JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You may be one of 614,000 Floridians receiving a check in the mail later this summer. Hundreds of thousands were overcharged for health-insurance premiums.
The rebates are required by the Affordable Care Act because insurance companies aren't operating efficiently.
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"For consumers, some people will be getting money back," said Ken Stevenson, of Earl Bacon Agency.
Under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, insurance companies aren't allowed to overcharge consumers.
The companies must spend 80 cents for every dollar collected on patient care. The other 20 cents goes for administrative costs.
When a company doesn't spend enough on care, they must refund the consumer.
"It just depends on the carrier and if they're operating in the parameters that were set in the Affordable Care Act," Stevenson said.
Floridians will be receiving $54 million in rebates from their heath insures. That's an average of $132 per family.
"It will vary company to company," said Sam Miller of Florida Insurance Council, Inc.
Insurance Regulators said rates have increased in individual markets as a result of the federal health care reform.
In a statement, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation said, "The office believes that whatever savings that may be realized as a result of the medical loss ratio rebates will be short-lived."
"What happens down the road remains to be seen," Miller said. "These savings are based on how much the insurance companies need to spend in claims."
Consumers should have their rebates by August 1. More than 77-million consumers have saved $3.4 billion up front on their premiums as private companies are being forced to become more efficient.