Health Care Cost Continues To Go Down On President Obama's WatchHealth Care Cost Continues To Go Down On President Obama's Watch.

Now comes a report from the Office Of The Actuary for the Federal Center For Medicare and Medicaid that helath care cost for 2013 rose only 3.6%, the smallest increase for the past 50 years.  It was the fifth straight year health care cost increased less that 5%.  The turn around in federal health care cost was deemed unprecedented.

There was other good news from various states that premiums under the Affordable Care Act for 2015 policyholders will increase at a modest rate in the single digets instead of the double diget increases by private insurance companies prior to the ACA.  The good news concerning health care cost will help continue the economic expansion since the second great republican depression of 2008 as more families inside and outside of the work force have a better opportunity to take care of their health and stay healthy.

In Louisiana, employees, teachers and state retirees who are insured through Louisiana's Office of Group Benefits riled against the high increases in co-payments, out of pocket costs along with higher deductions that were proposed by the Jindal administration for 2015.  The opposition was so great along with the threat of a law suit that Jindal walked back the proposed increases to a lower level and basically kept retirees at the same previous levels of coverage.  Those still employed will see their out of pocket cost, their deductibles and co-pays increased.

This writer has noticed what has been going on in Louisiana since the ACA started to sign people up.  Ochsner Hospital has been expanding all over the Metro New Orleans area and across the Lake.  Blue Cross/Blue Shields and other insurance companies are advertising on TV about their health insurance programs and their benefits including affordable rates and etc.  They are advertising like never before.  Does any one think this would be taking place if the ACA was not working?

Yes, there are federal programs that are working like they should and they usually work better under Democratic administrations.  And Medicare and Medicaid which are programs promoted and passed by Democratic administrations are working better for the people all the time.  Like so many positive things that have happened and continue to do so since the previous administration left town, it is happening on President Obama's watch.  But don't expect any republican in Louisiana to talk about the positive.  Their phony ideology will not allow them to do so.


This commentary written by John Lucia.