Dear Neighbor,
Democrats rushed to bring Obamacare to Minnesota and now we are learning health insurance premiums have increased by an average of 47 percent this year over pre-Obamacare costs from 2013.
Apparently the Affordable Care Act is not living up to its name. It’s government waste, mandates and top-down policy at its worst. In Minnesota, we have seen data breaches, broken customer service, failed leadership and a projected shortfall for this program.
Now, people are getting hit in the pocket book. A study conducted by the Manhattan Institute (http://www.manhattan-institute.org/knowyourrates/) indicates rates have risen by nearly 50 percent for a 40-year old in my 55011 ZIP code. Females in Goodhue County (the Red Wing area) are paying an average of 200 percent more than last year, the nation’s largest premium increase for women (http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2014/06/18/3137-county-analysis-obamacare-increased-2014-individual-market-premiums-by-average-of-49/).
It is disappointing Minnesota’s new insurance rates will not be made public until Nov. 15, leaving little time for people to make decisions before enrollment begins in the new year. This information should be available sooner, especially if prices are going to rise even more. Letters have been written to the governor, encouraging him to make this data available earlier, but does not seem interested in allowing that to happen.
I’ll keep you posted as things develop and I encourage you to take a spin through the links I provided above. For now, have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Thank a veteran for making this holiday. We have many things to be grateful for as United States of America citizens.
Sincerely,
Tom