Here’s what would happen to NC health insurance premiums under the AHCA

PolitiFact North Carolina has looked into several claims from North Carolina’s congressional representatives about the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

First, Democratic Rep. David Price got a Half True rating for saying that “North Carolina residents will face an average cost increase of over $7,500” if the GOP-sponsored American Health Care Act, or AHCA, becomes law.

Then, Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger got a Mostly False rating for saying the AHCA “absolutely does not eliminate protections for pre-existing conditions.”

The latest fact-check is of Republican Rep. Ted Budd, who said that if the AHCA passes, it will “significantly reduce insurance premiums in” North Carolina.

There’s a lot to unpack in that seemingly simple statement. To get the entire run-down, read the full fact-check here.

Premiums are estimated to rise by thousands of dollars in the short term for North Carolinians who don’t buy health insurance through their employer, contrary to Budd’s claim.

Statewide and nationally, those rising costs would in turn cause millions of older, less healthy people to either drop their health insurance or never get insured. As insurance becomes less affordable and they drop their coverage, therefore, the average cost of premiums would decrease.

By 2026, experts estimate the average insured person nationally would pay about 10 percent less than if Obamacare remains the law and more older, sicker people stay insured.

Budd didn’t mention why premiums would decrease. He also failed to mention that people could still pay more in the future for their health care even if they pay a lower premium, since the AHCA would allow insurers to charge higher deductibles.

Since Budd has a point but left out a lot of important context, PolitiFact rated his claim Half True.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Here’s what would happen to NC health insurance premiums under the AHCA."