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Premiums for health plans sold through the federal insurance exchange could jump substantially next year, perhaps more than at any point since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces began in 2013. An early analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that proposed rates for benchmark silver plans — the plans in that popular tier of coverage that determine enrollees’ tax subsidies — are projected to go up an average of 10 percent across 14 major metropolitan areas. The analysis, released Wednesday, is based on insurers’ initial filings in 13 states and the District of Columbia. As in previous years, it shows how differently the health-care law is playing out across the country depending on regions and insurers. (Levine and Sun, 6/15)

A new study says premiums for popular low-cost medical plans under the federal health care law are expected to go up an average of 11 percent next year. The analysis from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation foreshadows sharp increases in an election year. The study looked at 14 metro areas with complete data available. It found that premiums for a level of insurance called the "lowest-cost silver plan" will go up in 12 of the areas, while decreasing in two. (6/15)

Next year’s premiums for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act could rise more than in past years in most markets and declines might be rare, according to a preliminary analysis of insurers’ plans. Overall, premiums for a popular type of plan -- the second-lowest silver plan -- could rise 10 percent on average next year in 14 major metropolitan areas, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser based its projections on insurers’ preliminary rates filed with state regulators, which remain subject to state or federal review. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) (Galewitz, 6/15)

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, one of the biggest health insurance buyers in the country, is proposing substantially lower premium hikes for its members in 2017 than they saw this year, the agency announced Tuesday. CalPERS has recommended a 4.1 percent average hike in HMO premiums, a 3.7 percent raise in PPO premiums and a 1 percent increase in premiums for commercially administered Medicare plans. The agency’s Board of Administration is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the proposed rates. (Ibarra, 6/15)