PPACA World 2017: Rate Day

Some enrollees in one individual major medical plan in Indiana could see the cost of their policies fall an average of 5.51 percent in 2017.

Some who are in an individual major medical plan in New Mexico could face average increases of 82.14 percent.

For enrollees in small-group major medical plans, average rate changes could range from a decrease of 25.38 percent, for a plan on the market in Indiana, to an increase of 42.64 percent, for a plan available in New Mexico.

Those are examples of some of the individual and small-group major medical coverage 2017 rate-change proposal numbers available today at RateReview.HealthCare.gov.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) started making the 2017 rate-change proposal data it has received public Tuesday. At press time, the database was showing rate-change data for 13 states and the District of Columbia.

All of the jurisdictions with data in the system have at least two issuers offering coverage in both the individual and the small-group market. The total number of individual and small-group rate entries in each state’s section of the database ranged from 10 in Vermont to 329 in New York state.

Drafters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) called for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the parent of CMS, to set up the rate review website to help give consumers and others more information about rate changes.

Analysts at Avalere Health have pointed out that there are many ways to look at the numbers. Particularly for consumers who are eligible for PPACA exchange subsidies and are willing to change plans, the most relevant number may be the change in the average cost of the cheapest or second-cheapest silver-level plan available in a market.

To keep things simple, we computed median individual plan increase figures for each jurisdiction. For states with an odd number of individual plans, we used the rate-change proposal for the plan in the middle of the individual plan list. For states with an even number of individual plans, we used the average of the increases proposed for the two plans in the middle of the list.

In the individual market, median proposed increases ranged from 8.64 percent, in Rhode Island, to 26.17 percent, in Oregon. The median for the medians was about 14.9 percent. In half of the jurisdictions, the median proposed increase is 14.9 percent or higher. In half, the median is 14.87 percent or lower.

Because it’s not always clear from the database search listings whether plans are PPACA public exchange plans, off-exchange plans, or plans available both on and off the exchange, we have combined results for exchange, off-exchange and dual-channel products.

See also: The real 2017 health insurance rate reviews of Oregon

For a look at a summary of what we found in the records for individual states, read on.

1. Florida

Total number of entries:  128

Small group increase range: -2.44 percent – +19.72 percent

Individual increase range: -2.05 percent – +43.59 percent

Median individual increase: +14.90 percent

2. Indiana

Total number of entries:  48

Small group increase range: -25.38 percent – +25 percent

Individual increase range: -5.51 percent – +33.79 percent

Median individual increase: +12.71 percent

3. Maine

Total number of entries:  18

Small group increase range: +2.46 percent – +17.95 percent

Individual increase range: +12.18 percent – +23.58 percent

Median individual increase: +15.23 percent

4. Maryland

Total number of entries:  36

Small group increase range: -5.4 percent – +17.39 percent

Individual increase range: +2.39 percent – 33.98 percent

Median individual increase: +16.71 percent

5. Nebraska

Total number of entries:  8

Small group increase range: +9.43 percent – +18.96 percent

Individual increase range: +17.37 percent – +35.09 percent

Median individual increase: +17.37 percent

6. Nevada

Total number of entries:  35

Small group increase range: -18.02 percent – +36.52 percent

Individual increase range: +4.43 percent – +22.09 percent

Median individual increase: +11.92 percent