At a party recently, I was chatting with a firefighter who told some unbelievable stories. People have called 911 in the early morning, claiming to have an emergency, only when the fire truck rolls up they are fully dressed with their bags packed. When our first responders arrive and ask the perfectly fine-looking person what the emergency is, they respond that they just needed a ride to the hospital and knew it wouldn’t be busy at that time of day. Shaking his head, the firefighter said “and people wonder why their taxes are so high.”

There’s an in-depth look at the Affordable Care Act in the paper today by the N&O’s John Murawski, examining the cost differences of health care between various counties in the state. In many of these counties, the cost of health care is driven up by similar cases as the one I mentioned: people going to the emergency room for something minor like a headache. Give it a read.

Ann and Rodger Lenhardt were in for a jolt when they received their notice from Blue Cross Blue Shield recently. It said their monthly health insurance cost would triple – to $859.42 a month – next year.

Under closer inspection, however, the Lenhardts discovered a different story: By switching policies and taking advantage of federal subsidies, they will be able to offset most of their monthly premium costs, giving the farming couple highly discounted insurance.

via Blue Cross letters scare some customers, but the outcome isn't always bad | Economy | NewsObserver.com.