The Kaiser Family Foundation today launched a tracker to monitor preliminary 2019 premiums in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces as insurers file rate information with state regulators.
Beginning with data from eight states (Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington) plus the District of Columbia, the tracker shows preliminary premium information in nine major cities for the lowest-cost bronze plan and “benchmark” silver plan, which is used to determine the size of the premium tax credits available to low- and moderate-income enrollees. The tracker also shows how those premiums are changing from 2018 and what a 40-year-old enrollee making $30,000 annually would pay before and after available tax credits.
Based on insurers’ requested premium increases in the states available, benchmark premium increases before tax credits range from 7% to 36% in these 9 cities. The average increase in the benchmark silver premiums is 2% after tax credits for a 40-year-old enrollee with a $30,000 annual income.
The tracker also captures the number of insurers who plan to participate and the range for insurers’ average rate increases in each state. The tracker will update as quickly as possible as additional states release insurers’ preliminary rate filings.