N.C. Farm Bureau Wants To Eschew Some Of Health Law's Rules - And It Has A Blueprint To Follow

N.C. Farm Bureau Wants To Eschew Some Of Health Law's Rules -- And It Has A Blueprint To Follow

The North Carolina Farm Bureau has looked to Iowa and Tennessee organizations to model their requests to skirt health law regulations. The bureau's pitch to state lawmakers comes after the Trump administration in January proposed a rule to allow more small businesses and self-employed workers to band together to buy insurance through association health plans. Meanwhile, although there are some bright spots, it looks like premiums will skyrocket again next year.

The North Carolina Farm Bureau is hoping to follow Tennessee and Iowa organizations in creating a cheaper health plan that eschews Affordable Care Act rules by varying the price of coverage based on a person's health status. Larry Wooten, president of the Raleigh-based North Carolina Farm Bureau, asked a state Senate healthcare committee on Thursday to pass legislation allowing the organization to launch an association health plan that bypasses ACA rules. (Livingston, 6/7)

Brace yourselves -- it looks like Obamacare premiums could jump by double digits again next year. Insurers in several states have requested large rate hikes for 2019, with many pointing to steps taken by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress as the main reasons why. New York insurers want to hike rates by 24%, on average, while carriers in Washington are looking for a 19% average premium increase. In Maryland, CareFirst is asking for an average 18.5% rate bump for its HMO plans and a 91% spike for its PPO policies (which have far fewer enrollees), while Kaiser Permanente wants to boost premiums by more than 37%, on average. (Luhby, 6/7)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

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