Dive Brief:
- According to a report from The Hill, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Congress this week that premiums will likely increase next year under the ACA.
- However, she also predicts that premium growth rate will be slower than what the country has seen since 2010.
- Health insurers have said their biggest fear is failing to enroll enough young, healthy beneficiaries that help cover expenses. But a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation has concluded that insurers can expect to be profitable even if only 25% of exchange enrollees are young adults (the current rate as of March 1).
Dive Insight:
Will the ACA slow the growth rate in healthcare premiums, as Secretary Sebelius promoted? More importantly, if it does, is slowing the growth rate rather than stopping or reversing it sufficient results for such a sweeping program is the ACA? The next 18 months or so will be full of such questions, but there will be few answers until more time has passed. These are the times that try men's patience.