Under the risk corridors program, the Department of Health and Human Services provides payments to insurers who rack up larger than expected losses, theoretically paid for with payments from insurers who do better than expected. Because of the potential that it could cost taxpayers money, it has been criticized as a bailout.

Whatever one wishes to call it, the program is slated to expire after 2016 along with the reinsurance program, which raises fees to provide funding to insurers that incur overly costly medical claims.

The influence of these programs could be seen in Connecticut. Earlier this month, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield said it would decrease premiums by 0.1 percent in 2015 — weeks after the Connecticut Insurance Department rejected its approval for a 12.5 percent hike.

A reason for the turnaround was that, in the letter rejecting the rate proposal, regulators said Anthem hadn’t adequately accounted for the federal funds that would flow to them through the reinsurance program.