How do insurers make affordable care affordable? Insurers exclude major hospitals

In 2013, the message was dire. The insurance industry proclaimed that rates would explode under the Affordable Care Act, becoming unaffordable for the average American. There were forecasts of premiums rising by 30 percent to 70 percent. Less than a year later, that hasn’t happened. The increases in Washington state, particularly for plans on the state’s Health Benefit Exchange, have been much more modest. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner estimates average premiums have gone up 10 percent…