ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Department of Commerce on Monday
released final rates for the 2018 individual insurance market, confirming that Republican-led reforms helped reverse the four straight years of double-digit premium increases and helped to expand health care choices to Minnesota families – particularly in rural areas.
According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, rates would have risen by 20 percent or higher without Republican reforms. The individual market serves Minnesotans who do not receive health insurance through their employer or the government.
Over the past four years, premium rates increased by double digits every year, including nearly 60 percent just one year ago. As a result of the reinsurance program recently approved by the federal government, all current insurers will continue serving the individual market next year. In addition, Republicans successfully pushed to expand health care options and improve access to hospitals and doctors. As part of the reinsurance legislation, providers
are now required to offer in-network access to more than one health care provider system in the counties in which they operate.
Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, released the following statement regarding Monday's rate announcement:
“Today’s rate announcements prove the measures we enacted earlier this year have tempered the overwhelming health insurance premium increases that were crushing Minnesotans,” Lueck said. “Obamacare has devastated Minnesota’s individual insurance market and forced a huge new costly administrative burden onto our county health and human services departments. The recent reforms we initiated have steadied the course but, until the federal government gives Minnesota more flexibility on how we deal with health insurance, we remain on an unsustainable path. I am pleased with today’s news, but we still must have real reform at the federal level to allow Minnesota to once again become the national leader on how to deliver health care to all our citizens.”
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