Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Today Is Deadline For Insurers To Commit To Sell In 2018's 'Very Challenged' Obamacare Market
Politico: Looming Obamacare Deadline Forces Decision From Skittish Insurers
Decision day is here for the health insurers that serve Obamacare markets. The health plans must decide by Wednesday whether to file plans to sell through the federal exchange HealthCare.gov in 2018. But they’re still waiting for assurances the Trump administration will fund subsidies to reduce low-income customers’ health costs. The White House on Tuesday agreed to make the payments for June. But uncertainty over what happens after that is turning efforts to cover Obamacare’s poorest customers into a game of chicken — and adding instability to already shaky insurance markets. (Demko, 6/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Insurance Startup Oscar Raises Its Bet On Affordable Care Act
Insurance startup Oscar Insurance Corp. said it plans to expand its offerings in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, as insurers face a federal deadline Wednesday for initial filings to participate in the health law’s exchanges next year. Oscar, which has been under a spotlight partly because of its tie to the Trump administration, said it aims to begin selling ACA plans in Tennessee for the first time in 2018, and re-enter the exchange in New Jersey, where it sat out this year. The insurer also will expand the regions where it sells ACA plans in California and Texas. (Wilde Mathews, 6/21)
Nashville Tennessean: Insurer Start-Up Oscar Health Preps To Sell 2018 Obamacare Plans In Nashville
Health insurance start-up Oscar Health is gearing up to sell individual plans in the greater Nashville area in 2018, an expansion into the Southeast that will give area residents a second option on the Obamacare exchange. The company will formally apply on June 21 with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance for approval to be an insurer in nine counties. Oscar, if its application is successful, will ensure that Tennesseans have a second insurance choice in 2018 even with Humana's planned departure. Cigna is expected to remain on the federally-run marketplace. (Fletcher, 6/21)
USA Today: Insurers Make Obamacare Deadline Decisions, But Can Still Drop Out
A relative newcomer to health insurance intends to enter or expand on the Affordable Care Act exchanges in five states at today’s filing deadline, improving the outlook for Obamacare but hardly eliminating the grave threat Trump administration-spawned uncertainty poses. Oscar Health, started in 2012, joins insurer Centene which last week announced plans to sell ACA plans in Kansas, Missouri and Nevada and to expand in six other states. The news comes as even insurers that have announced their plans to sell ACA plans publicly reserve their right to change their minds. (O'Donnell, Fletcher and Gluck, 6/21)
Nashville Tennessean: BCBST, Cigna On Tap To Sell Obamacare Plans In 2018
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna have officially lined up to sell individual insurance in Tennessee for 2018. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee submitted preliminary filings to sell plans next year to the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance on June 20. BCBST plans to sell individual insurance in most parts of the state. The insurer is preparing to re-enter the greater Knoxville market, which was temporarily without an insurer for 2018 after Humana announced plans to exit. It will not be in the greater Memphis or Nashville areas. (Fletcher, 6/20)
Modern Healthcare: Dozens Of Counties Lack An Insurer Ahead Of HealthCare.Gov Rate-Filing Deadline
Ahead of this week's deadline for insurers to file 2018 HealthCare.gov rates, dozens of U.S. counties lack health insurance options. Insurers must say on Wednesday whether they plan to sell coverage on the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges next year. The deadline is the first look at the state of the federal marketplace for 2018: how much rates could go up and which counties are at risk of having no insurers. (LIvingston, 6/20)
Chicago Tribune: Blue Cross Working To Return To Illinois Obamacare Exchange Next Year
Illinois' largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, is taking steps to return to the Obamacare exchange next year despite uncertainty over the fate of the health care law. The news comes as some insurers in other parts of the country pull out of the marketplace for 2018. In Illinois, insurers have until Wednesday to file proposed rates with the Illinois Department of Insurance. Colleen Miller, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross, confirmed Monday the insurer is submitting rates and plans for next year. (Schencker, 6/20)
Denver Post: Easing Fears, Anthem Announces Plan To Participate In Colorado Health Insurance Exchange In 2018
Health insurance giant Anthem announced late Monday that it has submitted proposed 2018 plans to the state, easing fears that it might back out of Colorado’s health insurance exchange and leave residents of several counties without an insurance choice. But an Anthem spokesman declined to provide specifics on those plans — including where the company expects to offer them — meaning it remains unclear if Anthem will continue to provide coverage to the same number of Coloradans it currently does. (Ingold, 6/20)
And some employers are also facing stiff insurance cost increases --
Austin American-Statesman: Wilco Employees Face Increases In Healthcare Insurance In 2018
Williamson County commissioners on Tuesday approved paying $804,000 extra next year to help cover the increased cost of health care insurance for county employees. Employees also face monthly increases on the amount they will pay for health care insurance ranging from $20 to $105 based on what plan they use and how many people in their family are covered. (Osborn, 6/20)
