La. Health Official Says Premiums Won’t Skyrocket For Covered Workers When Obamacare Kicks In

In just about 3 months, the most sweeping changes to America's health care system in 50 years will take effect, and one state health official says we know too little about what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will do.

"There's an information vacuum that's surrounding the ACA," says John Maginnis with the Louisiana Healthcare Education Coalition (not the same John Maginnis, publisher of LAPolitics.com). "67% of uninsured Americans say they don't have enough information on the act. And those, of course, will be the majority of the individuals who will be buying for the first time."

Maginnis says one inaccuracy spread by opponents of Obamacare is that health care premiums will skyrocket, once it fully kicks in. "If you're covered at work, you will pay a little bit more because some of the provisions of the act will simply increase the cost of health insurance, but not a substantial amount," says Maginnis. He also says, under PPACA, persons under the federal poverty level will get free health care under Medicaid. Those earning from 100% to 400% of poverty level will be eligible for health care premium subsidies. "400% of the federal poverty level amounts to about $44,000.00 a year for an individual, or $89,000.00 for a family of four," says Maginnis. "So that gives you kind of a picture of the number of people who will qualify for a subsidy."

Maginnis says the LA Healthcare Education Coalition's website has lots of information to help you understand what may change for you, under the health care reforms.