Insurer seeks 25% hike in premiums for state exchanges mandated by Healthcare Reform
CareFirst, which administers BlueCross BlueShield, wants to raise premiums for individual policies in Maryland by an average 25 percent next year. Contrary to what Healthcare Reform advocates from Congress and the Obama Administration promised when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 went onto the books, CareFirst says that the additional cost of insuring more people, as a direct result of Healthcare Reform, will drive the increase.
The Maryland Office of Health Reform will study the CareFirst premium request and the assumptions behind it. The offices director told the Washington Post she expects extensive negotiations. The higher premiums will apply only to the Healthcare Reform mandated state exchanges and not to coverage provided by employers.
About 13 percent of Marylanders are currently uninsured and would be covered under the new healthcare law.
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