U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Congressman David Young (R-Iowa) reacted to the Obama administration’s admission that there would be a 25 percent average increase with monthly premiums for Obamacare plans.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a statement:
This is all contrary to the many promises made about Obamacare. People were told their premiums would go down, and that if they liked their doctor, hospital or health care plan, they could keep all of it. The reality is much different. More than half of the country will have two or fewer insurance plansto choose from on Obamacare exchanges. Some regions may have no insurance plans available. Millions of people have to change their insurance policies this year. Even those who were strong supporters of the health care law, like the Minnesota governor, have said Obamacare ‘is no longer affordable to many Americans.’ Iowans who want to join the health care law’s exchanges have had fewer options every year. For 2017, Iowans in 13 rural counties who want to take part will have just one health insurance plan participating in their area. Statewide, premium increases for participants will be 19 percent to 43 percent. Many individuals could be priced out of the market.
The Obama Administration argues that subsidies make the double-digit premium increases less painful for consumers, but the process for calculating the subsidies is complicated and unreliable. It’s hard for people to know whether they can count on a subsidy. Even with the subsidies, if they can’t afford co-payments and deductibles, they’ll have trouble using their coverage. Without addressing what causes health care expenses to increase, Obamacare can only shift costs. Meanwhile, the only suggestions the Obama Administration has offered to keep the experiment going is to severely cut health care delivery in certain areas, including durable medical equipment and the Medicare Part B demonstration project, to save money. Both of these steps would limit access to medical care, especially for people in rural areas. Driving many more miles to get your oxygen tank refilled is not a good option. Being forced to use a certain type of diabetes testing strip instead of the one you’ve been using that works for you is not the best way to manage diabetes.
People deserve better results. Good places to start would be cracking down on frivolous lawsuits, letting people purchase insurance across state lines, improving transparency in health care prices, giving states more freedom to improve Medicaid and using consumer choice to drive competition, which drives down costs. Congress and the next president should work on these priorities.
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) also issued a statement:
Iowa’s businesses and families alike continue to struggle under the crushing weight of ObamaCare. Years ago, President Obama promised health insurance premiums would go down under ObamaCare. They haven’t. Now, the Obama administration cannot ignore the facts; premiums continue to rise and choice continues to dwindle. These rising costs once again prove the Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable.
Congressman David Young (R-Iowa) representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District issued the following statement:
As I travel and meet with Iowans in the Third District, I constantly hear from folks about how the promises of President Obama’s health care law have become a reality of failure at the expense of hardworking Americans.
It is rare that a day goes by without a frustrated Iowan showing me cancellation letters from their insurance plans or bills showing how their monthly insurance premiums now match the same monthly cost of their mortgage payments.
The current one-size-fits-all, bureaucratic approach to our health care system isn’t working for too many American families and the problems are only going to get worse.
I have voted to repeal the ACA health care law in order to replace it with patient-centered solutions which are truly affordable. Iowans and all Americans deserve lower cost, higher quality health care, and solutions which put health care decisions back into the hands of patients and doctors. We must give folks across the country greater choices when it comes to the health of their families.