Affordable Care Act - Will using my insurance now drive up my premium?

March 12, 2015 7:30 PM

I have independent insurance. I understand that under the ACA, I can't be denied coverage in the future, but will my premium be higher, the more I use insurance?

My health is not great at the moment, and am getting lots of medical services under my insurance plan. Does this mean that my premium will go up a lot in the future? Also, is there some way that the ACA will be repealed, and things go back to the way they used to be-- where basically, if you were sick, you can't get insurance...

posted by elif to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

Best answer: No. Under the ACA, there is no such thing as a premium based on insurance use or a pre-existing condition. Use it all you want, it'll be the rates you paid for. If you need more services, you will pay the company's rate for those services based on your plan, but they can't charge you month-to-month more based on your health.

As for repeal...I couldn't say. I think it's unlikely to go back to how it was, but I won't say it's impossible.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:36 PM on March 12, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Your premium will also not necessarily go up next year or if/when you look for a different plan. That new premium will be calculated based on the information you submit through healthcare.gov, which includes your age, location, and whether you smoke, but definitely not how much healthcare you personally consume.
posted by teremala at 8:51 PM on March 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

The technical term is community rating. This means that under the ACA insurance companies cannot discriminate (called underwriting) based on your health status. All people in the same region and the same age must be charged the same premium. However smokers will be charged a higher premium.
posted by JackFlash at 8:04 AM on March 13, 2015 [1 favorite]