Healthcare Costs Will Increase
Shelley Berkley & Harry Reid Claimed ObamaCare Would Lower The Cost Of Healthcare

When liberal U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley voted for Barack Obama’s job-killing healthcare law – which was written by Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid – she promised that the legislation would lower healthcare costs for families in Nevada, but instead these costs have skyrocketed.   

Since this legislation has been signed into law, healthcare costs have risen by 9 percent and the average Nevadan is now paying $132 more for health insurance. 

Additionally, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently found that the healthcare law will now cost $2.6 trillion, which is twice as much as what Berkley and her fellow Democrats promised it would cost. 

“Shelley Berkley and Harry Reid promised that ObamaCare would lower healthcare costs, but due to their burdensome law, Nevadans are now paying an additional $132 for health insurance,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “This is another reminder that Berkley would rather rubberstamp Barack Obama’s tax-and-spend policies into law instead of standing up for hard-working Nevadans.”

BACKGROUND …. 

Shelley Berkley Promised That ObamaCare Would Lower The Cost Of Healthcare

SHELLEY BERKLEY:  On Sunday, March 21, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Health Care for America Act. The passage of health insurance reform legislation represents a historic victory for the American people. … It makes health insurance affordable for middle class families reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs. (Shelley Berkley, Health Reform Information And Resources, Accessed 03/19/12)     

But The Cost Of Healthcare Has Risen By Nearly 10 Percent

Factcheck.org: ObamaCare “Falls Short Of Making Health Care ‘Affordable And Available To Every Single American,’ As Promised.” “Furthermore, the law falls short of making health care ‘affordable and available to every single American,’ as promised. The law provides subsidies to help some Americans buy insurance, expands Medicaid and doesn’t allow insurance companies to exclude persons with preexisting conditions. But still, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured – some because they can’t afford coverage.” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12)

• Factcheck.org: ObamaCare Is Actually Making Health Care “Less Affordable.” “At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable. Independent health care experts say the law has caused some insurance premiums to rise. As we wrote in October, the new law has caused about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans because of requirements for increased benefits. Last year’s premium increases cast even more doubt on another promise the president has made – that the health care law would ‘lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.’” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” Factcheck.org, 1/4/12)
• The Washington Post ‘s The Fact Checker: “Moreover, at this point it is debatable whether the law has made health care more affordable. Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law.” (Glenn Kessler, “The Fine Print In Obama’s ‘Promises Kept’ Ad,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 1/6/12)

Kaiser Study Found That Costs Of Family Coverage “Climbed” 9 Percent In 2011. “The average cost of a family policy climbed 9 percent in 2011 to $15,073, according to a poll of 2,088 private companies and state and local government agencies by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California, and the Chicago- based American Hospital Association’s Health Research and Educational Trust.” (Jeffrey Young, “Health-Benefit Costs Rise Most In Six Years,” Bloomberg, 9/27/11)

• Workers Paid An Average Of $132 More For Family Coverage In 2011 Than They Did In 2010. “Although premiums rose, employers kept the percentage of the premium workers pay about the same: An average of 18 percent for single coverage and 28 percent for family plans. Still, with rising costs, workers paid more, up an average of $132 a year for family coverage. Since 1999, the dollar amount workers contribute toward premiums nationally has grown 168 percent, while their wages have grown by 50 percent, according to the survey.” (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/11)

And The CBO Has Updated The Price Tag Of Government-Run Healthcare From $900 Billion To $2.6 Billion

FOX NEWS:  The Congressional Budget Office has extended its cost estimates for President Obama’s health care law out to 2022, taking in more years of full implementation, and showing that the bill is substantially more expensive — twice as much as the original $900 billion price tag.  (Jim Angle, New CBO health law estimate shows much higher spending past first 10 years, Fox News, 03/14/12)