One of them is George Schwab of Charlotte, who pays $228 a month for his family's $10,000 deductible plan from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
In a Sept. 23 letter, Blue Cross notified him that his current plan doesn't meet benefit requirements outlined in the Affordable Care Act and suggested a comparable plan for $1,208 a month -- $980 more than he now pays.
"I'm 62 and retired," Schwab said. "This creates a tremendous financial burden for our family.
"The President told the American people numerous times that... 'If you like your coverage, you can keep it,'" Schwab said. "How can we keep it if it has been eliminated? How can we keep it if the premium has been increased 430 percent in one year?"
Schwab and others who purchase insurance individually, and not through employer-sponsored group plans, are finding that the Affordable Care Act may be unaffordable for their families.
The new law, which rolled out to consumers this week with the opening of the online insurance marketplace, requires most Americans to buy insurance or pay a fine. It also sets minimum standards for health benefits and prohibits insurers from excluding or charging higher premiums for people who have pre-existing medical conditions.
