Biden-Harris Administration Announces More than Half of All States Have Expanded Access to 12 Months of Medicaid and CHIP Postpartum Coverage
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced that more than half of all states have expanded access to 12 months of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage after pregnancy. Georgia and Pennsylvania are the 25th and 26th states to be approved for the extended coverage, made possible by provisions in the American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law by President Biden in March of 2021. This announcement marks critical progress in the implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint, a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving maternal health, particularly in underserved communities.
Back in August I was able to postestimated preliminary average 2023 rate changes for Texas' individual market. I emphasize "estimated" because the state insurance dept. website isn't helpful and even the filings found in the SERFF database only include actual enrollment data for about half of the dozen or so insurance carriers offering policies on the TX indy market. For the remaining carriers I had to use my best guesstimate of what the market share of each was in order to come up with a weighted average increase, which turned out to be +8.8% for unsubsidized enrollees.
Back in September, Covered California announced that the weighted average individual market premium increases for 2023 (for unsubsidized enrollees) will be around 5.6%, down slightly from the 6.0% average requested by carriers. However, the press release, besides not including a carrier-level breakout of the rate hikes, also didn't say anything about California's small group market.
Biden-Harris Administration Launches Window-Shopping for Affordable and Accessible Health Care Marketplace
Ahead of 10th Open Enrollment period, Biden-Harris Administration announces high levels of health plan affordability, quality, and choice, and a record number of outreach efforts to connect Americans to coverage
The Biden-Harris Administration has made expanding access to health insurance and lowering health care costs for America’s families a top priority, and, starting today, consumers can preview their health care coverage options and see the savings available to them in the most competitive Marketplace in history. Consumers can now visit HealthCare.gov to view detailed information about 2023 health insurance plans and prices offered in their area in advance of the 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment period that begins November 1, 2022.
The small group market rates are unchanged; the requested premium changes, which have an unweighted average hike of 7.2%, were approved as is. On the individual market, there were some slight reductions from requested rates for BCBS of KC, Sunflower/Ambetter, Medica, Oscar and US Health & Life. As a result, the semi-weighted average increase will be about a point lower (+7.2% vs. +8.3%).
I say semi-weighted because I only have the actual enrollment data for some of the carriers; for the others, I assumed equal enrollment for each of the remaining carriers based on the total statewide individual market size. I may be off on this, but it shouldn't move the needle too much if I am.
Also worth noting: UnitedHealthcare is joining the Kansas individual market for 2023.
The Reinsurance Program, Colorado Option and federal assistance will save people money on health care.
DENVER - The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI), part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies, has released the approved health insurance plans and premium information for 2023 for individual plans (for people who don’t get their insurance from an employer) and small group plans (for small employers with 2- 100 employees).
Because of the innovative programs the Polis-Primavera administration – in partnership with the legislature – has championed over the last three years, Coloradans can save $326 million statewide on individual health insurance plans for 2023. The Reinsurance Program, the Colorado Option and the DOI’s rate review process are driving substantial savings for the 2023 plan year.
The South Carolina Insurance Dept. has posted their final/approved 2023 rate filings for both the Individual and Small Group markets. Unlike the preliminary filings, which they didn't make easily available, the final filings are pretty clear cut. They don't include the enrollment data for each carrier, but most of that is available via the the federal Rate Review website and/or SERFF databases for the indy market. For the small group market, I was only able to find the number of policyholders, not actual enrollees, although that should still give a fairly close approximation to the relative market share.
On the individual market, average rates are going up around 7.3%, which is down a solid amount from the originally-requested average rate hike of 10.4%. The biggest news on SC's indy market is that Bright Health is dropping out (as they are everywhere else as well), while Cigna and Select Health are joining the ACA exchange.
On the small group market it doesn't look like there are any changes to who's participating. The average rate increase is 4.6%, which is actually down a bit from the 5.5% requested average (mostly due to Blue Cross/Blue Choice having their increases shaved down).
Starting Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Minnesotans can enroll in comprehensive medical and dental coverage for 2023 and access exclusive savings that lower the cost of monthly premiums through MNsure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace.
Now in its tenth year of serving Minnesotans, MNsure is the trusted source to find health plans that meet the needs and budgets of Minnesotans. MNsure’s open enrollment period will run from November 1, 2022, through January 15, 2023. Open enrollment is the annual opportunity for Minnesotans to compare options, sign up for health coverage, or change plans.
“We’re looking forward to helping many new families enroll in coverage through MNsure for the first time this year,” said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. “If you’ve thought MNsure doesn’t have anything to offer your family because you didn’t qualify for tax credits before, now is the time to take another look. New federal rules have changed who’s eligible for savings and now more Minnesotans will be able to access tax credits that will lower premium costs by $560/month, on average, in 2023.”
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), approved Medicaid section 1115 demonstration initiatives in Arizona that will help the state take aim at health-related social needs. Like recently approved demonstrations in Oregon and Massachusetts, Arizona’s demonstration will test innovative interventions that target critical drivers of health outcomes, including housing insecurity.
“Everyone deserves the chance to receive the care they need to live safe and healthy lives,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are proud to work with Arizona in this groundbreaking effort. We will continue doing all we can to strengthen Medicaid, and urge states to follow Arizona’s lead.”
