Blunt: ‘Obamacare has been a disaster for Missourians, and it’s about to get even worse’

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt  released the following statement today regarding a new Kaiser Family Foundation report showing that an estimated 85 percent of Missouri counties could have only one Obamacare marketplace insurer next year, compared to two percent this year, significantly narrowing health care options for individuals and families required to purchase insurance under the law or face a penalty.

“Obamacare has been a disaster for Missourians, and it’s about to get even worse,” Blunt said. “Premiums are set to increase by double digits in some areas, deductibles are sky high, and the vast majority of our state could have only one Obamacare exchange option next year. If families can’t afford that option and are forced to go without insurance, they’ll face up to a $2,085 penalty under the law.”

The Kaiser Family Foundation report directly contradicts what President Obama claimed his health care law would do in June of 2013, when he said, “See, right now, most states don’t have a lot of competition. In nearly every state, more than half of all consumers are covered by only two insurers. So there’s no incentive to provide you a lot of choices or to keep costs down. The Affordable Care Act changes that. Beginning next year, once these marketplaces are open, most states will offer new private insurance choices that don’t exist today.”

Blunt continued, “The president repeatedly promised that his health care law would provide more choices, ‘bend the cost curve,’ and allow Americans to keep the plans they liked and could afford. He failed to live up to those promises, and families are paying the price. I opposed this law from the beginning, and will continue fighting for smarter solutions that will expand access to affordable health care options for all Missourians.”

In December of last year, Blunt voted to repeal the president’s health care law, and outlined several solutions that would lower costs and improve access for families, including:

• Expanding access to Health Savings Accounts and allowing qualified participants to use HSAs to pay for premiums;

• Allowing small businesses to pool together to offer affordable insurance options to employees;

• Enacting meaningful medical liability reform to reduce malpractice insurance costs, leading to increased access for patients;

• Allowing consumers to buy insurance across state lines;

• Expanding and reforming high-risk pools to provide insurance options for people with pre-existing conditions;

• Promoting prevention and wellness programs by giving employers greater flexibility to reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles;

• Prohibiting insurers from cancelling a policy unless a person commits fraud or conceals material facts about a health condition;

• Prohibiting insurance plans from instituting annual or lifetime spending limits; and

• Implementing fair tax treatment for people who don’t receive their insurance at work.