To Hillary: ObamaCare's Price Spike Glitches Are Continuing!

Last December, in an ABC-televised debate, Hillary Clinton defended the fact that healthcare premiums have risen 27% in the last 5 years and deductibles were up 62% in the same period by saying: "I would certainly build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act and work to fix some of the glitches".  In other words, she's referring to the massive spike in costs as simply  "glitches" that will be worked out when she becomes President.

Well, this year will be the fourth enrollment in the Exchanges and the "glitches" aren't just happening again but are also nearly out of control with earliest insurance premium requests for 2017 being submitted to the state regulators ranging from a low of 12% in Washington, D.C. to a high of 46% for the State of New York.  The reason?  Only 25% of insurers operating in the ObamaCare Exchanges were profitable last year.

In addition to the rate increase, many insurers will be bumping up the deductibles to as much as $7,050.  To put that number into perspective, a recent poll by the Associated Press found that two-thirds of Americans would have difficulty coming up with just $1,000 in an unexpected emergency.

Lastly, during that same debate, Hillary also stated “I want us to be absolutely clear about making sure the insurance companies in the private employer policy arena, as well as in the Affordable Care exchanges, are properly regulated so that we are not being gamed."  How can 75% of insurers losing money not be gaming the system?  The reality is that the promised "younger and healthier" enrollees that were supposed to force premiums down just aren't happening because costs are already too high.  Instead, the insurers are having to contend with older and sicker enrollees and massive costs to support their healthcare. And, as premiums continue to rise at these high rates, the trend of younger people staying away from ObamaCare will only continue.

Let's face it.  ObamaCare isn't working. It is not a success, and for Hillary to say she will build on it's "successes" is sheer idiocy. As rate requests keep coming in high, it will be very difficult for her to talk about ObamaCare during this election cycle.

References:

Clinton Calls Obamacare’s Rising Premiums and Health Care Costs ‘Glitches’: http://freebeacon.com/issues/clinton-calls-obamacares-rising-premiums-and-health-care-costs-glitches/

Obamacare Sticker Shock for 2017: http://www.rpc.senate.gov/policy-papers/obamacare-sticker-shock-for-2017

Young people saying 'no' to Obamacare's high premiums: https://www.pacificresearch.org/article/young-people-saying-no-to-obamacares-high-premiums/