Posted by BCBSNC Date: 03/22/2013 A version of this article appeared March 22, 2013, on page A1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Health Insurers Warn on Premiums.

The Wall Street Journal has published a story that focuses on insurers’ efforts to educate brokers about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on premiums. BCBSNC is one of several health plans mentioned in the story.

Key Points About This

It’s important to remember that any numbers being thrown around are speculation – we have not finalized rates for the products we will sell on the Exchange yet.

The ACA has some good goals – covering more people and providing more benefits – and paying for these things will mean higher premiums.

The ACA requires health insurers to cover 10 new categories of essential health benefits – this adds cost.

There are also 8 new taxes and fees that will directly impact premiums.

And we’ll be adding many new customers – many of them sicker than our current customers. We expect this to mean higher medical expenses.

All of this means premiums that are higher than what we see today. Subsidies will offset these costs for some, but many customers will still pay more than they do today.

This summer, we will have tools available to help our customers evaluate their specific circumstances and determine whether they are better off keeping their current plan or shopping on the Exchange for a new plan. (more…)