Miami woman drops ACA plan as monthly cost hits $1,000

Maria Catalina Jaramillo, a longtime resident of Miami-Dade County, stopped paying for her health insurance this year. She said her monthly premium under the Affordable Care Act jumped to over $1,000. Previously, she paid a little more than $180 per month.

"My [monthly] healthcare insurance went up, to over $1,000," Jaramillo said at a virtual press conference on Monday. "Previously, I was paying a little bit over $180, so the increase was just way too high."

Jaramillo joined other consumers and advocates in urging political candidates to address these rising costs. The group spoke one week before the midterm elections scheduled for next Tuesday. Florida's ACA open enrollment period also started Monday and runs through January 15.

Premiums spiked last January after Congress allowed temporary enhanced federal subsidies to expire. This change led many Americans to either pay higher rates or go without coverage. A new analysis reported by the Associated Press indicates insurers are proposing another year of double-digit price increases.

Data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation shows individual health plan rates have risen by an average of 10%. Small group plans have seen increases of nearly 13%. Scott Darius, executive director of Florida Voices for Health, described the current system as broken. "Floridians are living in a broken healthcare system with high premiums, high drug costs and policies that leave people falling through the gaps," Darius said.

Sophia Tripoli, managing director of health policy at Families USA, said her organization has asked federal candidates in Florida a specific question. "What will you do to hold healthcare corporations accountable for high costs?" Tripoli asked. Advocates say immediate policy action is needed to lower costs for families.

Dave Waalewyn, an airline pilot from Central Florida, now pays $1,500 a month for his ACA plan. He lost temporary coverage when his former employer, Spirit Airlines, went bankrupt. "I was hoping to possibly retire," he said, adding that high costs forced him to delay his plans. Emily Bellairs-Romero, also from Central Florida, said she had to switch medication for her Crohn's disease, which increased her expenses. "The cost of this medication and the cost of my insurance is becoming unsustainable," she said.