RNC hits Obama over concession on premiums

{mosads}Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters on Tuesday that some consumers could face higher premiums because “there may be a higher cost associated with getting into that market” where “folks will be moving into a really fully insured product for the first time.”

The Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have health insurance that meets certain across-the-board quality standards. The projected rate increases are mainly expected to hit the individual and small-group markets.

On Wednesday, White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said the law has slowed the growth of healthcare spending and that patients deserve better-quality plans.

“The reason that the Affordable Care Act was put in place was to ensure that we were expanding access to healthcare for every American, but also because we wanted to actually protect consumers who were repeatedly victimized by insurance companies,” Earnest said.