Higher premiums trigger decline in Arizona insurance signups

(Photo by Alex Proimus via flickr/Creative Commons)

A doubling of individual health insurance premiums in Arizona for 2017 triggered a sharp decline in Affordable Care Act signups among people who don’t qualify for tax credits that offset their costs.

An analysis by a University of Arizona health insurance expert of data released by the federal government shows a 23 percent decrease in enrollment by that group. Dr. Daniel Derksen’s analysis shows the number of people buying insurance who qualify for the tax credits rose by more than 3 percent.

Overall, Arizona saw a 3.3 percent enrollment decline in marketplace plans that are a key component of former President Barack Obama’s heath care law, to about 196,000 people.

Nationally, the number who chose plans during open enrollment declined about 4 percent, from 12.7 million to 12.2 million people.