The following article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website June 23, 2017:
“In Alaska, they’ve gone up 207 percent on Obamacare. You know, I used to mention only Arizona because they were up 116 percent in Arizona. Now Arizona is like good by comparison to some of the numbers. But they’re way up in Arizona, also.”
— President Trump, remarks at lunch with members of Congress, June 13
“Okay, so I have been saying all hundred and 116 percent for so long. That was Arizona. That was — so yesterday I have a new number — 204 percent in Alaska increase. It is a catastrophe.”
— Trump, remarks at Faith and Freedom Coalition’s conference, June 8
President Trump likes to talk about premium increases under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. As Trump says, he used to point out Arizona as the extreme example of premium increases. But he is now using Alaska as a new example, where premiums soared more than 200 percent. Is that really the case?