By Rob Janicki
Two
broad conclusions are materializing under Obamacare. The first fact is that
costs for Obamacare are not declining and thus cutting consumer costs for
health insurance. It just isn't happening and ongoing studies support
that assertion.
The second fact is
that consumer choice of health care providers and institutions, such as
hospitals, is narrowing considerably as a cost cutting mechanism benefiting
health insurance carriers.
President Obama
promised America that the average family of four would realize an annual
savings of $2,500 for health insurance coverage. That has not
materialized and never will, as just about all health insurance premiums are on
the increase and many of them by a substantial amount, often by 100% and
sometimes significantly more.
Addressing the second
fact, we find that health insurance providers are narrowing the consumer's
network choices of primary care doctors, specialists and hospitals, all being
done as cost cutting measures. The problem is that even with these cost
cutting measures, policy premiums are still rising and will continue to rise as
there is no reason on the horizon to indicate otherwise.
Basically, what
Obamacare has done is significantly reduce consumer's choices in medical care.
Of course there will be plans that offer expanded network coverage at an
extreme premium increase of 2,3 and 4 times as much as one would pay for much
narrower network plans.
This concept of
reduced consumer choices under Obamacare is contrary to what Americans are use
to in a free market. Essentially, Obamacare is telling Americans that
they are going to have to get over the idea of "choice" when purchasing
health insurance coverage and rely more on cost of health insurance coverage in
their purchase of health care insurance. If there were significant cost
reductions in Obamacare policy plans, I'm quite certain many Americans might
accept a reduction in network choices, but that's not exactly what we are
seeing. It is quite the opposite and the facts prove that point.
The bottom line with
Obamacare is this. We are seeing policy plan premium increases while we
are also seeing a significant reduction in network choices for consumers.
Put simply, people are paying more and getting less in return. This
flies in the face of a free market choice for consumers.
If you like your
doctor, you can keep your doctor and if you like your health insurance, you can
keep your health insurance are now hollow promises broken the moment they were
made. Costs are up and rising and choices are limited except for the very
wealthy, who can afford the exorbitant premium increases for greater choice of
medical services providers.
Let's remember that
Obamacare was advertised on the basis of including more people who were
previously uninsured. It was estimated that before Obamacare there were
40 million people who did not have health insurance. The CBO has
estimated that over the next ten years there will still be 30 million people
without health insurance. Obamacare has failed miserably to meet its
underlying goal of seeing that all people have access to health insurance,
which, by the way, does not mean they have access to medical services.
Obamacare was also
advertised as a means to reduce the use and cost for all people by those
uninsured people using the emergency room for their medical services knowing
they could not be turned away. Recent studies have demonstrated that there
have been no reductions in the use of emergency room services since Obamacare
was enacted and with the CBO estimate that 30 million people will remain
without health insurance coverage, this Obamacare projection has added to the
failures of Obamacare to provide the promised results.
No comments:
Post a Comment