PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island officials say they’ve adopted higher health insurance rates for next year because the Trump administration ended cost-sharing subsidies to insurers.
The state’s health insurance exchange, HealthSource RI, and the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner said Wednesday that ending the payments was “reckless” and individual market rates for 2018 will include a “Trump tax.”
The amount varies by a person’s age, income and family size.
HealthSource RI says the new rates amount to an 18 percent to 20 percent increase for the “silver-level” plans most people pick, though increasing tax credits will help mitigate the impact.
HealthSource RI advises people to explore their options, especially if they don’t qualify for credits.
The cost-sharing payments reimburse insurers for providing lower-income people with discounts on out-of-pocket costs. President Donald Trump called them insurance company bailouts.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.