Obamacare Architect: Headlines On Premium Increases Are Misleading

BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Earlier this week, the federal government projected sharp increases in premiums for Obamacare. The Department of Health and Human Services also noted that many Americans will have just one choice for a health insurance company.
Before federal subsidies, premiums for a midlevel benchmark plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market. Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Joe Mathieu talked with Professor Jon Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who is known as the chief architect of Obamacare and its predecessor, Romneycare.
Joe: Is it being reported fairly – the increase in premiums?
“It’s not. I think the most important part that’s being missed is the fact that these are not the premiums the vast majority of Americans face. So most Americans get insurance through their employer. What’s not being reported is, since Obamacare passed, employer-sponsored premiums have grown at their slowest rate in history. That’s not getting any headlines.
“There’s a small minority of people who buy insurance through the exchange. Most of them also aren’t affected by these premium increases because they get health insurance subsidies. So it’s really only a very small share of the public that’s affected by these premium increases, which I don’t think you’d realize if you read the headlines.”
Joe: So who is paying mor...

Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - October 28, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health Local News Politics Syndicated Local Joe Mathieu Jonathan Gruber Obamacare Source Type: news