Central Pennsylvania counties like Fulton and Juniata will have some of the highest monthly increases at 411% and 485%.
This year’s Obamacare open enrollment period, which started Nov. 1 in most states, is full of uncertainty and confusion for the more than 24 million people who buy health insurance through the federal and state Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
Unless Congress acts, enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits will expire at year’s end, leaving small businesses in Pennsylvania and across the country bracing for higher health care costs.
Nationwide, contract disputes are common, with more than 650 hospitals having public spats with an insurer since 2021. They could become even more common as hospitals brace for about $1 trillion in cuts to federal health care spending prescribed by President Donald Trump’s signature legislation signed into law in July.
With the federal shutdown entering its fourth week, spurred by a stalemate over the cost of health insurance for 22 million Americans on Affordable Care Act plans, a new report shows that over 154 million people with coverage through an employer also face steep price hikes — and that the situation is likely to get worse.
The Insurance Department issued the directive after changes at the CDC made access uncertain.
Plans for small groups of 50 or fewer employees will increase an average of 12.7%, while individual plans will rise an average of 21.5% — not including the elimination of any federal tax credits.
To control costs, nearly all health insurers use a system called prior authorization, which requires patients or their providers to seek approval before they can get certain procedures, tests, and prescriptions.
