Great News: Obamacare Premiums Expected to 'Skyrocket'

Skyrockets in flight, but hardly a delight. The Hill reports:

Health industry officials say ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country, countering claims recently made by the administration.

The expected rate hikes will be announced in the coming months amid an intense election year, when control of the Senate is up for grabs. The sticker shock would likely bolster the GOP’s prospects in November and hamper ObamaCare insurance enrollment efforts in 2015.

The industry complaints come less than a week after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sought to downplay concerns about rising premiums in the healthcare sector. She told lawmakers rates would increase in 2015 but grow more slowly than in the past.

—

The insurance official, who hails from a populous swing state, said his company expects to triple its rates next year on the ObamaCare exchange.

The hikes are expected to vary substantially by region, state and carrier.

Areas of the country with older, sicker or smaller populations are likely to be hit hardest, while others might not see substantial increases at all.

The “great news” in the headline is obviously sarcastic, but in a way this is great news — in the sense that these rate hikes don’t appear to be something that Obama can get his hands on and unilaterally delay, as he has with the Obamacare law itself 34 times now.  The rate hikes just might force Americans to recognize the error of trusting Obama and the Democrats, which could lead to an even stronger result for the Republicans in the fall. That in turn could lead to momentum to repeal this awful law, and to reduced prospects for the Democrats in 2016.

So, you know, great news.