Earlier this week the HHS released a new report detailing 2018 Healthcare.gov healthcare plans. The report demonstrates that health insurance premiums continue to climb and choices are declining:
· Average premium increase for the second-lowest cost plan is 37%,also called the benchmark plan.
· Average annual premium for the benchmark plan for a 27-year old will be $4,932, up from $2,616 during the Affordable Care Act's first year.
· 29 percent of enrollees will have the option of only one health insurance issuer offering plans, up from 20% in 2017 and 2% in 2016.
· 55 percent of enrollees will have the option of two or fewer health insurance issuers offering plans, up from 43% in 2016 and 14% in 2015.
This is unacceptable and needs to be addressed by our Country's leaders.
As IWV President Heather Higgins explained in Real Clear Policy today,
The upside of the epic failure of the Senate to pass any semblance of repealing and reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is that it highlights three structural impediments to achieving not only healthcare insurance reform, but most of the Trump agenda as well.
If conservative donors and voters wish to achieve policy wins it starts by holding more than just Congress accountable to their promises