Obamacare-driven competition lowering rates in some states
Candidates who had planned to run against Obamacare this fall and use skyrocketing rate increases as an “I-told-you-so” talking point may not have as much to work with as they had hoped.
While health insurers in some states will indeed increase the cost of their policies, early evidence suggests that most increases won’t be any higher than they were before the Affordable Care Act was passed. And millions of Americans will be able to pay considerably less next year for the exact same coverage they have now.
A big part of the reason that many people will be able to get better deals is increased competition.
Most of the big for-profit health insurers, ever mindful of their bottom lines and profit margins, decided to offer policies on the new health insurance exchanges in only a few states last year. Now that they have a better understanding of the new marketplace that the ACA established, they’re jumping in, at least where they think they can make money.
Leading the pack is UnitedHealth Group, the country’s biggest health insurer. The company offered 2014 policies in only about a dozen states. During a call with investors last week, UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley said the company will compete for 2015 Obamacare business in twice that many states.
“We want to make sure we don’t go in too late,” he said. “We’re thinking this is about the right time.”
Even the nonprofit co-op plans that debuted in about half the states this year are expanding into new markets. Residents of New Hampshire, Idaho and West Virginia will have co-ops to choose from for the first time when the Nov. 15 open enrollment date for 2015 coverage arrives, thanks to co-ops in neighboring states opting to cross state lines. Ohioans will also have a new co-op to choose from. And based on preliminary rate filings, the Ohio co-op, InHealth Mutual, is besting its established competitors by almost 25 percent.
Here’s what’s expected in a handful of states where information is available, based on published reports of preliminary filings and company announcements:
Colorado: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield says it wants to lower rates by an average of 5.1 percent while two nonprofit carriers, Colorado Access and Colorado HealthOP, plan to reduce premiums by 22 and 9.63 percent, respectively.
There’s more to this story. Click here to read the rest at the Center for Public Integrity.
This story is part of Wendell Potter. Former CIGNA executive-turned-whistleblower Wendell Potter writes about the health care industry and the ongoing battle for health reform. Click here to read more stories in this blog.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
