> The plan would have been in effective over 18 years ago

This is such an important point. There's been ~40% of cumulative inflation over that period.

Also, anyone who was already buying insurance for years before the ACA knew the price has always gone up every year, often by double-digit percentages. Simple compounding plus the fact that insurance is always more expensive for people 18 years older are confusing a lot of people in this discussion.