Healthcare for everyone is expensive

Tight budgets and high costs are forcing the state of Washington to drive 30,000 to 40,000 off the popular but broke state-subsidized insurance program. Recently, they took the drastic step of actually verifying the income of recipients. Since that did not reduce the rolls enough, they are going to double the premiums and let higher costs drive people off the rolls.
Reported by The Seattle Times:

Premiums for Washington's Basic Health Plan will as much as double in January as part of a strategy to drive thousands of members off the popular but cash-strapped state-subsidized insurance program.

Ending weeks of deliberations, officials announced this morning that they will boost Basic Health's rates by an average of 70 percent as part of their effort to boot 30,000 to 40,000 working-class people off its rolls.

Officials rejected four other potential options on how to shrink the 100,000-member pool, including a lottery and ejecting members based on how long they'd been on the program.

Health Care Authority Administrator Steve Hill announces a plan to raise premiums for Washington's Basic Health Plan. Premiums for the state-subsidized insurance program will increase by 70 percent on average.