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Take a Hike
Health insurance rates are going up in Massachusetts.
That wouldn't be news if the state hadn't passed universal health care two years ago with the intended goal of lowering costs.
What it shows is further proof that insurers will survive health reform—whether it's on the state or national level—quite well, passing their costs on to customers.
Insurers in Massachusetts will raise premiums as much as 12 percent next year, a survey by the Boston Globe found. The state's biggest health plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, with 2.5 million members, estimates its average premium rates will rise 10 to 11 percent, the Globe reports.
Massachusetts, dominated by nonprofit health plans, has the highest family insurance premiums in the country, the Globe says, citing Kaiser Family Foundation data.
The culprit for high premiums: Boston area medical centers that perform expensive operations, according to the Globe. In response, Massachusetts insurers are exploring plans that pay doctors and hospitals fixed rates rather than fees for services.
Brett Chase covers health care for Portfolio.com and writes the blog Heavy Doses.
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