In the Providence Journal, Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute writes:

Federal officials at the Department of Health and Human Services just finalized rules governing health insurance for individuals and small businesses purchased through Obamacare’s new exchanges. The announcement brings us a step closer to a health-care system wherein spending continues to grow rapidly while basic coverage remains unaffordable.

Just look at what will be considered “Essential Health Benefits” (EHB). Starting in 2014, insurance plans must cover everything from mental-health and drug-abuse treatments to dental and vision for children — regardless of
whether patients want or need them.

Mandating such generous health plans for all will surely drive premiums through the roof. …

In Connecticut, for instance, insurance mandates account for 22 percent of premiums for group coverage and 18 percent for individual plans, according to the University of Connecticut’s Center for Public Health and Health Policy. …

Indeed, patients between ages 18 and 24 can expect their premiums to rise by roughly 45 percent. Those aged 25 to 29 will see a 35 percent jump, according to a study from Oliver Wyman, a consultancy. The same study showed that a three-to-one age band would drive half a million young Americans out of the insurance market.

Read more: Obamacare’s not-so-essential benefits.