The three percent increase for next year’s Marketplace “Obamacare” health insurance premiums in Delaware mirrors the trend around the nation.
The rate increase came after an examination by the Delaware Insurance Department found what it said were flaws in calculations in the initial filing. Even the initial increase request was lower than in previous years.
The Associated Press and the consulting firm Avalere Health examined state data and found that the “Obamacare’s” health insurance marketplaces seemed to be stabilizing after two years of sharp premium hikes.
In neighboring states, premiums were down in Pennsylvania, but rose sharply in Maryland, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report.
Also, the exodus of insurers from the program may be reversing itself, with more consumer choices for 2019. Delaware still has only one insurer, Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
In Delaware, more than 80 percent of the 25,000 people covered by plans on the marketplace in 2018 were eligible for financial assistance to help pay for their coverage, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services.
The AP reported continuing criticism that marketplace insurance remains unaffordable for those who cannot get subsidies, a group that can include businesspeople.
The marketplace covers individuals who cannot get insurance through their employer. This group often includes solo entrepreneurs and individuals between jobs.
The AP story noted that the lower premiums in the marketplace may take repeal of Obamacare off the table as an election issue for Republicans. Democrats will continue to claim in their efforts to retake Congress that Republicans have driven up premiums through their actions.
The marketplace was a key part of “Obamacare” and its goal of having fewer uninsured Americans.
The program’s most controversial provision, a mandate requiring health coverage, was taken out of the tax code, but other popular provisions remain, including the subsidies for the marketplace and in some states, including Delaware, a widening of Medicaid eligibility for poorer residents.
Open enrollment for the 2019 Marketplace runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. Click on the following link for information: https://www.choosehealthde.com/Health-Insurance-Marketplace
