Prices jump for individual insurance premiums

[CaféAuLait]

77 percent of those who buy their own coverage have had cost increases

Wellpoint — a big health insurer sharply criticized by the Obama Administration for seeking to raise rates up to 39 percent for some California policyholders earlier this year — was not unusual in seeking double-digit increases, a new survey finds.

People who buy their own health insurance report the most recent rate increase requests have averaged 20 percent, according to the survey released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is a part of the foundation.)

Prices jump for individual insurance premiums - Health care- msnbc.com

© 2010 This information was reprinted with permission from KHN. KHN is an editorially independent news service and a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy organization that isn’t affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

 

[WillowTree]

thankeeee obie wan thankeeee, I fall down on my knees and thankee obie wan..

 

[Greenbeard]

The Kaiser survey is much more comprehensive but the same thing was noted in an HHS report in February:

The report examines requested insurance premium increases and notes:

• Anthem of Connecticut requested an increase of 24 percent last year, which was rejected by the state.
• Anthem in Maine had an 18.5 percent premium increase rejected by the state last year as being “excessive and unfairly discriminatory” – but is now requesting a 23 percent increase this year.
• In 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan requested approval for premium increases of 56 percent for plans sold on the individual market.
• Regency Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon requested a 20 percent premium increase.
• UnitedHealth, Tufts and Blue Cross requested 13 to 16 percent rate increases in Rhode Island.
• Rates for some individual health plans in Washington increased by up to 40 percent until Washington State imposed stiffer premium regulations.

 

[saveliberty]

Does somebody have to draw you a map in order to understand why? Obamacare is going to be expensive. Fewer people will be able to afford coverage.

 

[uscitizen]

Umm Healthcare costs were scheduled to increase far above the inflation rate for the forseeable future long before health care reform was even a player.

I pre bought 5 years worth of health insurance. No price increase for me.

 

[Greenbeard]

Does somebody have to draw you a map in order to understand why? Obamacare is going to be expensive. Fewer people will be able to afford coverage.

The OP has nothing to do with the reform law.

 

[2Parties]

I'm shocked that as government continues to increasingly intervene in what was at one a somewhat free market in health care that costs continue to skyrocket. It's just shocking.

 

[HUGGY]

77 percent of those who buy their own coverage have had cost increases

Wellpoint — a big health insurer sharply criticized by the Obama Administration for seeking to raise rates up to 39 percent for some California policyholders earlier this year — was not unusual in seeking double-digit increases, a new survey finds.

People who buy their own health insurance report the most recent rate increase requests have averaged 20 percent, according to the survey released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is a part of the foundation.)

Prices jump for individual insurance premiums - Health care- msnbc.com

© 2010 This information was reprinted with permission from KHN. KHN is an editorially independent news service and a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy organization that isn’t affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Like that wasn't happening under Bush. What Obama did was make it so everyone could get insurance and could not be dropped. That was not true 2 years ago. As usual you are a deceitful peice of shit.

 

[Greenbeard]

I'm shocked that as government continues to increasingly intervene in what was at one a somewhat free market in health care that costs continue to skyrocket. It's just shocking.

I would suggest actually reading the Kaiser poll results this thread is about.

The underwriting that makes switching plans difficult for so many people in the individual market isn't due to government intervention.

 

[2Parties]

Those are a symptoms of a deeper problem. As government interferes with markets the "markets" become nothing more than extensions of the state itself.

You want less choices and more expensive care get more government involved. Demand insurance companies accept everybody. Make all "private" insurance plans the same. Government forced "one-size fits all" destroys competition and innovation.

There are reasons Americans go to other countries (like Costa Rica) for private care. It's less regulated there and the costs are much much less for the same quality of treatment. While Costa Rica's has a public system they do not force a one size fits all standard for every doctor nor do they have much regulation on private systems.

 

[Care4all]

each state controls these insurance hikes...

our attorney general last year stopped wellpoint from raising premiums by 20%....now wellpoint is suing my state

 

[Gatekeeper]

I made several posts on this,one a few months back about our costs going up about 7 months ago or so by $250/mo, AND funny thing, where we used to pay $10 for each prescription, it seem now the majority is $25 and $50. Total, 12,288 per year for two people with co-pays exceeding $2500 per year with our flexcard(pay).

Flexcard(pay), funny I should mention that. Another lie in the so called health care reform that will cost us less. As of Jan 1,2011 the Flexcard(pay) maximum is going to be LOWERED meaning less pretax dollars for meds and doctors visits etc. WTF?

Speaking for us, NOTHING to do with the BS health care reform has lowered anything. I am surprised others are JUST NOW seeing more of the B.S. from this administrations rush make a name for themselves,(healthcare reform) for one, at the expense of the taxpayer.

 

[Gremlin-USA]

HC Insurance Premiums going up?

I knew this would happen once Obama Care was passed.

I bought a little stock from several HC Insurance Companies last year, my stock is up 24% on the average.

I am still against Obama Care and would gladly give up my stock if BO Care was repealed


.

 

[Gatekeeper]

HC Insurance Premiums going up?

I knew this would happen once Obama Care was passed.

I bought a little stock from several HC Insurance Companies last year, my stock is up 24% on the average.

I am still against Obama Care and would gladly give up my stock if BO Care was repealed


.

In my opinion, the administrations efforts to keep the lid on on this is what's more outrageous. These deceiving 'bastads' that we have as 'leaders' in D.C. are doing their collective best to keep everyone in the dark until the last minute, as with what seems is EVERYTHING ELSE.

I have been posting in here for months concerning this issue, and it's taken all this time for others to admit that these greedy health care insurers have already 'cashed in' to cover their so called 'losses'? Guess not many wanted to believe it.

We are being led, for the most part, by loons. I think, and will figure it out, that we have lost about $400-500........a month in the last year, between health care, property taxes and other rising costs! Taxpayers are going financially BACKWARDS, while the politicians are going financially FORWARD.......WTF?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

What happened to my 2,500% saving from switching to ObamaCare?

 

[Gremlin-USA]

What happened to my 2,500% saving from switching to ObamaCare?

Frank, you didn't really fall for that BO lie did you, tell me it ain't so



.

 

[Gatekeeper]

What happened to my 2,500% saving from switching to ObamaCare?

It's going for white house trips n dinners, congressional and senate salary increases, Oh, and I almost forgot, green fees.

 

[Greenbeard]

HC Insurance Premiums going up?

I knew this would happen once Obama Care was passed.

This is a survey of rates that have gone up over the past few years. For example, Maine's premium increases were requested by BCBS in 2008. Even recent proposed hikes, like Wellpoint's in California,aren't due to health reform:

Health insurer WellPoint blames the Great Recession and rising medical costs for its planned 39 percent rate increase for some California customers.​

In my opinion, the administrations efforts to keep the lid on on this is what's more outrageous.

Keep a lid on what? As I noted in a post above, they observed the same thing as the Kaiser survey in a study released by the Department of Health and Human Services in February of this year. In fact, they were publicizing premium increases across the country like crazy earlier this year.

I have been posting in here for months concerning this issue, and it's taken all this time for others to admit that these greedy health care insurers have already 'cashed in' to cover their so called 'losses'? Guess not many wanted to believe it.

Believe it or not, rising costs aren't always the fault of health insurers (though they're the easiest to demonize). Oftentimes providers have an even larger role in increasing costs--of course, you only notice it in the form of increased premiums your insurer is forced to charge to pay the reimbursement rates negotiated with providers.

As Care4all noted above, about 30 states currently require insurers in their states to justify premium increases and many have the power of rejecting increases if they aren't deemed justifiable (Maine is a great recent example of that). Now that the reform bill is law, every state may ask insurers to provide a justification for premium increases. If an insurer is raising premiums for no good reason, states may exclude them from participation in the exchanges once they're up and running in 2014 (meaning those insurers won't have access to subsidized customers in the individual market or free marketing).

Sometimes rate increases are unjustified. But sometimes they are justified.

 

[Claudette]

This was to be expected.

Since the only reform in the bill was adding millions to the HC rolls. Costs will go up for those already covered. You can't add millions of people, some with long term care needed, and have any other result.

I sure hope this peice of shit bill can be repealed and a bill with real reform addressing ways to lower costs can be forward.

Obamacare is gonna suck for all of those with HC coverage.

 

[RDD_1210]

For all those complaining that this is somehow the fault of "Obamacare". You couldn't be further from understanding what is happening. Health care costs were sky rocketing before any health care legislation was passed, this in fact was one of the major factors in the Democrats push for passing new legislation. However, the legislation that passed was so completely watered down that it wouldn't allow the portion intended to control costs to pass. So what you ended up with is the same insurance companies in control and raising rates at the same rate or even more now. So if you're upset, thank your congressmen who wanted no part in voting for a bill that actually would have done some good for controlling costs.