From the office of Congressman Andy Harris:
Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. Reacts to Maryland Insurance Premium Announcement
Today’s Report Shows that Marylanders Will Still Pay More for Insurance
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) released final rates for individual health insurance plans under the Obamacare exchange. Today’s announcement comes after news in April that Maryland’s largest non-profit health insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield proposed that they would have to raise rates for individuals an average of 25% – and up to 150% for young people – because of Obamacare. Despite the MIA approving “premiums at levels as much as 33 percent below what had been requested,” Marylanders healthcare premiums will still go up under the law.
“Today’s announcement about health insurance premiums demonstrates that Obamacare will in fact lead Marylanders to pay more for their healthcare,” said Harris. “It is hardly welcome news for young Marylanders who are already struggling in this economy to say their health insurance will still go up under Obamacare, but not as much. Despite promises by President Obama and others that this law would lead to lower premiums, the exact opposite is turning out to be true – Marylanders will be paying more.”
Yup. We just received a letter from Carefirst the other day that, beginning in September, our monthly rate is being increased by almost 100 dollars and to contact them regarding other insurance options if we’d like. Yippee.
Typical Harris. Issue a press release stating how bad ObamaCare is. Great. We know that and have seen same in all the granted applications for waivers and notices of premium increases across the county.
Why won’t Harris actually break with his GOP Establishment master and vote to defund this monstrosity. Time for Harris to put his votes where his mouth is. I’m tired of the rhetoric.
Huffington Post and the Washington Post say differently. Drink the Koolaid of Andy’s bitter anxious desire for self enrichment for him and his Koch Brother Mentors.
You are defending a program in which the agency enforcing it wants no part of it for themselves?
10 years of paying for 6 years of a program that has to be pushed off a year because it is so screwed up.
Officials in California reported a decrease in rates as well, but then the numbers came out. As much as 140% increase. Areas claiming rate reduction- New York, D.C. and California. Hmmm.
Your support for Obamacare is a means to and end. You know the country doesn’t want single payer, so we should destroy enough of the current system first to force us there. Willing to lie your way there like the President.
The enemy amongst us.
Do you have anything to offer except denial B? My experience with you is the same as others that espouse a so called Conservative Christian philosophy. You are at your heart, asocial, only interested in your immediate needs to the detriment and exclusion of others. You want what you want and you don’t give a damn who you screw to get it. You will criticize anything that is not in line with your narrow world view and make personal attacks on anyone that dares stand up to your rhetoric. There are really too many of you around and not enough of people who actually give a damn about the rights of others. Take your money and go somewhere that people won’t take it from you. It’s all you have because you have precious little else to make you happy.
Because people are supposed to
look out for their own interest.
It’s called being accountable for
your actions and working hard.
You’re confusing forced government
charity through taxation and wealth
redistribution for caring when it’s really
dependency.
You are a taker of the worst sort.
Because you want to deprive the
productive taxpayers of their money
and you want to take the dignity of the
poor by denying them the opportunity
for their future success by subjugating
them to government financial necessity.
So who are the selfish ones we should all
fear?
Yep, this is what I’ve read came from the Right during the late 1920s and into the Depression. We’d be a far better country today if we had allowed the poor to preserve their dignity by letting them fend for themselves. I wonder what percentage of Americans then, despite the enormously lower costs 85 years ago, never feared being unable to pay health care costs. “Didn’t need no welfare state, everybody pulled their weight, guys like me we had it great, those were the days!” Oh, and “What the country need is president like Herbert Hoover again.”
Because you are a socialist, you feel that it is OK to take other peoples money to supplement your wants. Because we will eventually run out of other peoples money, Marxism is only a temporary mechanism that leads to the destruction of a free society.
That told her, Because. Good for you. Ignore the facts and reasoning of the argument and go directly to demeaning the person who puts out the facts. There is a special place for you in the Adolph Hitler hall of fame.
@Mr. Moderately Progressive
We’ve had Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty for almost 50 years.
How that working out?
Poverty is winning because it is battling the gang who couldn’t shoot straight.
Who are the Koch Brothers? Are they local politicos?
The Koch brothers are very wealthy Texans who provide support to anti progressive groups. The are not really Republican or Tea Party but strong believers in the actual wording of the Constitution and Federalist Papers.
The Koch brothers are very wealthy however, they are not from Texas, nor do they live in Texas. They were born in Wichita Kansas, where they grew up, and Charles Koch still lives in Wichita. Brothers David and Bill live in New York and Boston respectively.
The Koch brothers are less concerned with the Federalist papers, as those support a strong central government. You are thinking of the Anti-Federalist papers which supported a much weaker US in favor of a union more resembling a confederacy of states. (Not “the” confederacy, but “a” confederacy.”)
As for the Constitution itself, they, like most with an axe to grind, are mostly interested in a selective reading of the Constitution to the extent that it fits their wants.
Keith Gabel
I don’t think we need to re-litigate the Federalism vs Anti-Federalism.
It was resolved, and we have a U.S. Constitution.
We have a current administration that plays fast and loose with limits that our Constitution places on government.
I wish elected officials and bureaucrats would read and follow the Constitution.
Thank you Common Sense:
I think that you are confusing me with the Koch brothers. I’m fine with the US Constitution.
Because,
First the leaders of the 3 top unions in America have written letters saying the want to be exempt from Obamacare. Then a few days ago the officials of the National Treasury Employees Union (represents 100,000 IRS employees) are urging members to write their congressional representatives in opposition to receiving coverage through President Obama’s health care law. All of your Dem/Lib buddies are bailing out on Obamacare and you still defend it. I think it is you are clueless.
If it is such a great deal then I would expect all of the unions, and all of the Federal workers would be jumping on it like a duck on a June bug. Even Obama himself won’t embrace it for his own family. But they all think it is just fine for you.
Surprisingly, BCBS told me my rate was staying the same! Andy “where’s my healthcare” Harris is at it again!
Five Iron, you are fortunate, then. We were told the same thing by them a few months ago. I’m no fan of Andy Harris, but I’m even less of a fan of our insurance increasing by 1200 a year. We already pay over 7500 a year on our current plan. It’ll be close to 9k soon.
Andy is a big “F”-ing liar. By not telling the entire story, he falls into the same tried and true trap that those of his ilk usually do. Example: (and I’m not even going to discuss the cost issue). But for the sake of this argument, let’s assume that Andy’s spew is factual. That being said, Andy didn’t mention that for most folks (those with a potential rate increase) their coverage is improved AND their deductible is much lower. Also, don’t forget that dependents are allowed to stay on your policy until they turn 26 years old. These three things alone are worth a substantial rate increase! Wake the “F” up everybody….”Obamacare” is the law of the land (no matter how many times the morons in the House of Representatives continue to waste time holding symbolic votes to end it). Damn, don’t you nay-sayers just hate informed bloggers! 🙂
Dear W.T.F., Do you also realize all of the health care offices (Doctors) are not going to take on new patients, also will be dropping medicare and medicaid. Because they have to totally redo all of the Health and Bookkeeping formats so they can be sent to new software specified for obamacare ( No HIPA here lol ). The cost for all of the upgrades are passed down the line. Therefore the start date is pushed back. Insurance companies see whats coming down the line and charge ahead of time. People pay as much now as if the 26 year old was added on. Along with the rate increase, the co-pay for meds has gone up or went to a tier program (in the long run costs more), also Dr. visit co-pays are up. By the way the deductible stayed the same, but whole plan doesn’t cover what it did last year. Read the fine print in your insurance plan. I’m awake and informed, Thank You, I hope it is repealed!! It has and will put many businesses out of business. Sad for our country.
You do realize healthcare does not mean we have new patients. The same people get sick.
My small group plan went up 41% just this last june at our yearly renewal… 20% of that was because (they said ) we jumped an average age group and the other %21 was just the market pressures . So, not long and I’ll be forced to drop it and try the state exchanges… So I am interested in seeing what the real numbers are.. I think it’s coming on Oct 1st
Find another plan there are many to choose from.
Dear Bill, Some people can’t switch especially if it is thru work or have a pre-existing condition. No matter what some may say insurance compananies still turn people down.
New law does not allow you to be rejected for pre existing conditions
So they say, but it still happens. And who will you call if they don’t? Good luck with that transparency thing LOL.
Health insurance companies have been jacking the rates up for years making healthcare difficult to obtain. This was happening before Obamacare. Obamacare will finally regulate this disgraceful practice and Carefirst is one of the companies who was caught doing it.
Our healthcare is only going up by 3.5%.
Nobody wants to pay more for their health insurance. Even fewer want to be one of the millions without access to even minimal health care coverage. Harris, himself, because of his military service and age, will have access to the single-payer system via the VA and Medicare. This could explain why he has done little to attempt to improve the nation’s health care system, but rather has spent his energies on attempting the only reform that’s been put on the table, which is the Affordable Care Act.
If he came up with a rival plan, he could be hailed as a hero of health care reform. Presently, all I’ve seen from him is to maintain the status quo and gradually reduce Medicare coverage through “entitlement reform”.
He is a critic, nothing more. He has no ideas, only bricks and rotten tomatoes for those that want better.
Because,
Well if that is the case then the leaders of many unions are now in agreement with him. Including the union that represents IRS workers. Curious that a lot of the very organizations that have supported Mr. Obama and have contributed much money to his campaign have now read the law and want no damn part of it. But when Mr. Harris opposes it there is no end to the vile stuff they say about him.
Because, why don’t you vilify the unions who are even more opposed to it than Mr. Harris? Why aren’t you demanding that Congress get on the plan? And why isn’t Mr. Obama on the plan? I don’t mind it at all when someone disagrees but stop the hypocrisy.
Classic Andy….
Anyone with any sense knew that adding large numbers of people to a plan with only the tax paying portion of society paying for it would increase our rates. This was obvious from the overwhelming support of the insurance companies. What a deal for them. The Feds forcing us to buy a product. This is one of the most un-American things I have seen in my life. Wake up America. Socialism will destroy this, the greatest country to ever exist. We enjoy living in the greatest country for two simple reasons, freedom and opportunity. Socialism destroys both.
Mine went down about $20 a month with more coverage!
I would read your policy carefully!
I did. My employer rolled everyone into the policy I was already in.
Cdev,
Who is your employer? I hope everyone who got rolled into the policy you were already in was a willing employee. Otherwise, how would such an action square with the administrations instance that if you liked your insurance you could keep it?
As mentioned earlier by Because this flies in the face of other new outlets reporting of Obamacare in Maryland. This nugget from the The New Republic is another source seriously undermining Rep. Harris’ argument. I guess I have a general question for critics of the law: What is your alternative? We all agree healthcare is an issue in this country, this law is suppose to help. If you don’t like it that’s fine if you have another proposal that addresses the issues that Obamacare touches on.
http://www.tnr.com/article/114051/maryland-obamacare-rates-state-officials-report-lower-bids#
Perhaps if the Government did not artificially inflate the cost of health care prices would be down.
How do they inflate the cost? This is information we need to know.
How are they inflated? MD has price controls!
Obama care is a socialist load of crap… Not only will premiums go up, insurance companies deny 100% more claims than just a year ago… My wife works with these sorry @ss insurers and they say it will only get worse… Thanks a lot #worstpresidentever
Andy Harris lies as usual
. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/July/26/Maryland-marketplace-premiums-exchange.aspx
I guess you missed the part where the insurance companies are all going to loose money at the artificially deflated rates offered. Very sustainable. Standard liberal economics.
“Lose” money. If only they would let loose money
Wrong again Paul. All of the insurers who will CONTINUE to operate in Maryland have applied for and been granted rate increases. Kaiser is not a very big player in MD and their cuntinued operation is questionable.
son and daughter-in-law were just notified by their insurance company that their premiums will be $10.00 less.
This no longer a free country thanks to the Democrat/Socialist/Communist Party.
Please give us a list of the rights you’ve lost recently. Moreover, please inform us of the places where you’ve seen either martial law being enforced or have heard of people being disappeared by the secret police. Having been to the third world for extended periods, I can inform you that the United States is one of the most free and best places to live. If you are a prisoner here, it is in your own mind and of your own choosing.
Keith Gabel –
It’s about the deterioration of individual rights, privacy rights, property rights and increased government intrusion.
The US is a free nation when compared to other countries.
Unfortunately it is less free from than it used to be.
I can see what you are saying, Common Sense, and I thank you for your input. What Dr. Unruh contributed was without serious thought. At best, his or her statement was mindless rhetoric. At worst, it is paranoia to blame half of the nation for one’s own oppression and to not ask the relevant question of, “What did I do to prevent this when I saw it happening?” If he or she is truly being oppressed by half the country, he or she has some complicity in it. It is matter of personal responsibility.
I’m one of those that will have to use the AHCA when my insurance ends in December, which was MHIP. Prior to that, no other insurance company would cover me and my job doesn’t provide benefits. This is what the plan works for, people like me who have no other way of getting health insurance, and I’m disgusted at people like Andy Harris and others who believe I don’t deserve care because of their delusional cries of socialism and their dislike for Obama while they do have health insurance. Would you rather have me use the ER for medical care and jack up costs? The Republicans sure aren’t trying to think of a plan—and remember, “Obamacare” was a REPUBLICAN idea first! It’s only when Obama started talking about it was when they declared it evil.