Associated Press: Study Says Trump Moves Trigger Health Premium Jumps for 2018

Make no mistake, as health insurers set prices for 2018 coverage, the uncertainty caused by President Trump and Congressional Republicans is having an impact on consumers. A new Kaiser Family Foundation study out today shows that Americans will face higher costs, thanks to GOP efforts to undermine the law. From the Associated Press:

“The analysis released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that mixed signals from President Donald Trump have created uncertainty ‘far outside the norm’ and led insurers to seek higher premium increases for 2018 than would otherwise have been the case.”

“Kaiser researchers looked at proposed premiums for a benchmark silver plan across major metropolitan areas in 20 states and Washington, D.C. Overall, they found that 15 of those cities will see increases of 10 percent or more next year.”

"The report found insurer participation in the ACA markets will be lower than at any time since they opened for business in 2014. The average is 4.6 insurers in the states studied, down from 5.1 insurers this year. In many cases insurers do not sell plans in every community in a state.”

“On top of that, researchers found that mixed signals from the administration account for some of the higher charges. Those could increase before enrollment starts Nov. 1.”

“But the White House never produced the health care proposal Trump promised. The GOP bills in Congress would have left millions more uninsured, a sobering side-effect that contributed to their political undoing.”

“The turmoil for people who buy individual health insurance stands in sharp contrast to relative calm and stability for the majority of Americans insured through workplace plans. The cost of employer-sponsored coverage is expected to rise about 5 or 6 percent next year, benefits consultants say.”

And here is a look at Americans’ increased out of pocket costs from Axios vitals: