Advocates of federal health care reforms are raising concerns about Wisconsin’s delay in releasing pricing plans for new insurance marketplaces. The state has not yet released information on how much it will cost to purchase health insurance through the exchanges, although sign-ups for coverage are scheduled to begin in October.
Robert Kraig with Citizen Action of Wisconsin is concerned Governor Walker will follow other states with leaders opposed to the federal law and release skewed plans that fail to acknowledge factors that could reduce prices. Kraig says “some states have released the rates in a way that made it seem like there’s a very large rate increase, when there really is not.”
Kraig says consumers need to remember that anyone purchasing health insurance through an exchange will receive subsidies to help offset the cost, lowering the final price tag on premiums by thousands of dollars. He adds that the insurance coverage provided through the exchanges will be vastly different than the current individual insurance market, where he says discrimination and other factors often drive up premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
It remains unclear when the state plans to release the pricing and coverage information.
