…market and raise prices. Then, there were the Trump administration’s repeated threats to cut off cost-sharing reduction reimbursements to insurers. Insurers factored the loss of those funds into their 2018 rates, resulting in projected premium increases averaging 20 percent. Insurers also had to price for the real risk that the Trump administration would not enforce the individual mandate or invest…
This year’s open enrollment is different from previous years. First, the time to shop and enroll in a plan is cut in half; open enrollment this year is from November 1 to December 15. Second, the Trump administration’s recent decision to stop repayments for plans with reduced cost-sharing has caused some unexpected consequences for plan premiums and tax credits for…
…contributor to decreased insurer participation in individual markets. Good longstanding relationships between regulators and the industry were an important foundation for negotiations over filling bare counties. Although an insurer’s decision ultimately needed to align with the company’s business strategy, state actions also helped prevent bare counties through assurance from state regulators of protection from financial losses resulting from unexpected policy…
…comes to implementing (or not implementing) the ACA. The proposed rule would defer additional decision making and oversight to state insurance regulators. This blog highlights some of the major decisions that states would be tasked with under the proposed rule, including in the areas of essential health benefits, qualified health plan (QHP) certification standards, rate review, medical loss ratio (MLR)…
…financial losses associated with the end of CSR payments, many may question their long-term commitment to the marketplaces. Some may worry about the loss of healthy, unsubsidized enrollees. Others may be concerned about a continued partnership with a federal government that appears committed to the market’s demise. Ultimately, it will be federal taxpayers hurt the most by the government’s decision…
…health services. The administration cannot repeal Obamacare’s insurance protections – those are written into law – but many insurers could likely stop offering plans that comply with them. Why would they? Those plans, which are not allowed to underwrite and must offer a comprehensive set of benefits, will be the coverage of last resort for people with pre-existing conditions. Few…
…health. What does this mean for women? It means their employer or school can drop birth control coverage from their health plan. The result is that these women will have to pay hundreds of dollars a year if they continue using birth control. Some women, who cannot afford the cost, will stop using birth control. Others will have to choose…
…1-855-889-4325) as soon as possible to terminate your coverage and if applicable, stop receipt of any premium tax credits. You should also contact your health insurance company to ensure your health plan is terminated. Make sure to document the dates of your contacts with the marketplace and the insurer. Recent federal guidance allows insurers to extend the grace period an…
…in their insurance markets. Their experience was not pretty. Looking Ahead Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Graham-Cassidy bill will be brought up for a vote in the Senate next week. CBO’s estimates of the bill’s impact on cost and coverage may not be available for weeks, but it’s likely to show coverage losses at least as great…
…18 states declined to provide marketplace plan oversight, lack the authority, and/or have extremely limited staff and expertise to do the job. HHS under the Obama administration conducted plan management in order to fill gaps in state authority or oversight. The removal of a federal regulatory backstop could mean that key criteria for plan certification could receive little or no…
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the individual blog post authors and do not represent the views of Georgetown University, the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, any organization that the author is affiliated with, or the opinions of any other author who publishes on this blog.
