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Thursday, April 17, 2014

California Employee Benefits from AMSINSURE.COM: 2015 to see expansion by some Health Insurance Car...

California Employee Benefits from AMSINSURE.COM: 2015 to see expansion by some Health Insurance Car...: Major insurers to expand Obamacare markets in 2015   Despite dire predictions on...

2015 to see expansion by some Health Insurance Carriers in the State Exchanges


 
Despite dire predictions on insurers’ future in the public exchange, two leading carriers are actually expanding their presence.
 



Insurance Business
April 17, 2014
 
 
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Thursday, April 10, 2014

Off exchange enrollmetn does well, and little noticed with eyes on the health care exchanges

All eyes were fixed on final 2014 HIX enrollment numbers in the waning days of March and what they would mean for adverse selection and future monthly premium pricing. But such data has eclipsed significantly important details about the post-health care reform marketplace that have been largely overlooked.
Case in point: It has been estimated that millions of Americans who aren’t eligible for HIX subsidies chose health insurance options off the exchanges, including young and healthy adults who are most desirable in any insurance risk pool.
The potential implications of this phenomenon are worth noticing. While only about 25% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 signed up for coverage on public exchanges, according to the federal government’s most recently released enrollment figures, about 40% of that same age group bought off-exchange plans in the fourth quarter through the online comparison-shopping site eHealth. A survey of eHealth customers found that 63% mistakenly thought that they could only enroll in HIX plans through government exchanges.
Health insurance carriers also say that a fair number of new signups do not involve HIX options. WellPoint, for example, recently reported that about 20% of the roughly one million customers it expected to enroll new plans nationwide would be off the exchanges. The number was even higher for Highmark, which noted that approximately 30% of 133,000 members who enrolled as of the middle of last month chose coverage outside the exchanges.
The trend is understandable. Jay Jensen, a managing member of Insight Benefits Group, LLC, says carriers that have shunned the HIX model are able to offer competitive pricing off the exchanges by targeting healthier customers with higher incomes who are going to have a better claims experience than unhealthy lower-income earners who could trigger adverse selection.
His employee benefits and risk management firm has partnered with two Web-based entities, Quotit and Norvax, to help employees shop for health insurance on or off the exchanges with the help of licensed professionals.
Consumers may barely notice any differences between HIX and off-exchange options, aside from whether they’re eligible for federal subsidies. The same plans available on public exchanges often can be purchased off those exchanges through a local health insurance agent, according to Brian Mast, vice president of communications for eHealth Inc. “In some cases there may be more options outside of exchanges because certain carriers have opted out of state exchanges, but are still offering ACA plans,” he says.
Whatever the final enrollment numbers for both HIX and off-exchange options turn out to be, industry analysts surely will comb through every detail for the most accurate picture of how the new online marketplace might evolve.
Clare Krusing, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, says the focus needs to be broader than just the number of people enrolling and also include, as suggested, the age and health status of enrollees. Another critical point is that the impact of enrollment will vary by state. “What may happen in Illinois with this risk pool isn’t going to have the same impact as, say, California,” she says.
Shutan is a Los Angeles freelance writer.

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Monday, April 07, 2014

Bill bumping ACA to 40-hour work week passes House


 
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would modify the Affordable Care Act’s definition of a full-time employee from one who works 30-hours a week to one who works 40-hours a week.
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More employers embracing ACA provisions in health plan designs




 
While it’s not surprising that in 2013 the trend of employers shifting rising health care costs to employees continued to grow, it also appears employers have begun to design health care plans with looming Affordable Care Act provisions in mind.
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