As the details of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) continue to shake out, the precious gift that President Obama bestowed upon Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is looking more like something she got at a white elephant exchange.
That's because the cost of "affordable" health insurance has made it almost unreasonable for lots of Americans. Seeking to maintain profit margins on sales, insurers are steadily hiking copays, eliminating extras, and demanding more deductibles from their clients.
Clinton is now the one who has had to explain why these increases aren't a bad thing. And her task is getting tougher, as insurers say they're going to boost premiums for 2017, some of them substantially.
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As reported in The Hill, Republicans are gleefully jumping on these increases (which aren't across the board) and claiming Obamacare may soon be overpriced for middle class buyers. Take Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's, R-KY, comment to The Hill:
"Maybe Democrats think the middle class should just get over double-digit premium increases," said McConnell. "Maybe Democrats think it's funny that millions of Americans lost their plans because of Obamacare. Republicans think we should work toward better care instead."
Clinton's emerging strategy has been to be supportive of Obamacare while cautiously inching toward candidate Bernie Sanders' solution: the single payer option. This route, she has suggested, combines the best aspects of Obamacare and Medicare. She first announced her support of it several weeks ago while stumping in the South.
As the election heats up, Clinton is expected to hedge her bets on health care reform. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll recently showed the nation split on its support for the PPACA. Depending upon how public opinion shifts in the coming months, Clinton may be forced into a more committed position on the issue.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
