Remember  how we were told and how we are continuing to be told that thanks to  the passage and now the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act  that Americans would see their healthcare costs go down and that  insurance premiums would be less with millions getting lower rates in  part with refunds on over-payments?

Better think again.

Seems all those savings are not materializing.

Yeah, the supporters of the ACA will say it's because the meatier parts of the ACA have not yet kicked in and won't until 2014.

But how does that help the wallet right now?

The Associated Press is reporting that reality and political posturing and pronouncements  are not one and the same. According to the AP, most households in the US  of A are finding Americans will be spending 4% more this year for their  health insurance than last year. That translates into an average cost  of about $15,745 with the employees paying $4,300 of that amount.

Lower health insurance premiums?

Drew Altman, President of Kaiser Family Foundation, said, "It's  historically a very modest increase in premiums. But even a moderate  increase feels really big to workers when their wages are flat or  falling."

Seems the premium increases are outpacing inflation and pay raises by healthy margins.

So much for lower costs.

Then there is last year. Seems premiums rose 9% in 2011.

Of course we were being told that our health insurance costs were going down. But most of us already knew that wasn't reality.

Is there any wonder that as I reported in yesterday's The Cornfield Eye on the Polls that 54% of Americans still support repeal of the ACA?

The  Supreme Court in its ruling noted that it wasn't judging the wisdom of  the ACA, but left that decision up to the voters to decide on November  6. The Court also talked about how poorly written the law was and threw  it back to the Congress to fix.

Are you seeing a lessening in your healthcare costs?

Are you feeling more secure with the ACA as written being law?

From  the Cornfield, I still maintain the ACA needs to be overhauled. Get rid  of all the bad and only keep the parts that are good - provision for  those with pre-existing conditions and extension for children to be  covered under their parents' policy or ability to purchase across state  lines, for example.

The more informed we are the more equiped we will be to make a decision on the ACA's wisdom on November 6.

http://startribune.com/politics/169306966.html