Health Care Reform Should Put Consumers First

Health Care Reform Should Put Consumers First

Rising Costs Hit Latinos Hard 

(Washington, DC) – According to the Obama administration, premiums for midlevel health plans under the Affordable Care Act will increase by an average of 25 percent next year, and many consumers will have a far more limited choice of insurers, as an increasing number of companies drop out of the exchanges established under the president’s health care law. While the president has asked Congress to fix the system, he has yet to propose any specific legislation to do so, and has opposed fixes from lawmakers. Supporters of the law have called for ‘fixes’ that do little to address the underlying problems, including larger taxpayer bailouts for insurance companies, or costlier penalties on consumers who do not purchase the more expensive insurance policies required under this system.

The Obama Administration currently projects that 11.4 million Americans will purchase insurance through the exchanges – less than half of what was projected when Obamacare was signed into law. Additionally, Gallup has found that the percentage of Americans putting off needed health care because of cost has risen slightly since the president’s health care law was enacted.

Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative, released the following statement:

“Never have the outcomes of a federal program been so predictable. Opponents of the law predicated that premiums would rise, enrollment would fall below projections, and Americans would wind up losing access to doctors and policies that they valued. Admitting the problems with the law is the first step to addressing them. Yet instead of proposing workable fixes that will help ensure consumers have access to plans that meet their needs, at competitive prices, the law’s supporters are seeking to bail out insurance companies losing money on a broken system. They’re even trying to get Hispanics around the country to buy insurance at inflated prices, in order to prop up a law that just doesn’t work for them.

This is precisely the wrong approach. The policymakers who drew up this fatally flawed system – and who passed it over widespread public opposition – need to do better. They need to be honest and admit that this health law is unworkable.

For Interviews with a representative from The LIBRE Initiative, please contact Brian Faughnan, 703-678-4581 or Wadi Gaitan, 202-853-4463

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