Maine ACA insurers seek modest rate increases

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https://www.pressherald.com/2019/07/14/maine-aca-insurers-seek-modest-rate-increases/

While the Affordable Care Act is under attack in the courts, Maine’s three providers of individual insurance in the ACA marketplace have requested relatively small average rate increases for 2020, ranging from 1 percent to just under 8 percent.

Insurers in Maine said lower rate increase requests stem from lower-than-expected claims in 2018 and the revival of a state program to reimburse insurers for high-cost claims.

For 2020, Lewiston-based Community Health Options requested the largest rate increase of the three providers at 7.7 percent, while Massachusetts-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care requested a 1.9 percent increase and Indiana-based Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield requested a 1 percent increase. In prior years, the insurers have requested much larger annual increases of up to 40 percent.

Community Health, Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare also offer a variety of ACA small group insurance plans in the state. Average requested rate increases for those plans in 2020 are somewhat larger, ranging from 8.3 percent to 19 percent, according to the Maine Bureau of Insurance.

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