Obamacare website wont reveal insurance costs for 2015

until after election

Washington Times October 14, 2014
Those planning to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare exchange will soon find out how much
rates have increased after the Nov. 4 election.
Enrollment on the Healthcare.gov website begins Nov. 15, or 11 days after the midterm vote, and critics
who worry about rising premium hikes in 2015 say thats no coincidence. Last years inaugural
enrollment period on the health-care exchange began Oct. 1.
This is more than just a glitch, said Tim Phillips, president of free-market Americans for Prosperity, in a
Friday statement. The administrations decision to withhold the costs of this law until after Election Day
is just more proof that Obamacare is a bad deal for Americans.
Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, said in a Monday column in USA
Today that when it comes to a lack of openness and transparency about Obamacare, this administration
has no peer.
Even so, details about cost increases are trickling out in states with pivotal Senate contests: Alaska, Iowa
and Louisiana. All three states are wrestling with double-digit premium hikes from some state insurance
companies on the exchange, which has fueled another round of Republican attacks on the Affordable Care
Act.
The most dramatic increases are underway in Alaska, where the state insurance division has cleared
double-digit rate hikes for two insurers, Premera Blue Cross and Moda Health. Premeras premiums will
rise by 35 to 40 percent, although 88 percent of Alaskans on the exchange wont feel the full effects
because they qualify for federal subsidies, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
Alaska Republican Dan Sullivan, whos challenging Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, blasted the rate
increases on his Facebook page.
Did you lose your coverage due to ObamaCare? Are your premiums set to skyrocket? Follow the link to
share your ObamaCare story and stand up to the elected leaders in D.C. who sold Alaskans out, said Mr.
Sullivan in the Sept. 12 post.
The Iowa insurance commissioner approved last week premium increases for three insurance carriers:
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CoOpportunity Health and Coventry Health. Two of those insurers
will implement double-digit hikes ranging from 11.9 to 19 percent, the Des Moines Register reports.
Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst slammed the increases and reiterated her vow to repeal and
replace Obamacare with patient-centered health care reforms that lower costs, increase choice, and
actually improve care. Shes locked in a tight contest with Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley.
Todays report that Obamacare is leading to increased premiums in Iowa is bad news for the thousands
of Iowans who will now have higher health care costssome will see out-of-pocket costs rise by as much
as 19 percent, Ms. Ernst said in a Thursday statement.
The issue is also resonating in the Louisiana Senate race, where Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is
seeking re-election against Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy. Documents filed with the Louisiana Department

of Insurance show some insurers are anticipating double-digit rate hikes, according to the New Orleans
Times-Picayune.
Mr. Cassidy, whos a doctor, issued a statement Thursday calling the higher premiums another hurdle for
families and businesses already struggling under the demands of Obamacare.
Premiums have gone up by 53 percent for the average Louisiana policyholder and many of these policies
will again see double-digit increases, Mr. Cassidy said. Its unfair to Louisianans who have to balance
their budgets and their businesses.
Some analysts say that the Obamacare issue is losing steam, but that may come as news to Republicans.
Dozens of GOP candidates released statements decrying Obamacare on Oct. 1, the one-year anniversary
of the rollout.
Mr. Cassidy released a video Sept. 29 featuring three Louisiana voters who say they previously backed
Ms. Landrieu but now theyre supporting him as a result of her vote for the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Landrieu, I voted for you before, but when you voted for Obamacare, I knew Id made a mistake,
says a woman named Rose in the video.
This years enrollment period is also half as long as last years six-month window. The launch starts Nov.
15 and ends Feb. 15 for coverage beginning Jan. 1.