‘Premium Shock’ and ‘Premium Joy’ Under the Affordable Care Act

It’s not entirely great news ((Because the penalties for disobeying that mandate are so low, many young, healthy people may prefer to pay the penalty and remain uninsured until they fall ill, when they can get community-rated coverage.)), but this post from the NYTimes Economix blog (super grokky economics talk featuring a slide that will cause many graduated university students to suddenly have flashbacks):

Less frequently noted in commentaries about the law — certainly among its critics — is that the law is likely to bring what I call “premium joy” to individuals and families with health problems. Many such people simply could not afford the high, medically underwritten premiums they were quoted in the traditional nongroup market. This joy will be shared by high-risk applicants who were refused coverage by the insurer, along with people now in high-risk pools.

Bingo.