Self-employed New Mexicans relying on Blue Cross Blue Shield health care services are due to incur a ten percent increase on premiums paid less than a year
“„While the 21 percent increase last year affected more than 40,000 individual customers, this one potentially will affect 27,000 policyholders, Franchini said. Policyholders may have switched plans, moved to Medicare or simply dropped health insurance, he said.
“„Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico did not answer questions about how many people would be affected by the most recent rate-increase proposal, whether customers had been alerted about the erroneous letters or why the increase was needed.
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“„According to the state Insurance Division, health care costs in New Mexico are going up an average of 12 percent per year. Those costs include doctor visits, nursing care, hospital stays, laboratory tests and diagnostic tests such as X-rays.
“„Weiss Ratings, a company that rates the financial health of insurance companies, released a report earlier this year saying that nationally, medical expenses declined by 1.3 percent to 3 percent — the first decline in a decade.
“„A 2009 report by The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, which analyzes health care policies and costs, says new medical technology, prescription drug use and the rise in chronic diseases have contributed the most to rising health care costs. Another Kaiser report found the increase in health-insurance premiums, out-of-pocket health spending and taxes for health care far outpaced both inflation and people’s average gross income increases.