text: If the economic laws of competition and supply and demand work, opening up insurance across statelines increases the number of insurers available to Alaskans from two to around 50 (there were more than 100 before the ACA went into effect). A 25 times increase in the number of insurers ought to lower premiums in the same way it did for auto insurance. If they also remove the individual mandate, that allows people who want insurance to negotiate with insurers for their coverage. It's entirely possible that my husband and I would prefer not to pay for some coverages we don't need. Single men might not want to pay for pregnancy coverage for example.
  
  By the way, I know whole company of people who make less than $80,000 a year. Before the ACA came in, we were paying about $400. My former coworkers now pay about $1000 a month and their deductible is so high, they are essentially paying for all medical care except surgery & broken bones out of pocket.
  
  What did they gain from that?