Bad news keeps on coming

Health care insurance brokers are getting a large dose of experience in being deliverers of bad news, courtesy of the Affordable Care Act.

That's the biggest takeaway from a survey of the broker industry by Benefitter, a health care data, consulting and software firm. Benefitter reports higher rates from insurance firms have caused “an unprecedented number of employers” to stop offering group health benefits. In some cases the premium costs for employers doubled over the past year. The survey, of more than 1,000 nationwide insurance brokers, reports at least three out of four had employer clients who dropped health coverage and instructed employees to purchase their own insurance.

“As we enter open enrollment for the public market, it's becoming more apparent that individual rates are often much more affordable than group rates,” Benefitter CEO Brian Poger says in a release. “It's no surprise that many business owners are responding to continued group rate increases with their feet.”