Blue Cross NC Plans To Lower Rates For Affordable Care Act Plans

Thousands of customers that receive Affordable Care Act plans with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina could soon see cheaper insurance premiums.

The company plans to lower rates for ACA plans in 2019.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina wants to decrease the rates for ACA premiums by 4.1 percent.

The Durham insurer says several factors played a role in its decision. Those include having more knowledge of the customer pool to help manage costs, the suspension of the ACA health insurance tax for 2019, and entering into new arrangements with health systems.

The company currently serves more than 475,000 customers under the plans. It expects to be the only insurer to offer Obamacare plans in all 100 counties.

The open enrollment period for 2019 coverage runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15.

The state Department of Insurance will have to approve the proposal, which would go into effect January 1.

Blue Cross says this would be its first individual market rate decrease in company history.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news