AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — With two months to go before the enrollment opens on the health care exchange, Mainers are getting an early look into the new insurance rates and other changes coming under the federal health care law.
Maine's Bureau of Insurance on Wednesday released hundreds of documents they submitted to the federal government on the two companies offering coverage on Maine's exchange, part of the federal health care overhaul.
Wednesday was the deadline for the state to approve the companies' plans and report to the federal government, who now has to give its stamp of approval.
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One thing that is clear is that many Mainers on the exchange won't face as high of deductibles as they have in the past, said Mitchell Stein of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, who has begun to review the documents. The average deductible has crept up to more than $10,000 a year. The federal health care law puts a cap on out-of-pocket deductibles at $6,350, he said.
Mainers will have to wait to find out specifics about the different plans being offered on the exchange and what it will mean for their pocketbooks. The insurance bureau said that it will release a summary next week which will break down the new plans and costs. Officials at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Maine Community Health Options, the two companies offering plans on the exchange, did not return calls on Thursday.
There will also be a new way of determining rates based on geographic area on the exchange, which could have an impact on consumers' costs. Recently, insurers have been able to determine rates based on county, which has resulted in higher costs for residents in rural areas, Mitchell said. The federal health care act only allows four regions for which insurers can determine rates, but rates will still differ between rural residents and city-dwellers.
The state's insurance bureau will be holding informational sessions about the affordable care act throughout Maine this month to discuss all insurance-related questions and concerns.
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