House Speaker Paul Ryan is facing opposition to his Obamacare repeal plan from the Democrats, of course, and from his extremist maniacs. But as details from his proposal emerge, and the fight against it gears up, he's going to have even bigger problems. So-called moderate Republicans are going to have a hard time getting on board when older Americans—their base—rise up against them.
AARP and its allies are bombarding congressional offices with objections as two House committees plan to vote on the Republicans’ bill this week.
If the law is repealed, the groups say, people in their 50s and 60s could see premiums rise by $2,000 to $3,000 a year or more: increases of 20 percent to 25 percent or higher.
Under current rules, insurers cannot charge older adults more than three times what they charge young adults for the same coverage. House Republican leaders would allow a ratio of five to one — or more, if states choose. […]
Jerry C. Fleming, a retired health insurance executive who worked at Kaiser Permanente for more than 35 years, said on Sunday that the House Republican plan could produce “breathtaking increases in premiums” for older people with low incomes.
Their share of the premium could, in some cases, more than double, he said.
Understand that this doesn't just affect Obamacare enrollees—these rules applied across the board to all private insurance plans. These rate increases would be on every older person with private insurance. Oh, and guess who has the most pre-existing conditions? Yeah, people who’ve lived longer.
The Republicans' strongest voting demographic. That's not going to go over well.