The Iowa Insurance Commissioner has approved double-digit rate increases for the insurance policies held by about a quarter of a million Iowans. Individual health insurance polices from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield will increase an average of 14-and-a-half percent on January 1st. The rates for the Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa will go up an average of 11-point-nine percent.

State Insurance Commissioner Nick Gearhart says he found “no evidence” Wellmark’s rate hikes were “discriminatory or excessive.” Gearheart says due to the Affordable Care Act, Wellmark faces higher costs partly because insurers can’t deny coverage to applicants with pre-existing conditions, plus new rules restrict how much a client’s age, potential health risks or gender can factor into rates.

(Radio Iowa)