DETROIT Many Michigan consumers will pay modestly more for health insurance — with an average increase well below the national average — entering the third year of President Barack Obama’s health care law.
The federal government said the cost of a benchmark plan in Michigan on HealthCare.gov will increase 1.2 percent for 2016 coverage. Consumers could start choosing plans Sunday through the online marketplace and have until Dec. 15 to buy coverage if they want it to start Jan. 1.
About 294,000 Michigan residents now get coverage through HealthCare.gov.
Across all 37 states using the HealthCare platform, the cost of the benchmark plan will rise on average 7.5 percent. Analysts say Michigan favorably compares with many other states because it’s a highly competitive market with more than a dozen insurers — and roughly 200 plans — vying for business.
“(Michigan is) one of the most robust markets in the country,” said Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Health Care Research and Transformation at the University of Michigan. She added the state is “sort of seeing what the framers of the (Affordable Care Act) hoped would happen.”
Udow-Phillips said she was surprised at how many insurers have entered Michigan’s online exchange, given the dominance of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She said other health plans see a “natural market” to join in a state that’s had a high rate of insured people, many with employer-sponsored coverage.For the full article click here
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