The Affordable Care Act has meant big profits for hospitals and health systems, and that’s because the vast majority of patients now have insurance.
You might expect rates to drop as a result. But this year, some companies want to hike rates by more than 30 percent.
OSPIRG gets a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and federal funds from the Oregon Department of Consumer and Businesses Services to look into health insurance rates. Jesse O'Brien with OSPIRG worries insurance companies are inflating prices.
“We do recognize that Oregon’s insurance companies mostly lost money last year, and that it’s not unreasonable in that situation for them to be seeking some kind of rate increase, we just think that some of these rate increases are out of line with what the data shows so we think they merit really close scrutiny,” he said.
The Oregon Insurance Division will hold public hearings later this month. Final rates will be decided July 1st.
Most people who buy individual health insurance receive tax credits to help pay for it.