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ABC on Obamacare Premium Hikes: 'Get Ready for Some Sticker Shock'

October 25, 2016

ABC's Good Morning America told viewers on Tuesday looking to purchase Obamacare health insurance plans to "get ready for some sticker shock."

The Obama administration confirmed Monday that premiums will increase by an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by Obamacare, according to the Associated Press. About 20 percent of consumers will have only one insurer to choose from.

"Get ready for some sticker shock if you're looking into the price of Obamacare plans," newsreader Amy Robach said.

The AP reported that many Americans will have fewer health care options after some of the nation's biggest insurers dropped out of Obamacare exchanges.

Some states will see much bigger jumps, others less.

Moreover, about 1 in 5 consumers will have plans only from a single insurer to pick from, after major national carriers such as UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Aetna scaled back their roles.

"Consumers will be faced this year with not only big premium increases but also with a declining number of insurers participating, and that will lead to a tumultuous open enrollment period," said Larry Levitt, who tracks the health care law for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ripped into President Obama's signature law on the campaign trail Monday, saying it was "over for Obamacare" and that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, "wants to double down and make it more expensive and it's not gonna work. ... Our country can't afford it, you can't afford it."