Saturday, October 5, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year from HMSA: Premium now $1742.50 per Family
By Andrew Walden @ 8:23 PM :: 6697 Views :: Health Care

by Andrew Walden

HMSA individual plan ratepayers are receiving “Happy 2014” letters from HMSA this holiday season.  The letters, dated December 27, 2013 and signed by Elena Kambitisi, HMSA Senior Vice President for Consumer Strategy, outline new rates effective February 1, 2014. 

These are the rates for a 50 year old non-smoker:

Single = $580.25

Two-Party = $1161. 00

Family = $1742.50

The highest Health Exchange rate for a single 50-year old non-smoker is $518.59 from HMSA.  The lowest, for a Kaiser Bronze plan with significantly less coverage is $203.  Logically the higher rates will push HMSA and Kaiser clients to consider buying other plans.  Many will buy high deductible Bronze plans thus reducing HMSA and Kaiser operating expenses.

Kambitisi exults: “The state has just approved premiums for HMSA individual plan members who are extending their plan for a year.”  Unlike the infamous September, 2013 letter from HMSA President Michael Gold, Consumer Strategist Kambitisi avoids blaming Obamacare for this latest rate hike, but the insurer sang a different song when winning approval of these rate hikes from the State Insurance Commissioner.  The Star-Advertiser December 31, 2013 reports:

The state Insurance Division said Monday that Kaiser Permanente Hawaii would be allowed to boost premiums by an average 9.2 percent for individual plans with 11,000 enrollees and by 5 percent for 26,300 small-business policyholders at their contract renewal dates.

Hawaii Medical Service Association also got the green light to bump up rates by 7.5 percent for 14,300 individuals. HMSA had been cleared earlier this year to increase small-business rates by 6.8 percent effective this past July for 118,000 members....

Both HMSA and Kaiser said the rate adjustments were necessary to cover higher projected medical expenses and taxes and fees related to President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Steve Van-Ribbink, HMSA's chief financial and services officer, said in a statement that 4.4 percentage points of the 7.5 percent increase for individual plans are to cover ACA-related costs. For small-business policies, 3.9 percentage points of the 6.8 percent increase is related to ACA costs....

With Obamacare exchanges failing to attract much consumer interest and ACA rules costing millions of individual plan buyers their insurance plans, President Obama November 14, 2013 ordered that insurers be allowed to provide a one-year extension.  HMSA and Kaiser both agreed to extend the existing plans, thus replacing the Bronze Plan as the default option for premium payers. 

If no further action is taken, premium payers will get a new round of cancellation letters starting this September, just in time for the elections.

---30---

Background:

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii