Obamacare Numbers Are in

[somarco]

In health insurance prices, as in the weather, Alaska and the Sun Belt are extremes. This year Alaska is the most expensive health insurance market for people who do not get coverage through their employers, while Phoenix, Albuquerque, N.M., and Tucson, Ariz., are among the very cheapest.

Along with the three southwestern cities, the places with the lowest premiums include Louisville, Ky., Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn., and Minneapolis-St. Paul and many of its suburbs, the analysis found.

Starting this month, the cheapest silver plan for a 40-year-old in Alaska costs $488 a month. (Not everyone will have to pay that much because the health law subsidizes premiums for low-and moderate-income people.) A 40-year-old Phoenix resident could pay as little as $166 for the same level plan.
KHN

 

[Ann H]

hahaha. Factually true, but oh so much more to the story!

In the Phoenix area, we have the lowest benchmark (Second Lowest Cost Silver) Plan in the nation - 2 years in a row. This year, it's from our local co-op, based on an HMO, with the "neighborhood" network. "Neighborhood" sounds friendly, doesn't it? It's the hood. Yep. In the red light district where their only in-network hospital is located. So, are there a lot of doctors? Well 11 clinics serve as the PCPs. Don't want to go to a clinic in central Phoenix? Sorry, no out-of-network benefits.

So, quoting $166 for a 40-year-old male sounds good, but a decent Silver plan would cost around $250, whether PPO or HMO.

 

[Yagents]

Medicaid network built on an Obamacare Chassis

Alaska Health Plan Premiums, Highest In Nation, Are Triple Those In Phoenix | Kaiser Health News

By contrast, in Maricopa County, Phoenix's home, the lowest silver premium price dropped 15 percent from last year, when Phoenix did not rank among the lowest areas. A dozen insurers are offering silver plans. "Phoenix, during the boom, attracted a lot of providers so it's a very robust, competitive market," said Allen Gjersvig, an executive at the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, which is helping people enroll in the marketplaces.

The cheapest silver plan in Phoenix comes from Meritus, a nonprofit insurance cooperative. The plan is an HMO that provides care through Maricopa Integrated Health System, a safety net system that is experienced in managing care for Medicaid patients. Meritus' chief executive, Tom Zumtobel, said they brought that plan's premium down from 2014. The insurer and the health system meet regularly to figure out how to treat complicated cases in the most efficient manner. "We're working together to get the best outcome," Zumtobel said.