New ObamaCare Open Enrollment Begins with Surging Premiums and Deductibles (VIDEO)

At WSJ, "Next Enrollment Season for Affordable Care Act Kicks Off":

This year has been described as one of the most difficult yet for the health law because the administration is trying to get the holdouts—an estimated 10.5 million or so uninsured who qualify for coverage on the exchanges—to buy health plans. They are seeking to market the coverage as affordable, especially because about eight in 10 shoppers are expected to be eligible for tax credits that reduce their premium costs.

But overcoming their affordability concerns will be made more difficult by the rising cost of health care on the exchanges. An analysis of 2016 plan data released Friday by the administration show deductibles on the midtier silver plans will go up 8% to $6,480 for a family plan, according to HealthPocket.com, a company that compares health-insurance plans.

Premiums are going up for 2016. The second-lowest-cost midrange “silver plan”—a key metric for premiums around the country—will increase 7.5% on average across the roughly three dozen states that rely on HealthCare.gov, according to the administration.

Seven in 10 returning customers will be able to buy a plan for $75 a month or less in monthly premiums, according to Health and Human Services.

Independence Blue Cross brought out a tractor trailer dubbed “Independence Express” at a shopping center in suburban Philadelphia with licensed agents and computers on board. They also saw calls from consumers looking to re-enroll for coverage Sunday.

“We’re seeing a steady stream of traffic,” said Paula Sunshine, vice president of consumer sales at Independence Blue Cross. “People are very pleased with their rates.”

Saumya Narechania, national field director for Enroll America, said churches and temples in Cincinnati, Ohio, were enrolling consumers. At event in Charlotte, N.C., had one or two customers lined up before the sign-up assistance kicked off. More than 2,000 people have made appointments for in-person assistance in the next seven days, he said. The organization is a key supporter of the health law.

The administration’s goal is to have about 10 million people with paid up coverage on the state and federal exchanges by the end of 2016. That is lower than earlier projections. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office earlier this year estimated that at least 20 million people would buy policies under the law for 2016 coverage.

“Affordability is a big issue in terms of how people make decisions, and we’ll be focused on that,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell in a briefing Wednesday with reporters.

Some consumers remain concerned. Peter Wainwright, 63, who retired from a telecommunications job, is a returning customer. He and his wife don’t get a subsidy and pay about $2,230 a month, and the rate is increasing for 2016.

“I get no subsidy,” said Mr. Wainwright, of Half Moon Bay, Calif. “Everything has gone up.”

RTWT.