ObamaCare in California: Great ... With Big Caveat

Half of people with canceled polices will be paying more: ProPublica
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2013 5:23 PM CST
ObamaCare in California: Great ... With Big Caveat
An employee of Covered California, the state's new health care exchange, provides health insurance at a call center in Rancho Cordova.   (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In all the headlines about the troubles of ObamaCare, California has been a big exception. For one thing, its state exchange enrolled more people in the first month than the combined total of the 36 states that used the glitchy federal website. But ProPublica reveals a stat that might temper the applause a bit: Of the 900,000 people in California whose polices will be canceled under ObamaCare, half will end up paying more money for their new plans. (The state is not going along with President Obama's recommendation to continue canceled polices for another year.)

Here's the breakdown by reporter Charles Ornstein: Of those 900,000 people with canceled policies, 35% are eligible for a subsidy, 15% will pay less even without a subsidy, 25% will pay more for coverage but getter benefits, and the remaining 25% will pay more for coverage that is the same or possibly worse than their previous plan. "It’s not a success story because people are in open revolt about how much they’re paying," says the president of a consumer watchdog group. "The only people who are happy are people who have subsidized policies. The middle class is outraged.” Click for Ornstein's full story. (California has enrolled about 80,000 people so far, but Oregon is still stuck at ... zero.)

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