Credit: Facebook
“For the vast majority, it’s too high a price to pay.”
Who said that recently about the cost of Obamacare?
No, it wasn’t Ted Cruz.
It was Democratic Congressman Jared Polis in a story about how he’s seeking an Obamacare waiver for residents of Summit County where a total sum of 0 people have signed up for Obamacare exchanges.
As Health Policy Solutions reports:
Health insurance rates are so high in Colorado’s mountain resort areas that U.S. Rep. Jared Polis plans to seek waivers from the federal government so people who skip buying insurance in 2014 won’t face financial penalties.
“We will be encouraging a waiver. It will be difficult for Summit County residents to become insured. For the vast majority, it’s too high a price to pay,” said Polis, D-Boulder.
Health coverage guides working to enroll Summit County residents in new health plans through Colorado’s health exchange have been deeply disappointed. They have not enrolled a single new client since Colorado’s health exchange launched on Oct. 1.
The rate shock being experienced by residents of Summit County — the heart of ski country for our out-of-state readers — is causing major problems.
Rates for plans on Colorado’s new health exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, are up to three times higher in resort communities from Breckenridge to Vail and Aspen than in other parts of the state. For instance, a 40-year-old buying a mid-level silver plan in Greeley could pay as little as $232 per month while that same person in the resort communities could pay as much as $667 per month.
What about residents outside Summit County experiencing rate shock? Will they get a waiver too?
UPDATE: The Colorado Republican Party weighs in with a statement:
“We’re glad that Congressman Polis has seen the light. However, it’s not just Coloradans in ski towns who need to be saved from the Obamacare train wreck. Working families, small business owners, senior citizens and young people across Colorado are struggling to pay their bills and they should all be saved from Obamacare’s high price tag.
“The Colorado Republican Committee calls on Congressman Polis, Sen. Mark Udall and the rest of Colorado’s congressional delegation to treat every Coloradan fairly and seek an Obamacare waiver for everyone.”
Gee, maybe they should use some of that weed money to help them! Oh, by the way I'm saving a bundle on my insurance now.
Summit County is just showing where Obamacare is headed. It should be viewed as the proverbial canary in a coal mine.
Let the 60.9% that voted for this crap have to pay for it. The rest get waivers.
No waivers, no delays. It is time once again to push the repeal and replace. This time – articulately present a viable solution to the Obamacare debacle. I think designing a site like Dell computer: choose a ready made plan from catastrophic to Cadillac/platinum or build your own (e.g. catastrophic with $500 deductible and copays plus physical therapy and mental health riders).
My existing policy was cancelled. The insurance co has nicely offered to let me buy virtually the same policy for $50/mo more. I have not gotten a quote yet from the exchange but as I am summit co resident (and definitely did not vote for Obama) I expect sticker shock.
These Democrats voted for change, Obama Care and all the freebies, now they have it, I see no problem with them keeping it.
Done.
Jim Cooley , you have to wonder why anyone would ever vote again for Polis, since he stood for this fiasco and our potus. Think, people, before you vote.
no delays and no exemptions…including our "lawmakers"
Pat Puckett …I did not elect polis or obama.
Deborah, why should the price be the same? it costs more to provide the same services in a rural area than it does in an urban area. Why should urbanites subsidize rural people.
Sorry people – the cost should be the same, whether you live in Vail or Longmont. And Congress should be held to the same standard. Who do you think will have to pay when fewer people opt in? The rest of us!!!!!!!
He would not talk about the necessity of delay if he were not up for reelection. He knows he is toast if he doesn't speak out about the non affordable -0 tax scheme. He should be anyway. He's pulling an -0 strategy…say one thing and do another. He's been on board with the scheme from the start, now he's thinking about reelection. The real solution is to open up free market competition across states lines and leave the I.R.S. out of our private lives. This scheme is a middle income killer. Even in Colorado where the premiums for the most part are lower. The deductibles are enormous and 20% of the entire hospital event.
PEOPLE OF COLORADO!!!! PLEASE PLEASE MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS NOW AND VOTE NO ON THESE STATE TAX INCREASES…AND IN 2014…THROW THESE LIBERAL/COMMUNIST ASSHOLES OUT OF OUR STATE!!! YES…IT'S THAT IMPORTANT!!! WE ARE HEADED TOWARDS A STATE OF CALIFORNIA!!!!
At $232 it's still too high. Why such a difference between counties? Trying to bankrupt out ski revenue Obama?
Is this also called the redistribution of wealth? Is that not what Obama talks about? Is this not what the masses voted for? Well, guess what its redistribution TIME! You got what you voted for!!!!
Except that most of the high-end houses are 2nd homes not lived in full time. The majority of year-round residents in the mountain resort towns are low-income workers or retires.
These are the idiots we elected, maybe we better be sure the next ones can and will read….
Just like it was before, whenever a person without health insurance went to the ER, we the citizens paid for it. Now we have to pay for it plus a fee to the government, THIS SUCKS!!!!
I want the supporters of this law to be forced to buy their overpriced Obamacare and to love it. Just like we'll be forced to buy something we don't want.
love the 180 colorado libtards are pulling on there own people. IT IS THE LAW, but i don't have to comply but you sure in the hell do. i wish the hell i could vote outside of my own district, NONE of those damn libtards would have a job at all, much less one in DC. let them feel some god damn pain!!!
Absolutely NO DELAYS! The Democrats made this crap sandwich and they should be forced to eat it! They had no problem cramming this unconstitutional & illegally-passed law down our throats, so no easy escape clause.
Pass it first use it for toilet paper
Have you driven through there and see the shacks that the workers have to live in, if they don't commute from far away towns? I guess that's a no since you live in Texas?
Sue, they justify it by being told by the gov't that they can't charge more for an already sick person than they do for a healthy person. Who do you think is going to rack up more doctors bills?
And who is going to make up that cost? A TON of healthy people (supposedly).
COMPLETELY agree!
Golly gee….Summit County voted 60.9% for Obama in the 2012 elections. Now they are complaining?? I really feel for them that reality is now biting them in the behind.
I say let em suffer.
have you ever seen this???? an elephant is a mouse built to gov't specs????? i believe if you will check, the ins. cos will not be getting any extra, the feds will be taking it as a 'fee' for administiring this boondoggle!
tell them your a smoker and you get a huge subsidy! Have one a month and save big on your insurance. Why they would do this for smokers is beyond me- but they get a huge savings for being a smoker!
Have you priced real estate in this area? Hmmm.
This is on the insurance providers. How do they justify the higher premiums?
It is American citizens, the waiver won't be granted!!
The liberal lies are coming out, cheaper? Keep your dr? On and on 27 new taxes, not just higher prices….
Pass it first read it later, what a joke.
What? But Obama said it would be cheaper, better and, and, and…