Obamacare Illinois Rates Released
The federal department overseeing President Obama’s health care overhaul has published a database of insurance plan rates for counties in 34 states, including the 102 in Illinois.
The Quinn administration has declined to release such detailed information, which includes premiums for individuals and families for the health plans offered by various carriers on Get Covered Illinois, the state’s online health insurance marketplace.
GetCoveredIllinois.com went online yesterday, directing visitors to the federal insurance exchange at Healthcare.gov, which experienced extensive glitches amid the surge in interest.
However, the federal website does not allow users to simultaneously browse the wide range of plans the database allows. The site also requires users to register and provide basic personal information in order compare specific plans that would apply.
The database includes rates for the five carriers selling plans to Illinois residents via the exchange: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois in Chicago; Land of Lincoln Health Inc. Co-op, also in Chicago; Louisville, Ky.-based Humana Inc., Aetna Inc. and Health Alliance, an arm of Springfield-based Carle Foundation.
It details rates in the five levels of coverage, called platinum, gold, silver, bronze and catastrophic plans. The categories reflect the percentage of expected health care costs, or actuarial value, covered by each health plan. Under the Affordable Care Act, bronze plans cover, 60 percent of actuarial value; silver plans, 70 percent; gold plans, 80 percent; and platinum plans, 90 percent.
The database allows a user to find rates for plans of various household sizes and of varying ages. It does not include other details about the plans, such as deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums or provider networks, though this information is available for comparison purposes on the exchange itself.
