Obamacare
by Rick Adamson 2025.11.12
A leader lends the people vision by appealing to them to imagine a much better future that is closer than they think, e.g.,
a world in which health care is universally available, dirt cheap, and surpassingly excellent.
Imagine that! Why would anyone want to deny your right to that?
Obama’s visionary politics relied primarily on imaginative appeals.
There’s a concern worth addressing. These numbers do not reflect any impact from the enhanced subsidies currently under discussion.
Average Increase in Employer-Provided Healthcare Premiums (2013-2019) - Non-Obamacare Plans
Between 2013 and 2019, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored health insurance covering families rose by about 26%, jumping from $16,351 in 2013 to $20,576 in 2019. For single coverage, the average premium saw a 22% increase during the same timeframe, moving from $5,884 to $7,188.
Average Increase in Obamacare Exchange Premiums (2013-2019)
From 2013 to 2019, the average individual health insurance premiums at the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges saw a dramatic rise, more than doubling in cost. According to a report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the average premium increased from $242 to $589, reflecting a staggering 143% hike. In a separate analysis, The Heritage Foundation noted a 129% rise in the national average premium over the same period.
Employer-Provided Healthcare Premiums (2026)
Looking ahead, the total expenses associated with health benefits offered by employers are expected to surge by about 6.5%, marking the steepest increase in 15 years. This surge is primarily driven by the rising costs of hospital care, physician services, and prescription drugs, particularly high-priced specialty medications like GLP-1s used for weight loss.
Obamacare Exchange Premiums (2026)
For the year 2026, it's projected that premiums for Obamacare plans will continue to increase at a faster rate than those not associated with the ACA. This escalation can be attributed largely to the rising costs of healthcare, including hospital fees and costly new medications like GLP-1s, along with the possibility of tariffs.
On average, insurers are looking at a 26% increase in the base cost of Obamacare Exchange plans for 2026, a shift that will occur regardless of whether enhanced subsidies are maintained.
Can you spot the trend?
What accounts for such significant disparities?
Employer-sponsored plans come with costs that are negotiated by the employers who foot the bill for premiums.
In contrast, the Obamacare plans, bought through exchanges, operate without negotiation. Insurance companies set their premiums where they see fit, fully aware that 87% of them are paid for by the government (subsidized). Although these companies are meant to compete against each other, their premium rates tend to be strikingly similar.
The Obamacare plans only relate to about 5% of the health insurance market with Employer-sponsored plans, Medicaid and Medicare covering the remaining 95%.
When enrollees sign up at an Obamacare exchange the government sends the selected health insurance company monthly premium on behalf of the enrollee. This model is ripe for abuse because insurance brokers, insurance companies and others can enroll people without their knowledge. In such cases, the insurance company gets paid for an enrollee who may not know they have insurance; the enrollee might not even be qualified for enrollment.
For a further explanation of this problem see [ 👉here ]
For a further explanation of fraud [ 👉here ]
This explains why conservatives never liked Obamacare and why Republicans never voted for it.
To effectively manage the costs associated with Obamacare, it’s crucial to reintroduce competition into the process.
Obamacare currently costs the government about $150 Billion per year (subsidies for 5% of the market) and yet there seems to be a group of people, around 30 million, who remain uninsured, and will remain so, because they refuse to pay premiums, of any amount, and if is given for free they will not use it if co-pays or deductibles are required.
And That’s that!
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