By Andrew L. Wang
June 18, 2014
Illinois residents who signed up for coverage on the state’s health insurance marketplace on average received less generous premium subsidies than people in most other states in the country.
Of the roughly 217,000 people in Illinois who picked coverage as part of the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, roughly 165,000 are slated to get financial assistance from the federal government to defray the cost of their monthly premiums.
On average, those policyholders are set to receive $202 per month in help, according to new data published yesterday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency tasked with implementing the health reform law, popularly known as Obamacare.
Illinois’ figure was well below the average of all subsidies granted in the 36 states on the federally facilitated exchange, which was $264 a month.
WHAT’S WORKING, WHAT’S NOT
The state’s average subsidy in dollar terms equates to an average 64 percent discount off the full premium amount, which also fell below the 36-state average of 76 percent. The upshot: Illinois residents buying on the exchange had nearly the highest average premiums after subsidies — $114, compared to the overall average of $82.