How AHCA makes healthcare unaffordable

Some opponents of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) like to trash individual insurance policies sold on the exchanges for having out of pocket costs that make them too expensive to actually use and premium increases that make them too expensive to keep.I've always been annoyed by this criticism because it doesn't stand up to reality. That's because the detractors ignore the cost sharing reduction (CSR) subsidies that sharply reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket payments for lower income individuals. More than half of individuals who buy coverage on the exchanges receive CSRs, so we are talking about a major part of the market.As a new analysis by Avalere demonstrates, average deductibles for individuals at 100-150% of the federal poverty level (FPL) in silver plans are only $243 compared with $3703 for people who don't qualify for CSRs. For maximum out of pocket costs, the figures are $978 and $6528 respectively.As for premiums, those increases have been absorbed by the federal government through increased subsidies for those who qualify and are not a deterrent to purchasing or renewing a plan.Dismantling the ACA and replacing it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will eliminate the CSRs. The AHCA tax credits are stingier and not targeted based on need or premium cost. The enhanced flexibility plans have to modify benefits won't make insurance more affordable, especially for those who actually need treatment.———-By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams, president of Health Business Group.