As the details of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) continue to shake out, the precious gift that President Obama bestowed upon Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is looking more like something she got at a white elephant exchange.

That's because the cost of "affordable" health insurance has made it almost unreasonable for lots of Americans. Seeking to maintain profit margins on sales, insurers are steadily hiking copays, eliminating extras, and demanding more deductibles from their clients.

Clinton is now the one who has had to explain why these increases aren't a bad thing. And her task is getting tougher, as insurers say they're going to boost premiums for 2017, some of them substantially.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.