Ohio’s state budget to boost consumer costs for individual insurance policies : Sarah Jane Tribble

At Ohio State budget finally passed in July, 250,000 Ohioans with insurance policies individual health silently lost a battle. The premiums on such policies will increase next year – State officials estimate an average of 4 percent. This additional amount will offset the cost of the premium reduction within regulated by the state's open enrollment program in which companies provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The change takes effect in January and will not affect the group policies, such as those sold through an employer. Kelly McGivern, president and CEO of the commercial insurance group Ohio Association of Health Plans, fears that prices in the various policies will increase more than the estimated 4 percent. She says her group did everything possible to raise what he considered as "traps" of increased individual policy premiums. The increased costs will affect in a poor economy and although the layoffs have individual health policies on the demand safer than ever. "We have new customers every day," said Ellen Laden, a spokesman for UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule Insurance Co. Although he added, there are still many consumers who decide to leave the current coverage or waive the purchase of health insurance. Insurers in Ohio that sell individual policies are required by law to offer policies for people with pre-existing conditions. However, insurers only sell special policies for 30 days at a time, and has not established any time of year can be purchased policies. Currently, there is no limit on how much an insurer can charge. Now there are only 1,300 people statewide who acquired the open enrollment policy, and customers pay on average $ 800 to $ 850 a month for individual health coverage. In contrast, residents of Ohio, without preconditions pay an average of $ 300 a month for an individual policy. Douglas L. Anderson, chief policy director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, said that the budgetary rules of the State of New force open enrollment rates by 50 percent to 70 percent, making the open enrollment program, more accessible to 14,000 people. During the final hours of negotiations on the budget, there was concern the industry so what part of the cost of the extended open enrollment would be raising rates of individual insurance, "The legislature decided that at this stage, Anderson said. The Ohio Department of Insurance has the power to control prices and is required to report annual results. If growth rates in the individual market more than 5. The 25 per cent, then the insurance department will no longer cut rates in the open enrollment program. If the rates do not rise more than 5. The 25 percent, the department may lower premiums open enrollment even more. Finally, consumers of prices with pre-existing conditions that are payable in the open enrollment program, might be sufficiently low to allow an estimated 52,000 people to obtain coverage, Anderson said. "It is for the department to analyze," McGivern said. "People will be watching."