Friday, January 28, 2011

Sebelius vs. Sebelius on Premium Increases

HHS Secretary Sebelius is preparing to release a report this morning claiming premiums will go down thanks to the health care law – an interesting turn of course, because the Secretary herself conceded just a few months ago that premiums will still continue to rise.  At a briefing back in September, the Secretary admitted that “I think the rate increases are likely to continue to be somewhat substantial”  (Clip can be found here; relevant exchange starts at 4:15.)

It’s also worth noting that page 5 of the HHS report cites as a “success story” an Iowa insurance decision that “reduced a 60 percent proposed increase to 16.5 percent.”  Since when does a 16.5 percent premium increase represent progress?

Remember, candidate Obama promised repeatedly that premiums would go DOWN by an average of $2,500 per family – not that they would go up by “only” 16.5 percent.  (Progress on candidate Obama’s pledge is demonstrated below; a full list of campaign quotes follows my signature.)  How does this violation of a clear campaign promise represent change Americans can believe in?