Montana health insurers say marketplace rate hikes likely

HELENA (AP) — Health insurers selling individual policies on Montana's Affordable Care Act marketplace say rate increases are likely next year.

The Missoulian (http://tinyurl.com/o2ww2nb ) reports companies are now filing requests for higher rates. Montana's insurance regulator, state Auditor Monica Lindeen, said Friday that her office has just begun reviewing the requests and that she'll likely object to parts of the increases, and it's possible insurers are overestimating some expected costs or other factors.

Health insurance companies say they had to guess at the cost of the new market, and it appears they guessed low, leading to losses in 2014.