Officials Urge Consumers To Shop Around For Health Coverage
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says Americans looking for health insurance should take the time to look for better deals. It's a sentiment shared among many health law advocates, including the interim head of Minnesota's health exchange.
The Charlotte Observer:
US Health Secretary Urges NC Residents To Shop Around For Health Insurance
As North Carolina is reeling from some of the highest health insurance rates in the nation under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. health secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Monday advised residents to shop around for better deals. Burwell stressed a lesson repeated often by ACA advocates: Rates can appear excessively high for the same plan year-over-year, but customers are likely to find better deals if they explore other plans. (Murawski, 11/2)
Minnesota Public Radio:
Interim MNsure CEO Urges Minnesotans To Shop Around For Health Care
It's open enrollment season for individual health plans, and that's true whether you're looking to buy directly from an insurance company or through MNsure, Minnesota's health insurance exchange. (11/2)
In other health law marketplace news, a large insurer in Kansas leaves the federal exchange, and enrollment is examined in Oregon and Virginia --
The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
Marketplace Insurer's Departure Creates Enrollment Concerns
Groups working to boost health insurance enrollment in Kansas are concerned their efforts could be undermined by the last-minute departure of one of the state’s largest insurers. Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc. and Coventry Health & Life Insurance Co. — both subsidiaries of Aetna — abruptly decided to stop offering policies to Kansas consumers in the federal marketplace. The decision, made two weeks before the start of the open enrollment period, surprised state insurance regulators. (McLean, 11/2)
The Oregonian:
Open Enrollment Begins For Oregonians Buying Their Own Health Coverage
The once-a-year open enrollment period has begun for the more than 240,000 Oregonians who buy their own health coverage and are not on Medicare. Officials and insurance agents encourage consumers to start shopping now for next year's policy, as enrollment ends Jan. 31 – earlier than last year. If you want to have your new policy in place for the new year, you'll need to enroll in December – or by December 15 if you use the federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov. (Budnick, 11/2)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Nearly 400,000 Virginians Sign Up For Affordable Care Act In 2015
Approximately 385,000 Virginians signed up for plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2015, but thousands more who are eligible for subsidies did not. (Smith, 11/2)