Connecticut: Anthem, Cigna blame 20%+ rate hikes on freakish outbreak of Ebola virus plus ObamaCare, but mostly ObamaCare

If I didn't know better, I'd say that Anthem and Cigna just told HHS Czar Katherine Sebelius to take her threats and -- well, you know. At least that's the way I interpret this news story from Connecticut entitled "Health Insurers Seeking Rate Hikes Of More Than 20 Percent In Connecticut."

Health insurers are asking for immediate rate hikes of more than 20 percent in Connecticut for some plans, citing rising medical costs and federal health reform laws as reasons.

...In what might appear to be an oddity, companies are citing a huge range of effects that the health care reform mandates will have on plan prices — from near zero to well over 20 percent. The reason is that among all the plans, some already deliver the provisions required by health reform, while others do not...

See, that's called the 'free market', progressives.

...Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, by far the largest insurer of Connecticut residents, said in a letter that it expects the federal health reform law to increase rates by as much as 22.9 percent for just a single provision — removing annual spending caps. The mandate to provide benefits to children regardless of pre-existing conditions will raise premiums by 4.8 percent, Anthem said in the letter...

...CIGNA Corp. is asking for an increase of up to 1.3 percent for adding preventive care provisions, a 1 percent increase for waiving pre-existing conditions for children up to 19, and an increase of 14.5 percent for children from birth to 18 for new business, according to the Insurance Department...

It would appear that not a single member of the Democrat leadership has ever taken completed a course in economics. Or made a payroll. Or operated a cash register. Or cleaned up a bowling alley at nights while passing papers in the morning as a kid. But I'm not bitter.

...The proposed changes drew fiery response from elected officials. On Sept. 9, the Obama administration's Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote a letter warning the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans of a "zero tolerance" policy for "falsely blaming premium increases for 2011 on the patient protections in the Affordable Care Act."...

I think the voters are going to express a 'zero tolerance' policy for Katherine Sebelius and her boss in 2012. And, if we can take the House or Senate, well -- let the investigations begin.

...On Sept. 23, health insurers will be required to comply with an array of provisions that were part of federal health reform laws passed six months ago. In Connecticut, some of provisions were already extended to consumers by state law. Others were not, and they are cited as part of the reason for proposed increases to premiums starting Oct. 1.

"If you fail to recognize that the new requirements around benefits that were passed in federal reform were going to drive price, I think you're being intellectually irresponsible," said Keith Stover, a lobbyist with the Connecticut Association of Health Plans.

Did Keith just call Barack Obama a pinhead?

New regulations include eliminating cash limits on how much insurers pay per person each year, and throughout a person's lifetime. Insurers won't be able to deny coverage to children under 19 who have a pre-existing medical condition...

"Those are new benefits that are going to cost money," Stover said. "You can't just wave the magic wand and say, 'Do all these things, and they're free.' It just doesn't work that way."

Oh, don't burst any bubbles, Keith -- remember who we're dealing with! The liberals progressives don't worry about mathematics, logic, facts or reason -- they've got Marxist class warfare rhetoric to disseminate.


Post title shtick ripped from: Ace.