Fine Print: Finance Bill May Cause Consumer Sticker Shock

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 30 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports on how the fine print of the Senate Finance Committee's health bill could impact some lower- and middle-class consumers. Proponents of the measure "say the legislation will limit the amount that lower- and middle-income people must pay for health insurance to a maximum of 12 percent of their incomes. But there's a catch: The fine print shows that, over time, the premium costs could rise well beyond those caps. That's because the cost of coverage would shift from a percentage of income to a percentage of the premium, no matter how high the premiums go" (10/29). Read entire story.

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