Ron Bliss: Average increase for marketplace for Nevadans comes in at 8.7 percent

The final figures are in and the average increase for individual plans on the Healthcare Marketplace is a modest 8.7 percent. That is low, compared to some other states who were hit hard by rate increases. Competition among providers helped hold rates down here.

There will be just three providers on the individual marketplace this year and here are the average increases for each:

Prominence: 2.94 percent

Health Plan of Nevada: 8.3 percent

Anthem Blue Cross: 11.4 percent

While Anthem has the biggest increase, it is also providing something new for the Marketplace — a PPO plan.

PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization, which allows the customer to go to a specialist without obtaining a referral from their primary care physician.

Most plans in the state, on the Marketplace, are HMOs or Health Maintenance Organizations that do require referrals.

With the PPO, you can go outside the network to see a specialist, though your amount of coverage will be less. In an HMO, however, you have to pay the full cost of going outside a network.

While there are no new providers on the individual Marketplace in Nevada, Humana is coming in as a provider on the SHOP portion of the exchange for small business health insurance.

The re-enrollment period for major medical plans begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, 2016.

During that time, existing customers will have a choice of keeping their same plan for the new year, with a new rate, or selecting a new plan.

Those who had either Nevada Health Co-Op or Assurant must select a new plan since their plans will not be offered in 2016. Nevada Health Co-Op announced in August that it is ceasing operations as of Dec. 31, while Assurant announced in July that it was getting out of the healthcare insurance business.

Meanwhile, those on Medicare also have a key enrollment period starting Oct. 15 and running through Dec. 7.

During that time, Medicare recipients can enroll in Part D drug plans for 2016 and also change Medicare Advantage plans. Those who choose to go off Medicare Advantage plans can return to Original Medicare and can get a Medicare supplement to pay costs that Medicare does not pay.

Affordable Healthcare Pros can assist with providing Medicare supplements (with have a choice of nine different providers) and can also assist you in calling Medicare to enroll in a new Part D drug plan.

Our help is free of charge. Call us at 775-450-7544, 775-450-6769, 775-450-6867 or 775-224-7169 or call our office at 775-883-3414.

You can also call one of our two Southern Nevada lines — 702-721-3657 or 702-721-3810.

Ron Bliss is a former long-time sports writer who has been doing health insurance since 2009. He is certified on both Covered California and the Nevada Health Link and can sell products on and off both exchanges. Affordable Healthcare Pros also offers a variety of dental plans to include dental-vision-hearing plans in both states, as well as a wide variety of Medicare supplements and other health supplement products to include critical illness, short-term care, plans to cover in-home or nursing home costs and hospital indemnity policies.