Penna Dexter

It would be nice if the current presidential campaign were more about issues and less about personalities. Then maybe we’d be hearing more from the campaign trail about the collapse of what was supposed to be healthcare reform under the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare. Former President Bill Clinton did bring up one aspect of this in a speech last week in Flint, Michigan. It was a powerful commentary on the health care law’s impact on the consumer. The former president told his audience, “The people who are getting killed in this deal are the small business people and individuals who make just a little too much to get any of these subsidies.” He continued, “…you’ve got this crazy system where all of a sudden 25 million more people have health care, and then the people who are out there busting it, sometimes 60 hours a week, wind up with their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half.” He said. “It’s the craziest thing in the world.” At a rally the next day he walked things back — sort of — saying, “Look, the Affordable Health Care Act did a world of good.” But it’s true, states are reporting dramatic premium increases. Unless you get a subsidy, you’re hit, sometimes hard. Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel, a physician who was one of the architects of the ACA, was asked about it by Fox News’ Megyn Kelly. He said the premium increases are a “correction.” From what? From what was sold to pass Congress. In the state of Tennessee, the insurance commissioner approved premium increases of up to 62 percent in an attempt to salvage the state’s ObamaCare exchange. But insurers are pulling out of the state anyway. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee just announced it will leave three of the state’s largest markets — Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. That kicks out 100,000 citizens of Tennessee. UnitedHealthcare also announced it’s leaving the state. That’s another 41,000 Tennesseans who will need new policies. In fact, 60 percent of Tennessee’s ObamaCare consumers will lose their coverage as we head into 2017. As they look for new plans, they face these higher premiums and also rising deductibles. This is the story of one state. In fact, many insurance companies are finding it unsustainable to provide coverage under the ACA. In a third of counties across the U.S., customers looking for coverage on the exchange will have only one option. Under the ACA, many states set up non-profit co-ops to provide cost effective policies to individuals and small businesses. Tennessee’s failed financially. Of the 23 co-ops set up under the ACA, seven will remain in 2017 The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberley Strassel sums it up, “Health care is the daily frustration and concern of nearly every American voter, right up there with paying the mortgage, the grocery bill, and the IRS.” The presidential candidates should be discussing it.