Walker Administration’s Lax Health Insurance Regulation Costly for Wisconsin Consumers
Walker is too busy campaigning to do anything about this. But I wonder if he would anyway--he uses it to claim ACA is a failure. damn him!
#ScottWalker Administrations Lax Health Insurance Regulation Costly for Wisconsin Consumers http://www.citizenactionwi.org/walker_administration_s_lax_health_insurance_regulation_costly_for_wisconsin_consumers
via @CitizenActionWI
Walker Administrations Lax Health Insurance Regulation Costly for Wisconsin Consumers
Posted by Robert Kraig 469.20pc on September 01, 2015
Statewide: .......................
However, a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund found that Wisconsin had among the highest health insurance rates in the nation on the individual insurance market, and inflation rates that are well above average.
The Commonwealth Fund report found Wisconsin had the 4th highest insurance premiums in the nation for silver plans, the plans that federal government uses to calculate tax credits to make health insurance more affordable. Wisconsin also had inflation rates 9% above the national average for silver plans, and 7% above the national average for all plans on the individual market. The average premium for a Wisconsin silver plan is $780 more per year than the national average.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin has repeatedly pointed to the Walker Administration's lax approach to rate review as a factor in high Wisconsin health insurance costs. In June the federal government called on Wisconsin and other states to more carefully scrutinize large rate increases.
States such as Minnesota have reduced health insurance premium increases by implementing more robust rate review.
The Walker Administrations refusal to police excessive health insurance rates is a disaster for Wisconsinites struggling to afford rising premiums, said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Simply allowing insurance companies to set their own rates violates the intent of the federal health care law. Its long overdue for the Walker Administration to move beyond its endless efforts to sabotage health care reform, and take advantage of the tools available to hold health insurance companies accountable for unjustified premium hikes.