dreamland

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Premiums are only part of the story.

What happens to co-pays and deductibles? Those are what are killing people with insurance.

[Popeman38]

Premiums are only part of the story.

What happens to co-pays and deductibles? Those are what are killing people with insurance.

Co-pays are killing people? Deductibles are killing people?

What' date=' you want to go to the doctor and pay [i']nothing[/i]?

[Vicious]

What, you want to go to the doctor and pay nothing?

Yeah, when Jesus healed you owed him 5 schillings and if you couldn't pay he took your house.

[twa]

Premiums are only part of the story.

What happens to co-pays and deductibles? Those are what are killing people with insurance.

To be determined,as is far too many details.

They will certainly still be there though

[mardi gras skin]

Yeah, when Jesus healed you owed him 5 schillings and if you couldn't pay he took your house.

Funny that you compare universal healthcare with faith healing.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Co-pays are killing people? Deductibles are killing people?

What, you want to go to the doctor and pay nothing?

No. But I don't think I should pay for health insurance twice, which is what is happening now to a lot of people.

But people are paying high premiums already for high deductible policies. What this means is, unless you end up in ICU, you really don't have insurance. How many people can reach a $5000 deductible in one year minus a cataclysmic illness? (At which point, you will probably be denied for having a pre-existing condition).

Health insurance has basically become auto insurance - except with the right to refuse people.

[SnyderShrugged]

No. But I don't think I should pay for health insurance twice' date=' which is what is happening now to a lot of people.

But people are paying high premiums already for high deductible policies. What this means is, unless you end up in ICU, you really don't have insurance. How many people can reach a $5000 deductible in one year minus a cataclysmic illness? (At which point, you will probably be denied for having a pre-existing condition).

Health insurance has basically become auto insurance - except with the right to refuse people.[/quote']

The vast majority of high deductable plans have very low premiums? You are misinformed on this topic.

[Kilmer17]

Imagine what happens when 45 percent of doctors retire rather than deal with the bureaucracy.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2185433/65_of_doctors_say_no_to_obamacare_45.html

65% of the physicians polled said they oppose the proposed Obamacare plan. 45% of the physicians polled said that they would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement, if the plan were to become

[GibbsFactor]

If true, I do not support Obama's plan.

:mad:

[gbear]

Will rise compared to what? The current costs or the compared with how much they will rise if we do nothing is I think the more important question.

[twa]

No. But I don't think I should pay for health insurance twice' date=' which is what is happening now to a lot of people.

But people are paying high premiums already for high deductible policies. What this means is, unless you end up in ICU, you really don't have insurance. How many people can reach a $5000 deductible in one year minus a cataclysmic illness? (At which point, you will probably be denied for having a pre-existing condition).

Health insurance has basically become auto insurance - except with the right to refuse people.[/quote']

Any refusal is bound by the ins policy and will not occur w/o fraud or a uncovered procedure.

I carry a high Ded plan and the premiums are WELL below what Obamacare will force me to pay....Which will mean me paying for others even more:silly:

Funny that I've used it many times w/o a problem and am quite happy with it.

[TheLongshot]

Imagine what happens when 45 percent of doctors retire rather than deal with the bureaucracy.

Actually, that's already happening with the current system. There are plenty of doctors who are tired of dealing with all the different payment systems to different insurance companies and what they do or don't cover, so they either get out or they go into managed care. That's why you will find many who want a single payer system of some sort. Unfortunately, they aren't getting that with this bill.

[gbear]

part of the article not quoted above saying what I have thought- better than now not perfect by any stretchhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_fact_check:

"It found that large employers would see premium savings of at most 3 percent compared with what their costs would have been without the legislation. That would be more like a few hundred dollars instead of several thousand.

The claim that people buying coverage individually would save 14 percent to 20 percent comes from the same budget office report, prepared in November for Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. But the presidential sound bite fails to convey the full picture.

The budget office concluded that premiums for people buying their own coverage would go up by an average of 10 percent to 13 percent, compared with the levels they'd reach without the legislation. That's mainly because policies in the individual insurance market would provide more comprehensive benefits than they do today.

For most households, those added costs would be more than offset by the tax credits provided under the bill, and they would pay significantly less than they have to now.

The premium reduction of 14 percent to 20 percent that Obama cites would apply only to a portion of the people buying coverage on their own — those who decide they want to keep the skimpier kinds of policies available today.

Their costs would go down because more young people would be joining the risk pool and because insurance company overhead costs would be lower in the more efficient system Obama wants to create. "

[Kilmer17]

Employers will quickly figure out that paying the fine will be cheaper than paying for their employees HC.

So on top of premiums rising and doctors quitting, we're going to have employers backing out. Demand will skyrocket, and costs will have to follow.

[Popeman38]

No. But I don't think I should pay for health insurance twice' date=' which is what is happening now to a lot of people.

But people are paying high premiums already for high deductible policies. What this means is, unless you end up in ICU, you really don't have insurance. How many people can reach a $5000 deductible in one year minus a cataclysmic illness? (At which point, you will probably be denied for having a pre-existing condition).

Health insurance has basically become auto insurance - except with the right to refuse people.[/quote']I have a high deductible policy, and what you pay is notthe deductible all at once. You pay 20% of the bill until you meet your deductible. Which, if you spend the night in the hospital and see multiple doctors, you will meet easily. But even if you don't meet your deductible in the course of the year, you still save 80% of the cost you would be billed. Does that make it cheap? No, but going to the doctor has never been "cheap".

[Bliz]

Imagine what happens when 45 percent of doctors retire rather than deal with the bureaucracy.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2185433/65_of_doctors_say_no_to_obamacare_45.html

65% of the physicians polled said they oppose the proposed Obamacare plan. 45% of the physicians polled said that they would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement, if the plan were to become

:ols:

That "poll" is the biggest load of BS I have ever seen. It doesn't even explain the methodology!

No wait, 2nd biggest. The biggest was when a "poll" conducted by the same group had John McCain winning the youth vote 74-22.

Seriously man, do you believe everything you read (provided it criticizes dems)?

[TimmySmith]

Employers will quickly figure out that paying the fine will be cheaper than paying for their employees HC.

So on top of premiums rising and doctors quitting, we're going to have employers backing out. Demand will skyrocket, and costs will have to follow.

We were talking about this at work. Obama clearly said that "You will not have to change plans under the new system". So I guess that means that my employer will drop me from our plan, but I will be able to get the same exact plan for the same cost from the government. Right?

[aREDSKIN]

This health care (LOL) bill ( lol,lol,lol) if rammed through is going to be the greatest fraud perpetrated on the American citizenry. Even non citizens will get sucked-up in it. The dems will rue the day they did this. But of course many will be long gone before many get any benefit from this boondoggle.