Sen. Ernst: Health Care Status Quo Unsustainable in Iowa
Mr. President,
No choice and a proposed 43 percent increase in premiums. That is what ObamaCare and its harmful impact will bring to
This year, it brought premium increases up to 42 percent. Last year, it brought increases up to 29 percent.
ObamaCare is not sustainable and not affordable for Iowans.
To anybody that has studied health care reform, this should come as no surprise. In the past, many states have tried to reform their individual market. Twenty-seven years ago,
This bill was similar to ObamaCare in many respects - it contained more taxes, more regulations, and more mandates.
Within three years, three years, insurers fled the individual market and the state was hit with skyrocketing premiums.
What happened in
When it comes to affordability and choice, my home state of
While traveling across the state, I hear from Iowans who are looking for affordable coverage. Far too often, I hear that high monthly premiums are squeezing pocketbooks, and that soaring out of pocket costs like deductibles and copays make coverage unaffordable to use for those who do have it.
That's not what ObamaCare promised, but that is what it has brought.
One Iowan who works at a small business in
"Over the past seven years prices have jumped considerably and the coverage employees are getting for the amount of money spent is substantially less! We have tried to help our employees by minimizing the changes in premiums, but these last two years we had to start passing on some of the increases in order to survive. We can no longer absorb the constant rate increases, nor can we not offer a health plan to our employees. Therefore we find ourselves between the proverbial rock and the hard place. We certainly are not the only small business facing the same dilemma."
Employees at this small business can breathe a small sigh of relief because their employer still has the ability to offer coverage - even if they are forced to pay more and more because of ObamaCare. Other Iowans are on the edge because their options for coverage are shrinking.
In 2016,
A few months ago,
The Iowa Insurance Commissioner said that:
"
And if
To put this issue into perspective, and show why it matters so much, I want to share concerns I received from a constituent in
This constituent is the parent of a child with a rare disease. The family purchased a plan from
They find this whole experience "disruptive and anxiety provoking."
Disruption and anxiety are not just being felt in
Recent data from the
And a recent report by HHS found that between 2013 and 2017, premiums more than doubled on the exchange. More than doubled on the exchange. In some states, premiums tripled.
Across the country and in my home state of
The reality folks is the status quo is truly unsustainable.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
Sen. Heinrich Issues Floor Speech on TrumpCare
Sen. Donnelly Issues Statement on Anthem, MDWise Leaving Indiana
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News