Dive Brief:
- The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced last week that individuals insured on plans in the state health exchange will see a dramatic increase in premiums in 2015: an average of 13.2%.
- Republican Gov. Rick Scott (who is facing a tough Democratic challenger) seized the opportunity. He announced quickly that the Affordable Care Act will cause families in the state to be "slammed with higher costs."
- With elections impending, politicians across the country—an Insurance Commissioner in California and governor in Minnesota—are being accused of using premium numbers to their advantage, or withholding information if the news doesn't suit their purposes.
Dive Insight:
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP recently released a report looking at premium increases for 2015. The range varies dramatically from 23% in Arizona to 36% in Nevada. This will provide political fodder for both Democrats and Republicans in a year when neither side is polling well—68% of voters recently reported feeling that even if things are bad for them, Congress can make it worse.
Abstract premium percentages can be debated hotly and used at will by candidates, but they often mean little to voters. People take notice when there are directly impacted—when gas prices increase or the cost of milk doubles. When enrollees receive the first bill after their rates go up or down by 25%, that is when it will impact elections in November for better or worse.
