HELENA - The state’s top insurance official Monday released the premiums Montanans will pay for health insurance policies they buy on the new “Obamacare” marketplace in 2014 - and said she is “pleasantly surprised” by the prices.

Whether the premiums are higher or lower than current prices isn’t immediately clear, because most policies on the Internet marketplace as of Oct. 1 have different terms than policies on the market now.

However, the policy premiums don’t appear wildly different than rates for current individual policies in Montana - and next year’s prices also could be offset by generous federal subsidies for individuals, depending on one’s income.

State Auditor Monica Lindeen said the comparable prices are due in part because of Montana’s relatively strict insurance laws, which already mandate many basic coverages required by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Lindeen, a Democrat, also noted that under Obamacare, insurers no longer can deny coverage or charge higher prices for people with serious illnesses or health conditions.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by these prices and pleased that Montanans who have survived cancer and other serious illnesses will no longer be denied health insurance or priced out of the market,” she said. “Not everything about Obamacare is perfect, but these market reforms were a long time coming.”

More: Consumers Get First Look at Obamacare Premiums in Montana