For Immediate Release- May 22, 2017
Contact: Representative JR Hoell (603) 315-9002
New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus Blasts Obamacare Expansion for Driving Up Health Insurance Costs for Working New Hampshire Residents
Concord – The New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus (NHHFC) today blasted the reported 44% rate increase for 2018 identified in Sunday’s New Hampshire Union Leader. According to the report, largely due to Obamacare expansion passed by Democrats and liberal Republicans in 2014 and again 2016, New Hampshire residents forced to buy health insurance policies on the exchange will be forced to bear the costs of individuals on Medicaid, a state run program funded by the taxpayers and expanded under Obamacare to healthy, childless adults.
“Sunday, we learned just how badly hard-working New Hampshire citizens are being hammered by Obamacare. Anyone who is trying to an individual policy is getting hit coming and going – not only do they have to pay huge premium increases to cover Medicaid recipients who are using their “free” health care irresponsibly in their insurance pool, but they also have to pay huge Obamacare taxes to cover having these recipients in their pool. This is exactly the consequence I cautioned about during last year’s floor debate on renewal of this program. I understand our collective desire to help those in need, but we cannot continue to do so at the expense of higher costs on those that are barely making ends meet. I’m just not sure how much more of our health insurance “solutions” the good people of New Hampshire can afford.” stated Rep. Bart Fromuth, Hillsborough, District 7, who serves on the House Commerce Committee.
“Obamacare expansion has now been in New Hampshire for three years, and the results are in. Higher premiums for working New Hampshire residents, hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars spent and the promises of its supporters still have failed to materialize. For example, recipients are still dramatically overusing emergency rooms, despite predictions to the contrary. Even the insurance companies are losing money on the program. The big winners are the hospitals, who are pocketing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Keeping Obamacare expansion around is only about cronyism, not making the state a better place,” said Rep. David Binford, Grafton, District 15
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The New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus is a grassroots organization consisting of legislators and private citizens, who believe in personal liberty and the traditional conservative “Yankee” values that made New Hampshire a great place to live.