http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/23/u...-look-like-increases.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0 [rquoter]In the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, which now serve 7.3 million Americans, some premiums are going up while others are going down. Based on data available so far, we reported last week that the average premiums for last year’s most popular plans would rise 8.4 percent, but that people willing to switch plans could get much better deals — an average 1 percent increase, and even decreases in some markets. But is 8.4 percent an alarming increase or a good deal for a plan you like? Is a 1 percent increase a disappointment or a terrific bargain? To put both increases in context, we’ve assembled some historical data on insurance markets that existed before the Affordable Care Act. ... A Commonwealth Fund study conducted by the M.I.T. economist Jonathan Gruber this summer found that, before the Affordable Care Act passed, premiums were rising by higher rates: 9.9 percent in 2008, 10.8 percent in 2009 and 11.7 percent in 2010. Those are average rates. As in the current marketplaces, there was a lot of local variation in price increases. The employer market has seen smaller recent increases, but that market has not seen an average 1 percent increase in recent memory. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently published its 16th annual survey of employer health plans. It found that 2014 was a year with a record-low premium increase for family plans: 3 percent. That number makes 8.4 percent look less rosy. But the 1 percent available to marketplace switchers looks good.[/rquoter]
