"Did Health Reform Drive Up Insurance Premiums? Depends on the Plan."

Dear Editor:

In Sarah Kliff’s article, “Did Health Reform Drive Up Insurance Premiums?” it is shown that ACA mandates have caused health insurance premiums to generally rise across the board, as the ACA requires greater coverage. More coverage, naturally, equates to greater premiums; however, this is not an accurate representation of the impacts on overall healthcare costs which must be considered on a lifetime basis. For example, coverage of a child who previously could not be insured due to a health issue may preempt the unbearable amount a surgery that the child needs down the line may have cost had the child been uninsured. Or, higher premiums due to preventative care may avoid expensive health treatments in the future that would have resulted in medical debt.

Saying that premiums have increased due to the ACA (as unsubstantiated Republican ideological rhetoric does) is not a sufficient analysis of the cost impacts of the legislation. There are many lifetime benefits that cannot be determined at the moment. However, it would be interesting to see if studies can be done to predict these benefits.

Sincerely,

Nikita Khetan

Berkeley, CA