In a report released Feb. 4, 2014, the Government Accountability Office issued a report on the range of base premiums before health insurers conducted underwriting for individuals. The report, Private Health Insurance: The Range of Base Premiums for Individuals Age 19 and 64 in the Individual Market by State in January 2013, is available for download as a PDF. The data in the report came from the HealthCare.gov Plan Finder in January 2013 and showed the base premiums for individuals aged 19 and 64 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The base premiums reflected data submitted by insurers to the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Health care journalists may find this report useful because the premium numbers represent the lowest amounts that would have been available to individuals in different categories. They can compare what individuals would pay in each state andwhat individuals would have paid before the Affordable Care Act became effective one year later, on Jan. 1, 2014. The numbers do not, however, represent the actual premium amounts that consumers would pay. Consumers likely would pay more after insurers completed underwriting for health conditions and other factors, the GAO said. Also, in 2013, some individuals would have been denied coverage, although such denials were outlawed under the Affordable Care Act as of Jan. 1, 2014.