Republicans in North Carolina can barely contain their glee. Insurance premiums in the state are rising by almost 33% for those purchasing coverage under the Affordable Care Act. To hear them tell it, the rate increases are proof that Obamacare doesn’t work.
Don’t believe it. Republicans get the blame for the increases. As Ned Barnett pointed out this weekend, the GOP did everything it could to sabotage Obamacare by refusing to expand Medicaid or set up a state exchange. They also banned the Department of Insurance from educating people and businesses about how to shop for insurance policies. In essence, they’ve done whatever they could to harm the program, regardless of the cost to the people of North Carolina.
Back in 2013, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin warned us of exactly what’s happened. Back then Goodwin told us that by not expanding Medicaid, the state created a pool of high-risk people that kept insurance companies from coming into the state, reducing the competition that is supposed to help keep premiums lower. Today, he’s still frustrated that his agency is banned from helping people and businesses find better insurance rates.
Contrary to Republican spin, Obamacare is working. It’s offered health insurance to an additional 17 million people. As even conservative columnist David Brooks notes, medical costs are increasing at a slower rate since the program was enacted. That’s what the program was meant to do: provide more coverage and help reduce costs.
Obamacare is far from perfect, but with cooperation instead of obstruction, the GOP could help make it better. Instead, they seem to think they can make the program an electoral issue for one more election cycle. Just last week, they took yet another vote to repeal it. The GOP presidential candidates routinely bash it, but taking health care away from 17 million people who need it is really a political non-starter. Obamacare, in some form, is here to stay. That’s what we should be celebrating.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Factual data is factual no matter who reports it. The liberal press and left wing blogs ignore or downplay positive state economic news because they don’t want to admit that Republican policies are working. Liberals are so ideologically opposed to conservative policies that they are in denial about actual current trends.
Here’s another report on positive economic trends in NC that you won’t find reported in the News and Observer or other MSM outlets:
http://www.carolinajournal.com/daily_journal/display.html?id=12480
“Sanders’ ideas are catching on?” You’re in denial again. His ideas aren’t new, they’re old, discredited Socialist dogma. By this time next year, Sanders won’t even show up as a blip on the political radar screen.
So the only facts you will accept will have to come from left wing sources?
Wow, your left wing rhetoric sounds like it came straight from Bernie Sanders campaign. Good job!
Ebrun:
your comments-
Once the federal government instituted a federal income tax, we pretty much had a one-size-fits-all tax policy, The IRS tax code applies to all states.
Before Obamacre, health insurance was regulated separately in each of the 50 states. Conservatives believe that too was not an optimal solution because each state could prescribe what the insurance market had to provide for residents of their state.
Conservatives would advocate market driven health insurance where individuals could purchase health insurance across state lines and tailor their insurance to fit their individual family needs and financial resources. Some public subsidies would be needed for high risk patients, but these could be set up within each state.
First , there no longer is a competitive market. Mergers have created MONOPOLY.
In North Carolina , there is really only one major healthcare provider, Blue Cross
(which used to be, some 40 years ago , a non-profit , and, as one now on Medicare , I am subscribed to)
As to federal taxes, you are uninformed.
During my lifetime, from WWII , up to the Reagan era, federal taxes were graded on the curve ; the less you earned, the less you paid, and , if you had a family with children, you might get a rebate.
Today, it’s just the opposite.
I used to work for a company that sub-contracted to General Electric (aerospace fabrication).
General Electric pays NO federal taxes. In fact , it gets $$millions in rebates of taxpayer funds every year.
This is due to the gerrymandering of tax law by GOP politicians , paid by corporate lobbyists.
If you don’t believe that , you are likely on the lobbyist payroll , or else a stooge.
Hawkeye
If Blue Cross is the only heath insurer in NC, how come I have coverage through United Health care. I am a long time NC resident.
The mergers of Health Insurance Companies were, for the most part, the result of Obamacare.
The Federal Income tax has been “progressive” for many years and still is today.
Democrats are just as responsible, if not more so, for creating tax advantages for some large, politically favored corporations.
And if you don’t believe that, you are either totally uninformed or a partisan political hack.
A single payer system would fix this. Traveling from state to state one would not be out of network. The insurance on my 21 year old grandson went from $267.00 to $585.00. Of course I went to a lesser policy; however, the coverage is not nearly as good. This political fight is hurting the average American. Everyone needs AFFORDABLE healthcare. Again, single payer would address the issue.
The most amazing thing is whenever the Republicans, (conservative, tea party, white supremacy- however they define themselves) it is always criticism, never a suggestion. No ideas, no plans, only crying and complaining, but their NO IDEAS/NO GAMEPLAN is destroying us. If they have a better idea, let’s try it. Folks like Ebron and Common Sense need to either propose something of actual reason or don’t regurgitate the same dry worthless ideas. The public is going weary of all these ridiculous lies and lack of action.
The public is getting “weary” of conservative solutions? Really? One would never have realized that after the last two general elections when conservatives won major electoral victories in NC. And it is highly unlikely the state’s above average growth in employment and personal income combined with state tax cuts and revenues increases will cause the public to grow weary of conservative ideas anytime soon.
Ebrun, can you elaborate on where you get your facts re NC’s “above average growth in employment and personal income combined with state tax cuts and revenues increases ” – I can’t find any supporting evidence at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact those statistics actually reveal an unemployment rate that closely follows the national trends and near stagnant personal income growth. Further the state tax cuts you tout are actually putting a greater tax burden on low and middle income families who find that they can no longer buy as much as they could before because the sales taxes are rising on goods and many services that everyone needs (plumbers, car repair) yet not on the services that wealthy people might use more (accountants, architects). Not only that but everyone I know, including my 85 year old mother, paid much higher income taxes this year. And I’m really befuddled by what you mean by “revenues increases.” Do tell.
Here’s a link to a story one recent report: http://cprnc.org/n-c-creating-jobs-30-faster-than-national-average/ I can site you more reports in subsequent posts, but I can only cut and paste one hyperlink at a time.
BTW, the unemployment RATE is a substantially differ data set from the employment gains data. As the economy picks up, more unemployed workers begin looking for employment again thus the unemployment rate will often tick up for a few months. I recently saws a BLS report that showed that NC added 107.300 jobs from September ’14 to September ’15. Only four states had employment increases greater then NC and these were the much larger states of California, Texas, Florida and New York.
With regard to revenue increases, I would refer you to the web site of the Fiscal Research Division of the NC General Assembly. There you will find a memo from the nonpartisan professional staff of the Division to the General Assembly dated May 12, 2015. The memo details revenue collections for the tax year 2014 and projects revenue increases for 2015.
As far as income tax increases on the middle and lower classes are concerned, this is a myth perpetuated by the liberal press and Democrat spin doctors. Not only was the income tax rate reduced for all NC taxpayers, the Standard Deduction was practically doubled which benefits low and middle income taxpayers who cannot come out ahead by itemizing deductions. I compared my 2014 taxes by applying the rules for 2013 with my income for 2014 and came out with a income tax saving of around $260 and I am a very typical middle income taxpayer.
Either your mother had an extraordinary number of itemized deductions and tax credits under the old rules, had a substantial income increase over 2013, had an incompetent tax preparer or didn’t compare her 2014 income with the 2013 rules and schedules..
Forcing citizens to purchase private industry goods and services is simply a constitutional violation. So much for freedom. If socialized healthcare it’s such a necessity and expense distribution is required it should be what it really is a tax.
Hmmm. I’m wondering if Ebrun has calculated how much the ACA cost him out of pocket. Whatever the figure, I suppose Ebrun does not believe it is worth the pittance paid, by those of us who can afford to do so, in order to provide medical care to fellow US and NC citizens, many of whom are children and the elderly, who otherwise can not afford to pay the high cost of medical services nor afford to live without it.
What a transparent attempt to shift blame from the creators of a flawed policy to its opponents. Suddenly liberals have realized that competition can lower costs? That’s hysterical considering their refusal to accept market competition as a viable factor in health care and many other policy areas where they demand heavy-handed public sector intervention.
If liberals were really interested in market competition they would support health savings accounts, purchasing health insurance across state lines and a litany of other market oriented reforms pushed by conservatives. Or on education policy front, for example, they would support more charter schools, school choice and the GOP’s opportunity scholarship program for low income students.
The fatuous claim that if only conservatives would support market competition, Obamacare would work for all Americans reeks of blatant hypocrisy. Obamacare is a colossal failure for everyone but those who receive generous public subsidies at the expense of taxpayers and the middle class who already are exposed to substantial increases in the cost of their health insurance and their medical care.
Market competition was a foundation piece of the ACA since its inception so there is no sudden liberal realization, Ebrun.
Outside of calls for repeal, what concrete proposals have been put forth by conservatives?
Below is a link to a graph of pre ACA insurance premiums over time – this was during the ‘free market competition will reduce premiums’ era. Is this what conservatives want to return to?
http://www.tcf.org/assets/images/blog_images/20130129-graph-household-debt-and-middle-class-stagnation-04.png
How are people supposed to put money into a “health savings account” when they are spending every penny on the necessities of life? Every time I hear some Republican touting Health Savings Accounts, I want to scream “You can’t save money if you have no extra money to begin with!” Besides, a single accident or operation can cost $100,000. How many people can save for that kind of thing?
Mooser, ever heard of “catastrophic” medical coverage. Health savings accounts and catastrophic coverage were available and affordable before Obamacare demanded national one-size-fits-all health insurance policies.
This is a bit off topic, but I’d like to know why.
Why do conservatives always complain about “one-size-fits-all” policies (which really isn’t all that true) , yet , at the same time , they advocate a ‘Flat Tax’.
Both of these terms were used in the recent GOP ‘debates’.
If that isn’t a definition of “one-size-fits-all” , then what is?
I guess we just can’t beat well-researched talking points to mislead the under-informed!
Once the federal government instituted a federal income tax, we pretty much had a one-size-fits-all tax policy, The IRS tax code applies to all states.
Before Obamacre, health insurance was regulated separately in each of the 50 states. Conservatives believe that too was not an optimal solution because each state could prescribe what the insurance market had to provide for residents of their state.
Conservatives would advocate market driven health insurance where individuals could purchase health insurance across state lines and tailor their insurance to fit their individual family needs and financial resources. Some public subsidies would be needed for high risk patients, but these could be set up within each state.
To be affordable for most people, catastrophic health plans must be coupled with tax advantaged health savings accounts (HSAs). The IRS heavily regulates HSAs and high deductible health plans and the Obamacare exchanges do not identify HSA eligible plans making it difficult for the average consumer to take advantage of HSAs. And the HHS guidance that Catastrophic plans are only advisable for healthy folks under 30 is absurd and indicates how Obamacare discourages HSAs and high deductible plans.
I support Obamacare and I am a true progressive Democrat, but, WHO then, can stop our one and only insurance carrier (BCBS) from bankrupting us all?
That is difficult to say. Although Republicans have done all they could to sabotage implementation of the ACA in North Carolina, this lack of competition preceded Republican control of the state. Logic would indicate that, somehow, maintaining this monopoly at the expense of the state’s citizens has been beneficial to both Democratic and Republican politicians over time. Of course, when you have a citizenry that meekly accepts whatever is handed out, refusing to take the initiative to research their situation, express their opinions or hold their elected officials accountable then there really is not much incentive for politicians of either party to change their ways.
An average of 4.4% increase in premiums is minimal and a significant reduction in annual increases from prior to the implementation of Obamacare.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/health-insurance-premiums.aspx
Then tell me how come Ohio is seeing a large jump even though they expanded Medicaid? http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/05/obamacare_premiums_could_rise.html
Read the article. Only two of Ohio’s asked for rate substantial rate increases and not nearly what NC is asking. Ohio has several carriers across the state while NC has only one, BCBS, that offers coverage statewide. You can thank the GOP for that lack of competition.
NC is offering United Healthcare too!
Not statewide. United Healthcare in only in a few markets in the state.
No. Not statewide. Except for a couple of metro areas where, I believe, two other companies provide policies, BCBS has a monopoly in the state, providing more than 90% of policies. East of Raleigh they are the ONLY game in town. A couple of years ago when I was seeking coverage through Healthcare.gov there were 14 policies offered through the exchange. All 14 were BCBS policies at, curiously enough, the same exact price as they were offered on the BCBS website.
I would note that, although Republicans have done all they could to sabotage implementation of the ACA in North Carolina, this lack of competition preceded Republican control of the state.
Aetna bought out Coventry who was in competition with BCBS in the Carolina’s Medical Healthcare system. Aetna has been calling and trying to up premiums rather than allowing the customer to look at the Healthcare.gov website, the site used for NC since they voted not to make their own coverage. If a person goes to the website and reviews, often they find the plan they currently have under an Aetna name, and will not have to have premiums substancially raised. Most, however, are too gullible or lazy to go to the website and read. Buyers get what they deserve if they do not research and make a logical decision.