Fewer Choices, Higher Costs Coming In Illinois Obamacare Marketplace

The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen. Land of Lincoln, a nonprofit co-op, was one of 23 established under the Affordable Care Act.
The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen. Land of Lincoln, a nonprofit co-op, was one of 23 established under the Affordable Care Act.
The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen. Land of Lincoln, a nonprofit co-op, was one of 23 established under the Affordable Care Act.
The HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen. Land of Lincoln, a nonprofit co-op, was one of 23 established under the Affordable Care Act.

Fewer Choices, Higher Costs Coming In Illinois Obamacare Marketplace

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The Illinois Department of Insurance says, according to preliminary information, health insurance costs will be up on the Obamacare marketplace in 2017. In Cook County, for example, prices are up by between 40 and 60 percent.

“It’s very unfortunate that the major structural flaws in the Affordable Care Act are forcing higher rates and harming the Illinois families who need coverage the most. It is clear that Congress must enact smarter policies that truly provide better choices for Illinois residents,” said Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner in a press release.

The federal government will continue offering consumers subsidies to help pay for marketplace health insurance. The Federal Department of Health and Family Services reports that many consumers will still have options that will cost them less than $100 a month in premiums.

The number of insurers in some counties will also be low in 2017— with at least eight counties only having a single insurer to choose from.

Exact insurance plans haven’t been released yet, but it’s likely many plans will have more narrow networks. That means, it may be harder for consumers to find plans that include all the hospitals and doctors they prefer.

Shannon Heffernan is a reporter for WBEZ. Follow her @shannon_h