Richard Burr: “I recently received a letter from Kathleen Stephan of Fletcher, NC, who wrote to describe her experience with the…”

“I recently received a letter from Kathleen Stephan of Fletcher, NC, who wrote to describe her experience with the Affordable Care Act and the impact on her health care. I wish to read her letter versus paraphrasing it. Dear Senator Burr: I recently received a notice from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina that my health insurance policy will be cancelled effective January 1, 2014 because it does not meet all of the mandates under ObamaCare. My current premium is $418 per month. The replacement policy being recommended to me will cost $928 per month--a 122 percent increase, and I do not qualify for subsidies. I have had continuous coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield for many years, and I like the plan I currently have. I'm a 62 year old woman, and will not benefit from the mandatory additions to my plan, such as maternity coverage, newborn and pediatric care. In the past, having continuous coverage provided a sense of security that my rates could not be raised based on a change in my health status. I experienced such a change in 2012 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent seven months of treatment. Now my rates are more than doubling, and the security is gone, not because of the change in my health, but because of ObamaCare. When President Obama was selling the Affordable Care Act to the American people, he repeatedly promised that if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period.…”