BOSTON, May 21 (UPI) -- With Congress getting ready to tackle a sweeping healthcare bill, observers say there appears little chance insurance premiums will drop soon.
U.S. President Obama promised an effort to cut the average family premium by about $2,500 a year, The Boston Globe reported, but adds it's not likely to happen immediately.
In fact, some Senate Democrats writing the healthcare bill said initially it could cost some families more in higher taxes to underwrite the cost of insuring the uninsured, the report says.
But, the president has continued to repeat his promise to save $2,500 per family, getting a boost last week when drug, hospital, and insurance industry leaders promised to voluntarily reduce the growth of their revenues by $2 trillion over the next decade.
"Coupled with comprehensive healthcare reform," Obama wrote in a follow-up letter, "your efforts could save the nation more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years and save hardworking families $2,500 in healthcare costs in the coming years."
