Rate restrictions limit how much insurance companies can vary premiums charged to individuals and businesses based on factors such as health status, age, tobacco use and gender. Currently, federal law does not place any limits on the ways that insurance companies set their premium rates. However, beginning January 1, 2014, insurance companies must meet the Affordable Care Act’s minimum premium rating rules for health plans for individuals and small businesses. This brief explains the current status and trends of rate restrictions and how these trends will change when the ACA is fully implemented.
Fact Sheet (.pdf)