Health plan costs set to soar

Published August 19, 2016

by Jim Tynen, Civitas Review online, August 17, 2016.

The cost of Affordable Care Act policies in North Carolina seems poised to rise sharply, as Obamacare’s death spiral looms.

Insurer Aetna is going to dump its individual Affordable Care Act (ACA) policies in North Carolina and 10 other states, the news media report. The reason: the company estimates it will lose $300 million this year on the plans. (The company will still offer individual policies, but outside of the ACA.)

What does this mean for people here? The only remaining company to offer the ACA policies across NC is Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Cigna has said it will offer the polices in the Triangle area, but it looks like only Blue Cross will offer them statewide.

It’s not a knock on Blue Cross to point out the obvious: consumers and regulators have little leverage on a monopoly, and that’s what Blue Cross will have. Blue Cross had already asked for an 18.5 percent increase.

The bigger story is that Aetna’s move is just one more sign of what ACA critics have long said: the whole Obamacare system is destined to fail.

“Aetna isn’t the only insurer giving up on Obamacare,” health expert Sally C. Pipes recently wrote. “UnitedHealth, America’s biggest insurer, will sell plans in just three states next year, down from 34 this year. Humana will offer coverage in just 156 counties in 2017, 88 percent fewer than this year.  In other words, the insurance ‘death spiral’ has arrived.”

The Obamacare policies are no bargains. They have such high deductibles, copays and premiums that most people avoid them, even if they have to pay fines for being uninsured. So only really sick people sign up, and many of them dump the policies once a health crisis has passed. The companies take in less and less money, while their costs skyrocket.

Maybe that’s why its popularity is falling among unaffiliated voters, a key bloc. That’s a formula for failure: skyrocketing costs, falling support.

What happens when the Obamacare system crashes? As many have said, when something can’t go on forever, it won’t. I heard Donald Trump predict the collapse of Obamacare would be one of the first crises he’d face if he is elected and sworn into office in January. He sounded worried about it. We all should be.

https://www.nccivitas.org/civitas-review/health-plan-costs-set-to-soar/

August 19, 2016 at 11:41 am
Norm Kelly says:

When every demon pol out there LIED to Americans about the scheme, the only thought they had was their utopia would soon be ushered in. The scheme all along, by demon pols, was that Obamacancer had failure built into it. What's the demon solution? Totally remove private business from the scheme. A full, total, complete takeover of the medical insurance business. What libs call 'single payer' health care. (NOTE: they only refer to it by this sweet sounding name because they know that if they refer to it by it's proper name, 'socialized medicine', too many will reject it.)

As with all schemes demon, when obamacancer fails to provide the lies touted by demons, their solution will be even more government involvement. It's what they do with every scheme of theirs that fails. (which means they have plenty of practice lying to Americans about their schemes and solutions!)

Libs will claim that the only reason premiums have gone up is because private business is greedy and selfish. If libs are allowed to completely remove private business from the scheme, their solution will actually work. Which is exactly what will happen if Hildabeast is elected. It was her idea then, and it remains her idea now. Doubt me? Then provide information about some lib/socialist scheme that worked different. Don't use the VA Health system as libs did when they told us how good obamacancer would be. They proved themselves correct at that point, they just didn't know it. The VA Health system is a failure, proved itself a failure because socialism has it's own failure BUILT IN. But, like all socialist plans AND lib schemes, the solution by libs/socialists was that even more money, even more resources, even more government was necessary to 'fix' the problem. Did ANY demon pol consider privatization? Nope. Never will. Never have. Privatization is antithesis to everything demon.

What's the answer? Just ask any NC lib/demon pol. They've already been saying that the reason those like Aetna are pulling out of NC is because we didn't adopt their socialist scheme. Need proof. Read the 'news' paper. They tell their readers, low-information voters by-and-large, that the problem with health insurance in NC is simply that REPUBLICANS refused to accept the ultimate utopian solution to costly health insurance. What do libs, media ally types, tell us about skyrocketing premiums, outrageous deductibles, and LESS choice than before their scheme? It's only failing because Republicans stand in the way. Don't pay any attention to the fact that SCOTUS had to rewrite the law in order to consider it Constitutional. Don't pay any attention to the fact that demon pols who passed this scheme lied to the American people to get it passed, then completely changed their tune when the issue came before SCOTUS. And SCOTUS completely ignore every demon claim prior to the case that contradicted what they were being told before the scheme was implemented.

EVERYTHING about socialized medicine is bad and doomed to failure. The lib/socialist 'solution' is even scarier. And more destructive. They've already taken over the college loan program. They want to take over 'big oil'. They've pretty well taken over public education. What else are Americans willing to let them do that is anti-Constitutional? Want to find out? Simply vote for Hildabeast and it won't take long for you to know how bad it really is!

August 19, 2016 at 4:05 pm
Richard L Bunce says:

As government moves deeper into insurance markets the more screwed up the insurance markets become. Insurance is a finance tool to manage financial risk. Healthcare insurance is a personal finance too to manage personal financial risk from the cost of healthcare. It is not healthcare.

When the next shoe drops in NC the next move by the NC Insurance Commissioner should be a real hoot.

August 21, 2016 at 2:37 pm
Ms. Sharpe says:

Don't think that the insurance companies are suffering like the people in NC are. It's all about profits and greed.If you leave it up to the average business, they will not provide health insurance for the workers. Why do you think they have so many part-timers? The government should have stepped in. I applaud Obamacare. Health care in not going up because of Obamacare. It's all about the rich taking care of its own. Invest in businesses, which is good. Invest in people is better.

Let's see what comes after Obamacare. Will the haves provide for the have nots?

August 22, 2016 at 4:58 pm
Norm Kelly says:

The 'haves provide for the have-nots' in a socialist society. Where gov't controls everything. We live (or used to) in a democratic Republic. We are a free society, where people are able to make their own decisions. Which is why the U S Constitution says that all powers not specifically granted to central planners are automatically powers of the individual states.

But, beside truth & fact, the next step after Obamacancer is full-out socialized medicine. If it's so good, please show examples of where it's worked at all anywhere in the world? People come from all over the world, who have full-on socialized medicine, to get treatment in the US? Why? If socialized medicine is so good, why do they come here?

And if Obamacancer is so good, why are premiums going up, not down as the liar told us? Why are deductibles going up, not down as the liar told us? Why are people not allowed to keep their doctor or hospital, as the liar told us? And, lib pols told us to use VA Health system as an example of how well obumercare would work. They were right, but they didn't know it. Even the VA socialized medicine system is a failure.

So, what DO we have to look forward to? What's next? And how will it be better?

August 22, 2016 at 7:37 pm
Norm Kelly says:

Had another thought based on your post. Please don't take my comments personal. They are not intended toward YOU specifically, but toward those who believe government should do everything for everyone. Such as health insurance.

'If you leave it up to the average business, they will not provide health insurance for the workers. Why do you think they have so many part-timers? The government should have stepped in.'

Don't know if you are old enough to remember, or are up on your history. But the reason ANY business offers health insurance to their employees is BECAUSE government stepped in where it does not belong. All people used to buy their own health insurance, if they wanted it at all. Then the gov't stepped in and froze wages, fixed prices, prohibited businesses from paying more than their competition. So, in order to persuade good people to accept a job at a new/different company, businesses started offering benefits. One of those was health insurance.

So, businesses offering their employees health insurance is a relatively new concept. Gov't getting involved where they are prohibited by the US Constitution is NOT new. This benefit would not exist were it not for gov't. And the price of health insurance, and health care, started to rise dramatically AFTER the gov't got involved in the business. Rising health care costs are directly affected by the cost of delivering care, improving what's delivered, research & development which involves a very long & expensive gov't approval process, as well as direct gov't involvement in regulation and control. Which is well beyond what central planners are supposed to be involved with, at least according to the rule of law and the US Constitution.

Then there's the part time issue. Due directly to obamacancer, part time work is on the rise. Central planners redefined a full time job, where health insurance is demanded. By following gov't guidelines on what defines a full time employee that MUST be provided health insurance versus gov't guideline that says part time employees are exempt from the requirement, business is doing what is natural and necessary to save costs: more part timers who aren't required to have benefits. Due to gov't interference and involvement where they specifically do not belong. At least, according to US law! Which does not bother obummer nor the average demoncrat pol. Lawlessness defines the democrap party. (also not a personal attack on you, but specifically an attack on demon pols everywhere, especially obummer & hilLIARy)