The Phantom Patients of ObamaCare

Nearly 12 million enrollees don’t bother to use their subsidized insurance. Health insurers get the benefit.

WSJ editorial. Excerpts:

"Democrats in 2021 sweetened subsidies for buying insurance on the ObamaCare exchanges. Enrollment has since doubled while taxpayer costs rose by 150%. Spending on ObamaCare subsidies has increased faster than Medicaid or Medicare since 2020, if you can believe it."

"More than a third of all enrollees generated no medical claims last year, according to Paragon’s analysis. That includes 40% of those in plans that are fully subsidized."

"tens of billions of dollars in subsidies for these 11.7 million enrollees “went to insurers and middlemen without funding a single medical service.” After individuals enroll in plans, the government pays monthly premium subsidies directly to the insurers."

"insurance brokers have been fudging incomes of people in order to enroll them in government-subsidized plans for which they aren’t eligible"

"about 6.4 million people this year were improperly enrolled in exchange plans." 

"1.6 million Americans each month last year were enrolled in both Medicaid and subsidized ObamaCare plans."

"ObamaCare requires them [insurers] to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on medical care."

the "circumvented this by increasing payments to providers, pharmacies and middle-men they own."