As ObamaCare Grows, Coverage Choices Shrink
Students are the Latest Victims of ObamaCare Denying Americans the Choice to Keep Their Health Coverage
- If you’re a student on a college-provided health plan, you may be out of luck thanks to ObamaCare. Burdensome new ObamaCare regulations are forcing colleges to abandon their health plans, meaning many students will lose their current coverage.
- President Obama promised Americans would be able to keep their current coverage if they liked it, but tell that to the students losing their health plan.
- Sadly, this isn’t the first time Democrats have put ObamaCare ahead of students. Just this year House Democrats voted to protect an ObamaCare slush fund over protecting student loan interest rates.
If you’re a student on a college-provided health plan, you may be out of luck thanks to ObamaCare. Burdensome new ObamaCare regulations are forcing colleges to abandon their health plans, meaning many students will lose their current coverage:
COLLEGES “DROPPING STUDENT HEALTH-INSURANCE PLANS FOR THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR” DUE TO OBAMACARE: “Some colleges are dropping student health-insurance plans for the coming academic year and others are telling students to expect sharp premium increases because of a provision in the federal health law requiring plans to beef up coverage.”(Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
OTHER STUDENTS MAY SEE SHARPLY RISING PREMIUMS: “For those colleges that choose to keep their health-insurance plans, students may see sharply rising premiums.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
OBAMACARE IS “ELIMINATING SOME INSURANCE OPTIONS” FOR STUDENTS: “The demise of low-cost, low-benefit health plans for students is a consequence of the 2010 health-care overhaul. The law is intended to expand coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, but it is also eliminating some insurance options.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
600,000 STUDENTS COULD BE AFFECTED: “Around 600,000 students, about 7% of the total number of 18-to-23-year-olds in college, bought their own insurance, generally plans arranged by schools for which students pay all the premiums, the GAO study said.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
HOW MUCH WILL PREMIUMS INCREASE? AT ONE SCHOOL, THEY MORE THAN QUADRUPLED: “Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., this past year offered a 12-month plan that cost students $445, while capping payouts at $10,000. For the 2012-13 academic year, the Obama administration said the payout cap must be at least $100,000. Bethany said students would have had to pay more than $2,000 to get that new level of coverage.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
SMALLER SCHOOLS, THOSE SERVING LOW-INCOME STUDENTS TO BE HIT HARDEST: “Smaller colleges and those serving lower-income students typically have had the skimpier plans, and they are among the first to announce significant changes. Some schools are still deciding what to do next year.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
“A DEATH SPIRAL OF HIGHER PREMIUMS AND EVEN LOWER ENROLLMENT”: “George Voss of Oregon State’s student health service said he worried that increased premiums could lead to fewer healthy students signing up, leaving only the sicker ones and triggering a death spiral of higher premiums and even lower enrollment. ‘At some point it becomes untenable to have a plan,’ he said.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)
President Obama promised Americans would be able to keep their current coverage if they liked it, but tell that to the students losing their health plan:
BROKEN PROMISE: OBAMACARE WILL LET YOU KEEP THE CARE YOU HAVE:OBAMA: “And that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.” (Mary Lu Carnavale, “Obama: ‘If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,’” The Wall Street Journal, 6/15/2009)
20 MILLION WORKERS COULD LOSE THEIR EMPLOYER-SPONSORED INSURANCE: “A new report from the Congressional Budget Office hands critics of the health reform law a great new talking point: Under a worst-case scenario, the law could lead to 20 million people losing their employer-sponsored insurance in 2019.” (J. Lester Feder, “CBO: ACA Could Jeopardize Workplace Coverage,” Politico, 3/15/2012)
MCKINSEY STUDY: 30% OF EMPLOYERS SAY THEY “DEFINITELY” PLAN TO DROP EMPLOYEE COVERAGE: “Our survey found, however, that 45 to 50 percent of employers say they will definitely or probably pursue alternatives to [employer-sponsored insurance] in the years after 2014. Those alternatives include dropping coverage, offering it through a defined-contribution model, or in effect offering it only to certain employees. More than 30 percent of employers overall, and 28 percent of large ones, say they will definitely or probably drop coverage after 2014.” (John Tozzi, “Health Reform Won’t Dismantle Employer Coverage, Report Says,” Bloomberg Businessweek, 10/21/2011)
THREE-FOURTHS OF COMPANIES CONSIDERING DROPPING HEALTH COVERAGE FOR EMPLOYEES: Only 23% of companies are confident that they will offer health benefits in 10 years, down from 73% in 2007 and 57% in 2009. (“Performance in an Era of Uncertainty,” Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Healthcare, March 2012)
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Democrats have put ObamaCare ahead of students. Just this year House Democrats voted to protect an ObamaCare slush fund over protecting student loan interest rates:
40% OF OBAMA-ERA COLLEGE GRADS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO BEGIN PAYING OFF STUDENT LOANS: (Tiffany Hsu, “Half of College Grads Working Full Time, With Less Pay, Deep Debt,” Los Angeles Times, 5/10/2012)
COLLEGE-EDUCATED YOUNG ADULTS EARN 6-8% LESS THAN THEY DID IN 2000: “According to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, entry-level, college-educated men age 23-29 earned an average $21.68 an hour in 2011, a 7.6% decline from 2000. For women, the corresponding figure fell 6%, to $18.80. Men and women both now earn just a bit more than they did in 1989, when measured in 2011 dollars.” (Lauren Weber and Melissa Korn, “For Most Graduates, Grueling Job Hunt Awaits,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/7/2012)
FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN DEFAULT RATE IS 8.8% AND PROJECTED TO RISE:(Scott Gerber, “34 Depressing Facts About the Job Market for College Grads,” Business Insider, 5/1/2012)
BUT DEMOCRATS PROTECTED OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS OVER PREVENTING STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES HIKES:
87% OF HOUSE DEMS VOTE TO PROTECT OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS OVER PROTECTING STUDENT LOANS: (Roll Call 195, Clerk of the U.S. House, 4/27/2012)
PELOSI WHIPPED VOTES AGGRESSIVELY TO PRESERVE OBAMACARE SLUSH FUNDS, EVEN IF STUDENTS SUFFER AS A RESULT: “Pelosi says she’s whipping against GOP student loan bill. Taking a very hard-line against it.” (Tweet from Jake Sherman, Politico, 4/26/2012)
DEMOCRATS RANSACKED STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM FOR $9 BILLION TO FUND OBAMACARE: “In addition, $9 billion of the savings would be used to offset the costs of the health care overhaul proposed by the Democrats – an amount that lets the health care proposal meet requirements for the package to go through the budget-reconciliation process.” (Tamar Lewin, “Bill Proposes Increased Aid To the Needy For College,” The New York Times, 3/19/2010)