Like so many promises made to the American public while promoting ObamaCare, the promise that the new health-care overhaul would save the average family $2,500 per year turned out to be false. Not only was this promise repeated over and over, the sad reality is that many families couldn’t keep their health plan and their doctors, and they are now paying far more for their health-care coverage.
How much more the average family is paying has been revealed in a new health insurance price index produced by ehealthinsurance.com. Individuals and families who do not qualify for federal subsidies under ObamaCare and who do not have employer-sponsored coverage are paying more than 50 percent more than they did prior to the Affordable Care Act, ACA.
Here are some of the findings:
- Premiums have increased by 39 percent to 56 percent, compared to pre-Obamacare coverage. As of Feb. 24, the average premium for an individual health plan selected through eHealth without a subsidy was $274 per month, a 39 percent increase over the average individual premium for pre-Obamacare coverage.
- The most recent average premium for plans without a subsidy chosen by families was $663 per month, a 56 percent increase over the average family premium in Feb. 2013, which was $426 per month.
These findings underscore the most recent Rasmussen survey, which found that a full one-third of Americans believe that ObamaCare has negatively affected them personally. But that is only part of the story. A scant 14 percent believe that the law has helped them.
Sold as reducing the number of the insured and lowering health-care costs, ObamaCare is nothing short of a policy disaster. ObamaCare is not affordable and is doing the opposite of its promised goals. It is time to go back to the drawing board to craft solutions that give individuals control over their health-care decisions and allow them to select options that best meet their own needs and preferences, rather than government knows best dictates.
Naomi Lopez Bauman is Director of Health Policy for the Illinois Policy Institute.