Shocker: Medical Claims Costs To Jump Under The "Affordable Care Act"

Just another of the myriad of ways Obamacare is going to make health care and health insurance more expensive and harder to get:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medical claims costs — the biggest driver of health insurance premiums — will jump an average 32 percent for Americans’ individual policies under President Barack Obama’s overhaul, according to a study by the nation’s leading group of financial risk analysts.

The report could turn into a big headache for the Obama administration at a time when many parts of the country remain skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. The estimates were recently released by the Society of Actuaries to its members.

While some states will see medical claims costs per person decline, the report concluded the overwhelming majority will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers.

The disparities are striking. By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent for Ohio, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.

Meanwhile, Democrats refuse to join in repealing the law, suggesting instead that it can merely be “tweaked” into something better. Which is hard to believe.

The problem with Obamacare is systemic. You cannot lump reams of new regulations, expansive new mandates and a raft of new taxes onto the health care and health insurance industries and then expect things to get cheaper.