Some in Illinois Experience Leaps in Insurance Rates

Insurance prices in parts of Illinois are spiking by more than 20 percent on the marketplace that’s a cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s health overhaul, according to an analysis Wednesday by the state’s Department of Insurance. In the most detailed look yet at 2016 rates, regulators reported eye-popping increases in some counties. Eighteen counties in northern Illinois are seeing increases on the lowest cost silver plans of more than 20 percent, the report shows. In Rock Island, the lowest cost bronze plan climbed 39 percent from a $129 per month plan offered in 2015 by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois to a $180 plan offered for 2016 by United HealthCare. “Confused, shocked, astonished,” said northeastern Illinois insurance broker James Hodgdon, describing client reactions. “They were having difficulty affording it before the increases.”