Healthcare Dive reports:

The health-insurance premium hikes that brought negative publicity to the Obama administration and the Hillary Clinton campaign were probably a “one-time pricing correction,” says Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings.

The report also predicts that insurers will begin to reverse the financial losses that some had this year in the ACA marketplace and that 2017 will see the insurers that have had trouble this year  trying to make money from selling ACA plans “getting close to break even or better.”

The news, whose timing must intensify the bitterness of the Democrats, comes as 6.4 million consumers have signed up for  insurance on HealthCare.gov, for coverage starting Jan. 1 — a hefty 7 percent more than signed up a year ago.

Meanwhile, the GOP is preparing its plans to repeal or at least take apart the ACA after President-elect Trump takes office. The GOP is looking into how to quickly reduce health-insurance benefits under the ACA as well as the price of premiums.

In an understatement, S&P notes “what will happen {to healthcare} in 2018 and beyond is somewhat uncertain at this time.”

“With more enrollees than ever signing up for such coverage and the potential for market stability in reach, the GOP has to ensure that the same or more individuals receive coverage and maintain a thriving, vibrant market to be seen as successful,’’ Healthcare Dive observed.

To read the CNBC story on the S&P report, please hit this link.

To read the Healthcare Dive analysis, please hit this link.