Ohio’s GOP insurance commissioner is projecting a marked increase in health insurance rates under ObamaCare, adding fuel to the debate over how the healthcare law will affect premiums.
The state insurance department announced Thursday that individual health policies in Ohio will cost an average of 41 percent more next year.
Plans available to small businesses will cost 18 percent more on average, officials said.
The figures reflect averages of all the plans that will be available in the individual and small-group markets, not the price consumers will be asked to pay.
ObamaCare’s individual and small-business insurance exchanges are designed to offer a range of choices to consumers, from cheaper to more expensive plans.
Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (R) in a statement blamed the average increases on ObamaCare’s requirement that plans provide a minimum level of coverage.
“Ohio has traditionally had a more competitive health insurance market than other states with a wider range of prices and choices,” Taylor said.
“That level of diversity is essentially outlawed under ObamaCare, so Ohio’s rates and premiums are going up significantly.”