As Obama Travels To Florida To Promote Obamacare, State Faces Higher Costs, Fewer Options

OBAMA: Affordable Care Act needs 'tweaking'

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President Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of mostly students at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus on Thursday, where, in the face of progressive healthcare marketplace premium increases and diminished competition, he once again tried to make the case for the Affordable Care Act.

EDITOR’S NOTE: President Barack Obama’s speech Thursday in Miamai highlighted the “successes” of Obamacare, and concluded that, rather than repeal, as touted by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, it only needs a bit of updating or “tweaking,” as suggested by his fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton.

However, this complex health law, now going into its fourth year of implementation and with its multiple complicated moving parts, has really become more like a patient suffering from multi-organ failure rapidly approaching a point at which a resuscitation “tweak” would not save it from collapsing under its own weight.

This year’s health insurance premium increases are unlikely to abate. For 2017, Obamacare premiums are projected to increase by 25 percent on average.

The Daily Signal article excerpted below highlights the impact of Obamacare’s increasing premiums and decreasing competition on Florida, which is one of the many states feeling the effects of what was sold to the American people as the “affordable” healthcare reform alternative.

— Dr. Jim Palermo, Editor-in-Chief

Affordable Care Act Sold As Means To Lower Prices, Increase Competition

THE DAILY SIGNAL — Before Obamacare insurance exchanges were established in 2013, Florida had 18 insurers operating in the state. President Barack Obama arrives in Miami Thursday to promote his signature legislative achievement, as Florida will have just five companies for Florida residents to choose from in 2017.

The Affordable Care Act was sold in part as a means to lower prices and increase competition, but in numerous states, including Florida, the law has done neither.

Obama will deliver remarks about Obamacare at Miami Dade College in Miami regarding “the progress made in ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.”

In 2016, the Sunshine State had seven insurers, a plunge from 18 pre-Obamacare, according to data compiled by The Heritage Foundation.

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Florida was one of 41 states to see an increase in Obamacare deductibles in 2016. On average, Florida deductibles increased $990, or about a 23 percent increase from the previous year,

However, UnitedHealthcare and Aetna announced they would be exiting Florida’s health care exchanges in 2017, leaving Floridians with just five insurers.

Also, Florida was one of 41 states to see an increase in Obamacare deductibles in 2016. On average, Florida deductibles increased $990, or about a 23 percent increase from the previous year, according to Freedom Partners, a conservative advocacy group.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office contends the law is not helping the state.

“The governor has continued to say that Obamacare is not the answer to improving our health care system when promise after promise of the program turned out to be not true,” Scott’s press secretary Lauren Schenone told The Daily Signal.

“Gov. Scott is proud we have made historic Medicaid reforms in Florida that have made our system more accessible and affordable to low-income people who need access to high-quality medical care.”

Most of Florida’s health insurers proposed rate increases averaging 13 percent for 2017, The Associated Press reported earlier this year. That included Florida Blue, the state’s largest insurer, which proposed a 14 percent rate hike.

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