Well, well, well, what do we have here? Health insurance companies are looking to lower their rates in Florida?
Not a single health insurance company on Florida’s ObamaCare exchange has asked to increase its rates for next year, according to a report.
Of the nine companies that have filed their proposals so far, seven are asking for zero increase in price and two are asking to lower their premiums by 7.9 and 11.16 percent on average.
The rates deal a blow to ObamaCare critics who predicted insurers would have to hike premiums substantially in states like Florida, where older, sicker patients were expected to outnumber younger, healthier ones.
“The fact is, an overall pattern of insurers not seeking rate increases — and even seeking rate decreases — is unheard of,” Greg Mellowe, policy director for the consumer advocacy group Florida CHAIN, told Health News Florida, which broke the story Tuesday.
This isn’t what the Republicans were predicting would happen. Isn’t that amazing? The Republicans were wrong about the future. Why does this seem to happen every single time?
Way too soon to conclude much of anything from this. Could only mean that the actuarial calculations — six months in — at seven of those companies was better than the other two. Or the initial results from the other two companies has been better than expected due to any number of factors and with the cap on admin/overhead costs are required to lower their rates.
The individual health insurance market has been the smallest component of the overall US health insurance system, but this year will be the fastest growing sector in those states such as Florida that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Although greater public awareness of traditional Medicaid may have also increased enrollment in Florida.
Good idea to be cautious in assessing early bits and pieces of data. (Wasn’t there was very early crowing by the rightwing/GOP that WMD had been found in Iraq?)
Perhaps, but the fact that Republicans promised DeathPanels and a totally bankrupted and destroyed ‘Murrica means that even if rates were to just go up at historic rates, we can point, laugh at and mock conservatives for their sheer dumbfuckery.
A majority in this country has stopped looking at or hearing the rightwing nonsense about the PPACA. No need for those on the other side of the aisle to hype potential nothing-burgers. The general public is weary of hype from the right and will tire of it from the left as well and tune it out. The next big piece that will be newsworthy to the general public — it will hit in 2016 — is the price tag. If a majority of individuals find their health insurance (either as employees or in the individual market), deductibles, co-pays are affordable and access to services as good or better than before, then the national price tag won’t bother them much. If as a percentage of GDP it rises significantly, to say 20%, a majority might be cool with that. It’s not good at a macro-economic level, but neither is our military and prison spending. I’d rather have more of something else, but the majority always overrules those like me, and as I live here, I have to live with that.
I think people are much more willing to hear people joke and make fun of politics than they are to listen to 30 minute policy speeches and 50 slide powerpoint presentations.
Getting the message out is where 90% of the money is spent in politics.
So, I’d encourage Democrats to mock the shit out of Republican trashbags at every single turn that they can.
Look at Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They have just about the same size audience as any fascist-enabler on FOX, MSNBC, CNN, etc.
Mock. Deride. Make fun. Laugh. And smile.
Reality is on our side. The less we hide from it, and the more we can point to it and smile the more people will see us smiling and go along with it.
Smiling and laughing is contagious and improves people’s moods.
In the big picture, facts/reality do favor socialism. Not suggesting not presenting facts as often as possible. Nor not engaging in eye rolling and mocking at the certifiably crazy stuff the right dishes out.
However, there’s way too much outrage on both side over minor stuff. Let the right do that because it is a turnoff to the general public. Save outrage for the big stuff.
My only point wrt to the report on FL health insurance rates in the private market is that it doesn’t tell us much of anything about the ACA other than it’s preliminarily not a cost disaster for this sector of the market. Nor should it have been because the initial rates were high for the coverages. But the coverages have yet to filter through the whole system.
I agree.
I just think it would be a good thing to mockingly bring up all of the insane shit Republicans have said the ACA would cause.
Remind the public that Republicans are scared and cowardly and always predicting doom. It only actually comes when they’re all the way in charge, though.
Nice little memory jag for the ‘Murrican public.
How many voters in Florida read The Hill?
If this is a widespread trend and becomes widely known, it will affect the November election in a substantial way (except for the true believers who never signed up).
Glad at least one thing is moving in the optimistic direction.
pfft unpossible. “progressives” swore up n down to me that Obamacare was a betrayal and nothing but a corporate giveaway and that the only decent thing to do is “kill the bill”.
The PurityBrigadeTM members can be safely ignored for the rest of human history.
This seems relevant – post on health care on Balloon Juice this morning, by Richard Mayhew: Good News, Everybody
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/06/24/good-news-everybody-11/
FL isn’t the only state that is reporting modest to zero increases and a WA state insurer is lowering theirs. Also the number of insurers asking to enter the Exchanges in states points towards their internal analyses of the profit of doing business within the Exchanges.
Next up, reports from hospitals that their bottom lines are improving? And what are we going to do with all these healthy people?
And what are we going to do with all these healthy people?
Well, the last time we had a surplus of tax money we gave it away to the oligarchs. I’m assuming if Republicans take the White House in 2016, they’ll give away the surplus of American health to fighting wars to enrich the corporations the oligarchs own and operate.
Conservatives are consistently terrible human beings. So there’s that.
Big Food will make sure that we’re not healthy; we’ll just consume more health care to maintain all our chronic food related health issues.
Related: another epic takedown by the invaluable Charles Gaba:
http://acasignups.net/14/06/24/dear-sharyl-attkisson-stop-it-youre-just-embarrassing-yourself-now
Time for repeal vote number 457.
That’s great, so far, but people ought to be concerned about this too:
http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2014/06/obama-administration-veterans-target-teachers-unions
Ben LaBolt and Robert Gibbs are truly revolting human beings.
One more reason that progressives and liberals need to focus on local/city/state and not just the Federal government. We need school boards to be more progressive, not just the House, Senate and White House.
Hate to threadjack, but i’ve not seen a front page write up on the major blogs I follow for some reason.
What do you guys think about Obama’s support for paid maternity leave?
Story and context here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-us-offer-paid-maternity-leave-24268165
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave
I and every decent American is for it, but I also know it is impossible to move on this in today’s political climate. I’ve always wondered why a presidential candidate didn’t run on this. If Hillary is it, she should make it part of the party platform. Hell, if a woman can work, she gets 90 days paid maternity in Iran (some sources say 6 mo).
Hopefully, this will get the ball rolling though, or perhaps we can get some of the potential Republican presidential candidates in the Senate to vote for or block it.
Can you imagine a Presidential debate, where the Republican tells us why its not possible, socialist, or unAmerican? I’d put down the popcorn to watch that trainwreck. A “Please proceed” moment if ever I’ve heard of one.
Unfortunately the story was based on incorrect data. It has been corrected.
http://health.wusf.usf.edu/post/it-was-too-good-be-true