Wait For Obamacare Price Tags Could Be Months

Last week Vermont became the first state to provide a glimpse of how expensive individual health insurance might be under the Affordable Care Act. Proposed rates there, while of questionable relevance to the rest of the country because of the state’s unusual insurance market, showed little change from current prices and reassured health law supporters fearing headlines about “sticker shock.”

But rate disclosure elsewhere may take a while. In many states the deadlines for filing proposed plans aren’t until late May. And some states with early deadlines have no plans to publish results as quickly. Vermont insurers had to file paperwork by March 25, and the state disclosed results on April 1.

“The state of Vermont is very intent on transparency,” said Dale Schaft, spokeswoman for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation.

In New York, proposed rates from insurers are due Friday, April 12. But under state law, new insurance filings are not made public until they are approved by state regulators, which is anticipated in July, said a spokesman for the state health department.

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Source: Kaiser Health News