In September 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported on the range of base health insurance premiums in the individual market for each county in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These numbers were published on the HealthCare.gov Plan Finder as of January 2013 for 14 categories of consumers, GAO said. Health care reporters may find this report useful when covering how much health insurance premium rates changed after 2013 when the Affordable Care Act became effective.
Before the Affordable Care Act was implemented on Jan. 1, 2014, insurers could vary individuals’ premium rates in most states based on age, gender, health status, geographic region, and other factors. When underwriting based on health status, insurers often charged individuals with health conditions much more than they charged consumers who were relatively healthy, and they could deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. Under the ACA, insurers can no longer use gender or health status to set premiums and are restricted in how much they can vary premiums based on age and tobacco use. The 7-page GAO letter report includes a link to an interactive map of each state.