Insurers' propose 2015 rate increases for health exchange plans

News outlets report on proposed 2015 premium increases in D.C. and Colorado, looking at how these rates compare nationally and how consumers are reacting.

The Washington Post: D.C. Health Insurers Propose Rate Hikes For 2015
In its second year offering coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the District's largest health insurer hopes to hike rates on most of its plans for individuals and small businesses by more than 10 percent -; far outstripping the increases its competitors are seeking (DeBonis, 6/23).

Health News Colorado: Consumers Demand Lower Rates, Universal Care
Consumers are pressing for more affordable insurance as carriers unveiled proposed 2015 rates that range from 22 percent cheaper than this year's premiums to nearly 18 percent more expensive. Denver Health proposed hiking its rates by 17.5 percent, the largest proposed increase in the state, according to analysts at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI), a consumer advocacy group that is scrutinizing proposed insurance rate hikes and could protest increases it considers unwarranted. Kaiser Permanente, which captured nearly half of the new customers who bought insurance on Colorado's exchange for this year, proposed a 7 percent increase.Colorado's mountain resort areas are home to the highest insurance premiums in the country this year (McCrimmon and Carman, 6/24).