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Health insurance rates will rise next year by an average of just 4 percent in California, one of the few states that actively negotiate prices, state officials said Monday. In other states, insurers, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield, have requested rate increases of 10 percent to 40 percent or more. New customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected, many insurers have said. Some insurers reported financial losses on their exchange business, saying they paid out more in claims than they collected in premiums. (Pear, 7/27)

The modest price increases for 2016 may be welcome news for many of the 1.3 million Californians who buy individual policies through the state marketplace, known as Covered California. California's rates are a key barometer of how the Affordable Care Act is working nationwide, and the results indicate that industry giants Anthem and Kaiser Permanente are eager to compete for customers in the nation's biggest Obamacare market. (Terhune, 7/27)

This increase is slightly less than last year’s increase of 4.2 percent. ... Consumers who live in different parts of the state will see varying rates. ... On the flip side, some consumers could see their premiums go down, if they choose to shop around. (Aliferis and Dembosky, 7/27)

The average increase in Southern California is 1.8 percent, for a total of $296 a month, compared to 7 percent, or a total of $384 a month, in Northern California. Southern Californians can get better rates because the region has more provider competition. The exchange also added two new participants for the first time — UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest health insurer, and a New York startup called Oscar. Lee said California's 2016 rates are proof that the Affordable Care Act is working in the state. He credited California's aggressive approach on haggling with insurers. (Lin, 7/27)

Northern Californians will pay $88 more in average monthly healthcare premiums than Southern California consumers, under new 2016 rates announced Monday by Covered California, the state’s official healthcare marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. (Buck, 7/27)

Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, on Monday boasted a second straight year of modest rate hikes next year for the majority of its customers, but one region of the state won't have it so easy: the Bay Area. While average premiums will rise only 4 percent statewide, rates will climb as high as 12.8 percent in Santa Cruz County, 7 percent in Santa Clara County and more than 6 percent in Alameda and San Mateo counties, exchange officials revealed. (Seipel, 7/27)