Delaware officials revise proposed ACA rate request

(AP) — Delaware’s insurance commissioner says there was an error in the proposed rate increase request from the lone insurer offering coverage under the Affordable Care Act in Delaware.

The Department of Insurance announced last month that Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware was seeking an average rate increase of 5.7 percent for individual plan coverage for next year.

Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro announced Thursday at a meeting of the Delaware Health Care Commission that independent actuaries had found an error, and that the proposed rate increase is actually 3.7 percent.

Rates for various plans could increase as much as 20.7 percent or decrease by as much as 3.5 percent.

Navarro did not provide details about the error at the meeting and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.