California Health Insurance Rate Hikes Face Regulation
In California, health insurance premiums have been going up so fast that the industry is going to be regulated. Part of the impetus for new legislation has been that insurance companies continue to post record profits without passing any of that back to the policyholders who contribute to the profits.
Increasing health insurance premiums are one of the major reasons why some people tend to neglect their health care. High premiums are forcing millions of Californians to go without health insurance. Since 1999, individual and family health insurance premiums have gone up a shocking 139 percent!
Plan holders continue to voice their complaints on unreasonable rate hikes. This is inevitable since CA health insurance companies annually report huge profits. However, this entire ruckus with rate increases is about to change. California’s Assembly took a brave step to protect Californians from unjustifiable California Health Insurance premium rate hikes.
Health Insurance For California Faces Assembly Action To Stop Egregious Premium Hikes
To address premium rate increases, California’s Assembly passed AB 52. According to Assembly member Mike Feuer, the main proponent of AB 52, the bill would require California Health Insurance companies to seek the state regulator’s approval before raising co-payments, deductibles or health insurance premiums.
California has been one of the 17 states left where regulators do not have the power to prevent excessive premium increases on health insurance plans. The Department of Insurance and the Department of Managed Health Care could only review premium increases. With this bill, prices on California health insurance plans could be regulated. It is hoped that this would make California Health Insurance more available and put coverage within reach for millions of Californians who are now uninsured.
As stated by Feuer, the passage of the bill into law would be the ultimate solution to protect Californians from increasing rates on individual California health insurance plans. He also added that people should not have to live in fear that one day they would be unable to manage health insurance in CA anymore. For most people, the protection of health insurance is all that stands between them and bankruptcy in the face of devastatingly high medical bills.
What Makes Premiums On Health Insurance For California Affordable?
While this bill is still being reviewed by the Senate, there are other methods to keep California Health Insurance premiums low. One of these options comes in the form of high deductibles. As a general rule, getting a health insurance plan with a high deductible corresponds to some of the lowest premiums available. Another option is adding a supplemental accident insurance policy to cut into that deductible for any accident-related injuries. These plans come with different amounts of coverage, up to $10,000, but keep the deductible down to $100.
Another method to keep CA Health Insurance premiums low is quite a guarantee. Maintain your health with the best, and yet affordable, foods like vegetables that have high levels of nutrients. That makes it simple to cut both out-of-pocket costs for health care and California Health Insurance premiums because you won’t need medical care beyond preventive care.
