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From the web:
Obama Care
ObamaCare 'Reform': 34% Fewer Doctors, Double-Digit Premium Hikes
Health Reform: Before ObamaCare, it would've been hard to find a health plan that combined a huge $6,000 deductible, few in-network doctors, and sky-high premiums. Today, thanks to ObamaCare, it's hard not to.
A new report from Avalere Health finds that enrollees in ObamaCare plans have access to 34% fewer providers than those who buy a commercial plan outside the exchange. On average, it found, ObamaCare enrollees had 32% fewer primary care doctors and 24% fewer hospitals from which to choose.
Worse, ObamaCare plans covered 42% fewer oncologists and cardiologists than non-ObamaCare plans.
What this means is that lots of patients will end up going out of network to get the care that they need, which means paying far more out-of-pocket costs.
Deductibles are steeper under ObamaCare, too. In ObamaCare's first year, the average deductible for a low-cost Bronze plan was 42% higher than before the law went into effect, according to HealthPocket. Deductibles climbed again this year and are expected to go up the next.
There's nothing inherently wrong with high-deductible health plans. Consumers who are more aware of the cost of health care are more likely to be prudent shoppers and hold down health costs, something that IBD has frequently pointed out in this space.
Indeed, the rapid growth of Health Savings Account plans — which combine high deductibles with a tax-free account to pay out-of-pocket costs — has contributed to the overall slowdown in national health spending.
But before ObamaCare, consumers accepted these high deductibles in exchange for very low premiums. In Iowa, for example, a $5,000-deductible plan could cost as little as $442 in annual premiums. Not anymore.
The average Bronze plan today costs more than $3,500 a year in premiums while imposing a $5,181 deductible.
And now insurers are pushing double-digit premium hikes for 2016, some as high as 50%.
Reporters covering the ObamaCare beat either ignore these trends or try to blame the insurance industry.
But this sorry state of insurance affairs is a direct result of ObamaCare. Its market regulations and benefit mandates are driving up premiums and deductibles while limiting choice. This is the glorious "reformed" health care system that ObamaCare has produced.


IBD July 20 2015

Ricko Loc: Florida

boofhead-Ironically, the only people who like Obamacare are those who are subsidized, on Medicaid, or not bound by the plan. It is not surprising that nearly 70% of our citizens want it repealed. Scariest words one will ever hear," you are being charged with murder in the first degree" or " I am with the government and I am here to help you." Good Luck America !!!

boofhead

And more:
By Logan Albright Freedom works Jul 20
A new analysis finds that the health insurance plans offered on ObamaCare exchanges offer a choice of 34 percent fewer health care providers, on average, than plans offered on the private market. The report specifies that:

Specifically, the analysis finds that exchange plan networks include 42 percent fewer oncology and cardiology specialists; 32 percent fewer mental health and primary care providers; and 24 percent fewer hospitals. Importantly, care provided by out-of-network providers does not count toward the out-of-pocket limits put in place by the ACA.

This is not surprising. The decline in doctor availability has been a long-foreseen consequence of the Affordable Care Act. The Wall Street Journal reported that the number of doctors per capita is in decline for the first time in two generations, medical school admissions are down 6 percent, and the American Association of Medical Colleges has predicted a shortage of 160,000 physicians by 2025. The only people who didn’t see this coming are the ones who don’t understand that incentives matter.

One of the innumerable mistakes in the Affordable Care Act is the focus on the demand side of medicine, and specifically of insurance coverage. This is several steps removed from the actual problem that needs to be addressed: the cost and availability of health care. These variables fall fundamentally on the supply side of the equation. Lower barriers to entry in the medical profession would increase the number of doctors, and the resulting competition would drive prices down while simultaneously reducing wait times and making it easier to find a doctor.

By forcing more people to buy insurance plans, and regulating the pricing structure of these plans can charge, ObamaCare is driving more people towards doctors, while at the same time reducing doctors’ ability to get paid. Combined with other regulations in the law, like the costly requirement to digitize all medical records, is it any wonder that so many doctors are hanging up their stethoscopes - or failing to pick them up in the first place?

This new study reinforces what we already knew: ObamaCare has always been about insurance, not actual health care. But all the insurance in the world does no good if there are no doctors available to treat you.

The trend towards less choice that ObamaCare is forcing on consumers can only lead to higher prices and a lower quality of care. More long term, the implications of a health care system that disincentives people from becoming doctors is far more dire.