House Republicans hauled three state insurance officials before Congress on Wednesday to drill them on how Obamacare is affecting health plans.
In many ways, the hearing went as many Obamacare-themed hearings go in Congress, with Republicans attacking the law and Democrats defending it.
Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., accused the GOP of trying to deter people from the Affordable Care Act. “They seem to think if they keep on shouting premium increases, Obamacare death panels, that people will avoid getting insurance through the law which is somehow a victory for them, but it’s not a victory for anyone,” he said.
Republicans aren’t to blame for the law’s unpopularity, said Rep. Peter Roskam, chairman of the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee.
“It’s not as though we’re scaring people away from the Affordable Care Act — the Affordable Care Act is scaring people away from the Affordable Care Act,” he said.
But the state officials gave mixed reviews about how President Obama’s 2010 healthcare law has affected plans in their areas.
Maryland commissioner Al Redmer said Blue Cross plans in his state are proposing 30 percent increases because they’re losing money under the law. Tennessee commissioner Julie McPeak said the law’s new regulations and coverage requirements have forced insurers in her state to make premiums more expensive.
“I certainly don’t hear from consumers they’re saving any money on insurance premiums,” she said.
But Mike Kreidler, the top insurance regulator in Washington state, praised the law for its provisions ensuring people with pre-existing conditions get covered — and noted that insurers had already been raising premiums and narrowing provider networks for years before the law was passed.
The hearing came on the heels of preliminary 2016 rate filings by insurers, some of which are proposing large rate hikes next year. The proposals have fueled another round of GOP accusations that the healthcare law is making insurance more expensive instead of cheaper.
“The model we’re on in the Affordable Care Act is not sustainable,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.
