“Limited empirical validation” is a fancy social science term for using an anecdote to make a broader point that is not actually supported by the evidence. That’s what Donald Trump did recently at a campaign event when he touted a proposed 60% increase in Blue Cross premiums in the Affordable Care Act marketplace in Texas. This was accurate. Mr. Trump also predicted further huge increases, timed for after the election, that he suggested would lead to the downfall of the ACA.
News reports across the country are mentioning outsize proposed premium increases from some plans in some marketplaces.
Many news reports have been careful to say that these outsize increases are not typical, nor the whole story. But there is a wider misperception about Obamacare premium increases: Many Americans insured through their employers wrongly believe that these large premium increases apply to them though only a much smaller group is affected.
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