Following the release of the preliminary 2018 rates for health insurance purchased on the individual market, Sen. Jerry Relph (R-St. Cloud) issued the following statement:

“Yesterday’s rate announcement is welcome news for Minnesotans who purchase their health insurance through our state’s individual marketplace. After years of rapidly increasing rates, the market is finally stabilizing. This is thanks, in large part, to the Republican-led efforts of the legislative session, where I was proud to join my colleagues in voting to authorize a reinsurance program – a good first step in the journey toward significant reform of the health care law. This reinsurance program was designed to stabilize the individual market after years of double-digit premium increases and returns Minnesota to a pre-Obamacare model, with no one being denied coverage and the government helping cover the costs of the costliest insured.

However, the work is far from complete. I commit to joining my colleagues in working diligently to continue addressing the significant problems created by Obamacare and MNsure. Much hard work remains as we look at ways to provide Minnesotans with the best health care possible at the lowest possible cost for families across the state.”

Sen. Jerry Relph, of St. Cloud, is in his first term representing Senate District 14, which includes St. Cloud, Waite Park, St. Augusta, and other communities in Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties.