The rates are locked in, and they're far from affordable.

"There are no easy answers with this, folks are really gonna be hurt," said Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer Jr.

He says the spike in premiums for Marylanders is devastating.

Redmer tells ABC 2 News some of the 243,000 people enrolled in health insurance plans through the exchange this year will be spending the same amount for health care as they do on their mortgage.

"We have real families in Maryland who are going to receive significant premium increases, and they have to make some significant decisions for them and their families," Redmer said.



Only two carriers will offer individual coverage on the market for 2018. Depending on the plan and company, people will see an average hike of 22.6% to 49.9%.

The Maryland Insurance Administration says both companies proved they need those increases to stay in business, telling officials they have lost a combined $447-million since policies started selling under the affordable care act back in 2014.

Sobering numbers that could cause folks to drop coverage, and leave carriers in the red.

"The losses incurred by the insurance carriers since the Affordable Care Act has been unsustainable, and the premium increases that result from that are unsustainable as well,” said Redmer. “If it doesn’t get fixed, and it doesn't get fixed soon, we're gonna have some catastrophic consequences."

Consequences with no quick fixes.

Redmer says the entire program is close to collapse, and it's up to the Feds in Washington to stop the affordable care act marketplace from a death spiral.



Open enrollment runs from November 1st through December 15th.

