Obama HHS Secretary Admits Premiums Will Rise Because Of Obamacare

by Tim Brown

While many in the real world have been warning about the increase of premiums that will result in the ironically named Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, Health and Human Services Secretary (and known federal law breaker) Kathleen Sebelius has finally admitted that costs will increase for consumers, despite the denials of the Socialists in Congress and the Socialist in the White House.

The Wall Street Journal reports,

Some people purchasing new insurance policies for themselves this fall could see premiums rise because of requirements in the health-care law, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Tuesday.

Ms. Sebelius’s remarks come weeks before insurers are expected to begin releasing rates for plans that start on Jan. 1, 2014, when key provisions of the health law kick in. Premiums have been a sensitive subject for the Obama administration, which is counting on elements in the health law designed to increase competition among insurers to keep rates in check. The administration has pointed to subsidies that will be available for many lower-income Americans to help them with the cost of coverage.

The secretary’s remarks are among the first direct statements from federal officials that people who have skimpy health plans right now could face higher premiums for plans that are more generous. She noted that the law requires plans to provide better benefits and treat all customers equally regardless of their medical claims.

“These folks will be moving into a really fully insured product for the first time, and so there may be a higher cost associated with getting into that market,” she said. “But we feel pretty strongly that with subsidies available to a lot of that population that they are really going to see much better benefit for the money that they’re spending.”

For most people, they have the basic coverage, which is the least costly. This is mainly due to the enormous cost. Some of us don’t even have insurance and elect to pay out of pocket or join a network, such as a Christian ministry, to bear each other’s burdens. To force people into insurance plans they don’t need is not only contrary to liberty and freedom, but it is ultimately counterproductive.

While Sebelius says, “They are really going to see much better benefit for the money that they’re spending,” one has to wonder at that. Already we are seeing downsizing in the medical industry due to Obamacare. Everyday Health reports,

Most physicians have a pessimistic outlook on the future of medicine, citing eroding autonomy and falling income, a survey of more than 600 doctors found.

Six in 10 physicians (62 percent) said it is likely many of their colleagues will retire earlier than planned in the next 1 to 3 years, a survey from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions found. That perception is uniform across age, gender, and specialty, it said.

Another 55 percent of surveyed doctors believe others will scale back hours because of the way medicine is changing, but the survey didn’t elaborate greatly on how it was changing. Three-quarters think the best and brightest may not consider a career in medicine, although that is an increase from the 2011 survey result of 69 percent.

“Physicians recognize ‘the new normal’ will necessitate major changes in the profession that require them to practice in different settings as part of a larger organization that uses technologies and team-based models for consumer (patient) care,” the survey’s findings stated.

About two-thirds of the survey responders said they believe physicians and hospitals will become more integrated in coming years. In the last 2 years, 31 percent moved into a larger practice, results found. Nearly eight in 10 believe midlevel providers will play a larger role in directing primary care.

It has already been reported that some insurers have already begun to signal that they could dramatically increase prices for people buying policies in the individual market to compensate for restrictions on how they treat consumers, as well as new fees and requirements that they provide bigger benefits packages.

This is all working out just like Barack Obama and his thugs in Congress knew it would. So much so, that they are no longer seeking to continue their lies about Obamacare. Instead, they are trying to make you feel better about screwing you over, controlling your freedom in the healthcare market, and taking more of your money in the process.