Have you heard federal officials sate “Premiums before tax credits will be more than 16 percent lower than projected?” They are referring to the weighted average of the second lowest cost silver plan for 48 states (including DC) based on the ASPE-derived Congressional Budget Office.

Sounds good, until you dig deeper. The key word is projected. It does not say the cost will decrease; only the cost are going up, but not as much as anticipated.

What they fail to mention are the reasons. One big reason, insurers are significantly limiting the choices of doctors and hospitals available to consumers. In most states, Individual Medical premiums will soar for the under-50 crowd, including the vast majority who maintained continuous coverage and maintained their health. Some of those people simply cannot afford Obamaco$t, and in 2014 will drop their health insurance.

How much are cost going increasing and why? According to a study cited by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), it is estimated that in 2014, restrictions on age rating could result in premium increases up to 42 percent for people aged 21 to 29 and up to 31 percent for people aged 30 to 39. In addition to age rating restrictions, ACA also imposes new taxes, fees, and required benefits that could result in further premium increases. Making matters worse is a study from the Columbia School of Business that found more than 80 percent of consumers unknowingly will choose a higher cost health care plan than they need.

Adding to the cost, the US Treasury has ruled that an individual who is covered by an eligible employer-sponsored plan would not be eligible to receive a premium tax credit. According to the letter, an individual cannot benefit from both the exclusion from taxable income for employer-provided health coverage and the premium tax credit provided by the ACA. The law also would not allow an employee who was offered minimum essential coverage under an eligible employer-sponsored plan that provided minimum value and was deemed “affordable” to receive a premium tax credit, even if the employee declined the coverage.