Originally published July 1 2013
Single women's health insurance premiums set to double in California, thanks to Obamacare
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Progressives claim to be the most sensitive to women's issues, yet they are the first ones to back policies that either harm or otherwise suppress women. Case in point: Obamacare.
Back in the day when the president and his congressional allies were selling this turkey to the American people, one of their most oft-repeated lies was that health care reform would lead to lower costs - lower fees for service, lower hospital costs, lower government costs and lower health care premiums.
One of the demographics that stood to benefit the most from "hope and change" brought on by the Affordable Care Act is young people - and especially young women. But that won't be the case in ultra-left wing California, home to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. There, both men and women will suffer tremendous health insurance "rate shock."
According to Forbes:
This is because the Golden State already bars insurers from charging different rates on the basis of gender in the individual market. According to the National Women's Law Center, 10 other states also do so: Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. A twelfth state, Vermont, limits but does not prohibit gender rating.
So, writes Avik Roy, a Forbes contributor, that means men and women will pay equally dearly.
Progressive hypocrisy regarding women
"If you compare the cheapest plan on healthcare.gov to the cheapest Bronze plan on the new Covered California insurance exchange, premiums for healthy 25-year-olds will increase by 147 percent - a median of $183 on the exchange vs. $74 today - and premiums for healthy 40-year-olds will increase by 149 percent - a median of $234 on the exchange vs. $94 today," he writes.
Why does it matter? Other than the fact that liberals claim to be champions of women, a lot. For much of the coming decade, men are expected to bear the brunt of Obamacare's expenses, even in California. But that gap narrows in the coming years.
"While premiums will go up equally for men and women in California, women should benefit more from Obamacare's subsidies. That's because 40-year-old women have lower average incomes than men do," he says. "That's great news for women whose wages are below the national average, or whose households that are larger than the national average. But it's terrible news for those with above-average incomes, along with those who are unmarried or childless. And it's also bad news for the men who today pay for the disproportionate share of Obamacare's subsidies."
He adds: "...[I]n California, if you're a single woman with a decent-paying job that doesn't offer health insurance, you're about to get hammered."
That said, make no mistake about it: Obamacare - and in particular the cost thereof - is going to devastate all sorts of American households, from sea to shining sea. The reality of higher insurance premiums, longer waits to see a health care provider, doctor shortages, overstuffed emergency rooms (even more than they already are), and cost increases are just a few short months away (January 1, 2014).
But wait, you argue. Don't we all have to purchase health insurance now? Hasn't the Supreme Court made that abundantly clear by ruling that the individual mandate in Obamacare was not a fee but a tax?
Yes, that's what the ruling says. But that's not how it's going to work.
The disaster looms
Millions of Americans - especially young people just starting out - won't be able to afford the huge premiums, so they will opt out of the system and pay a lower-cost fine for doing so. That means fewer healthier people will be paying into the health insurance exchanges, which means that the premiums for those who do pay in will have to be higher to cover the higher costs of covering older, unhealthier members.
Roy sees it:
The bigger problem, of course, is what happens if the people who face higher costs under Obamacare drop out of the system and pay the fine instead. Such adverse selection would make premiums even less affordable, and require a greater outlay of taxpayer subsidies.
Sticker shock. Longer wait times. Higher premiums. Elevated costs.
America's healthcare system is about to undergo a "fundamental transformation," as the president said during his 2008 campaign.
But not for the better, particularly for women in California.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.forbes.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.theblaze.com
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