CareFirst is getting more than 80 percent of Maryland's health exchange business

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield may have higher prices this year, but that's not stopping 83 percent of Maryland Health Connection enrollees from choosing the Baltimore insurer's health plans.

A total of 66,541 of the nearly 80,000 people who have bought private health plans through the state's online insurance marketplace through Dec. 18 chose CareFirst plans, according to a Dec. 19 enrollment report by the exchange. It was not clear how many of those enrollees were newcomers versus people renewing plans they bought last year.

CareFirst brought home about 94 percent of the exchange's private health plan business last year. But after the insurer saw more older enrollees than expected, CareFirst raised prices for 2015 plans. CareFirst's individual premium prices are up an average of between 9.8 percent and 16.2 percent.

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