Obamacare Health Insurance: US health insurers seek largest jump in Obamacare premiums since 2018, shows report
FAQs
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
U.S. insurers are requesting the biggest premium increases for Obamacare plans since 2018, according to an analysis by health-research firm KFF, prompted by the looming expiry of premium tax credits and potential tariffs on medical goods. Insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 15 per cent for 2026, KFF said, citing data from rate filings of 105 insurers across 19 states. In recent years, premiums in the plans have been relatively flat or grown only modestly.The industry has been struggling with changing enrollment patterns and rising medical costs. Insurers such as UnitedHealth and Centene have suspended their annual earnings forecasts while others have lowered their profit targets.Insurance companies pointed to the slower market growth and a rise in higher-risk patients enrolled in plans under Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The plans primarily serve people who do not get insurance either through an employer, Medicaid for low-income people or Medicare for older adults.The companies also cited the planned 2026 expiration of COVID-era premium tax credits as a reason, with KFF's analysis showing insurers will raise premiums by an additional 4 per cent than they would if the enhanced tax credits were renewed.For 2026, insurers generally reported that the underlying cost of healthcare remains around last year's 8 per cent increase.Several noted that GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs are driving costs higher, along with labor market pressures affecting negotiations with healthcare providers.Insurers also flagged uncertainty surrounding the "ACA Integrity Rule", a set of regulations finalized to strengthen verification and reduce improper enrollments in Obamacare plans, according to the report.A1. Health insurers Centene, Molina, UnitedHealth, Cigna, Elevance, CVS Health, Oscar Health and Kaiser Permanente are prominent firms.A2. President of USA is Donald Trump
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scroll.in
40 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
In charts: Where do international students study?
More than half of all international students last year studied in four countries: the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, according to Project Atlas 2024, a research portal focused on student mobility. The United States – home to elite universities such as Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford – was the top destination in 2024, hosting a record 1,126,690 students, according to the portal, which is run by the Institute of International Education. But immigration policy changes in these destinations, including limits on international student intake, visa revocation plans and deportations, could reshape the education landscape. Strict visa rules Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has revoked and then reinstated the visas of thousands of international students as part of his hardline immigration agenda. High-profile arrests, including of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil for three months, followed Trump's orders to deport non-citizen students with pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel views. In May, the administration paused the scheduling of student visa appointments overseas before resuming them in June with increased social-media vetting of applicants. The American Council on Education said the pause on visas 'would send a message that our nation no longer welcomes talented students and scholars from other countries'. International students, mostly from China and India, contributed $50 billion in tuition fees and other living expenses in 2023, a revenue stream at risk due to Trump's crackdown on student visas. Last year, Canada introduced a cap on new international student permits, leading to a drop in numbers from India, Nigeria and the Philippines in particular. The government said the international student programme had put pressure on housing and healthcare, and some institutions were exploiting the system, offering sham degrees. The immigration ministry said in January that Canada will issue 437,000 study permits this year, a 10% reduction from 2024 and down from more than 650,000 in 2023. International students numbers have been on the decline in Britain since 2023. A record 484,000 student visas were issued in 2022, but this fell to 457,673 in 2023 and to 393,000 by the end of 2024, according to data from the Home Office, the government department overseeing immigration in the UK. New rules banning international students from bringing family members with them were introduced in 2024 to prevent the abuse of the student visa system, the Home Office said. In August, Australia, favoured by students because of its large immigrant population, said it would cap international student intakes at 270,000 per year to address a housing crisis. Student numbers In 2022, there were over 1 million Chinese students abroad, with India in second place, according to the World Migration 2024 report. In 2024, Indian students surpassed the number of Chinese students in the United States for the first time since 2009. Indian students outnumbered Chinese students in the UK for the first time in more than a decade in 2024. Countries with growing numbers of students enrolling at British schools include Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Where are students looking to enrol? Universities in the Asia-Pacific region are offering grants and admissions for international students. Japan's Osaka University has offered tuition waivers and grants to American students and researchers who wish to transfer. The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology has pledged unconditional admission to international students displaced from Harvard. In July, Dubai, which hosts more than a dozen satellite campuses of Western universities, said it wanted to increase the percentage of international students from 35% of the student body to 50% by 2033, as part of its drive to double its economy by that year.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
On-demand driver service platform DriveU logs 22% rise in FY25 revenue; net profit zooms to Rs 1.7 crore
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Bengaluru-based on-demand driver service platform DriveU reported a 22% increase in revenue to Rs 111.8 crore in the financial year 2025, up 22% from Rs 91.6 crore a year back, led by an increase in bookings of company's profit after tax (PAT) rose to Rs 1.73 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 11 lakh in FY24, said the company in a release.'We are coming back quicker after Covid-19, with our team delivering one of the strongest performances. We will be increasing our presence in cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi in the coming years,' said Rahm Shastry, chief executive officer of revenues jumped significantly, the company managed to check its overall expenses to Rs 27.8 crore, up 13.5% from Rs 24.5 crore a year back. Its marketing expenses almost doubled on-year to Rs 4.56 crore in FY25. Employee benefit expenses rose to Rs 12.26 crore in FY25 from Rs 10.63 crore in FY24.'In one of our major markets, Bengaluru, we are able to get only 7% of car owners to use our service. We will largely focus on improving our presence by promoting drivers on demand in the next few years,' said company reported Rs 1.74 crore of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda), up from Rs 1.08 crore in the previous in 2015, DriveU has raised around $8.8 million in equity money from a bunch of angel investors and Washington-based Capria Ventures.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Indias share in US imports increasing in electronics, agri, textiles: Official
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The restructuring of tariffs by the US has led to a shift in the list of key product suppliers to the American market, with India emerging as one of the beneficiaries at the expense of China and Canada, an official said on Monday. As per an analysis, India's share in the USA's electronics exports has increased to 7.2 per cent to 3.5 per cent year-on-year in May, while China's share dipped to 11 per cent from 22 per cent during the same period. Within electronics the growth for India was led by smartphones and solar cells. Overall electronics exports in April-June were up 47 per cent to USD 12.41 billion. Similarly, China's share in textiles exports to the US fell from 27 per cent to 14 per cent, at a time when India's share in the US textiles' import market grew from 9 per cent to 12 per cent and Vietnam's share grew from 14 per cent to 18 per cent. In the agriculture and marine products sector, China's share to America has dipped from 3.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent, and despite no overlap in export commodities, India's share has grown from 1.7 per cent to 2.2 per cent. Indonesia and Vietnam ended up grabbing a portion of China's space in agriculture exports to the US. The official also said that in the first quarter of 2025-26, India, Mexico and the European Union (EU) have witnessed a positive growth in exports to the US, while China has seen the sharpest fall in exports to the US among G20 countries (around 5 per cent), followed by Canada and many other countries. China's exports to the US have suffered as it has faced the highest tariffs among major exporters to America. Even after the agreement between the US and China the tariffs on China stay at 55 per cent. On the other hand, Indian goods attract an additional 10 per cent duty in the US markets. Besides, there is 50 per cent duty on steel and aluminium, and 25 per cent on auto and auto parts. According to experts, these high sector duties may have implications for India. As steel and aluminum have 50 per cent additional duties, the domestic steel prices in the US are 40 per cent more than international prices. This high price and tariff uncertainty has resulted in fall in order inflow. Another sector that has suffered due to tariff uncertainty is chemicals. India's share of US import of chemicals has come down to 3.5 per cent from 4.4 per cent between May 2024 and May 2025. As pharma tariffs have been left untouched so far, India is maintaining its share in the US market. India maintains 40 per cent share of the US generic drugs imports. US President Donald Trump has threatened 200 per cent duties on pharma but India is expected to maintain its share as its products are 30 per cent to 80 per cent cheaper than the competition. PTI RR TRB view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 21:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
