Health insurers are asking Washington state regulators to allow them to raise the price of Obamacare premiums in 2019 by an average of 19 percent.
Under the latest proposals made public Monday, no county in the state will be left without an Obamacare insurer, a type of medical coverage offered to customers who do not get health insurance through a job or government program. Still, 14 counties would have only one insurer to choose from, which will limit their options and the doctors and hospitals that will be in their network.
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler blamed the Trump administration’s changes to Obamacare for the increases.
“There’s still a great deal of uncertainty in individual markets across the country, fueled by the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act,” he said, using the formal name for Obamacare. “Instead of getting behind solutions that shore up these markets, the administration seems solely focused on undermining our health insurance system and the individuals and families who need to buy their coverage in the individual market.”
Proposals still must be finalized, and how much customers pay for coverage will vary based on whether they smoke, how old they are, whether they receive subsidies, and where they live.
Eleven health insurers are requesting to sell plans in the state. The lowest proposed increase was from Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, at 2.57 percent, though it applied to only one county. The health insurance plan with the highest increase was Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, at 29.78 percent, which intends to sell plans in 19 counties.
The state’s insurance regulator is expected to negotiate with the insurers over final prices, which will be revealed before Obamacare’s open enrollment begins Nov. 1. About 268,400 people in Washington buy on the exchange, called Washington Healthplanfinder.
Insurers in New York, Maryland, and Virginia also have asked for double-digit rate increases.
Once finalized, the rate increases mostly will affect people who don’t receive subsidies under Obamacare, meaning individuals who make $48,240 or more. This group often buys directly from an insurer because they don’t qualify for government help.
Most customers who buy on the exchange receive subsidies that increase when the cost of premiums increase, which shields them from higher costs. The Trump administration is putting together regulations that would allow cheaper plans to be sold, but they would provide fewer medical services than Obamacare plans and omit other consumer protections. Kriedler said the administration should abandon this plan and work on legislation to lower the costs of healthcare if it was “serious about providing relief to customers.”
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, blamed the Trump administration and Republicans for the increases. Republicans passed a tax law signed by Trump that will repeal the fine for going uninsured, a move that is expected to contribute to an increase in premiums of roughly 10 percent.
“It is unacceptable that families in Washington state and nationwide are paying more for their healthcare because President Trump and Republicans care more about appealing to their extreme donors and special interests than helping people get the care they need,” Murray said.
She urged Republicans to work with her on a bill that would help to reduce premiums. She and HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., had arrived at an agreement over legislation, but the effort fell apart during congressional debate over a spending deal. Republicans wanted to include restrictions on the legislation to prohibit federal dollars from paying for abortions, which Democrats would not agree to.
