As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the survey — conducted by HealthPocket — said the number of Americans who cannot afford to pay more than a hundred bucks per month is about 50 percent:
The group asked 1,225 survey respondents in September what was the highest monthly premium they could afford to pay for health insurance in 2018. While 50 percent said they could afford $100 a month or less, 19 percent said they could afford $200 a month.
Just nine percent of respondents said they could handle premiums of $300 per month, and six percent said they could afford $400 per month. Five percent could pay $500 a month and 11 percent could pay more than $500 per month.
The report noted further that for the current year, a 40-year-old non-smoker is paying an average monthly premium of $350 for the so-called “Bronze” plan in the Obamacare exchanges, $411 for the “Silver” plan, $522 for the “Gold” plan and $623 for the “Platinum” plan.
And those are at all-time highs; average premiums in 2017 have increased by double digits, from 15 to 22 percent. Furthermore, there is already concern they will rise even more next year.
“These survey results come at a time when there is still uncertainty and anxiety regarding 2018 rates for Affordable Care Act health plans," the survey says. "Unsubsidized consumers continue to carry the greatest concerns. Unlike consumers who have their monthly premiums limited to a fixed percentage of their income, unsubsidized consumers face the full list price of health insurance.”
The survey report also found that while about 83 percent of Obamacare exchange enrollees are getting subsidized by taxpayers and the average premium cost in 2017 after subsidies are factored in was $106, there are still enrollees that don’t get any subsidies at all. For them, average unsubsidized monthly premiums cost about $489, which is like paying for another new car.
“The survey findings present politicians with the question of what changes in regulation as well as healthcare delivery strategies could produce $100 a month insurance plan for the average American," noted Kev Coleman, head of research and data at HealthPocket.
But right now, thanks to a handful of obstinate, lying Republicans, we can’t even get a healthcare reform measure passed, much less brought up that would produce such a result. For seven years while Obama was president, they promised and campaigned on the pledge of repealing and replacing Obamacare; when the time came to do it, which was after President Donald J. Trump got into office, they blew it. (Related: Obamacare sticker shock: 146 percent rate increases to be triggered in California.)
And now rates for a consumer product that is mandatory to buy continue to rise beyond what half the country can even afford. And tens of millions more who have so-called “coverage” also have deductibles that are so high they can’t even use the insurance they have purchased. As such, they don’t go to the doctor much anymore, even when they really need to.
As reported by Newsweek in May 2015:
A report released this week by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that conducts independent research on health and social issues, finds that even though more Americans now have health insurance, many still avoid seeing doctors because of high out-of-pocket expenses.
Because of these high deductibles, the report noted further, nearly one-quarter of all Americans aged 19-64 were considered underinsured; that amounts to about 31 million people, far more than Obamacare even covers.
Obamacare is not only continuing to fail, it’s breaking the bank for millions of families. And still, Congress does nothing. We need health freedom, not government-regulated [Obama] care.
J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.
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