Alexander warns of ACA issues ahead

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) outlined how the Affordable Care Act has led to more expensive health plans and fewer choices on Wednesday, and warned that more adverse effects could emerge in the year ahead.

“The fact that at least 82,000 Tennesseans will begin to lose their individual health insurance policies starting Jan. 1 is an unwelcome Christmas present,” Alexander said. “And it’ll be an unhappy New Year for many more Tennesseans who get their insurance on the job when Obamacare’s burdensome mandates on employers kick in.”

Alexander noted that 5 million Americans overall will lose individual health plans on Jan. 1 and that Tennesseans could pay up to three times more for health plans under ACA than they paid for their previous policies.

“We’re already starting to see the effects of the law and it hasn’t even gone fully into effect,” Alexander said. “Employers such as Sea World, Trader Joe’s, The Home Depot and other companies have publicly said they are reducing worker hours or dropping part-time employee health benefits.”

Alexander recently introduced the Premium Disclosure Act, which would require the Obama Administration to disclose premium increases and cost-sharing changes 30 days before they take effect. The measure would also prevent a one-month delay in ACA’s open enrollment, which would make it fall after 2014 elections.

“This is a commonsense proposal that I hope my colleagues across the aisle will join me in passing,” Alexander said.