Covered California Sets 4% Hike For 2016 Premiums
News outlets report that the increase in health care premium costs for Obamacare plans will be felt the most by residents of the Bay Area and other northern parts of the state. Other states will experience rate boosts between 10 percent and 40 percent.
The New York Times:
Average Rise On Insurance Seen At 4% In California
Health insurance rates will rise next year by an average of just 4 percent in California, one of the few states that actively negotiate prices, state officials said Monday. In other states, insurers, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield, have requested rate increases of 10 percent to 40 percent or more. New customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected, many insurers have said. Some insurers reported financial losses on their exchange business, saying they paid out more in claims than they collected in premiums. (Pear, 7/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Rates To Rise 4% In California For 2016
The modest price increases for 2016 may be welcome news for many of the 1.3 million Californians who buy individual policies through the state marketplace, known as Covered California. California's rates are a key barometer of how the Affordable Care Act is working nationwide, and the results indicate that industry giants Anthem and Kaiser Permanente are eager to compete for customers in the nation's biggest Obamacare market. (Terhune, 7/27)
Kaiser Health News:
Covered California Reports Modest Rate Increases, Regional Variation
This increase is slightly less than last year’s increase of 4.2 percent. ... Consumers who live in different parts of the state will see varying rates. ... On the flip side, some consumers could see their premiums go down, if they choose to shop around. (Aliferis and Dembosky, 7/27)
The Associated Press:
Covered California: Cost Of Coverage Increasing
The average increase in Southern California is 1.8 percent, for a total of $296 a month, compared to 7 percent, or a total of $384 a month, in Northern California. Southern Californians can get better rates because the region has more provider competition. The exchange also added two new participants for the first time — UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest health insurer, and a New York startup called Oscar. Lee said California's 2016 rates are proof that the Affordable Care Act is working in the state. He credited California's aggressive approach on haggling with insurers. (Lin, 7/27)
The Sacramento Bee:
Covered California Sets 4 Percent Hike In 2016 Healthcare Premiums; Northern Californians To Pay More
Northern Californians will pay $88 more in average monthly healthcare premiums than Southern California consumers, under new 2016 rates announced Monday by Covered California, the state’s official healthcare marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. (Buck, 7/27)
The San Jose Mercury News:
Obamacare: Bay Area Residents Will See Higher Covered California Premiums In 2016
Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, on Monday boasted a second straight year of modest rate hikes next year for the majority of its customers, but one region of the state won't have it so easy: the Bay Area. While average premiums will rise only 4 percent statewide, rates will climb as high as 12.8 percent in Santa Cruz County, 7 percent in Santa Clara County and more than 6 percent in Alameda and San Mateo counties, exchange officials revealed. (Seipel, 7/27)