Frequently, amidst contentious political debates over health care, some will suggest that elected officials should not receive health insurance unless they can solve the problem of health care for the millions of Americans who either lack insurance or are burdened by the high costs of health care.
While not all political candidates are public employees, it's unlikely that very many of them have trouble finding insurance they can afford.
Healthcare.com, an online private marketplace for insurance plans, including those that are part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges, tried to predict what a candidate would pay for a silver plan — by far the most popular type of plan on the PPACA exchanges — based on their age and place of residence.
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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 44, one of the most vociferous opponents of the PPACA, would pay the least for a silver plan on the exchange. Healthcare.com estimates the tea party conservative would pay $271 for such a plan. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also 44, would pay $319 a month for a silver plan, while yet another 44-year-old, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, would pay $299 a month.
In fact, the premiums that the youthful candidates would pay for the top silver plan are substantially cheaper than what the oldest candidates would pay for the cheapest silver plans. Jeb Bush, 62, couldn't find a plan for less than $615 in Coral Gables, FL. Carly Fiorina, 61, would pay $603 a month for the lowest-cost silver plan in Mason Neck, VA.
And yet, while Bush would pay a whopping $1,179 a month for the most expensive silver plan available, the most expensive plan in Fiorina's Virginia market would only be $762.
For the candidates who qualify for Medicare, the study examined what Supplemental Plans would cost in their area. Hillary Clinton, 67, would pay $115 a month for the cheapest plan in Chappaqua, NY and $443 for the most expensive plan. The same is true for Manhattan's Donald Trump. Vermont's Bernie Sanders could get a supplemental plan for as little as $71 and would pay no more than $260.
In case you were wondering, "We assumed none of the presidential candidates qualify for a premium tax credit to buy health insurance," explained Jeff Smedsrud, CEO of Healthcare.com.
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