Albemarle County’s Unfortunate Distinction

Image credit: Wall Street Journal

So much to blog about. I don’t know if I can get to it all this morning. Let’s start with this…

Albemarle County will have the distinction of having the highest cost in the nation in 2018 for people on the Affordable Care Act exchange. The Wall Street Journal cites the plight of Ian Dixon, as 38-year-old app developer, whose premiums for a family of four will jump from $988 a month to $3,158 a month. The article did not mention the size of the policy’s deductible, but in my observation of other health plans, it could be significant.

Insane. Just insane.

As the WSJ notes, other health plans have fled the ACA market in Charlottesville and Albemarle. The sole remaining provider, Optima Health, wanted out as well, but decided to stay in the market rather than leave citizens with zero alternatives.

Bacon’s bottom line: The company says the uncertainty created by the GOP push to repeal Obamacare and a Trump administration decision to end subsidies to insurers contributed to the rise in premiums. That uncertainty undoubtedly has accelerated the ACA market meltdown, but the health exchanges were in a downward spiral before Trump took office. The system is collapsing next year instead of two or three years from now.

This is what happens when a country is locked in 50-50 gridlock, neither has the political power to fully implement its healthcare vision. We get total dysfunction, and people like Ian Dixon are paying the price. Adding insult to injury, unless Congress repeals the mandate requiring people to purchase health insurance, Dixon will be dunned a tax (really a penalty, but the Supreme Court called it a tax) if he refuses to sign up for a plan that could soak up 100% of an average person’s income.