By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--October 29, 2013
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Thousands of Californians are discovering what Obamacare will cost them — and many don't like what they see. These middle-class consumers are staring at hefty increases on their insurance bills as the overhaul remakes the healthcare market. Their rates are rising in large part to help offset the higher costs of covering sicker, poorer people who have been shut out of the system for years. Although recent criticism of the healthcare law has focused on website glitches and early enrollment snags, experts say sharp price increases for individual policies have the greatest potential to erode public support for President Obama's signature legislation.
Fullerton resident Jennifer Harris thought she had a great deal, paying $98 a month for an individual plan through Health Net Inc. She got a rude surprise this month when the company said it would cancel her policy at the end of this year. Her current plan does not conform with the new federal rules, which require more generous levels of coverage. Now Harris, a self-employed lawyer, must shop for replacement insurance. The cheapest plan she has found will cost her $238 a month. She and her husband don't qualify for federal premium subsidies because they earn too much money, about $80,000 a year combined. "It doesn't seem right to make the middle class pay so much more in order to give health insurance to everybody else," said Harris, who is three months pregnant. "This increase is simply not affordable."Wait, subsidizing others is not affordable!? But “Affordable” is right there in the name! Look for a lot more of this going forward. Yes, left wing media will keep hammering away with the bogus “but your insurance will be better” canard, but it’s not a line that’s likely to get much traction. If the GOP is smart – and that’s admittedly a big if – they’ll start holding events featuring those who have been hurt by Obamacare. The goal should be to force papers like the L.A. Times and New York Times into non-stop coverage of the harsh realities being imposed by President Obama's pet legislation. Repeal is the only solution and, if its going to happen, the damage will need to be front and center.
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