12.4% Surcharge Slapped on Obamacare Plans For Californians

12.4% Surcharge Slapped on Obamacare Plans For Californians
Published: 11 Oct, 2017
1 min read

In August, Covered California announced that 2018 premiums would rise 12.5 percent statewide.  But the exchange also warned that additional hikes could be in store if President Trump failed to commit to continued funding for the cost-sharing subsidies that educe some consumers’ out-of-pocket expenses.

Sure enough, the subsidies appear to be ending, and so to is Obamacare's affordability for many Californian's.

California’s health exchange announced it has ordered insurers to add a surcharge to certain policies next year. The decision to add a 12.4 percent surcharge on silver-level health plans in 2018 means the total premium increase for them will average nearly 25 percent.

But get this, according to Covered California, taxpayers, not consumers, will feel the brunt of the extra hike because federal premium assistance for policyholders, which is pegged to the cost of coverage, will also increase.

Californians can get their first look at next year’s health plan prices and options on the state’s rate calculator, released Wednesday. The state’s open enrollment period runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31.

About 1.4 million Californians buy their own coverage through the state marketplace and nearly 90 percent receive financial assistance that reduces what they pay.

You Might Also Like

New IVP 2026 California Governor Poll: What the Toplines Don’t Tell You
New IVP 2026 California Governor Poll: What the Toplines Don’t Tell You
Using verified California voter file data, IVP surveyed high-propensity voters from February 13 through 20. The poll tested first-choice ballot preferences alongside issue intensity on affordability and the cost of living, immigration enforcement, more choice reform, and more....
23 Feb, 2026
-
10 min read
81% of Americans Say Money Controls Politics – Can a Constitutional Amendment Fix It?
81% of Americans Say Money Controls Politics – Can a Constitutional Amendment Fix It?
Polls consistently show that nearly all Americans across the political spectrum agree that there is too much money in politics – whether from foreign sources, corporations, or so-called “dark money” groups. ...
23 Feb, 2026
-
13 min read
10 Reasons Why the Congressional Stock Trading Ban Will Never Pass
10 Reasons Why the Congressional Stock Trading Ban Will Never Pass
The overlap between committee assignments and stock ownership is not automatically illegal. Because the current legal framework permits this proximity as long as disclosure rules are followed, lawmakers are not operating under a system that forces change....
20 Feb, 2026
-
4 min read