CMS: Premium increases for 2016 Marketplace benchmark plans average 7.5%

The average rate increase for benchmark plans in the 2016 Health Insurance Marketplace is 7.5%, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The average 2016 premium increase for benchmark plans in the 30 largest markets, representing more than 60% of total enrollment, is 6.3%, CMS said. The findings are based on final rates for the second-lowest cost silver plan in the 37 states that used the Healthcare.gov platform in 2015, and exclude the advanced premium tax credit available to enrollees who qualify for subsidized coverage. Open enrollment for 2016 Marketplace plans begins Nov. 1. According to HHS, more than eight in 10 returning Marketplace consumers will be able to buy a plan with monthly premiums of $100 or less after tax credits. More than two-thirds of counties will have three or more Marketplace plan issuers, the agency said.