JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri residents buying health insurance through a federal website could face significantly different prices depending on where they live and what type of policy they want.
An analysis released Thursday by Saint Louis University law school professor Sidney Watson looks at the premium prices people can expect to pay when open enrollment begins Saturday for 2015 policies offered through HealthCare.gov.
Premium prices for the lowest-cost "bronze" policy are rising an average of 9 percent, without subsidies, in the 10 different cities analyzed throughout Missouri.
But the analysis found an average 2 percent decrease in the cost to consumers after federal subsidies are applied to the second-lowest cost plan in the "silver" tier, which is considered a benchmark plan.