Cost of Federal Reform Starting To Be Felt

09.18.2010
Issues & Policies

The cost impacts of new federal health care legislation continue to surface as some of the reforms’ new requirements are rolled out.

Health insurers in Connecticut are planning to raise premiums as of Oct. 1, and they say these premium increases are a direct result of the changes in the federal law that are mandating significant benefit expansions—such as the elimination of annual and lifetime limits to spending for insured members.

Last week, Connecticut’s U.S. House delegation–all of whom voted for the federal health care law–protested the proposed rate hikes.

While they acknowledged that the changes would increase costs, they didn’t believe the increases would be high. Studies continue to show that even the first layer of reforms now becoming effective are going to increase rates.

“Immediate reforms in the Affordable Care Act are also estimated to affect health spending during 2010–13….. In total, these provisions are estimated to increase national health spending by $10.2 billion through 2013,” according to American’s Health Insurance Plans.

These premium increases are unfortunate but not unexpected because with greater coverage and higher benefits comes higher cost, regardless of who is providing the coverage. This is a fact that cannot be avoided or denied.

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