Rural Issue

Rural Americans urged to get Obamacare coverage

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says more people in rural America could be taking advantage of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act).

He says there are more than 2-and-a-Half million uninsured people in rural America who are potentially eligible for market place coverage.  Vilsack says that’s one way to bring expanding premium costs down, if more people sign up at “health care dot gov”  Enrollment is underway for 2017.

Vilsack tells Brownfield many people don’t realize the benefit of tax credits, “I think people have to – when they look at premium increases, they go ‘oh, the premiums are going up’ – but the tax credit goes up, too, at the same time. It goes up in parallel. You’ve got to make sure that you do the total calculation here to figure out whether or not you’re really getting to a point where you can’t afford something.”

He urges people to shop around for more affordable coverage by calling 800-318-2596. Vilsack says Most consumers will be able to find a good deal for $75 or less per month because of financial assistance.

Obamacare premiums have risen about 22%, on average. But, Vilsack says premiums and deductibles are lower than what the Congressional Budget Office projected. He also says the rate of growth in healthcare costs since the start of Obamacare has been the slowest in 50 years.

AUDIO: Interview with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack