South Carolina: APPROVED 2019 #ACA rate changes: 5.2% INCREASE instead of likely 5.8% DECREASE due to #ACASabotage

Back in August, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, the only carrier offering policies on SC's individual insurance market, asked for a 9.2% average premium rate increase for 2019 statewide. This consisted of 9.3% for their most popular plans (which cover over 200,000 South Carolinans) and 6.9% for 6,800 BlueChoice plan enrollees (BlueChoice is only available off-exchange).

Today the South Carolina Insurance Department posted the approved rate changes for 2019, and in addition to shaving several points off of each BCBSSC division, they also announced a new entrant to the SC market (although only in Charleston County):

2019 PRELIMINARY HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS RATE CHANGES FOR INDIVIDUAL MARKET COVERAGE

The SCDOI has approved the rates and forms for health insurance issuers that are planning to offer ACAcompliant products in the individual market in 2019.

Below is a summary of the range of rate changes that have been approved for 2019 plans by company and market availability. These rates will be effective for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2019.

Assuming roughly an 11% #ACASabotage factor (Individual Mandate Repeal + expansion of #ShortAssPlans), this translates into unsubsidized enrollees having to pay an extra $860 than they'd otherwise have to (a 5.2% rate increase instead of a 5.8% rate drop):