via Connect for Health Colorado:

DENVER — Open Enrollment for 2024 health insurance coverage starts today in Colorado, and people can expect more savings than ever before due to federal changes and innovative state programs.

Save on Monthly Costs

As the state’s official health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Coloradois the only place where residents can qualify for and receive financial help for their health insurance.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which passed in 2021 and provides enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits, is still in effect. That means people can continue to expect a higher level of financial help and people with higher incomes can now qualify. Currently, 77 percent of Connect for Health Colorado customers get financial help to lower the cost of health insurance. This year, three out of five Connect for Health Colorado enrollees will have a plan available to them with a premium of less than $10 per month.

via the New Hampshire Insurance Dept:

New Hampshire Insurance Department Announces the Launch of 2024 Open Enrollment Period for Affordable Care Act Individual Marketplace and Releases 2024 Premium Rates

CONCORD, NH (October 31, 2023) – Today, the New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID) kicked off the Open Enrollment Period for Granite Staters who are seeking individual health coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Individual Marketplace. The Open Enrollment Period runs from Tuesday, November 1, 2023, through Sunday, January 15, 2024.

“This is a significant opportunity for Granite Staters who do not have health insurance through their employer, Medicare, or Medicaid to enroll in the Individual Marketplace,” said New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner DJ Bettencourt. “For the fourth consecutive year, the 1332 Waiver has resulted in premiums for the individual market being the lowest in New England, ensuring more individuals have access to the healthcare they need.”

The Ohio Insurance Department does this weird thing where they list all of the carriers offering policies on the individual market and list the weighted average year over year premium change...but they don't list the actual rate increases for each carrier. Fortunately, federal Rate Review site includes the rate changes, and the SERFF database for Ohio includes the actual enrollment numbers for all of the individual market carriers except one.

As a result, I've been able to put together a weighted average requested rate increase for the individual market (I estimated the one missing enrollment number based on the overall Ohio indy market total); it comes in at 7.6%.

For the small group market, I have to go with an unweighted average of +10.8%. It's also worth noting that, once again, Humana appears to be bailing on the entire small group market nationally from what I can tell.

UPDATE 10/31/23: The Ohio Insurance Dept. has posted a summary of the weighted average rate increase for the individual market as being slightly higher than the preliminary requests (+7.8% vs. 7.6%):

Premiums for 2024 are projected to increase compared to 2023 - though individual companies' rates will vary from the average.

Weighted average annual premiums for the individual market for 2024 are projected to be $7,010.20. In 2023 weighted average annual premiums were $6,500.65. - an increase of 7.84%.

The final/approved rates are also now posted at the federal Rate Review website...and they've barely changed at all. Yet the official weighted average is slightly higher than I had estimated earlier.

The same is true of the small group market...only 2 carriers (Medical Mutual and Paramount) had their requested changes modified, and even then it was only by a hair apiece.

Ah, at last, another state which includes both the average requested rate changes for 2024 as well as the number of enrollees each carrier has for both the individual and small group markets in clear, transparent language!

Generally, according to NC Insurance laws, health insurance rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, and must exhibit a reasonable relationship to the benefits provided in the policy.

Notes:

The 2024 ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is STILL ongoing in 49 states +DC.

This is the best OEP ever for the ACA for several reasons:

• The expanded/enhanced premium subsidies first introduced in 2021 via the American Rescue Plan, which make premiums more affordable for those who already qualified while expanding eligibility to millions who weren't previously eligible, are continuing through 2025 via the Inflation Reduction Act;

• A dozen states are either launching or expanding their own state-based subsidy programs to make ACA plans even more affordable for their enrollees;

• Millions more Americans who weren't previously eligible for ACA subsidies (even with the expanded ARP/IRA enhancements) are now eligible via the Biden Administration's closure of the so-called "Family Glitch."

And remember, millions of people will be eligible for zero premium comprehensive major medical policies.

If you've never enrolled in an ACA healthcare policy before, or if you looked into it a few years back but weren't impressed, please give it another shot now. Thanks to these major improvements it's a whole different ballgame.

Here's some important things to know when you #GetCovered for 2024:

Every year I pore over hundreds of annual health insurance policy rate filings from carriers participating in the individual and small group markets, attempting to run weighted average rate changes on a state-by-state level. I then compile all 50 states (+DC) into a national weighted average rate change table.

I generally do this twice for every state: First, over the spring and summer, I crunch the numbers for the carriers preliminary rate change requests. These are submitted to the state regulatory authorities (or in a few cases, federal regulators), who run their own actuarial analysis and then either approve the requests as is, lower the requested rates or (in a few cases) even raise rates more than requested, since part of the regulators job is to ensure that the insurance carriers have enough cash flow to actually pay their claims over the upcoming year.

In some cases, the carriers actually resubmit revised filings later on in the summer if there's some material change to their finances, the marketplace or other policies which change their analysis.

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration (the Administration), through the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury (the Departments), along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), released a proposed rule on the No Surprises Act’s Federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process.

via the Maine Dept. of Health & Human Services:

As Open Enrollment approaches on November 1, 2023, Maine residents can get an early look at 2024 health insurance options that meet their needs and budgets

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) announced today that Maine people can now visit CoverME.gov to preview quality health plans for 2024 in advance of Open Enrollment, which begins on November 1, 2023.

During this “window-shopping” period, consumers can use the Plan Compare Tool to evaluate available private health insurance plans and estimate their costs without having to sign up for an account or complete a full application. The tool also allows consumers to view information about coverage and out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs.

via the NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance:

 Funding supports free tailored assistance to residents looking for coverage through the state’s official health insurance marketplace, Get Covered New Jersey 

TRENTON — Governor Phil Murphy and Department of Banking and Insurance Acting Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced today $5 million in Navigator grants awards to 26 community organizations to assist in enrolling uninsured and underinsured New Jersey residents in health coverage through Get Covered New Jersey, New Jersey’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace during the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Period and throughout the year. The 2023-2024 Open Enrollment Period starts November 1st.

The grant-funded health insurance Navigators will provide free outreach, education, and enrollment assistance to residents shopping for health insurance and help them apply for financial help.

Some of this was already mentioned briefly in the formal press release issued yesterday, but the accompanying Fact Sheet from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) goes into further detail and also mentions some other important enhancements to the federal ACA exchange:

The Marketplace Open Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov generally runs from November 1 to January 15. Consumers who enroll by midnight December 15 (5 a.m. EST on December 16)  can get full-year coverage that starts January 1, 2024. In 2024, January 15 is a federal holiday; accordingly, consumers will have until midnight on Tuesday, January 16 (5 a.m. EST on January 17) to enroll in coverage. Consumers who enroll after December 15 but before the deadline in January will have coverage that starts February 1, 2024.