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Source: Milwaukee Journal SentinelSept.儲存倉 04--The cost of health insurance could increase sharply next year for some individuals and families who do not receive coverage from an employer, according to estimates released Tuesday by the Walker administration.The estimates were for plans that will be sold on the marketplaces, or exchanges, that will be set up under the Affordable Care Act.State officials provided little information about the basis of the estimates. A spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, or OCI, did not return phone calls.By one estimate, roughly half the people who are projected to buy insurance on their own will be eligible for federal subsidies, in the form of tax credits, that would help offset the increase in premiums next year.About 170,000 people in Wisconsin now buy health insurance on their own. That number could more than double in coming years as people who could not afford health insurance get coverage because of the federal subsidies available under the law.The Walker administration opposes the Affordable Care Act and the release of information about the price of health plans that will be sold on the exchanges has been highly politicized. States controlled by Democrats often put a positive spin on the rates while states controlled by Republicans have done the opposite.The decision by Wisconsin officials to not release the actual rates filed by the health insurers was criticized by supporters of the Affordable Care Act."For the OCI -- or any government agency in this or any administration -- to have a press release drawing conclusions and then refuse to release the data that they based their conclusions on is not responsible government," said David Riemer, senior fellow at the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute. "It's not transparent. It is game playing."The cost of insurance sold in the so-called individual market was expected to increase next year because of an array of new regulations.Those regulations include re迷你倉價錢uiring health insurers to cover people with pre-existing health problems, limits on out-of-pocket expenses, a cap on how much more older people can be charged compared with younger people, prohibitions against charging young women more than young men and new taxes on health insurers.That makes comparisons with health plans now on the market impossible. In general, rates are expected to increase for people who are young and healthy, particularly young men, and decrease for people who are older and sicker.The OCI said it compared health plans with a $2,000 deductible that will be sold on the exchange to similar plans now on the market. It provided estimates for seven regions in the state and for people who are ages 21, 40 and 63.In the Milwaukee area, it estimates that premiums will increase:-- 78.11% for someone who is 21.-- 40.85% for someone who is 40.-- 45.48% for someone who is 63.The OCI estimates statewide increases ranging from:-- 37.59% in Kenosha to 124.85% in Madison for someone who is 21.-- 15.15% in Kenosha to 73.43% in Madison for someone who is 40.-- 9.72% in Kenosha to 70.04% in Madison for someone who is 63.Whether health plans sold outside the exchanges will see similar increases isn't clear."It is important to note that a number of factors will impact how much of an increase an individual consumer will pay," the OCI said in its news release."The best way to determine how much you will pay is to review the exchange when it goes live on October 1."Some consumers will see higher rates once health care reform takes effect next year, said Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. He said the administration provided a disservice to consumers by releasing information without providing all the details."We won't really know the numbers until they come from the exchanges," Kraig said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at .jsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉