H.R. 3962 to Cost at Least $15,000 per Family!

Gee, thanks, representatives! The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed expected costs of H.R. 3962 (Pelosi's health care bill) are expected to cost each family a minimum of $15,000 per year by 2016. Here's an excerpt:

Although premiums under H.R. 3962 would vary by geographic area to reflect differences in average spending for health care and would also vary by age, the table shows the approximate national average for that lower-cost reference plan—about $5,300 for single policies and about $15,000 for family policies in 2016. Enrollees could purchase a more expensive plan or more extensive coverage for an additional, unsubsidized premium—and CBO anticipates that many enrollees would do that, so the average premiums actually paid in the exchanges would be higher (although average cost-sharing amounts could be lower than those shown in the table). The figures are presented for 2016 in order to illustrate the likely situation after the proposed changes in insurance markets were fully implemented. (A downside of that approach is that the figures are harder to compare with those observed in 2009.)

Care to opt out? Well, you can do that, but you risk big fines and imprisonment if you don't purchase an "acceptable" health insurance plan. Isn't that nice? Whatever happened to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness anyway?