During my time in the Senate, I have used this space to speak to the people of Ohio about the issues that our state and our nation are facing, and how we are working to address those problems in Washington. But this week, I want to let the people of Ohio speak for themselves.
Last month, I invited Ohioans to contact me and share their experiences with Obamacare and explain how this law is impacting their lives. These are their stories.
Susan from Batavia
I am a single mother. I pay for my own health insurance. I am active and fit. I have cycled over 4,000 miles this year. I am seldom sick. In the three years that I’ve paid for my own insurance, I went to the doctor once for illness. My rate was $146 month. In September, I received a letter from Anthem saying my plan does not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act and will be discontinued as of Jan. 1st, 2014. I was offered the same coverage for $350 per month.
Mike from Westlake
I own a small business. Our health insurance rates for single employees under 30 went from $198 per month last year to $560 per month this year. That’s a 260 percent increase thanks to Obamacare! This bill is going to put small businesses out of business.
William from Columbus
We were paying $540 per month but received a letter from Anthem stating that the rates would increase to $662 per month beginning in Sept 2013 and then $1,014 in Sept 2014 as a result of requirements per Obamacare. If this wasn’t bad enough our family doctor of 25 years informed us that he will end his practice on Jan 1st, 2014. Reason being the government requirements of Obamacare just made it too difficult to continue.
Jon from Dublin
We currently have a high deductible plan through Anthem and pay $331 per month. We are perfectly happy with our plan. It provides wellness visits for free, which is what we really need and then catastrophic coverage in case of something very unpleasant. When I recently renewed our coverage, I asked what an equivalent plan would cost under the exchange. The quote I received was for $833 per month! And the deductible even went up (from $11,000 to $12,700). My family simply cannot afford this.
Rachel from Solon
My husband and I own a small business. We were notified that our current health care plan is substandard at $860/month. To comply, we must pay $1,880/month. This is beyond outrageous.
Sarah from Raymond
I am literally crying right now because of our insurance! My families new monthly cost starting January 1st is $323.82 biweekly and $647.64 a month. A difference of $420 from what we currently pay and the new plan offers less with more out of pocket expenses. The ACA has failed and it is hurting my family, not helping.
Chuck from West Chester
I tried to give this healthcare thing the benefit of the doubt. I went to the website and all the estimates are more expensive than my cancelled policy. My cancelled policy was not only cheaper; it was better. And I don’t qualify for any subsidies. Do I have any other choices besides paying more money?
Cynthia from Canton
I am a substitute teacher. Recently I noticed I was not getting jobs every day like I have for most of the past 13 years. I am a good, dependable sub and work for $70/day before taxes. I contacted the school system and was told that they are watching any sub to prevent 30+ hours because of the Affordable Care Act.
Marc from Urbana
My wife and I are farmers—we have our own private health insurance plan, which is not cheap. We just learned that our insurer is cancelling our plan, and that the Obamacare plan will double our premiums to more than $1,000 per month. My wife is 55 years old—we do not need maternity coverage or “free” birth control, or so much other coverage mandated by Obamacare.
We are modest, middle-income people. What we need in this country is a policy to make health care more affordable. We can do this if we let Americans determine their own health care needs and shop for the best and most affordable care. Why not Medical Savings Accounts for everyone? They would be privately owned, so that no one is chained to their employer-sponsored plan. Why not require that health care providers post prices of their services? We can come up with much better alternatives to Obamacare. Please help us.
Brian from Mentor
My family’s Aetna plan is being cancelled due to Obamacare. My old plan was $454 per month with a $5,000 per person deductible. The same deductible policy to buy a new plan is $1,038 per month.
Dean from Sandusky
Ever since I lost my job in 2009 I have been purchasing my own health care insurance, last month I received a letter in the mail stating that my plan is being cancelled due to the ACA. I was told to look at plans on the exchange, which I did and found a comparable plan that is over twice the cost of what I now have. In addition, this is over half of my monthly pension. I simply cannot afford this. I have always been a responsible, hard-working, self-dependent person. Now, due to the actions of our government, for the first time in my life I will not have any health care coverage. I am 59 years old now and need this coverage. I am outraged to say the least. How can our government do this us? I will remember this come election time.
Rob Portman is a United States Senator from Ohio.