Expansion of Medicare and Medicaid may increase premiums for commercial group health plans in 2011, according to Milliman.
Group health insurance specialists at Milliman, Seattle, are making that prediction based on preliminary results from a 2010 group health insurance premium survey.
Milliman tries to promote "apples to apples" comparisons by asking health insurers to describe the premiums they would charge for a group with a given set of benefits and enrollee characteristics.
Preliminary results suggest that January 2011 renewal increases will be 9% for health maintenance organization plans and 11% for preferred provider organization plans, Milliman says.