The Office of the Washington State Insurance Commissioner (OIC) recently published the average premium rate increase for people purchasing health insurance in the Obamacare Exchange for 2019. (here) Seven insurance companies will offer 40 plans with an average premium increase of 13.8 percent. This compares to a national average of 3.1 percent. (here)

Every county in Washington state will have at least one plan available. The two insurers offering plans in the greatest number of counties (19) will get an average rate increase of 16.5 percent.

Sixty percent of people buying health insurance in the Exchange qualify for taxpayer subsidies. So as rates increase, the subsidies likewise increase with a greater burden on taxpayers.

With double digit rate increases next year, the real losers will be people who don’t qualify for subsidies and those people who purchase health insurance in the individual market outside the Exchange. The OIC is still reviewing rate requests for the individual market outside the Exchange.

The Left blames the rate increase on the uncertainty of health care reform at the national level and the repeal of the individual mandate starting in 2019. The reality, however, is that these persistent rate increases are caused by the fundamental structure of the Affordable Care Act. They have been predictable since the law was passed.

Young, healthy people were priced out of the market from the start and reasonably chose to not purchase health insurance they didn’t want and couldn’t use. As the percent of older, sicker people increased in the Exchanges, the cost of insurance increased to cover these individuals.

The solution to these ever-rising premiums, according to the Left, is more taxpayer money. Taking this philosophy to its logical end-point is the idea of “Medicare for All” - in other words, socialized medicine with the government in charge of the entire health care system. Theoretically, everyone would then have health insurance. The reality is that demand would far outpace supply, access to health care would be limited with ultimate rationing, and costs would be prohibitive. (here)

We have now had nine years of Obamacare, with ever-increasing health care costs and 30 million Americans without health insurance. It is time to try a patient-centered approach to health care reform. (here)