Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Thursday, August 3, 2017.
Illinois Obamacare providers want to raise health insurance rates by up to 43 percent
Health insurance companies want to “raise rates by up to 43 percent for Illinois customers who receive health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act,” the Sun-Times reports. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, which covers nearly 310,000 of the 351,000 state residents who have insurance through the ACA, anticipates rate increases averaging 38.2 percent on its BlueCare Direct plans; Cigna, which covers nearly 27,000 residents, wants a 37.7 percent increase; and Health Alliance Medical Plans, which covers central and downstate Illinois, is proposing a hike of 43.1 percent. Insurers point to the rising cost of medical services and prescription drugs as well as to the uncertainty of the health care system under the Trump administration as factors behind the price surge. State officials can push for changes in the proposals before new rates go into effect January 1, 2018, but don’t have the power to accept or reject them. [Sun-Times]
