(Above: Alabamian Bud Porter expresses frustration with his skyrocketing health insurance premiums)
On Thursday afternoon, an article by Birmingham News reporter Mike Oliver detailed the reactions of several Alabamians when they realized the Affordable Care Act is — well — apparently not that affordable. In some cases, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama customers are seeing their premiums double.
A local ABC affiliate reported a similar story earlier this week in which a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama customer named Bud Porter expressed his dismay at the skyrocketing costs.
“I look at it and see there’s no way I really can afford it,” Porter said. “There’s not an extra $620 to spare.”
@jeff_poor @aldotcom @MikeOliverAL My BC/BS will go up 90% in Jan14. So mad I don't care what they shut down up there!
— David Wilbanks (@DCWAU84) October 10, 2013
The culprit, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield, is President Barack Obama’s controversial health care reform law, otherwise known as ObamaCare. According to Alabama’s largest health insurance provider, there are a number of reasons Alabamians are seeing the dramatic hikes, including fees, taxes and the way the provider is required to account for risk when insuring families, as well as individuals with preexisting conditions.
Porter’s experience has been disseminated by the Republican National Committee in effort to take on the Affordable Care Act.
According to another study tweeted out by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the Senate’s leading opponents of ObamaCare, Alabama lags only behind California, Idaho, Indiana and Maryland when it comes to skyrocketing insurance costs thanks to the controversial law.
Just found out @Megan_Sims' health insurance premium is rising 165% in 2014 cuz her previous plan didn't "meet ObamaCare requirements."
— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) October 6, 2013
Follow Jeff on Twitter @Jeff_Poor
