The average monthly premiums for mid-range health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act increased as much as 20 percent in some parts of Florida, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Some rural counties, particularly in agricultural areas west of Lake Okeechobee, and counties where senior citizens make up a significant portion of the population saw the biggest increases in premium costs for "silver" plans from 2014 to 2015.
South Florida saw only meager increases and premiums decreased ever so slightly in Miami-Dade County, the only Florida county with a decrease in premiums.
Just under half of all Florida counties saw increases in the 10 to 15 percent range.
The analysis looked at the average premium costs in each county for a single 27-year-old resident, a single 50-year-old resident and a 40-year-old couple with two children.
The costs don't include subsidies. Individuals making less than roughly $46,000 a year and a four-person family with an income of less than $94,000 a year will qualify for subsidies to offset costs.
Monroe County, home to the Florida Keys, had the highest average premiums for "silver plans" for all three groups of policyholders, as it did last year. In 2015, a 27-year-old individual in Monroe County will pay almost $370 a month for coverage in the "silver" plan without subsidies, while a 40-year-old couple with two children will pay almost $1,350 a month.
Gulf County in the Panhandle had the lowest average premiums for all three groups of policy holders. In 2015, a 27-year-old individual will pay on average $260 a month without subsidies, while a 40-year-old couple with two children will pay on average $952 a month in Gulf County.
Nearly 1 million Floridians signed up for health plans in the inaugural year of the law and 91 percent received a subsidy to help pay their monthly premiums.