Premiums On Popular Silver Plans To Go Up Average Of 34 Percent Following Trump Actions, Uncertainty Over ACA
The window shopping period for open enrollment kicked off Wednesday on healthcare.gov. While many consumers will find high premium increases for 2018, there are cheaper coverage options too. Meanwhile, the Trump administration says it will not release a projection for how many people it expects to sign up for coverage. Enrollment begins Nov. 1.
The Associated Press:
Premiums Rising 34 Percent For Most Popular Health Plan
Premiums for the most popular "Obamacare" plans are going up an average of 34 percent, according to a study Wednesday that confirms dire predictions about the impact of political turmoil on consumers. Window-shopping on HealthCare.gov went live Wednesday, so across the country consumers going online can see the consequences themselves ahead of the Nov. 1 start of sign-up season for 2018. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Some Affordable Care Act Premiums Set To Jump For 2018
Some consumers who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year will face sharp premium increases and have fewer insurer options, though federal premium subsidies mean that others will be able to get cheaper coverage. The federal HealthCare.gov website posted new details Wednesday about what plans will be available for 2018 under the health law. Open enrollment starts on Nov. 1. (Wilde Mathews, 10/25)
The Hill:
Analysis: Premiums For Most Popular ObamaCare Plans To Rise 34 Percent
"Plans are raising premiums in 2018 to account for market uncertainty and the federal government's failure to pay for cost-sharing reductions," Caroline Pearson, senior vice president at Avalere, said in a statement. "These premium increases may allow insurers to remain in the market and enrollees in all regions to have access to coverage." (Weixel, 10/25)
Houston Chronicle:
Obamacare Choices Up For 2018, But So Are Prices
Dire political predictions that insurers would flee the individual market and consumers would have fewer choices in 2018 - in essence killing off the Affordable Care Act - do not appear to have come true. But the coming year could be nightmarish for middle-class and higher earners who could face rate hikes as high as 45 percent in the Houston area. (Deam, 10/25)
The Washington Post:
Maryland Will Allow Insurers To Hike Premiums After Trump Ends Subsidies
Maryland regulators have given two insurance carriers permission to substantially raise monthly premiums on some plans in a direct response to a Trump administration decision to halt certain subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The steep increases will raise costs by as much as 76 percent over last year for silver-level individual plans on the state exchange and come atop already approved increases for 2018. (Itkowitz, 10/25)
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Insurance Regulators Increase Rates To Cover Trump Subsidy Cuts
Maryland insurance regulators said Wednesday that they approved last-minute rate increases requested by health insurers for individual plans sold under the Affordable Care Act. The Maryland Insurance Administration decided to consider rate rises after the Trump administration said earlier this month that it would no longer pay insurance companies subsidies that helped cover the cost of co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses for low-income policy holders. (McDaniels, 10/25)
Charlotte Observer:
Some NC Obamacare Letters Announce Hefty Premium Hikes Before Subsidies
Kayte Thomas received a letter from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in October that said her monthly health insurance premium is set to more than double from $208 a month to $585 a month. The quoted $377-a-month hike startled Thomas, who lives in Morrisville and covers herself and three children on her Affordable Care Act plan. That’s half the food budget for her family of five, she said. (Cope, 10/26)
Detroit Free Press:
Obamacare Rates Will Skyrocket 27% In Michigan In 2018
The sticker price for health insurance plans sold on Michigan's Affordable Care Act exchange will jump an average 26.9% next year under new rates announced Wednesday by state officials. The rates will be in effect Nov. 1, when the annual enrollment period begins for individuals and family households on the Healthcare.gov exchange. Open enrollment runs to Dec. 15, which is half as long as last year. (Reindl, 10/25)
Georgia Health News:
Georgia ‘Silver’ Coverage Shows Higher Increase Than U.S. Average
Georgia’s average premium for the “silver’’ plans in the insurance exchange will rise by 48 percent for 2018, higher than the average increase nationally, a consulting firm reported Wednesday. The analysis from Avalere found that premiums will increase by an average of 34 percent nationwide for silver plans, the most popular exchange policies. Georgia’s premium hike for silver policies will be exceeded by just seven states in the Avalere study. (Miller, 10/25)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Questions And Answers: Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for customers of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, begins Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 15. A lot has changed that people will need to know. (10/25)
Health News Florida:
What You Need To Know To Enroll In Obamacare For 2018
Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, begins in less than a week. It comes as President Donald Trump has made big changes– including ending subsidies to lower out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans. Even if federal lawmakers come through on a fix, Florida insurance rates are locked in for 2018 and are going up in a big way. (Aboraya, 10/26)
The Hill:
Trump Administration Will Not Set ObamaCare Sign-Up Goal
The Trump administration does not plan to release projections for how many people will sign up for ObamaCare, breaking from past years. The Obama administration used to release a projection for enrollment, which then served as a target goal for the yearly push. But the Trump administration will not be following suit, a Department of Health and Human Services official told The Hill on Wednesday. (Sullivan, 10/25)
And Anthem will see a big drop in ACA business —
The Wall Street Journal:
Anthem Sees Big Drop In ACA Plan Enrollment Next Year
Anthem Inc. expects its enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans to drop by around 70% next year, highlighting the full extent of the company’s pullback from the business amid what it said was too much uncertainty about the health-law marketplaces’ future. (Wilde Mathews and Lombardo, 10/25)
Reuters:
U.S. Insurer Anthem Says Obamacare Business Improving; Stock Jumps
Anthem Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings as its Obamacare individual insurance business broke even and forecast a slight 2018 profit for the government plans despite uncertainty about the market's future. Anthem's outlook takes into account President Donald Trump's efforts to undercut former President Barack Obama's health reform law, which he has described as "dead." (Humer and Banerjee, 10/25)
