Dive Brief:
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released data Monday on 2016 premiums for ACA health plans.
- The data show the price for the second least-expensive "silver" plan, considered the benchmark plan, will go up by an average of 7.5% in the 37 states using the federally facilitated marketplace.
- The increases further debate brought by Republicans over whether the health law can hold down costs, the Wall Street Journal says.
Dive Insight:
While the average increase is 7.5%, plans will vary widely, and popular plans making increases in the double digits may spur enrollees to move to less-known plans.
On the upper end, average premiums for the benchmark silver plan will increase by 31.5% in Alaska, 22.9% in Oregon, and 35.7% in Oklahoma, according to the CMS data.
However, administration officials say nearly eight in 10 people will still be able to find plans with premiums less than $100 a month after subsidies, the Wall Street Journal reports, adding previous customers who don’t select a new plan will be automatically re-enrolled in their 2015 plan, which may have a higher new cost. The administration is encouraging customers to shop around.