2017 premiums approved with hefty price hikes
The
Insurers will offer three products to residents of Rating Area 7, which includes
On average, Pennsylvanians will see a 43 percent increase from 2016 plans offered by Capital Advantage Assurance, a 42 percent increase in plans offered by
These rate increases only apply to the approximately 10 percent of Pennsylvanians who purchase their health care through the federal marketplace or small group policies. They do not apply to larger employers or government plans such as
Increases: Across the board, 2017 offerings are more expensive than those available in 2016, and there are fewer of them. However, increases are greater for
Rates provided for silver market tier plans for both 21- and 40-year-old nonsmokers show an increase of more than 64 percent for
"When the federal marketplace began in 2014, insurers did not know much about the population that they would end up insuring," she said in an email. "Claims from these plans have ended up being higher than anticipated, so insurers have found that they priced these plans incorrectly."
In some cases, she said, insurers spent
In most instances, state regulators approved greater increases than what was originally requested by insurers. Compared to
Fogarty said that was done to ensure "market stability" as insurers increasingly withdrew from the federal marketplace throughout 2016.
"After
Subsidies: Officials said many people buying individual plans on the federal marketplace are eligible for tax subsidies, which will offset some or all of the increases. Last year, three out of four commonwealth residents who bought plans through the federal exchange were eligible for subsidies to help pay premiums.
Insurance Commissioner
The health insurer said the government failed to follow its risk corridor provision, which was included in the law to create a stable environment for insurers that incurred higher-than-anticipated claims. The provision included a promise to pay some of the losses insurers sustained during the first years of the new law.
"
Lowest Cost Subsidy Eligible Marketplace Plans Offered in
Metal Level Issuer Premium
Gold
Silver
Gold
Silver
Catastrophic
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