I noticed a few things in that article:
1. It looks like an overall increase of 7.5% at this point. Did wages rise 7.5% this year? Seems like that will be a problem.
2. Many of the states didn't report yet (27). That percentage rise is very likely going to go up.
3. California is shown as 0% on the chart, yet the details under the chart indicate a 4.2% weighted average increase.
4. BCBS looks to increase 9%. Do you think they are pricing themselves out of the market? Doubtful.
7.5% is a hefty increase. Still less than the increases we saw each year leading up to the passage of the ACA. You can ***** about it....but your ***** has nothing to do with the law. The law has ameliorated the problem somewhat.
That's because you are confusing two types of insurance.
There is employer insurance, and private insurance.
There's a difference between them in how the ACA regulates them. Private insurance policies are governed by strict pre-defined plans, outlined by the government.
Employers on the other hand, can negotiate for higher deductibles, and co-pays.
This has created a massive rift between the two. If you look exclusively at employer plans, the price increase hasn't been all that much out of line with the typical rise in premium prices.
However, if you had read the article posted, it said this is because they have raised co-pays, deductibles, and office visit costs.
Large employers moving en masse to high deductibles | Physicians for a National Health Program
Almost half of all employers were moving to a high deductible plan.
So while the prior claim was accurate, that employer plan premiums are not increasing that much more than the average, that ignores the fact that those plans cover less, with higher deductibles co-pays and fees.
On the other hand, private insurance has gone crazy with cost. Insurance companies can't offer limited high deductible plans, like they used to. Instead they must fit their plans within a pre-defined framework.
While this seems like a brilliant idea to the left, it's a terrible idea in practice, because it is exactly that flexibility that allows low cost plans to exist.
I've said this a dozen times, and I'll keep repeating it until this debate is over. Back in 2006, I got a private insurance policy that was only $67 a month.
Today, no such policies are available. I was looking early this year, and the lowest priced policy I could get was over $250 a month.
Now, while the left might chirp "you are getting better insurance though!"... doesn't matter how good it is, if I can't afford it, does it?
I might be getting a better car if I buy a BMW X3, but if I can't afford it, and they repo the car, doesn't matter how much better it was, does it?
No insurance for me. I'll just pay the fee at the end of the year, and if I end up hospitalized, you all can pay for it.
Not my fault. I could afford insurance before you all screwed it up for me.