Bracing for Obamacare Rate Hikes - Commonwealth Foundation

Only three days until the Obamacare exchanges open for 2015 enrollment. Last Sunday, the federal government released preliminary rates for window shopping.

We compared the cheapest insurance plans in 2013 (the year before the exchange) to 2015 exchange rates in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Overall, rates continuine to rise.

Philadelphia

Plan Type	2013	2014	2015	Increase since 2013	Percent
27 year old male	$49	$171	$203	$154	314%
50 year old male	$111	$332	$306	$195	176%
Family of 3 (single mom)	$154	$391	$412	$258	168%
Family of 4	$182	$576	$606	$424	232%

Pittsburgh

Plan Type	2013	2014	2015	Increase since 2013	Percent
27 year old male	$45	$104	$131	$86	191%
50 year old male	$111	$203	$212	$101	91%
Family of 3 (single mom)	$154	$238	$286	$131	85%
Family of 4	$182	350	$420	$238	131%

While this year’s rate increases are not as dramatic as last year, young adults continue to bear the burden of higher prices.

Since 2013, premiums have increased 314 percent for 27-year old males and 217 percent for 27-year old females in Philadelphia.
Since 2013, premiums have increased 191 percent for 27-year old males and 105 percent for 27-year old females in Pittsburgh.

Two years into full implementation of the “Affordable Care Act,” it’s clear that health insurance is not, in fact, becoming more affordable.

Note: 2013 rates come from the least-expensive plan available on ehealthinsurance.com. We assumed individuals do not smoke and do not have pre-existing conditions. In most cases, catastrophic plans are no longer available for individuals over 30. For older adults and families we compared 2013 catastrophic plans to the cheapest bronze plan. The comparison does not take into account the tax credits available to individuals and families making between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. This comparison does not take into account out-of-pocket costs, including co-pays and deductibles.