Over the course of the Obamacare debate, Americans were routinely promised that healthcare spending and costs would decrease under the law. Everyone's rates would drop, Nancy Pelosi said -- $2,500 per family, according to President Obama. Those duplicitous vows are long gone, and here's the latest evidence via USA Today:
More employees are getting hit with higher health insurance premiums and co-payments, and many don't have the money to cover unexpected medical expenses, a new report finds. More than half of companies (56%) increased employees' share of health care premiums or co-payments for doctors' visits in 2013, and 59% of employers say they intend to do the same in 2014, according to the annual Aflac WorkForces Report. It's based on a survey of 1,856 employers and 5,209 employees at small, medium and large-size companies...The need to control costs is driving many companies' decisions on benefits, Owenby says. The report shows that almost half of employers (49%) agree that controlling costs is the primary objective, and took steps to contain costs, including:
39% hired independent contractors or consultants. 32% eliminated or delayed raises. 22% eliminated or cut back on benefits. 21% changed some full-time workers to part-time workers.
Once again, it's plain to see that Obamacare is harming the economy, despite the president's protestations to the contrary. A study out of the University of Minnesota -- which was partially funded by HHS, and highlighted by the Libre Initiative -- projects additional spikes ahead:
According to a new study on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, the law will increase the number of uninsured and cause large price increases within the next few years. The average cost of an Obamacare silver plan will increase by more than $4,000 per family in the next 5 years. During that same time period, the number of uninsured in America will increase by more than half a million, the report concludes - due to the increasing cost of health insurance. Additionally, the study also finds that more people will be forced into government-run care (Medicaid), and more Americans will be forced to pay the tax penalty for not complying with the law.
Recent polling from Gallup and the Associated Press continues to show public support for the law underwater by double digits, with a fresh survey from a Republican polling firm once again measuring a 2-to-1 "hurt vs. helped" split:
Gallup and Kaiser have produced similar findings in recent months. I'll leave you with an Obamacare horror story out of Texas, in which a cancer survivor discovers that the plan she's been paying for won't do her any good at any provider within a 400-mile radius. The access shock-induced tears are tough to watch:
KTEN reporter: We reached out to representatives from Healthcare.gov and submitted a request for comment. So far, they haven't gotten back to us. [The cancer survivor] says after dozens of phone calls, she is finally in the process of changing plans, but won't be getting back the almost $300 a month she's paid in since January, or the cost of the doctor visits that weren't covered.
Harry Reid, call your office.