patrick.net

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-covered-california-health-plans-20130523,0,2769699.story

In a southern Los Angeles County region, for instance, rates for a 40-year-old person purchasing a "Silver" plan ranged from $242 a month for Health Net Inc. to $325 per month for Kaiser Permanente. Blue Shield would charge $287 a month.

Overall, Covered California said the rates submitted for next year's individual market ranged from 2% higher to 29% below the average premium now for small-employer plans in the state's biggest metro areas.

Up to 29% CHEAPER? Wait, I thought "Obama lied". According to everyone here, rates were supposed to go through the roof.

The agency said the winning health plans whittled their profit margins down to 2% to 3% and negotiated lower reimbursements for hospitals and doctors to help hold down premiums.

Wait, didn't you guys say the only point of Obamacare was to line the pockets of the insurance industry? I'm curious how that's going to happen with only a 3% profit margin.

I currently have HealthNet through my union. It's group insurance, and qualifying depends on how much work I get that pays into the fund. I qualify every 2 years, if at all. On the odd years, I have to either go on COBRA or get a cheap high-deductible plan and go through hell trying to qualify with "pre-existing conditions". I went on COBRA several years ago. Do you know how much it cost? $480 a month. I see that ANYONE will now be able to get HealthNet insurance for $242 a month. That's 50% less.

So what say you, all the Chicken Littles who said the sky was falling, and that Obama was sending us all to the poor house?

#politics