Lower Health Insurance Premiums to Come at Cost of Fewer Choices

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/health/lower-health-insurance-premiums-to-come-at-cost-of-fewer-choices.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0 (Published September 22, 2013, New York Times)

2. Category of Issue: Healthcare

3. Level: National

4. Health insurance will cost consumers less under Obama's new healthcare law but has few healthcare providers/hospitals.

5. How does it affect families/individuals?: This affects families and individuals immensely because health care is important to everyone. If health insurance costs too much, a person, or family, is less likely to be insured than if premiums are cheaper.

6.. My view: I do not think that this is right. Just because some people cannot afford the kind of healthcare that people who are in higher social classes can afford, does not mean that they should be limited on the quality of healthcare they are receiving. Lowering premiums should be something that is being implemented, but I do not think that it should limit where they are cared for and who they are cared by. In the article it states, "having insurance with a limited network of providers is better than having no insurance at all," which is true, but what if the healthcare provider goes outside of the network? The consumer will then come across higher charges because their provider is limited to a smaller network. Also, what if the consumer has a more complex condition than other people who are being covered? They will be charged higher out of pocket expenses that they cannot afford. I don't think that this is right to limit people just because they do not make as much money as others and cannot afford to pick their providers.