LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The rates that insurers will charge in the Arkansas marketplace set up under the federal health care law will be as much as 25 percent less than what the companies originally proposed, the state Insurance Department said Monday as it unveiled the plans.
The Arkansas Insurance Department announced premium rates for the 71 qualified health insurance plans offered by four companies that will be sold on the exchange, an online health market where consumers can get private health insurance, subsidized by the government. Open enrollment for the exchange begins Oct. 1, and the rates and coverage will take effect Jan. 1. State officials say they expect about 500,000 people to purchase insurance on the exchange.
"I would say this is a good start," Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford said.
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Gov. Mike Beebe told reporters he was pleased with the rates, which insurance officials said were 25 percent less than the companies had first proposed and about 10 percent lower than expected by forecasters.
"It's a better deal for taxpayers and everybody," Beebe said. "It may not be a better deal for insurance companies … They're all happy because they all signed contracts. They may not be happy, but they're still in business."
The premiums will vary based on age, geography, family size and tobacco use, with three levels of plans — bronze, silver and gold — available. Bronze plans are likely to have lower premiums but higher out-of-pocket costs if medical services are provided. There also are high-deductible plans available for young adults under the age of 30 and certain other individuals.
State insurance officials say they expect few Arkansans to pay the total premium amount, since many will qualify for tax credits available.
For a 30-year-old individual, the average base premium of plans sold in the marketplace will be $284.74 a month. Based on that individual's income, the tax credit would lower their monthly payment to between $57.45 and $192.70, according to figures released by the Insurance Department.
For two 40-year-old adults with two children, the average base premium will be $948.82 a month. Their monthly payment after the tax credit could be between $117.75 and $394.95 a month.
About half of the people participating in the exchange will be enrolled through a plan to use federal Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents. Beebe, a Democrat, and the Republican-led Legislature approved the plan as an alternative to expanding Medicaid's enrollment.
Bradford said he hoped the release of the rates means that lawmakers will allow a $4.5 million contract to promote the insurance exchange to move forward. A legislative panel on Friday voted to delay approval of the contract, which would use federal money to pay for television, radio and newspaper ads as well as billboards and direct mail pieces between Oct. 1 and March 31. Lawmakers said they didn't want to continue the marketing effort until they knew how much the insurance plans would cost.
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