A Kaiser Foundation very
early look at 2018 health insurance exchange monthly premium proposals,
subject to change, across 21 US cities predicts that Hartford consumers will do
well next year. The report compares early rate filings for a 40 year old
non-smoker making $30,000/year choosing the second-lowest silver plan. Silver
plans are the most popular. Among the 21 cities, Wilmington DE consumers face
both the highest premium ($631) and the biggest increase over this year (up
49%). Detroit consumers will have the best bargain next year at $244/month and
Providence consumers will see a decrease of 5% in their premiums. Hartford
premiums are at about the middle of the pack at $417/month next year without
subsidies, up 9% from this year, but $201/month with the premium tax credit,
down 3% from this year. Most exchange consumers qualify for subsidies. Overall,
Hartford’s average annual trend from 2014 to 2018 without the tax credit is up
6%, better than 13 of the 21 cities, but down 1% annually with the credit,
similar to most cities.
It is very important to note that these numbers, for all
cities, are based on early rate filings; final rates will not be set until the
fall. Insurers are facing far
greater uncertainty this year about federal policies and resources that
impact premiums.
