Obamacare Patients 20% More Costly Than Expected

Bruce Japsen

The nation’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans–which have fared worse financially than most other large health insurance companies on public exchanges under the Affordable Care Act–say the costs to care for their individual policyholders have been about 20% higher than patients in “employer-based” group plans.

The lobby for Blue Cross plans like Anthem ANTM -1.42% and Health Care Service Corp. issued a report at midnight last night saying costs of care of individual Blue Cross policyholders was 22% higher last year than for those in employer plans.  In 2014, the first year subsidized coverage became available under the law, medical spending was 19% higher for “individual market members,” the report said.

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