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US insurers say premiums are climbing as more enrol after health Act deadlines

Published Sun, Jan 10, 2016 · 09:50 PM

Washington

EAGER to maximise coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration has allowed large numbers of people to sign up for insurance after the deadlines in the last two years, destabilising insurance markets and driving up premiums, health insurance companies say.

The administration has created more than 30 "special enrollment" categories and sent emails to millions of Americans last year urging them to see if they might be able to sign up after the annual open enrolment deadline. But, insurers and state officials said, the US government did little to verify whether late arrivals were eligible.

That has allowed people to wait until they become ill or need medical services to sign up, driving up costs broadly, insurers have told US health officials. "Individuals enrolled through special enrollment periods are utilizing up to 55 per cent more services than their open enrollment counterparts", who sign up in the regular period, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association…

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