Insurance open enrollment brings questions about rate spikes



FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Open enrollment is underway across the country, but is the Obamacare exchange in Washington “failing” as some pundits describe?

When bluster meets bureaucrats, sometimes it's tough to get to the facts.

“Before you allow that fear to paralyze you and you don't get health insurance, come to a navigator,” said Daphne Pie with King County Health.

That was the message in Federal Way Wednesday morning as King County opened a new storefront to help people sign up for the Health Exchange.

On a national level, Senator Patty Murray has been trying to get a bipartisan compromise.

But she fears the Trump administration is giving cover to insurance companies to jack up rates.

“I just have to say, I just truly never imagined a president of the United States to openly and uncaringly root for the people of this country to be worse off,” she said.

Washington state wants to change that narrative with facts.

We were told that the bronze and gold exchange plans will have no increases at all.

Meanwhile, the silver plans will see a thirty percent jump on average but will have tax credits to offset the hike.

“Can I afford this and how does it and how does it fit into my budget?” said health navigator Callista Kennedy. She said it was one of the most frequent questions she is asked.

She says that the final out-of-pocket price point is the biggie for most people -- how much do you have to shell out.

Kennedy says people shouldn't just go for the cheapest monthly cost, but find the balance between that and high deductibles.

Click this link to explore the exchange website.