State Premium Watch: Pricing In The New Insurance Marketplaces

Updated on Oct. 1

One of the biggest questions about Obamacare is whether its new consumer protections might lead to higher costs for some people buying coverage on their own — or through small groups — when they purchase it via the online insurance marketplaces that open for enrollment Oct. 1.

A growing number of states have released approved 2014 premiums and other details about individual and small group insurance plans that will available on the marketplaces, also called exchanges. Those rates do not take into account the federal tax credits that many people will be eligible for. In addition, the federal government must give final approval to the plans in September.

Learn More: Five Things To Know About Obamacare Premiums

Some states such as Arkansas, Illinois and New Hampshire have approved their rates but have not released any information about premiums and say they don’t plan to do so until Oct. 1.

States that are running their own exchanges, such as California, provide details about the benefits in each state-approved plan in each region of the state. 

States who have declined to run their own and who will have federally-run exchanges, still must have the premiums approved by the Obama administration. 

The following are links to publicly released data from states that have made their information available. KHN will add links to other states as they are published.

Other Resources: The federal government has released all rates in the 36 states where they federal government is running the exchanges. This chart shows the premium cost of the second-lowest cost silver plan in those states for several age groups. The Kasier Family Foundation has a subsidy calculator that illustrates what subsidies may be available. Finally, in any state, you can find the insurance marketplace for your state and look up rate quotes via the federal government’s healthcare.gov website.

State-run exchanges:

California: Covered California brochure (PDF) Colorado: Colorado Division of Insurance website District of Columbia: D.C. Health Link chart (PDF) Connecticut: Anthem (indiv.) | Anthem (sm. grp.) | ConnectiCare Benefits, Inc. (indiv.) | Healthy CT (indiv.) | Healthy CT (sm. grp.) | United Healthcare (sm. grp.) Hawaii: Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs press release Idaho: Your Health Idaho website Kentucky: Kentucky governor’s office website Maryland: Maryland Insurance Administration website Minnesota: Minnesota Department of Commerce website Nevada: Nevada Division of Insurance website New Mexico: New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance chart (PDF) New York: New York Governor’s Office chart (PDF) Oregon: Oregon Insurance Division website Rhode Island: Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner press release (PDF) Vermont: Vermont Health Connect chart (PDF) Washington: Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website

State-federal partnership exchanges:

Arkansas: Arkansas Health Connector chart (PDF) Delaware: Choose Health Delaware website Illinois: State of Illinois press release Iowa: Iowa Insurance Division website

Federally run exchanges:

Florida: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation chart (PDF) Kansas: Kansas Insurance Department website Maine: Maine Bureau of Insurance website Montana: Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance press release Nebraska: Nebraska Department of Insurance website North Carolina: Average premiums for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina plans South Dakota: South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation website Utah: Utah Insurance Department memo (PDF) KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.