As insurers across the country continue to finalize their rate proposals for 2015, several outlets carry assessments of these filings. In a front-page analysis of the 2015 insurance rates from the 10 states that have completed their filings so far, the Wall Street Journal (6/19, A1, Radnofsky, Subscription Publication) reports that in all but one state, the largest health plan is seeking to raise rates between 8.5% and 22.8%, while insurers with small enrollments want to reduce rates in order to attract customers.

The Hill (6/19, Viebeck) reports on another an analysis, this one conducted by Avalere Health, which found that “premiums on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges will rise an average of 8 percent next year” in the nine states the consultancy studied. The premium shifts range from a drop of 1.4 percent in Oregon to a hike of 16 percent in Indiana. These proposals, the article says, “defy the dire predictions made by Obamacare’s critics, who said sick enrollees on the exchange would force insurers to drive up prices for 2015.”

The Congressional Quarterly (6/19, Adams, Subscription Publication) covers the Avalere analysis, noting that it looked at Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. The Christian Science Monitor (6/19, Trumbull) also reports on the Avalere analysis.

Vox (6/19, McIntyre) reports on yet another study, published this week in the National Bureau of Economic Research, which “suggests that the law did create some modest ‘sticker shock’ for those buying their own coverage.” Still, the article says, “that’s before taking subsidies into account.”

Jeffrey R. Ungvary

President