10.28.15

Obamacare: Paying More, Getting Less

‘Noticeable Premium Increases,’ Fewer Medical Specialists

 

Obamacare ‘Premiums Will Increase An Average Of 7.5%,’ ‘Some Jumped By Double Digits’

“The Obama administration said many consumers will see noticeable premium increases when buying health coverage on insurance exchanges in 2016…” (“Premiums For Health Insurance Bought On Exchanges To Climb In 2016,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/15)

“Some [premiums] have jumped by double digits: On average, premiums will rise in 2016 for the second lowest-cost silver plan by 31.5% in Alaska and 22.9% in Oregon, according to the report. Oklahoma will see a 35.7% hike.” (“Premiums For Health Insurance Bought On Exchanges To Climb In 2016,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/15)

SOUTH DAKOTA: ‘premium hikes… as much as 63 percent’ “Tens of thousands of South Dakota residents who buy health coverage individually, including through the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, are facing premium hikes for next year ranging from an average of about 13 percent to as much as 63 percent.” (“Big Jumps Ahead In South Dakota Individual Market Premiums,” Black Hills Pioneer, 10/26/15)

IDAHO: ‘An average 23% increase’ “In Idaho, insurance director Dean Cameron said that an average 23% increase by Blue Cross of Idaho Health Service Inc., was disappointing but ‘not unreasonable’ and that he didn’t have the power to stop it.” (“Insurers Win Big Health-Rate Increases,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/27/15)

UTAH: ‘On average, insurance rates will be 22 percent higher next year’ “Medical insurance rates are going up steeply next year for Utahns who get their insurance via brokers and the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. On average, insurance rates will be 22 percent higher next year, the Legislature's Health Reform Task Force learned Thursday afternoon.” (“Utahns’ Health-Insurance Premiums To Soar In 2016,” The Salt Lake Tribune, 10/22/15)

ARIZONA: “Arizonans who buy health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace next week will see that the key benchmark plan raises monthly rates 17.5 percent — more than twice the national average rate increase, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” (“HHS: Arizona Health Plan Set For 17.5% Rate Hike,” The Arizona Republic, 10/26/15)

 

Many Obamacare ‘Insurance Plans … Lacked Specialists Within A 50-Mile Radius’

“Some health insurance plans sold on the Affordable Care Act's federal marketplace may not provide reasonable access to medical specialists, new research suggests. … About one in seven health insurance plans offered on the federal marketplace in 2015 did not provide access to in-network doctors for at least one medical specialty, researchers found.” (“Specialized Healthcare May Be Lacking Under Obamacare Plans,” Reuters, 10/28/15)

  • “For the new study, the researchers looked at 135 health insurance plans in 34 state marketplaces that were available during the 2015 open enrollment period, when people can select their plans. Using the plans' physician directories, they looked for in-network specialists who would be covered by insurance, including obstetricians/gynecologists, dermatologists, cardiologists, psychiatrists, oncologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, rheumatologists and pulmnologists. Overall, in April 2015, 18 plans in nine states lacked in-network specialists for at least one specialty within a 100-mile search area, and 19 lacked specialists within a 50-mile radius.” (“Specialized Healthcare May Be Lacking Under Obamacare Plans,” Reuters, 10/28/15)

 

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Related Issues: Health Care, Obamacare