Most Obamacare horror stories trumpeted by Americans for Prosperity,
Fox News et al did not hold up to scrutiny because the protagonists
turned out to be eligible for subsidies. The law's enemies wanted real
hardship cases, and even modest affluence apparently takes the edge off
for propagandists.
That sloppiness has made it relatively easy for some of the law's supporters, including Paul Krugman (see update #7 here), to gloss over the substantial price hikes suffered by those who 1) are in the individual market for a relatively long haul, 2) earn too much to qualify for ACA subsidies, and 3) do not have a pre-existing condition or a family member who has one.
eHealth, the nation's best-known online health insurance broker pre-ACA, has published statistics indicating the extent of premium price hikes for the unsubsidized under the ACA. The latest snapshot is based on 213,000 insurance applications completed on eHealth during the ACA's first open enrollment period, from October 2013 through March 2014; a 2013 baseline is published here. According to eHealth's most recent stats, the average individual plan premium rose from $197 in 2013 to $271 in 2014, a 38% increase. The average family plan rose from $426 to $667, a 57% hike.
The larger jump in family plan premiums is partly explained by a larger reduction in average deductibles, which shrank from $10,568 in 2013 to $7,771 in 2014 (that's for the whole family; each individual would have a smaller deducible). The average individual plan deductible fell less dramatically, from $4,900 to $4,164. As open season wore on, eHealth customer trended toward lower premiums and higher deductibles.
That sloppiness has made it relatively easy for some of the law's supporters, including Paul Krugman (see update #7 here), to gloss over the substantial price hikes suffered by those who 1) are in the individual market for a relatively long haul, 2) earn too much to qualify for ACA subsidies, and 3) do not have a pre-existing condition or a family member who has one.
eHealth, the nation's best-known online health insurance broker pre-ACA, has published statistics indicating the extent of premium price hikes for the unsubsidized under the ACA. The latest snapshot is based on 213,000 insurance applications completed on eHealth during the ACA's first open enrollment period, from October 2013 through March 2014; a 2013 baseline is published here. According to eHealth's most recent stats, the average individual plan premium rose from $197 in 2013 to $271 in 2014, a 38% increase. The average family plan rose from $426 to $667, a 57% hike.
The larger jump in family plan premiums is partly explained by a larger reduction in average deductibles, which shrank from $10,568 in 2013 to $7,771 in 2014 (that's for the whole family; each individual would have a smaller deducible). The average individual plan deductible fell less dramatically, from $4,900 to $4,164. As open season wore on, eHealth customer trended toward lower premiums and higher deductibles.
