sicker

Patients that do enroll in the plans will likely be sicker on average, raising medical costs for the companies.

The result: An older, sicker risk pool on the ObamaCare exchanges, which would push up premiums and exacerbate the structural problems that prompted Democrats to sweeten the subsidies in the first place.

That is because CMS pays higher rates for sicker patients, and insurers that coordinate their care more efficiently get to keep more of that money.

The fear was that hearing the news might make him sicker.

But there is no guarantee those price increases will offset the cost of sicker enrollees who are seeking more care than ever.