Very few areas will likely see double-digit rate hikes in Obamacare plans for next year,
says the Health Research Institute (HRI) at PricewaterhouseCoopers, but the average hike around the country will be 7.5 percent, "well below the double-digit increases many feared," HRI Managing Director Ceci Connolly told
The Hill. Some areas will see decreases.
The highest proposed rate increase so far came in Nevada, where consumers with Time Insurance Co. might see their insurance premiums rise by 36 percent. Some consumers in Arizona, on the other hand, could see rates drop by 23 percent.
Overall, the highest average price increases under ObamaCare so far have come in Indiana, where some consumers will see prices rise by 15.4 percent. The biggest average savings were found in Oregon, where premiums will drop an average of 2.5 percent in 2015.
"The average individual monthly premium for next year, before any subsidies are applied, is $384," Connolly wrote. "And insurance commissioners get a chance to weigh in on rates before fall enrollment."
For the most part, and for most consumers, no sticker shock. With all the new insurance companies that are going to join the marketplaces for next year, chances are good that customers can find similar plans for less next time around. At any rate, anyone with an Obamacare health plan
should shop again this fall to determine if their plan is going to have higher premiums, and to make sure that they don't have any unpleasant surprises.