This study analyzes the 2018 premium increases for health insurance plans offered on the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces. Specifically, it compares the 2018 premiums to the 2017 premiums by analyzing the cost changes in three different plan types by rating area: benchmark Silver, lowest-cost Bronze, and lowest-cost Gold plans. It finds:

• Benchmark plans from 2017 that are still offered in 2018, even if not as the benchmark, rose by an average of 29 percent—the highest average increase since the ACA began;
• Only 17 percent of all rating areas have the same benchmark plan as 2017;
• The average 2018 benchmark plan premium is 36 percent higher than the average 2017 benchmark plan; and
• The lowest-cost Bronze premium and the lowest-cost Gold premium both increased on average by about by 20 percent.

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