COMMITTEE on WAYS and MEANS

Chairman Dave Camp

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Despite Rebates and Desperate Claims, Americans Still Paying More for Health Insurance
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Today, the Obama Administration is arguing that ObamaCare is a “win” for consumers because insurers will be rebating $1.1 billion dollars to 12.8 million Americans.  This amounts to an average rebate of less than $86 per person who receives the rebate.  

What the Administration is not saying is that employer-based health insurance premiums increased, on average, by $1,303 the year after ObamaCare became law, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.  Those who buy coverage on their own saw an even higher premium increase, $2,538, on average, according to eHealthInsurance.

So, 195.6 million Americans with private health insurance coverage saw an average premium increase of $1,303 or $2,538, depending on their coverage, while just 15 percent will receive a small rebate to offset a miniscule fraction of that increase.  Even the ObamaCare rebate lottery “winners” are losers, as they are still paying more than $1,200 or $2,400, on average, for their health coverage than they were before ObamaCare became law.