Kaiser To Raise Rates by an Average of 10.7% for 300,000 Policyholders
On Friday, Kaiser Permanente plans to raise rates by an average of 10.7% for about 300,000 policyholders in California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/28).
The premium increases, which could be as high as 17% for some policyholders, would affect members enrolled in small-business plans (San Francisco Business Times, 6/28).
Union Raises Concerns
In response to Kaiser's announcement, the National Union of Healthcare Workers sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) calling for the Department of Managed Health Care to investigate the proposed rate hikes.
Kaiser responded to NUHW's letter by saying the organization "submitted rates to DMHC according to its requirements at the end of April" (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/28).
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