Despite President Obama's Repeated Promises That His Health 'Law Will Lower Premiums,' Families And Employers Are Paying More

CBO: The Law Will Increase Premiums On Families By $2,100 Per Year

CBO: "Average premiums per policy in the nongroup market in 2016 would be roughly $5,800 for single policies and $15,200 for family policies under the proposal, compared with roughly $5,500 for single policies and $13,100 for family policies under current law. The weighted average of the differences in those amounts equals the change of 10 percent to 13 percent in the average premium per person…" (Emphasis In Original; CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Bayh, P. 6, 11/30/09)

Fact Checkers: 'Insurance Premiums Have Gone Up'

FACTCHECK.ORG: "But the health care law isn't expected to make insurance 'affordable and available to every single American,' as Obama promised… At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable." ("Promises, Promises," FactCheck.org, 1/4/12)

• "…it's causing [premiums] to go up – not down, as the Obama administration has claimed it would. … The provisions that have been enacted so far increase costs…" ("FactChecking Health Insurance Premiums," FactCheck.org, 10/24/11)

THE FACT CHECKER, Washington Post: "Moreover, at this point it is debatable whether the law has made health care more affordable. Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law." ("The Fine Print In Obama's 'Promises Kept' Ad," The Washington Post's 'The Fact Checker,' 1/6/12)

'Increase In Family Premiums' 'Tied To Provisions Of The Federal Health Care Overhaul'

2011: "The health-insurance premiums employers pay rose sharply this year, with the average annual cost of family coverage passing the $15,000 mark for the first time, according to a major survey." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

• "The average annual family premium for 2011 was $15,073, up from $13,770 last year." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

• "Still, with rising costs, workers paid more, up an average of $132 a year for family coverage. Since 1999, the dollar amount workers contribute toward premiums nationally has grown 168 percent, while their wages have grown by 50 percent, according to the survey." ("Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011," Kaiser Health News , 9/27/11)

• "The cost of health insurance for many Americans this year climbed more sharply than in previous years, outstripping any growth in workers' wages and adding more uncertainty about the pace of rising medical costs." ("U.S. Health Insurance Cost Rises Sharply, Study Finds," The New York Times , 9/27/11)

"The 9% average increase in family premiums for 2011, reported in an annual poll of employers performed by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, comes despite a continued trend toward more limited use of medical services in the U.S. Last year, family premiums rose just 3%, the survey found." ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

• "…around 1.5 percentage points of the 9% increase was tied to provisions of the federal health care overhaul…" ("Employer Health Premiums Rise Sharply," The Wall Street Journal, 9/27/11)

2012: "Employees' share of premium costs increased 9.3% between 2011 and 2012, with the dollar burden rising from $2,529 to $2,764." ("Performance In An Era Of Uncertainty," Towers Watson / National Business Group On Health, P.3, 2012)

"Ralph Nilssen's five beautiful kids are about to get more expensive. Regence Blue Shield sent him a letter saying rates are going up - way up. Regence put the blame - at least in part - on the new and controversial health care law. 'Obama care went into effect and my rates went through the roof,' said Nilssen. In the letter, Regence told Nilssen his $532 monthly premium could nearly triple next year. 'I just sat back and said you've got to be kidding me,' he said." ("Regence Blue Shield Customers Notified Of Skyrocketing Rates," KING 5 News [WA], 10/12/10)

President Obama's Promise: 'This Law Will Lower Premiums'

PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Families will save on their premiums." (President Obama, Remarks After Meeting With Senate Democrats, 12/15/09)

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  "Your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent … which means they could give you a raise." ("Will Health Care Bill Lower Premiums?" The Associated Press, 3/17/10)

• OBAMA: "All this is going to lower premiums. It's going to make healthcare more affordable." (President Obama, Remarks, 9/22/10)

• OBAMA: "This law will lower premiums." (President Obama, Remarks To 'Families USA,' 1/28/11)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: "Yeah. And … [people] are starting to find out now … that what they're told is simply not true. Their premiums haven't gone up." ("$#!% Joe Biden Says," GQ, 12/10)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): "Bringing down costs of health insurance and making it more affordable is job one for this health care reform." (Sen. Dick Durbin, Congressional Record, p. S13413, 12/18/09)

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER