A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report outlining state health insurance premium projections under the Affordable Care Act ranked Connecticut as the fourth-most expensive in the country.
The report, which mainly focused on new data showing that premiums across the country would be 16 percent lower than previous Congressional Budget Office estimates, said Connecticut’s health insurance exchange offerings would be less expensive than only Alaska, Mississippi and Wyoming.
Kevin Counihan, CEO of Connecticut’s exchange, Access Health CT, released a statement saying his office has been unable to verify the figures in the report, which were derived from data submitted by 36 states and public information from 12 state exchanges.
“Unfortunately, this is not surprising, given that [Connecticut] currently has the 4th highest medical costs in the U.S., underscoring how various marketplace variables impact premium rates,” Counihan said. “Additionally, [Connecticut] has a substantial number of mandated benefits when compared to other states, as well as broad provider network requirements, both of which tend to drive higher premiums. We look forward to being part of the dialogue to address these important issues moving forward as we look to make coverage more affordable in our state.”
The HHS report ranked state insurance premiums in three different tiers of health plan offerings: bronze (lowest cost); silver (medium cost); and gold (highest cost).
HHS projected that those plans will have weighted average premiums of $340, $397, and $436 respectively, in Connecticut.
