Yesterday, we started a series to highlight all of Jon Tester’s Obamacare promises that turned out to be lies.
Today’s edition focuses on Tester’s 2009 remarks on the Senate floor where he promised Obamacare would “make health care affordable for all folks in this country.”
SEN. TESTER: “We are close to sealing the deal to change our country for the better, to finally hold insurance companies accountable, and to make health care affordable for all folks in this country.” (Tester Senate Floor Speech, 12/21/2009)
What Really Happened:
Fast forward to 2017, when Tester finally admits that folks are “getting hammered by higher premiums and deductibles.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, average premiums in Montana have increased 133%.
“Sky-High Deductibles” Attached To Obamacare Plans Have Left Many Consumers “As Vulnerable As They Were Before They Had Coverage.” “But for many consumers, the sticker shock is coming not on the front end, when they purchase the plans, but on the back end when they get sick: sky-high deductibles that are leaving some newly insured feeling nearly as vulnerable as they were before they had coverage.” (Robert Pear, “Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
In Many States, More Than Half Of The Plans Offered For Sale Through Healthcare.gov Have A Deductible Of $3,000 Or More. “In many states, more than half the plans offered for sale through HealthCare.gov, the federal online marketplace, have a deductible of $3,000 or more, a New York Times review has found.” (Robert Pear, “Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
The Average Deductible For Individual Coverage Under Employer Plans Is $1,320. “Still, the average annual deductible in employer plans, $1,320 for individual coverage according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, is considerably less than the deductibles in many marketplace plans.” (Robert Pear, “Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
The Internal Revenue Service Defines A “High-Deductible Health Plan” As A Plan With A Deductible Of At Least $1,300 For An Individual Or $2,600 For A Family. “The Internal Revenue Service defines a high-deductible health plan as one with an annual deductible of at least $1,300 for individual coverage or $2,600 for family coverage.” (Robert Pear, “Many Say High Deductibles Make Their Health Law Insurance All But Useless,” The New York Times, 11/14/15)
Market Conditions On The Obamacare Exchanges Are “Getting Considerably Worse…The Percentage Increase For Each Category Of Obamacare Nationwide Is In The Double-Digits.” “‘With respect to 2017, it is immediately evident that the market conditions facing the unsubsidized are getting considerably worse,’ HealthPocket’s report said. ‘The percentage increase for each category of Obamacare nationwide is in the double-digits.'” (Dan Mangan, “Obamacare Deductibles Are On The Rise For 2017, Along With Monthly Premiums,” CNBC, 10/26/16)