Before Bob Casey hops on the phone to tout a bogus study as he continues to “fight like hell” to keep Obamacare in place, here’s a handy reminder of the real effects the failed health care law has already had on Pennsylvania.
- An HHS report from last month shows that between 2013 and 2017, insurance premiums on Pennsylvania’s exchange increased by 120%.
- In 2017 alone, insurance premiums increased by an average of 32.5% for Pennsylvanians.
- Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians lost their coverage this year as major insurance companies including Aetna and UnitedHealthcare pulled out of the market, leaving consumers with fewer options.
“With premiums soaring and insurers fleeing the marketplace, it’s clear that Obamacare has failed Pennsylvania, but Bob Casey continues to ‘fight like hell’ to maintain the status quo,” said NRSC Spokesman Bob Salera. “Instead of working to fix our broken health care system and make insurance more accessible and affordable, Bob Casey continues to grandstand while Pennsylvania families suffer.”
Background:
Between 2013 and 2017, Insurance Premiums On Pennsylvania’s Exchange Increased By 120%. (Department of Health and Human Services, Individual Market Premium Changes: 2013-2017, 5/23/17)
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department Announced Average Premium Increases Of 32.5 Percent For Individual ObamaCare Plans In 2017. “Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller today announced 2017 rates for individual and small group health insurance plans offered in Pennsylvania under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Open enrollment for these plans begins November 1 and runs through January 31. Insurance company rates, based on their individual requests for 2017, include an average increase of 32.5 percent for individual plans and 7.1 percent for small group plans.” (Pennsylvania Insurance Department, “Insurance Department Announces 2017 Affordable Care Act Rates; Moves To Join Lawsuit Asking Federal Government To Make Required Payments To Insurers,” Press Release, 10/17/16
Because Aetna And UnitedHealthcare Are Leaving Pennsylvania’s ObamaCare Marketplace In 2017, The Philadelphia Area Is Seeing Larger Than Requested Premium Increases By Independence Blue Cross. “Because of decisions by United Healthcare and Aetna to withdraw from Affordable Care Act exchanges in Pennsylvania for 2017, the remaining insurer in the Philadelphia area, Independence Blue Cross, has been granted bigger increases than it requested in the spring, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department said Monday.” (Harold Brubaker, “The Absence Of Aetna And United Healthcare Lead To Hefty Increases For Affordable Care Act Rates In Philly Area,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/17/16)
According To Bloomberg’s Interviews With State Insurance Regulators, Tens Of Thousands Pennsylvanians Will Lose Their Current ObamaCare Plan In 2017. (Zachary Tracer, Tatiana Darie, Katherine Doherty, “More Than 1 Million In Obamacare To Lose Plans As Insurers Quit,” Bloomberg, 10/14/16)