MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 2, 2015) - HealthPocket released a study this morning analyzing newly available government data on the 2016 Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance market. When assessing options across the Affordable Care Act market, rate increases on existing plans as well in changes in the total number of available plans has resulted in double-digit increases in the average cost of premiums available within the 37 states using Healthcare.gov. For the unsubsidized, this increase in the average available premium will likely be met with great concern. For the subsidized, government assistance limiting the cost of premiums to a percentage of earnings will erode the significance of the 2016 premium changes.
The changes in average unsubsidized premiums available in the 2016 versus 2015 ACA market are as follows:
- Bronze plans average premium: 11 percent increase
- Silver plans average premium: 10 percent increase
- Gold plans average premium: 14 percent increase
- Platinum plans average premium: 16 percent increase
The 2016 average individual and family medical deductibles are higher for bronze and silver plans as compared to 2015 but lower for gold and platinum plans.
- Bronze plan average deductible: $5,731 individual/$11,601 family
- Silver plan average deductible: $3,117 individual/$6,480 family
- Gold plan average deductible: $1,165 individual/$2,535 family
- Platinum plan average deductible: $233 individual/$468 family
Increases in the average cap on annual out-of-pocket costs were also observed for bronze, silver, gold, and platinum plans.
Since market options were evaluated in this study rather than consumer behavior, no weighting by enrollment was performed on health plans. The full findings as well as the report methodology can be reviewed at "2016 Affordable Care Act Market Brings Higher Average Premiums for Unsubsidized."
HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health insurance plans, helping individuals, families, and small businesses to make their best health plan decisions. HealthPocket publishes health insurance market analyses and other consumer advocacy research. HealthPocket's research is nonpartisan and uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource. HealthPocket, Inc. is independently managed and based in Mountain View, California. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.
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Jessica Biller
916-761-6035