via Wall Street Journal
Insurers have begun to propose big premium increases for coverage next year under the 2010 health law, as some struggle to make money in a market where their costs have soared.
The companies also have detailed the challenges in their Affordable Care Act business in a round of earnings releases, the most recent of which came on Wednesday when Humana Inc. said it made a slim profit on individual plans in the first quarter, not including some administrative costs, but still expects a loss for the full year. The Louisville, Ky.-based insurer created a special reserve fund at the end of last year to account for some expected losses on its individual plans in 2016.
The rate picture will vary by state and by company, analysts said, and not all insurers will need large premium increases to bolster their financial performance. Indeed, some companies, including Medicaid-focused insurers such as Centene Corp., have already said plans sold through the health law’s exchanges are profitable.
