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Tuesday, November 5, 2013 – Daily News 5A Obamacare's increased health premiums anger consumers Americans who face higher insurance costs under President Barack Obama's health-care law are angrily complaining about "sticker shock," threatening to become a new political force opposing the law even as the White House struggles to convince other consumers that they will benefit from it. The growing backlash involves people whose plans are being discontinued because the policies don't meet the law's more-stringent standards. They're finding that many alternative policies come with higher premiums and deductibles. After receiving a letter from her insurer that her plan was being discontinued, Deborah Persico, a 58-year-old lawyer in Washington, D.C., found a comparable plan on the city's new health insurance exchange. But her monthly premium, now $297, would be $165 higher, and her maximum out-of-pocket costs would double. That means she could end up paying at least $5,000 more a year than she does now. "That's just not fair," said Persico, who represents indigent criminal defendants. "This is ridiculous." If the poor, sick and uninsured are the winners under the Affordable Care Act, the losers appear to include some relatively healthy middle-income small-business owners, consultants, lawyers and other self-employed workers who buy their own insurance. Many make too much to qualify for new federal subsidies provided by the law but not enough to absorb the rising costs without hardship. Some are too old to Washington Post photo by Matt McClain Attorney Deborah Persico was recently informed that her health insurance plan was being cancelled, and that a similar plan will cost her much more. go without insurance because they have children or have minor health issues, but they are too young for Medicare. Others are upset because they don't want coverage for services they'll never need or their doctors don't participate in any of their new insurance options. "There are definitely winners and losers," said Sabrina Corlette, a senior research fellow at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms. "The problem is that even if the majority are winners . . . they're not the ones writing to their congressmen." The administration says that about 12 million Americans, or 5 percent of the population, buy individual polices — they don't get coverage through their employers or programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Millions of them will be Chairman and founder of MediaNews Group to retire Dean Singleton, founder and chairman of MediaNews Group, which owns the Daily News, announced Monday he will retire ahead of the company's annual meeting in December. MediaNews Group is the second largest newspaper company by circulation in the United States, and owns more than 75 publications across the country, including The Denver Post, The San Jose Mercury News and The Salt Lake Tribune, among others. Singleton founded the company in 1984 with the late Richard Scudder. "It is time for me to begin working on my bucket list," Singleton, 62, said in a statement. "It has been an honor to assemble and lead the newspaper industry's finest group of professionals." Singleton began his newspaper career as a part-time reporter in his hometown of Graham, Texas, when he was 15. He bought his first newspaper when he was 21. Singleton served on the board of the Newspaper Association of America from 1993 until 2004, and was chairman of the group in 2002 and 2003. He was chairman of the Associated Press Board of Directors from 2007 until 2012. "Dean is a newspaper legend and you don't replace a legend. Our job now will be to build on the great company Dean has created," said John Paton, CEO of Digital First Media, a company created to jointly manage MediaNews Group and 21st Century Media publications. required to get new policies, but many will qualify for federal aid to pay for the premiums. Thus, they will end up with better coverage at lower costs, officials say. If they are sick, they won't be denied coverage or charged more. But conveying such information is difficult because of the "calamitous" launch of HealthCare.gov, former White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said that "many of the people who have to transition are going to get better insurance for less money, but they just can't tell that right now because they can't get on the website." Republicans have showed little sympathy. Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, appearing on the same program, attacked Obama for his often- DETROIT — The government shutdown dampened — but didn't stall — Americans' demand for new cars and trucks. The 16-day shutdown slowed U.S. auto sales in the first two weeks of October, but they picked up speed in the last two weeks. Sales rose 11 percent to 1.2 million. General Motors, Ford, Nissan and Chrysler all recorded double-digit sales gains, while Toyota, Honda and Hyundai saw smaller increases. Of major automakers, only Volkswagen's sales fell. Stable fuel prices, low interest rates and the increased availability of credit pushed people to buy regardless of the political wrangling, said Kurt McNeil, GM's vice president of U.S. sales. "All those things that have been driving the economy? They're still there," he said. Pickup trucks sold well as business improved for contractors and other workers. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado, GM's top selling vehicle, jumped 10 percent to nearly 43,000, and Chrysler's Ram truck was up 18 percent. Sales of Ford's F-Series pickups rose 13 percent and topped 60,000 for the sixth month in a row. SUV sales were also strong. Sales of Nissan's Pathfinder, which was recently redesigned, nearly doubled from last October. Sales of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban large SUVs both jumped more than 50 percent. The weak spot was small cars and hybrids, which have been struggling to win buyers as gas prices fall. Gas prices averaged $3.27 per gallon at the end of October, the lowest level of the year. The national average has dropped 31 cents since Labor Day, according to AAA. Toyota Prius hybrid sales fell 7 percent while the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid was down 32 percent. The tiny Fiat 500 fell 36 percent. Sales of Ford's Focus small car were down 17 percent, while its C-Max small hybrid fell 20 percent. Ford recently announced plans to idle the Michigan factory where those vehicles are made for two weeks this fall because of weak demand. U.S. consumers have started to gradually shift from smaller, more fuel-effiVETERANS HALL 735 OAK ST. Red Bluff, Calif. THURSDAY NOV. 7 5pm-8pm FRIDAY NOV. 8 8am-8pm SATURDAY NOV. 9 10am-4pm Seth Barlow Farmers Insurance 1115 Main St. Red Bluff, CA (530) 366-0147 CA LICENSE #0H89548 North OAK ST. WALNUT Erica Garcia MAIN Jackson South CA LICENSE #0H18762 A Retirement Community for the Active Senior Citizens FREEDOM FROM DEBT! EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY Tehama Estates provides the best living environment available to active seniors in Red Bluff, CA. 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They had one child seven years ago, but after she had five miscarriages, they discovered she had an immune issue that prevented her from successfully completing a pregnancy. At the same time, Prestin said, the new plan would reduce coverage for things he and Kathie need, such as free annual checkups. The Prestins explored HealthCare.gov. They are not eligible for subsidies, but they found a cheaper plan than the one being offered by their insurer. However, there was another problem: It would have required the couple to switch from the doctors they have seen for more than 16 years and travel more than 100 miles from their home to the nearest major hospital center for treatment — in Green Bay, Wis. "I pay my taxes. I'm assistant chief of the volunteer fire department here in Cedar River and a first responder for MidCounty Rescue," Prestin said. "You try to be personally accountable and play by the rules, but the more you play by the rules, the more you get beat up on." Shutdown slows but doesn't halt US car demand Brought to you by: Farmers Insurance 1600 Solano St. Suite D Corning, CA (530) 588-1141 repeated pledge that people would be able to keep their health plans if they liked them. Romney said that Obama has engaged in "fundamental dishonesty" that has "undermined the foundation of his second term." The disruptions being caused by the new law have been especially jolting for those who support the ideals of the healthcare overhaul. Marlys Dietrick, a 60year-old artist from San Antonio, said she had high hopes that the new law would help many of her friends who are chefs, actors or photographers get insured. But she said they have been turned off by high premiums and deductibles and would rather pay the fine. "I am one of those Democrats who wanted it to be better than this," she said. Her insurer, Humana, informed her that her plan was being canceled and that the rate for herself and her 21-year-old son for a plan compliant with the new law would rise from $300 to $705. On the federal website, she found a comparable plan for $623 a month. Because her annual income is about $80,000, she doesn't qualify for subsidies. A cheaper alternative on the federal exchange, she said, had a premium of $490 a month — but it was an HMO plan rather than the PPO plan she currently has. "I wouldn't be able to go to the doctor I've been going to for years," she said. "That is not a deal." And both the HMO and PPO exchange plans she examined had family deductibles of $12,700, compared with her current $7,000. Robert Laszewski, an industry consultant, said he thinks the rise in rates was inevitable. The new law, he said, has resulted in an estimated 30 to 50 percent increase in baseline costs for insurers. "We've got increased access for sick people and an increase in the span of benefits, so something's got to give," he said. Beginning Jan. 1, the new plans must cover 10 essential benefits including pediatric care, prescription drugs, mentalhealth services and maternity care. In general, policies that don't offer those can't be sold after 2013. (Plans that were in place before March 2010 and essentially haven't changed are "grandfathered" and allowed to continue.) Critics, such as Obama, say that the discontinued policies are too skimpy to offer real protections, but some con- Find out how U. S. Bankruptcy Law can help you-For a free consultation call Attorney J. C. Olander at 530-824-0288 Offices in Corning and Redding mail@jcolander.com A federally qualified Debt Relief Agency under 11 U.S.C. 101(12(A)) cient cars to larger vehicles, said Jesse Toprak, an analyst with the TrueCar.com auto pricing web site. Stable gas prices aren't the only reason, he said. Cheap financing and sweet lease deals have made larger vehicles more affordable, cutting the monthly payments so people can afford them even if gas prices go up. "History has shown us that consumers in the U.S. would rather buy a larger vehicle given the choice," Toprak said. Here are the October results announced Friday: — Detroit: GM's sales rose 16 percent, with increases in all of its brands. GM's revamped Chevrolet Malibu midsize car was up 64 percent, while sales of the Cadillac ATS small car more than doubled. Ford's sales increased 14 percent. Sales of the Ford Fusion midsize sedan jumped 71 percent over last October after Ford added a factory shift to handle strong demand. Chrysler's sales rose 11 percent, led by its two most profitable vehi- cles, the Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, which was up 20 percent. — Japan: Nissan's sales rose 14 percent to more than 91,000, an October record for the company. Toyota sales rose 9 percent, while Honda sales were up 7 percent. All three companies redesigned their small cars, so sales rose. Sales of Nissan's Sentra jumped 50 percent, Honda Civic sales improved by 32 percent and Toyota Corolla sales gained 13 percent. Also for Toyota, sales of the recently revamped Avalon sedan more than tripled. Honda's sales were up 7 percent, helped by strong sales of the new Acura RLX sedan and MDX SUV. Subaru sales jumped 32 percent as sales of the new Forester SUV more than doubled. — Others: Hyundai sales rose 7 percent as 2014 models of the Sonata sedan and Santa Fe SUV saw increased sales. Volkswagen's sales fell 18 percent compared with strong growth last year, as its aging cars struggle against newer rivals. MOULE'S TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS WE SERVICE Garage Doors Springs Cables Sectional Remotes • Rollers 515 Sycamore St., Red Bluff • 529-0260