October 2016 | Joel C. Cantor | Opinion: Rising Premiums for Obamacare Plans, Some Hidden Good News
Data showing that Obamacare marketplace plan premiums are rising isn’t good news, but it is not all bad either, particularly for New Jersey.
First, it is important to understand what these numbers represent. Last week, the costs for plans on the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplaces for 2017 coverage were posted. Those data showed that the average cost for a midrange silver plan across 28 states rose 24 percent since last year. In New Jersey, however, the increase of the benchmark silver plan rose by less than a third as much, by 7 percent.