A decision on what you may be paying for healthcare next year is in the hands of the State Insurance Commissioner. The department is reviewing rates requested by Highmark, UPMC, AETNA, Geisinger and other companies for plans under the Affordable Care Act.
At a public hearing Wednesday, insurers explained their rationale for their requests. Proposed hikes range from about one percent to 48 percent for an individual plan, and for small group plans, from around 2 percent to 33 percent.
According to Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller, many companies are seeing higher spending on medical care than they originally anticipated, resulting in losses, which are causing them to leave markets around the country. .
“We need to ensure that Pennsylvania’s market is attractive for insurers to sell in as well as for consumers to buy from,” said Commissioner Miller. “We must find a balance between those two aims in order to have a competitive and sustainable marketplace.”
Miller added that about 75 percent of Pennsylvanians shopping on Healthcare.gov will receive subsidies to help off-set their costs.
