For several months now, health
insurers have been warning rather loudly that ObamaCare would cause
health premiums to rise sharply for many Americans. Given how much
of the health insurance industry's business is tied up in
ObamaCare, it was always possible that they were publicly
exageratting the effects in order to win influence with the
administration.
But a
report today from The Wall Street Journal suggests
that insurers are saying much the same thing privately:
Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for
many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next
year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation's
biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some
consumers buying their own plans.
The projections, made in sessions with brokers and agents,
provide some of the most concrete evidence yet of how much
insurance companies might increase prices when major provisions of
the law kick in next year—a subject of rigorous debate.
The projected increases are at odds with what the Obama
Administration says consumers should be expecting overall in terms
of cost.
Large employers are likely to be affected the least by the law.
Instead, the biggest hikes are likely to hit individuals and small
businesses. And in some cases, premiums will be quite a bit higher
after the law's major provisions kick in. The Journal
reports that a Blue Cross & Blue Shield representative told
North Carolina insurance brokers last week that individual premiums
could rise by 40 to 50 percent next year. ; … Read More
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