Chad Henderson is a 21-year-old
Chattanooga State University student who works part-time at a day-care
facility and had been without health insurance for the last 14 years.
So what’s his monthly premium? Henderson, who reportedly earns $11,500 annually, will pay $175 per month under Obamacare, about 18% of his yearly income.
“It was a little more than I was expecting,” he tells the Washington Post.
“I like the doctor benefits, but I would have really liked a plan that
includes dental and vision, since I have contacts. That kind of stuff I
would have preferred.”
Henderson likely could have received health insurance for as little as $44.72
on eHealthInsurance.com before Obamacare, according to Michael F.
Cannon of the Cato Institute. And with Obamacare’s community-rating
price controls that take effect in 2014, Henderson’s cheapest plan
option on eHealthInsurance jumped up to $190.23.
“So it appears that Obamacare quadrupled Chad’s premiums, and Enroll America thinks this is a success story,” Cannon said.
But there’s apparently a bigger picture
here for Henderson. ”I’ve read a few articles about how young people
are very critical to the law’s success,” he tells the Post. “I really
just wanted to do my part to help out with the entire process.”
Turns out that Henderson is a big-time supporter of President Obama who wants to see Obamacare succeed. He’s an Organizing for Action volunteer,
which means he helped elect Obama and works “to continue his agenda,”
and also served as president of the Walker County Young Democrats and
executive director of High School Democrats of Georgia, according to his
LinkedIn profile.
Which also may explain his recent Facebook page comments, noting that he’s “so freakin’ excited” about sharing his Obamacare signup story with the world.
And Henderson isn’t the only one who’s
excited: “Something major happened to me today,” he shared on Facebook
Thursday. “I get off of work and find that I have 120 new notifications
on my phone. Come to find out…. a few of President Obama’s top advisers
had shared my ObamaCare enrollment story with their Twitter followers…”
So scads of news outlets have been
hounding Henderson for his story, which he’s only too happy to share: “I
accept these offers with honor knowing that I am helping the President
make history by bringing out the facts on Obamacare!!”
Henderson tells WRCB-TV
that another thing he likes about Obamacare is that it helps his baby
cousin Anna Reese, who was born with half a heart; after hundreds of
thousands of dollars in surgeries, he says Obamacare lifts her lifetime
cap, “essentially saving her life.”
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