Affordable Care Act premiums keep going up

Key caveats:

• These are proposed rates — the final increases could be different.
• We all want to see an average, to get a handle on the overall situation, but mileage will vary considerably from one insurer to the next. The increases they’re seeking for next year depend in part on how much they raised their rates this year (some, for example, had already accounted for the possibility of losing the individual mandate).
• Consumers’ actual premium costs will depend on their age, where they live, whether they smoke, and whether they get financial help from the government.

Yes, but: The trendline here is real. New York regulators attributed about half the proposed increase in average premiums to the loss of the individual mandate, and insurers have been clear that regulatory moves from the Trump administration are also making them nervous.