Recently, Anthem Blue Cross of California, an insurance company owned by the for-profit company WellPoint, Incorporated, announced that its individual market premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent in the coming months. This shocking increase isn’t unique. Across the country, families have seen their premiums skyrocket in recent years, and experts predict these increases will continue. Sandy Praeger, a leader of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, predicts that we will “see rate increases of 20, 25, 30 percent.”1
These massive increases are disturbing examples of the problems that make reforming our health insurance system more important than ever.
Premiums Rise, Insurance Industry Profits Increase, Health Care Costs Cripple Working Families
Anthem Blue Cross of California announced that its individual market premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent in the coming months. After Secretary Sebelius and state officials asked for a public justification for these increases, Anthem Blue Cross delayed raising its rates for two months.2
