Uncertainty On CSR Payments, Mandate Still Weighs On Insurer Exchange Participation And Premiums

On August 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published its latest 2018 exchange issuer county map. Only 17 counties, all but three in Nevada, remain without insurers currently enlisted to participate in an Affordable Care Act exchange for 2018. They are largely rural counties, including a total of 9,595 current exchange participants, one tenth of 1 percent of total current enrollees. As of August 9, another 1,409 counties, with 2.5 million current enrollees, about 27 percent of the total, will have only one insurer available on the exchange for next year, although many of these enrollees will have a choice of several plans. Insurers have until September 27, 2017, to make a final decision as to whether they will participate for 2018, and these numbers are likely to change. Also on August 9, 2017, the Kaiser Family Foundation released an early look at 2018 exchange rates and insurer participation in 21 cities in 21 states. Kaiser found a reduction in insurer participation in the exchanges for eight of the states it surveyed, although all but one still had more than one insurer participating. Premium increases in unsubsidized second-lowest cost silver plans in the surveyed cities varied from a 5 percent decrease in Providence, Rhode Island, to a 49 percent increase in Wilmington, Delaware, with most cities experiencing premium increases below 25 percent. Individuals receiving premium tax credits will pay slightly less than in 2017 for the second lowest-cost ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage CSRs individual mandate Source Type: blogs