Comments on: Health Reform Will Make Health Insurance More Expensive for Individuals

By: Pete Pettersen

Pete Pettersen — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:14:29 +0000

It is a real challenge when ideas, logic, facts and statistics mean nothing and such a major economic issue as health care reform, becomes 100% political!

By: Much Ado About…What? | John Goodman | NCPA

Much Ado About…What? | John Goodman | NCPA — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:01:36 +0000

[...] obtained insurance anyway in a short period of time. Since there is no mechanism for dealing with short-term uninsurance and since there will be strong incentives for the healthy to drop out, the actual number may fall [...]

By: Devon Herrick

Devon Herrick — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:21:52 +0000

What I find most offensive about the whole idea that everyone should be compelled to have insurance is the notion that the government gets to decide the type and amount of insurance people must have. A 22-year old male in Dallas County can get a $5,000 deductible, major medical (inpatient only) policy from Blue Cross of Texas for $384 per year. But the proposed legislation would require a 22-year old male to purchase a highly regulated policy that would likely cost close to $384 per month. How come the public has not picked up on this fact?

By: Bret

Bret — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:21:52 +0000

Has anybody noticed how many media reports have distorted the message here? Costs are going to go up for people forced to buy their own insurance. People who get subsized may see their personal cost go down. But that is only because other people (in their role as taxpayers) are footing the bill.

But the bottom line is, these reforms will increase the cost of health insurance.

By: Brian W.

Brian W. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:53:16 +0000

As significant as the CBO analysis is, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) and others are warning that the Reid bill will make health insurance even more expensive than projected by the CBO.

http://www.cahi.org/article.asp?id=1011

The CBO estimates are too low because they don’t account for an increase in demand, they don’t anticipate predictable consumer behavior (like jumping from plan to plan and in and out of the system because of health status), and they don’t account for cost shifting from the government imposed price controls on insurance prices.

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:07:37 +0000

I agree that the CBO is underestimating the cost. The reason: they are underestimating the number of healthy people who are going to stay uninsured as long as they stay healthy.

By: Larry C.

Larry C. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:00:53 +0000

Of course premiums are going to go up. How could it be otherwise?