The New York Times editors rather humorously blame Republicans for the fact that "More than half of Americans still say they don’t know how they and their families will be affected by the Affordable Care Act", a.k.a. Obamacare.
So, you see, Americans just don't understand how great Obamacare is going to be for them. If they don't know that yet, it isn't because the law so complex -- and it is extremely complex; in fact, it is so complex, that the Obama administration "recently announced it will pay $67 million to more than 100 community groups and health care providers to evangelize for the program and help people navigate its complexities in preparation for the opening of health care exchanges on Oct. 1."
But, no, it isn't the fault of the law's "complexities" that explains Americans' failure to understand how it will affect them; it isn't the fact that it consists of thousands of pages of regulations. It's just those damn Republicans. "House Speaker John Boehner, for example," the Times offers, "falsely claimed the law would raise the nation’s health care costs."
Is this claim false? If you follow the link provided by the Times, you will see that Boehner cited the Ohio Department of Insurance, which issued a press release stating:
The Ohio Department of Insurance announced today that individual consumers buying health insurance on the federal government's health insurance exchange for Ohio will pay an average of 41 percent more than they did in 2013.
In addition, ODI confirmed previously-released preliminary calculations that insurance companies’ costs to provide individual health coverage will increase by 83 percent.
“Ohio has traditionally had a more competitive health insurance market than other states with a wider range of prices and choices – from simple, high deductible coverage to comprehensive, full service plans,” Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor said. “That level of diversity is essentially outlawed under Obamacare so Ohio's rates and premiums are going up significantly, and going up more than in other states where prices were already high.”
Ohio isn't the only example, of course. Let's recall an article, for instance, from earlier this year titled "Health Insurers Raise Some Rates by Double Digits", which stated that
Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers.
Particularly vulnerable to the high rates are small businesses and people who do not have employer-provided insurance and must buy it on their own.
The source of that report? The New York Times.
Then you have the fact that the whole premise of Obamacare is that young, healthy individuals, including those who eat a healthful diet and exercise, should be forced to subsidize the costs of those who consume a lot of health care, including those whose health problems are a consequence of their choice of unhealthy lifestyles.
I wonder if the $67 million in taxpayer money used by the government to "evangelize" for Obamacare is going to explain that to young, healthy Americans.
